บท 36: 36. Follow The Three Tails!
"It's that simple? Don't we need to do anything else?"
Even someone like Genji, who is well-versed in ninja conspiracies, found it a bit surreal—Terumi Mei even more so.
Supporting the Uchiha clan isn't the same as forming an alliance with them. If it were an alliance, there would inevitably be a conflict of interest with Konoha and even the possibility of direct war.
But solidarity is much simpler. It's like two people quarrelling, and you stand aside, supporting one of them with just words. You don't need to get involved, and you can even watch from the sidelines.
No way—you, Uchiha Yagami, came to Kirigakure from Konoha and fought against the one controlling the Fourth Mizukage just for something like this?
"Otherwise? What do you think I should ask for?"
Yagami turned his head to look at Terumi Mei, blinking at her, and asked in return.
Master Genji's heart couldn't help but make a decision, and he immediately said:
"Mr. Yagami, rest assured, just let us know when you need it, and Kirigakure will certainly cooperate!"
Hōzuki Suikazan and the others, delayed in their reactions, looked at Yagamiand Terumi Mei with curiosity.
At first, Terumi Mei managed to keep her expression steady, not wanting her own people around her to see anything.
But when Uchiha Osamu and Uchiha Nokura, who were seated across the room, smiled kindly and looked at their comrades, she couldn't hold back any longer.
Damn brat! Don't you know what kind of occasion this is? How am I supposed to live in Kirigakure after this?!
Terumi Mei immediately shot Yagami a vicious glare, and Yagami shrugged innocently, indicating he had done nothing.
Well, there's no need to guess now—there was definitely something going on between these two!
Watching their interaction, Kirigakure's higher-ups felt they had uncovered the truth, but no one said a word.
After all, it was pointless to mention it. Even if they wanted to whisk Terumi Mei away, Kirigakure couldn't keep anyone right now!
"Then let's discuss the second matter! On behalf of the Uchiha clan, I propose a shipping partnership with the Land of Water.
Don't worry; the route will solely be used for cargo transport and not for warfare.
It is a commercial route.
This way, materials from the ninja world can flow more smoothly to the Land of Water, and the Land of Water can circulate its goods to the other four nations, promoting economic growth."
Good heavens! Is Uchiha here to benefit the Land of Water? Not only are they addressing the village's troubles, but both conditions they proposed are beneficial and harmless to the Land of Water and Kirigakure!
Master Genji felt his mind falter. After all these years, this was the first time he'd encountered such a negotiation.
In typical negotiations, the aim is to gain as many benefits as possible, but here, Uchiha hadn't encroached on Kirigakure's interests; on the contrary, they were offering advantages.
Could this condition be a trap? But no matter how he considered it, it seemed like a positive deal!
"But with the opening of the waterway, the natural defence of the sea for the Land of Water would be weakened. Setting Uchiha aside, Konoha may not maintain peace with us, Kirigakure."
Terumi Mei frowned slightly, pointing out one of the possible downsides of the waterway.
"This is actually irrelevant."
"You must understand, the Land of Thunder isn't inferior to the Land of Water in terms of maritime transport, so the sea's protection is not as crucial.
After all, as long as Kirigakure remains strong, what is there to worry about?"
"And regarding the Land of Fire and Konoha, rest assured, the daimyo of the Land of Fire sees no issue with this. Strengthening trade relations with the Land of Water benefits both nations.
Would you, Kirigakure, risk offending your daimyo by interfering with the waterway?"
"Similarly, Konoha would not dare defy the daimyo. Currently, the daimyo trusts our Uchiha clan quite a bit. If we propose that the Uchiha manage the pier on the Fire Country side, the daimyo will agree. Even if Konoha wanted to interfere, we wouldn't allow it.
Of course, if Kirigakure thinks Uchiha isn't strong enough, feel free to test us on the waterway."
Hearing this, Kirigakure's executives began contemplating. The Land of Water is isolated by the sea, and while it relies on local resources, the lack of trade relations has hindered its development.
Especially Kirigakure, which has suffered under high-pressure policies for years, causing the economy to decline. Though the Daimyo Prefecture provides funding, it's not limitless.
Given these conditions, forget about progressing; Kirigakure needs time just to recover. Stimulating economic growth would indeed benefit them.
As for risks, they exist, but when daimyos cooperate, ninja villages typically don't interfere. No one wants to become the next Sunagakure. The Wind Country daimyo is so dissatisfied with Sunagakure that their funding has been cut repeatedly, forcing the Kazekage to mine endlessly in the desert…
The Uchiha managing the Fire Country's port may seem minor, but it creates a barrier between Konoha and Kirigakure.
As Yagami said, Uchiha's relations with Konoha aren't favourable, so there's no reason to target Kirigakure. If Yagami wanted to attack Kirigakure, he could do it himself without waiting for Konoha.
Moreover, Uchiha's current power is formidable. If either Konoha or Kirigakure tried to interfere with the waterway, Uchiha would respond swiftly. With multiple assurances in place, the waterway's opening seemed risk-free.
"Mr. Yagami, please wait a while. We need the daimyo's approval for this matter."
After considering it, Master Genji spoke. Though he hadn't given a direct answer, his response implied an agreement.
"Yes, if the daimyo consents, please bring the signed letter of authorization. Once I secure the Land of Fire daimyo's approval, I'll send a copy as well."
Yagami wasn't in a hurry. After all, matters between nations often involve lengthy procedures.
······
The cargo ship had been crowded upon arrival, but on the return, it was much more comfortable. Although smaller, there were only three Uchiha members onboard besides the crew.
"Yagami, be honest. Did you charm Terumi Mei? She looked like she'd bite your head off! You're having fun, huh?"
Leimen looked at Yagami with a smirk, and Osamu nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean I'm playing around? I'm just doing my job, and she's pretty enthusiastic, okay? I told you, stop focusing on such trivial things! I didn't come here to pick up girls…"
Yagami huffed, forming a Summoning seal. With a puff of smoke, a miniature Three Tails appeared on the deck.
Osamu and Taichi stared, shocked—Yagami had actually taken Kirigakure's Three Tails, and yet Kirigakure had been grateful!
"From today on, whether the ninja world descends into chaos or not, Uchiha will be the deciding voice…"
Looking at the controlled Three Tails, Yagami was already envisioning the mayhem a covert Tailed Beast Ball could cause in a rival village.
With only nine tailed beasts aligned to specific hidden villages, an attack from a Tailed Beast Ball would surely lead the affected village to suspect those with other tailed beasts. It was the perfect tactic to confuse and mislead!
······
On the other hand, when Kirigakure's executives heard from Terumi Mei that the three Uchiha had departed, they finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize something was amiss.
"What about Three Tails?"
"Ah! At that time, Uchiha Yagami seemed to have taken it away..."
"What! That's our village's tailed beast! Why didn't you stop him?"
"Well… you could try talking to Yagami about it."
"I… I'm talking about… never mind..."
The Kirigakure executives stared at the clan head who had spoken, momentarily speechless. They hadn't even brought up the tailed beast during negotiations, effectively handing it over without a fight.
And to think that Mist Shinobi should be grateful… they couldn't even appease themselves.
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