Chapter 237: Chapter 235: Negotiation and Orochimaru
Hearing the Kusagakure leader's explanation, Mui frowned. Kusagakure's Hawk and Dove factions only differed in their approaches: the Hawks wanted to take proactive action to improve the village's unfavorable trade situation and secure more missions, while the Doves preferred to maintain the status quo, believing stability would ultimately lead to improvement.
In the end, both factions cared about Kusagakure, just with differing methods. But when the Kusagakure leader essentially disowned the Hawks, Mui felt slighted, as though he and his fellow Hawks were being cast out of the village.
Hearing Byakuya's questioning of the leader, Mui felt a bit relieved.
Facing Byakuya's challenging tone, the Kusagakure leader quickly waved his hand, saying, "That's not what I meant. I just wanted to say that the actions of a few extreme individuals shouldn't affect the relationship between Kusagakure and Amegakure."
Byakuya continued to fix his gaze on him, which made the Kusagakure leader sigh inwardly. Finally, he asked, "What exactly do you two want Kusagakure to do in exchange for sparing us?"
Byakuya exchanged a glance with Nagato, then replied, "Aside from settling the border issue, we're here on behalf of our leader to establish a cooperative arrangement with Kusagakure.
I've heard that your village's economy has been struggling recently, with fewer mission requests coming in. If Kusagakure is willing to sign an agreement and join Amegakure's trade network, it would greatly benefit both sides."
The Kusagakure leader's eyes trembled after hearing this.
He'd signed similar agreements before, like the alliance treaty with Konoha after the last Shinobi World War.
However, such agreements came at a cost. As part of the alliance with Konoha, Kusagakure sacrificed trade and mission autonomy, allowing both trade and mission requests to flow freely between them.
Though these terms appeared mutually beneficial on the surface, the economic power of Konoha and the Land of Fire meant Kusagakure and the Land of Grass were constantly being exploited.
Grass Country's goods couldn't compete with those from the Land of Fire, and Kusagakure's shinobi lacked the numbers and skill to rival Konoha's.
Now, with the treaty with Konoha still in place, Amegakure was pressing for a similar agreement, which would only further destabilize the economy of Grass Country.
As the village leader, the Kusagakure head found it impossible to accept such harsh conditions.
At that moment, Mui couldn't stand by any longer. He stepped close to the Kusagakure leader and whispered, "Leader, the Box of Ultimate Bliss is lost. We no longer have any means to resist. Also, Amegakure holds the moral high ground in this case, and their offer appears quite fair. It seems we have little choice. If you still insist on opposing them, who knows what they might do?"
Mui wasn't just a Kusagakure Jonin; he was a core Hawk member and the warden of Hozuki Castle.
Hearing this from the semi-autonomous Hozuki Castle's warden, the Kusagakure leader realized he had no room to negotiate. Reluctantly, he approached Byakuya and said, "Kusagakure is willing to cooperate with Amegakure."
Seeing the Kusagakure leader agree, Byakuya nodded approvingly and then whispered to Nagato, "Nagato, I'll leave the rest of the details to you. I'm not great with the finer points of negotiation, but I trust you'll handle it and keep them in line."
Nagato felt slightly nervous, but Byakuya had already disappeared, leaving him no choice but to put on a cold, expressionless face as he took over the negotiations.
This blank expression, however, proved highly effective. The Kusagakure leader and his companions were immediately intimidated by his inscrutable demeanor, feeling thoroughly subdued.
Upon witnessing this scene from the shadows, Byakuya couldn't help but marvel at the unexpected advantages of Nagato's socially withdrawn nature.
In the past, when Nagato was still a war orphan, his social anxiety might have been seen as introversion or aloofness, but now, with Kage-level combat abilities, that same disposition came across as dignified and imposing.
In the dark forest that is the ninja world, strength dictates everything. Powerful individuals like the First Hokage, Madara Uchiha, and even the current Sannin of Konoha each have their own flaws. Yet, as long as they're strong enough, others naturally fall in line.
Byakuya's current strength might be formidable enough within the ninja world, but he still found himself lacking when compared to certain monsters.
He didn't set overly high standards for himself—he only aimed to be clearly stronger than the current reincarnations of Asura and Indra. Ideally, he'd like to be strong enough to defeat Kaguya Otsutsuki.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
A Byakuya clone, having set up a sealing formation, finally awaited the arrival of his expected visitor.
Once underground, Orochimaru's eyes fell immediately on the ominously decorated Box of Ultimate Bliss. After a brief glance, he addressed Byakuya:
"Byakuya, you summoned me here just for the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
Byakuya looked at Orochimaru and replied, "It sounds like you're already quite familiar with the Box. Not surprising—Orochimaru-senpai, with your vast knowledge, must have heard of such a legendary artifact long ago. But don't you have any interest in this treasure, said to grant any wish?"
"It's hardly a 'treasure'…" Orochimaru paused, then continued, "I've studied the history of the Land of Grass. Every time the Box of Ultimate Bliss was opened, it resulted in terrible destruction, and those who attempted to open it often met mysterious deaths. If it truly were a treasure, Kusagakure would never have been entrusted with it."
Byakuya chuckled and replied, "I'd expect nothing less from you, Orochimaru-senpai; you know even more about the Box than I do. But are you really not tempted to study it like how does it grant wishes? What secrets lie within?"
"Besides, legend has it that the Box was left behind by the Sage of Six Paths himself. Does that really not spark your curiosity?"
Orochimaru's tongue flicked, and after a moment of silence, he replied, "Byakuya-san, your words have piqued my interest. But if I uncover anything through my research, does that mean you'll owe me a favor?"
Orochimaru valued favors with Byakuya highly.
The last time, after hearing from Byakuya about the compatibility between Wood Release and the Uchiha clan, Orochimaru immediately experimented by combining Uchiha blood with Hashirama's cells in a certain ratio. Surprisingly, the combination proved stable.
This confirmed Byakuya's theory that Uchiha could indeed handle partial Hashirama cell transplants.
If it weren't for his pact with Byakuya, and the fact that he was now a rogue shinobi, Orochimaru would have already captured a Sharingan-wielding Uchiha to see if he could create a perfect candidate for Wood Release.
If he ever chose to perform his body-switching technique in the future, such a shinobi would be the ideal vessel.
Moreover, a question lingered in Orochimaru's mind: why is it that, of all clans, the Uchiha—the rivals of the Senju—can adapt to Hashirama's cells, while even some Senju descendants lack that same compatibility?
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