A look of liberation settled on Tsunade's face. As far as the Hidden Leaf was concerned, she had completely let go.
She had changed into the outfit Ui was most familiar with—the one with the character for "Gamble" (赌) emblazoned on the back. It gave off a heavy, middle-aged slacker vibe that didn't quite match her youthful appearance.
Tsunade herself was empty-handed, carrying nothing but her own weight, though Shizune followed closely behind her with a massive overstuffed backpack.
"The Leaf is a treasure left behind by my grandfathers," Tsunade said quietly. "But the First fought for it his whole life, the Second died protecting it, and the Third personally marched onto this battlefield. Even I have spent so much time fighting..."
"In short, I've paid too much for this 'precious gem.' I've lost too much. I'm tired. This war was my final duty to the village."
"Now the work is done. It's time for me to leave."
"Say goodbye to Kushina for me. And... kid? Don't you dare die."
That was Tsunade's final request to Ui.
What was Ui feeling in that moment? No one knew but him, but he kept his tone light and breezy. Perhaps a part of him was genuinely happy that she was escaping the battlefield—a place she clearly loathed.
"Yeah, I know. I've got to stick around to see if ten years from now you're still shameless enough to keep that 'young girl' look when you're clearly an old b—"
Before he could finish the sentence, and before his eyes could complete their "appraisal" of her figure, he was launched into the air by a single punch.
It was a very pleasant farewell.
Ten years rolls off the tongue easily, but when or if they would ever see Tsunade again was a total unknown.
To her, the Konoha of today wasn't the Konoha of her youth; it was a place filled with too many things she never wanted to see again. So, she left with grace.
That morning, Ui was the only witness as Tsunade walked out of the camp and vanished into the distance. She never looked back. She simply raised a hand in a lazy, back-turned wave as she disappeared.
She was truly, deeply sick of war.
Where she would go next, Ui didn't know. No one did. But perhaps in the near future, rumors would begin to spread in various gambling dens about a "Legendary Sucker" who lost every bet she made...
Tsunade's departure was silent and kept under wraps. The average shinobi in the camp knew nothing about it—a deliberate choice by the Hokage. If the news leaked, it could devastate morale; worse, if the Sand realized the Slug Princess was gone, they might try something desperate, like deploying Lady Chiyo for a counter-offensive.
The sole woman of the Sannin, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and the world's greatest medical ninja abandoning the Leaf during a war? It was a bombshell.
As long as the Third Hokage possessed a brain—or even just a brainstem—he wasn't going to let that information go public.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was fixed on the peace negotiations. While some wondered about Tsunade's absence, they assumed she was busy or resting. They didn't realize her disappearance wasn't temporary.
It was forever.
In the seven days following her departure, messengers from Konoha and the Sand met five times. Finally, the terms of the peace accord were hammered out.
The two sides reached the following consensus:
1. Formal Surrender: The Sand will submit a formal letter of surrender to Konoha. A peace treaty will be signed, and as of that date, all hostilities must cease. The Sand must not engage in any form of provocation, or face the consequences.
2. Alliance Protocol: The Sand will become an official ally of Konoha. During the Third Great Ninja War, the Sand must ensure the Hidden Stone does not cross through the Land of Wind to attack Konoha's lines. Both sides will cooperate against the Stone.
3. Border Restrictions: Except for diplomatic affairs, Sand shinobi may not cross into the Land of Fire. All retaliation and occupation of the Land of Rivers must cease. The Sand may maintain no more than 300 shinobi at the border for reconnaissance, with Jonin making up no more than 10% of that force (a maximum of 30 Jonin).
4. Prisoner Exchange: All Konoha prisoners captured by the Sand must be returned, and vice-versa.
5. Task Embargo: For the next ten years, the Sand is prohibited from accepting missions from neighboring small nations, whether requested or not.
6. Reparations: The Land of Wind must pay war reparations to the Land of Fire, the amount to be negotiated by their respective Daimyos.
The first three points were agreed upon relatively quickly. The Sand had the self-awareness of a defeated nation; even if the treaty was severely lopsided, they had to swallow it. That is the privilege of the victor and the duty of the vanquished.
Take the third point: the 300-ninja limit. On the surface, it sounded like a security measure. In reality, with only 30 Jonin allowed, it made the Sand's border virtually defenseless against a Konoha strike. Konoha, meanwhile, would maintain at least as many troops on their side, but with no restriction on quality.
The fourth point was standard postwar cleanup. Of course, returning prisoners would be strictly vetted to ensure no spies were being repatriated. Trust? Between villages that kill each other for a living, trust is a fairy tale.
However, it was the fifth point that caused a massive deadlock.
The essence of that clause was: For the next ten years, the Hidden Sand will focus only on internal domestic needs. International trade is off-limits.
Since shinobi villages survive on mission fees, this was a death blow. If a country like the Land of Rivers needed ninjas, they would have to choose the Leaf over the Sand. This wasn't just a political sanction; it was a move by Konoha to systematically weaken the Sand from its very roots.