In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 435 Yu Yin Wants to Change Territory
Carol blinked a few times.

It seems... that's how it is?
Looking at Carol's appearance, and thinking of her reckless, self-centered yet mission-driven and righteous personality, Shimizu suddenly had a plan.

“Carol, I understand what you’re saying, and in fact, I wholeheartedly agree with it. But as you know, I’m an Earthling with deep ties to this planet. I not only bear the responsibility of being the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I also inherited thousands of years of legacy from the former Sorcerer Supreme, and I have a mission to protect Earth. So it’s impossible for me to abandon Earth and become a vigilante to maintain peace in the universe.”

"Well, that's a pity."

Carroll shrugged.

"No, no, no, it's not a pity at all, Carol. Does not being a cosmic vigilante mean you can't contribute to maintaining cosmic peace? That's too narrow-minded!"

Shimizu said righteously:

"As you can see, I am a mage and a scientist. For us, who are full of reason, everything can be done to obtain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost. In other words, we are good at using the power we have to achieve the greatest effect. This is also true for maintaining world peace and the peace of the universe!"

"That seems... to make sense. So, what do you want to do?"

Looking into Carol's eyes, which were full of energy and yet also straightforward and reckless, Shimizu felt reassured and said:

"You see, there are many countries on Earth and many countries in the universe. There are wars on Earth and there are wars in the universe. But since I became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., I have been mediating interests, preventing wars and terrorist attacks, and maintaining peace."

Furthermore, I formed the Avengers with Nick Fury, bringing together like-minded people from all over the world with special abilities to handle unconventional matters.

So, could we also build a cosmic version of S.H.I.E.L.D. to maintain cosmic peace? Or, could we simply use Earth's S.H.I.E.L.D. as the foundation and expand it throughout the entire universe?

Then we can gather everyone in the universe who recognizes our abilities, form a cosmic version of the Avengers, and unite everyone's power. Wouldn't that be far more effective than one person running around the universe alone?

“That makes sense, but the more I listen, the more I feel that Nick Fury is right. You want to use this to build power and satisfy your ambitions?”

Carol nodded at first, then realized what was happening and stared at Shimizu with a suspicious look.

"If I really wanted to satisfy my own ambition, would I need to use this method? With my current strength, I am far more powerful than Thanos. If I wanted to, becoming a cosmic overlord like Thanos would not be a particularly difficult thing at all. I am really just doing this for peace and responsibility!"
My appointment as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was entirely forced upon me, because after Nick Fury, only I was capable of being the director. I served as the Sorcerer Supreme, a position that had been passed down on Earth for thousands of years. This position was chosen by the previous Sorcerer Supreme and recognized by all sorcerers on Earth. My appointment as High Priest of Asgard was also made possible by the approval of two generations of Asgardian god-kings.

Listen, Carroll, I have a piece of advice for you: With great power comes great responsibility. I didn't do those things to get to those positions; I got to those positions because I did those things.

When you have the ability to bring hope, peace, and everything they need to others, everyone will spontaneously trust you and put you in the right place.

Like Napoleon and Washington, they were.

"You want to be the Washington of the universe?"

"Isn't Washington good enough?"

Carol's words were cut off by Shimizu's.

How could she, an American, say anything bad about Washington?
Without George Washington, the founding father of the nation, there would be no independence of the United States, and naturally, there would be no Carole, the American.

Carol looked at the clear water and said seriously:

“I’ll be watching you, Walter. Even if I may not be your match, I’ll do everything in my power to stop you if you do anything bad.”

Upon hearing Carol's words, Shimizu's eyes lit up:
"Okay! So you agree?"

"what?"

Carol was stunned.

What the hell?
Why did I agree to that?
"If you don't join, how will you supervise me? What if one day I have an enemy spreading rumors everywhere? Will you believe them or not? Why don't you come and see for yourself? You can also convince that guy Fury, or even other people you know in the universe. As long as their character and abilities are trustworthy, I welcome them to join!"

