This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 179 Ten Lives for One Life (Please add to your favorites and vote with monthly tickets)

The December weather was bitterly cold, and even though the snow was blocked by the floating continent, the cold wind still howled.

Ryuji Ayaki and Minato Namikaze stood on the left and right sides of the main roof, their thick robes fluttering in the wind, yet their expressions remained unchanged as they stared at each other, and the atmosphere in the air gradually became tense.

Minato Namikaze did not back down or change his mind because of Ryuji's words; instead, he was somewhat confrontational.

Because he knew that Ryuji didn't want to start a war.

Inefficient, risky, and with low returns... Using war to solve problems is undoubtedly a foolish decision and should only be used as a last resort.

Long Er is a smart man who likes to maximize his own interests.

Therefore, even though he currently holds an absolute advantage and has the opportunity to destroy Konoha, he doesn't want to do it.

Because risk and reward are not proportional.

It was precisely because he understood these things so well that Minato Namikaze was able to stand firm in such a passive situation.

They were already in a passive position; if they showed any weakness, they would be completely at the mercy of others in the subsequent negotiations.

However, he forgot one thing.

Ryuji didn't want war because of the aftermath of destroying Konoha, not because of conventional reasons like battle losses.

He could have spared Konoha (his forces), but he could have destroyed Konoha (the village). As long as he didn't achieve anything that would make everyone in the ninja world feel insecure, that would be enough.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!!"

The air whistled.

Under Ryuji's mental command, dozens of knight puppets descended from the floating continent.

Propelled by chakra, they charged into the forest.

Greatswords swung, spears thrust, chainsaws cut, kunai were thrown, chakra cannons bombarded... Although they were all the same type of puppet, the weapons installed on the puppets were simulated in various environments and situations, and were sufficient to deal with the relevant situations and environments.

Explosions and the clash of weapons echoed through the forest, followed by angry shouts, screams of the dying, and the sound of machinery shattering.

The sudden turn of events made it impossible for Minato Namikaze to remain calm.

"Enough!" Minato Namikaze said, bowing his head. "Stop playing these tricks. What do you want from me to stop?"

"Enough?" Ryuji couldn't help but sneer. "Isn't this a conflict that Konoha started on its own initiative?"

"..."

Minato Namikaze opened his mouth, but found he couldn't refute it.

Because what Ryuji said was true.

Konoha started the fight, and it was Konoha that unilaterally broke the original alliance. Now that they can't win, they say things like "Enough, stop it!" How are they any different from bandits?

(Why would the Hokage do something like this?)

Minato Namikaze is having a bit of a headache.

He subconsciously raised his hand to gently rub his temples to relieve his headache.

But when he raised his hand, he realized he was wearing a gas mask and had to give up.

He took a deep breath, then bowed ninety degrees to Long Er in apology, "I'm sorry, this was our fault. Please be lenient and let it go. Konoha will give you a satisfactory explanation."

"Well, at least they've shown some sincerity."

Long Er nodded in satisfaction and raised his hand to beckon.

Nearly a hundred knight puppets flew down from the sky and hovered in the courtyard.

Long Er said to the group, "You all go to the Mechanical City first."

"But you..." Karura and several Jonin guard captains looked at him with concern.

They all knew about Ryuji's physical condition; if they left him alone, he would be at their mercy.

Hong and the others had no objections.

They all knew Ryuji's abilities, and after hearing his command, they guessed what he was planning, so they weren't worried at all.

"Don't worry, Master will be fine."

After offering a word of comfort to Garuro, Red jumped out, letting the knight puppet grab her shoulder and fly into the sky. Silver, Black, and Wanlijiang followed suit.

Karura and the four Jonin guard captains looked at each other, and finally looked at Ryuji.

Seeing that he seemed normal, she nodded.

"Take care, Captain!"

After leaving those words behind, they shouted something to the people in the courtyard, and then flew away with the knight puppet.

Minato Namikaze watched these people leave without offering them any assistance.

Because blocking it won't help.

With so many people, even if he were incredibly fast, he wouldn't be able to handle them all.

Although it could stop a dozen or so ordinary ninjas, doing so would only provoke them and cause the negotiations to fall through, which was completely useless.

and……

Minato Namikaze glanced at the bandages wrapped under his kimono, his eyes flickering.

Ryuji Ayaki was seriously injured yesterday and is now alone. We can take advantage of this opportunity to capture him.

If we can take him down, then the situation will...

"Are you thinking that if you capture me, you can use my life as leverage to turn the tide?"

Minato looked up at the sound and met Ryuji's amused gaze, which startled him awake.

(Such an obvious flaw, if I could see it, how could Ryuji not?)

Thinking of this, Minato recalled Ryuji's amused gaze and couldn't help but wonder: Could this guy be deliberately setting a trap for me?

Although Ryuji is currently alone and seriously injured, unable to engage in strenuous activity, he would likely be no match for him if a fight broke out.

Before yesterday, Minato would never have thought twice.

However, Konoha ended up in this predicament precisely because it viewed this Sand Village delegation with the eyes of ordinary people.

They felt that Sunagakure was powerless to resist them, so detaining them and demanding benefits from Sunagakure was a sure thing.

