บท 199: Chapter 198: The Reputation of Amegakure
Since the First Hokage quelled the chaos of the warring states, Konoha had never seized any land in the three great wars.
On one hand, Konoha often faced attacks from two or three other ninja villages, making it extremely challenging just to defend their territory. They simply didn't have the manpower to occupy additional lands.
On the other hand, Konoha had consistently expressed a preference for peace and never initiated conflict. Although the Root organization, led by Danzo, had conducted several secret assassination missions against the leaders and Jinchuriki of smaller nations under the Third Hokage's orders, these actions paled in comparison to the aggressive land grabs of the Sand, Rock, and Cloud villages.
This series of behaviors earned Konoha goodwill from the small nations, effectively making them vassals of Konoha. In the original storyline, every time Naruto undertook missions related to these smaller nations, Konoha reaped enormous benefits.
Naruto's connection with the Land of Waves, represented by the Great Naruto Bridge, strengthened ties between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, while his friendship with Gaara made Sunagakure heavily reliant on Konoha, effectively transforming them from a non-vassal into a vassal.
To completely undermine Konoha, one would have to sever its connections with these smaller nations, causing them to turn to Amegakure, ultimately allowing the Akatsuki to subtly expand their influence.
Bringing his wandering thoughts back, Byakuya casually found a rock to sit on, waiting for the negotiations to continue.
Just then, Konan approached him. Seeing Byakuya resting on the rock, she hurriedly asked, "Did you get hurt during the battle with the Fourth Raikage?"
Konan didn't particularly care about the future of the Akatsuki; she was more concerned about the companions beside her.
Upon hearing her concern, Byakuya smiled, "Did you forget I'm a descendant of the Uzumaki clan? The Fourth Raikage's punches may be hard, but they can't hurt me."
Upon hearing this, Konan finally relaxed. She then said, "That's good to hear. I didn't expect you to really have the strength to confront the Fourth Raikage directly. You've already left us far behind."
Byakuya gave a mysterious smile and said to Konan, "This is all due to my hard work. Konan-senpai, have you ever seen the sky of Amegakure at four in the morning?"
Konan shook her head, "To prepare the materials for explosive tags, I often wake up at three."
Hearing this, Byakuya found himself at a loss for words. It seemed that the level of competitiveness within Amegakure was quite impressive.
---
As the negotiations continued, several shinobis gradually joined the discussions in the area that had initially only been occupied by the three leaders.
The crux of the negotiations centered around troop withdrawal, specifically whether the Cloud ninjas would withdraw from the borders of the Fire Country or the Land of Hot Water.
Jiraiya and the Fourth Raikage had been embroiled in a heated argument over this very issue. Jiraiya insisted on the Cloud ninjas withdrawing from the Land of Hot Water, while the Fourth Raikage argued that they would only withdraw from the Land of Fire, claiming that the Land of Hot Water was none of Konoha's concern and that Konoha had no authority to interfere.
Yahiko was unsure which side to lean toward and quietly listened to their argument.
Just then, Fugaku Uchiha stepped forward and addressed the Fourth Raikage, "Kumogakure must withdraw from the Land of Hot Water and compensate Konoha with sufficient war reparations."
The Fourth Raikage looked at Uchiha Fugaku and said, "You're the Uchiha clan leader? You have no right to speak to me. Send someone with Mangekyou Sharingan to talk."
Upon hearing this, Fugaku clenched his fists. The Fourth Raikage had the audacity to mention Shisui in front of him and suggested that he lacked the qualification to speak. When had the Uchiha ever faced such humiliation?
He wanted to explode in anger and teach the Fourth Raikage a lesson.
But aside from Shisui, no one from the clan could match the Fourth Raikage. If they intervened at this point, they would only become a joke.
Thinking of this, Fugaku glanced at Shisui and said, "Shisui, why don't you step up and fight for the village's interests?"
Shisui nodded and walked over to the Fourth Raikage, saying, "Lord Raikage, I am Shisui Uchiha. What the clan leader just said is correct. The Cloud must withdraw from the Land of Hot Water and compensate Konoha for the losses."
The Fourth Raikage sized up Shisui and then said, "So you are Shisui. We can discuss troop withdrawal later, but I have a question for you."
Shisui had already guessed what the Fourth Raikage wanted to ask, but he still nodded and replied, "Please, Lord Raikage, ask away. If I know, I will certainly answer."
The Fourth Raikage stared intently at Shisui and said, "Shisui Uchiha, where did the Jinchuriki go? The war is coming to an end, and Konoha should return the Jinchuriki."
"About that…" Shisui hesitated slightly.
At that moment, Jiraiya spoke slowly, "Lord Raikage, Konoha also wishes to return the Jinchuriki, but the Jinchuriki died along with the tailed beast and left nothing behind."
"Died?"
The Fourth Raikage's eyes burned with fury as he shouted, "How could the Jinchuriki die?! How dare you in Konoha kill a Jinchuriki?!"
Jiraiya scoffed, "The Jinchuriki has rampaged through the Land of Fire for so long. So it's only natural that she was to be put down. If Kumogakure wants to recover the Two-Tails, you might as well wait for it to be resurrected."
The Fourth Raikage's expression darkened significantly, but he restrained his anger and replied, "Since the Jinchuriki is dead, for safety reasons, the Cloud will not withdraw from the Land of Hot Water."
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya was at a loss for words.
While he was skilled in leading troops into battle and carrying out covert assassinations, he knew nothing about diplomatic and political matters.
Realizing this, Jiraiya scanned the crowd, hoping to let Shikaku Nara negotiate on his behalf.
However, after looking around, he couldn't find Shikaku's figure. He could only brace himself and continue to argue the withdrawal issue with the Fourth Raikage.
After listening to the conversation for over ten minutes, Yahiko seemed to remember something and said, "Lord Jiraiya, Lord Raikage, I think we should consult the leader of Yugakure about the situation in the Land of Hot Water. Only he can decide on matters concerning the Land of Hot Water."
Upon hearing this, both Jiraiya and the Fourth Raikage were taken aback.
When had Konoha and Kumogakure ever needed to heed the opinions of Yugakure? Konoha was an ally of Yugakure and naturally had the authority to make decisions for them.
Moreover, Yugakure had no standing to negotiate with Kumogakure.
Among all the ninja villages, only the five major villages held equal status; the remaining small and medium-sized villages had no voice at all.
To be blunt, even ninja of the level of the Sannin could easily conquer a small nation and establish a new village with the permission of the daimyo.
However, after exchanging glances, both Jiraiya and the Fourth Raikage nodded in agreement with Yahiko's suggestion. In the midst of their heated debate, they could only consider the thoughts of Yugakure's leader.
Normally, the leader of Yugakure wouldn't be taken seriously, but they had to take the opinions of Amegakure into account.
Although Amegakure was merely a small nation, its military strength was only inferior to that of the five great ninja villages. Moreover, it had strong figures like Byakuya, Yahiko, and Konan on its side.
In terms of influence in the ninja world, it was now comparable to the five great ninja villages.
However, the leader of Yugakure was still in the Land of Hot Water and would take some time to arrive, while this negotiation seemed to be approaching its conclusion.
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