Shimizu didn't really want to be a savior; his purpose was simply to expand his status and power and gain more fortune.

To put it bluntly, Earth is already his for the taking. His position as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Sorcerer Supreme, along with the Osborn Corporation and Vought Corporation, which are now top-tier multinational corporations, have long brought him substantial financial gains.

The remaining opportunities for advancement can be obtained legitimately simply by going with the flow and being willing to spend the time.

On the contrary, the planet inhabited by countless intelligent life forms throughout the universe is a vast blue ocean unlike any other!
This made it impossible for Shimizu not to be tempted.

Of course, to seize this immense fortune that can be foreseen, one needs power, influence, and talent, and one must also clash with the major powers in the universe.

In terms of strength, this is the last thing Shimizu lacks.

With four Infinity Stones and an S+ level Destroyer armor, Shimizu wouldn't dare say he's invincible in this universe full of hidden talents, but on the surface, there shouldn't be any single combatant who can rival him.

However, they may lack in terms of influence and talent.

Although his influence on Earth is currently enormous, and he has recruited and befriended a large number of high-quality talents, it is certainly not enough when considering the entire universe.

Although Carol is incredibly stubborn and single-minded, she is still very strong. In addition, as a superhero, she possesses a saintly heart full of justice and responsibility, which, if used properly, can make her a very good tool.

In addition, the network of relationships he has built up over more than 20 years in the universe could be a great asset if it could be put to use.

Besides these, there are also Asgard, who have been established in the universe for many years, have a certain reputation and status, and possess considerable strength, and can be considered close allies in the same camp.

If the above conditions can be integrated, a solid foundation will surely be built.

Shimizu's short-term goal is to consolidate this force and then take over the unclaimed legacy left behind by Thanos after his death.

……

Current Luck Value: 35.94%

Naruto World.

Western part of the Land of Fire, the Sunagakure army camp.

The data on the current luck value progress flashed by on the panel. Shimizu collected his thoughts and continued to discuss the current situation of the ninja world and the next move of Sunagakure with the Third Kazekage in front of him.

They have successfully joined forces with the Third Kazekage in the northwest, connecting the territories they occupied in the western and northwestern parts of the Land of Fire, thus seizing more than a quarter of the Land of Fire's territory.

Since the Third Hokage died in battle and Orochimaru succeeded him as the Fourth Hokage, the situation in Konoha was managed to hold on and stabilize after Might Dai displayed the Eight Gates and Orochimaru used the Impure World Reincarnation.

Shimizu's current strength is not yet significantly different from that of Hashirama Senju, who has recovered nearly half of his strength. With the help of strategists like Orochimaru and Tobirama Senju, as well as admirals like Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya, it is difficult for Sunagakure to make any major breakthroughs on the front lines. It can be said that the two sides have once again fallen into a stalemate.

With its current military strength and logistics, Sunagakure is already nearing its limit in occupying more than a quarter of the vast Land of Fire.

If they can win, and sustain their war through war, they can certainly destroy Konoha. If they can't sustain their war through war, then with the manpower that Sunagakure has trained so far, they can only hold onto this small territory for the time being.

The phrase "can hold out" means being able to withstand Konoha's counterattack.

With little chance of changing the course of the war, the two armies from Sunagakure joined forces, and the Third Kazekage and Shimizu finally agreed to Konoha's request for peace talks, thus completing the negotiations.

Tobirama Senju and Orochimaru pondered repeatedly about whether to give up that quarter of the territory.

If we go back, we definitely won't be able to get it back. Sunagakure would never be so crazy as to return it to Konoha, no matter the cost. But if we don't want it, that's not a good idea either.

At the very least, we can't allow the Sand Village army to be stationed in a place that is only a mountain and a village away from Konoha, right?
After much haggling and negotiation, Konoha ultimately spent a huge sum of money, including a large amount of gold, silver, and provisions, to "buy back" a portion of its territory. At the same time, it exchanged a forest region in the southwest of the Land of Fire for another portion of its territory.