As a result, Ryuji used a variety of methods to slap them in the face repeatedly.

Having learned from this lesson, Minato dared not be so naive as to think that even if the opportunity seemed great at the moment.

"How could that be!"

Minato forced a smile, trying to maintain a normal tone.

"Is that so?" Long Er looked him over suspiciously for a moment, then looked away and sat down. "Do as you please. I only have one request: if you can meet it, I'll leave with my men right now."

"Please speak."

Upon hearing that it was serious, Minato Namikaze's expression turned solemn.

Ryuji stared at him and slowly said, "Thirty-one of my men died. I want your Konoha to pay with three hundred and ten lives."

"That's impossible!"

Minato refused without even thinking.

"Not only will you take the lives of 310 people, but you will also have to compensate us for the losses caused by this incident... the time, effort, and money spent training ninjas, the compensation, the damage to our weapons, and especially my mechanical bird and steel fortress—all of it will be compensated tenfold!"

"That's impossible!" Minato said firmly, "I can compensate you for the losses, even a hundredfold, but the lives of three hundred and ten comrades are absolutely out of the question."

No village would agree to such conditions.

If a village's stability can only be achieved by sacrificing the lives of its members, is there any point in such a village existing?

In any case, Minato Namikaze would never agree to this condition.

"You can keep thinking about it. I'm not in a hurry," Ryuji said, turning towards the city center to admire the scenery.

The sky was obscured by the floating continent, and the sharp bottom reflected the blazing firelight. Thick columns of smoke rose everywhere, and knight puppets flew around from time to time.

Explosions, the clash of weapons, angry roars, children's cries... the sounds of war's horrors echoed through the sky.

Minato Namikaze, extremely anxious, shouted, "We can discuss any conditions slowly, but can you at least get them to stop?"

"Minato Namikaze, I already said it from the beginning, are you mistaken about something?" Ryuji still looked in the direction of Konoha City and said calmly, "I don't like war, not that I can't have war. Don't you realize that my willingness to negotiate with Konoha is already a great favor to you, and yet you are trying to bargain with me?"

"We can offer more money!"

"More money?" Ryuji couldn't help but laugh.

He pointed to the war-torn city and sneered, "You're willing to pay more money for their lives, which means their lives are more valuable. Why should I take money that's worthless?"

"No……"

"Shut up, or you'll make me feel disgusted with you." Ryuji turned around, glaring at him fiercely. "You can buy your comrades' lives with money, but do you think I'd trade my comrades' lives for money?"

"I'm not..."

"Stop talking nonsense. Three hundred and ten lives, not one less, and don't try to make up the numbers with ninja henchmen. Instead of wasting time haggling with me, why don't you just try stopping me?"

This……

Minato Namikaze was in a state of utter confusion.

If he were confident he could stop it, he would have done it already.

He couldn't bring himself to sacrifice the lives of 310 of his comrades to ensure Konoha's safety.

Just as Minato was struggling with his decision, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his team of Konoha ninja finally arrived.

They looked at the empty courtyard and at Ryuji sitting on the main roof with his back to the water gate, and couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

What's going on here?

Have they captured the enemy's leader?

But it doesn't look like it!

Was that a peace agreement?

However, the fighting in Konoha showed no signs of abating.

"Let's go take a look."

Hiruzen Sarutobi jumped onto the roof of the main house, and Mitokado Homura and the other skilled fighters followed suit.

A group of people surrounded Long Er, their eyes filled with a desire to devour him alive.

Ryuji was not afraid at all.

He stood up and smiled, "It seems all the influential figures from Konoha have arrived. So, make a decision quickly: agree to my terms, or choose destruction. The choice is yours!"

"Shut up!"

An old man in a linen robe shouted loudly.

Long Er looked over, but didn't recognize him.

However, his clothing and the Byakugan made it clear that he belonged to the Hyuga clan. Although he was extremely thin, he possessed a powerful aura, and his cloudy eyes radiated a piercing gaze.

He must have been an extremely capable fellow in the past.

Ryuji ignored him and instead looked at Minato with a strange smile. "Minato, can I take his attitude as Konoha's answer?"

"Wait a minute, they don't know!" Minato said, and quickly told everyone about the conditions proposed by Ryuji.

After listening, another old man stepped forward. "Hmph, you're all getting more and more regressive with age. You still need to consider these conditions? Just capture him and use him as leverage to stop the Sand Village's attack!"

"Old man, it might not be that easy." An old woman sighed. "Although I don't know the specifics, this guy is the culprit who turned Konoha into this mess. I don't think someone like him would leave such a flaw."

Upon hearing this, the old man, referred to as the "little old man," also fell silent.

Although he was sharp-tongued, he wasn't truly so old as to be blind. They had to admit that the current Konoha was far stronger than the Konoha when the First and Second Hokage first established it.

While there haven't been any god-like monsters like the First Hokage or Madara Uchiha, the current generation of young people is clearly stronger than them. It's not that they're truly incompetent, but rather that they've encountered enemies even those stronger than them couldn't defeat.

Would such an enemy leave such a flaw?

Obviously not.

(End of this chapter)