In addition, they also lost a Corpse Demon Sealing Technique and all the Death God Masks in the Uzumaki Namendou.

After regaining some territory and gaining some buffer space, Konoha wanted to negotiate with Amegakure in the same way.

Amegakure also occupied a piece of territory belonging to the Land of Fire.

Even though Amegakure's main forces were engaged in conquering other small countries and fighting against Kumogakure, they still contributed to the attack on Konoha, sending out more than a thousand Amegakure members.

Following behind Sunagakure, they also occupied a small base area. Compared to the area occupied by Sunagakure, it was definitely not on the same scale, but it was still a considerable territory.

However, Hanzo was unwilling to give up this part of the territory.

On the contrary, he wanted to exchange more of the territory that originally belonged to the Land of Fire from Sunagakure.

Apart from the Land of Rain, several countries of varying sizes, including the Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Gold, have been conquered by Amegakure, along with nearly half of the Land of Waterfall.

According to Hanzo's plan, he would exchange the Caspian Sea, which served as the starting point of the canal, within the Land of Rain with Sunagakure.

They have no shortage of rivers and lakes, and plenty of water. The vast Caspian Sea, adjacent to the border, could be used to cede most of it to Sunagakure, along with the mountain on the border. In return, they could occupy a portion of the fertile land that originally belonged to the Land of Fire, making their current territories more interconnected.

In that case, if they could take over the entire Takigawa Kingdom, their territory, while still not comparable to the Five Great Nations, would be second only to the Five Great Nations in size, making them roughly on par with the Five Great Nations, possessing sufficient strategic depth and land resources.

(After looking at it, there are many versions of the Ninja World Map now, and they all seem to make sense. The one below should be the most authoritative, and it comes from page 15 of the official guidebook, the Book of Soldiers.)

If the Seven-Tails is captured, Amegakure will have a Jinchūriki like the Five Great Ninja Villages. Then Amegakure will truly become the sixth great ninja village, on par with the Five Great Ninja Villages. Hanzo will become the First Amegakure, and the Land of Rain will become a great power.

That's exactly what Shimizu and the Third Kazekage are talking about now.

"It seems that old bastard Hanzo is sure we will agree to his conditions. The Caspian Sea in the Land of Rain is connected to the Grand Canal, which is the economic lifeline of the country. If we have the opportunity, we should take control of it ourselves."

The Third Kazekage sat on a rattan chair, holding a cup of tea brewed from leaves he used to be reluctant to buy, and looked at Qingshui sitting at the table reviewing documents, and chuckled.

Three or four years ago, he never imagined that one day he would be sitting in the territory of the Land of Fire, leisurely drinking tea that only daimyo and nobles could afford.

This small can of tea is worth the reward of five A-level missions.

The reward that an elite squad led by a Jonin could earn by risking their lives five times was something that even the Third Kazekage wouldn't dare use back when Sunagakure was dirt poor. He would only use the money for the village's development.

The previous Kazekage of Sunagakure laid a solid foundation and allowed the village to gradually grow and prosper by saving money bit by bit through such frugality.

“An exchange is possible, but Hanzo is asking for too much. Even as an ally, the price is unreasonable. A one-to-one exchange of lakes and land is clearly not fair.”

Shimizu tossed aside the letter delivered by the Rain Envoy.

"Furthermore, we don't need to take over 80% of the entire Caspian Sea. Didn't Hanzo want to keep 20% as a buffer zone? We might as well just take 40%, and give the remaining 60% back to him. 40% of the Caspian Sea is more than enough to ensure water supply and safety upstream of the shipping route. Then we can just give them a few cities near the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass."

"Won't Amegakure have any objections to doing this?"

"What could they possibly object to? We're willing to make the exchange, which has already met their expectations. This entire Caspian Sea, apart from the fishing industry along the coast, has virtually no value to them. As long as we preserve enough strategic buffer zones, it's pure profit for them."

(End of this chapter)