Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 79 The Mission

The Land of Fire.

The leader of the Cloud Village delegation narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the men from Konoha Village who had come to greet them.

"So it was you who came to entertain us?"

"After all, I've had the most dealings with your Cloud Village." Minato Namikaze smiled brightly, seemingly oblivious to the complex emotions in the words of Rui, the son of the Third Raikage.

"Hmph." Rui snorted coldly, but said nothing. Although his personality was similar to his father's—irritable, domineering, ruthless, and decisive to the extreme—he maintained considerable patience and respect for talented and pleasing people.

After several encounters, each time Minato Namikaze made him feel that life and death hung in the balance, which naturally earned him Minato's respect.

Konoha sent Minato Namikaze out to lead the welcoming party, clearly as a show of force.

What a pointless tactic!

Rui inwardly cursed. He had no intention of clashing with Minato Namikaze; he knew very well what his mission was.

"Oh my, seeing Minato Namikaze again, my brother's face is sour. He has to swallow his pride because of his great responsibility, and I'll just stay silent..."

A sudden, strangely rhythmic voice rang out among the Cloud Ninja delegation. Rui's face contorted with rage, and he turned around, roaring, "Shut up, Bi!"

"My brother flew into a rage and told me to remain silent... sob sob..."

Killer Bee, standing in the crowd, was holding a small notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, scribbling something on a piece of paper while muttering to himself. Every now and then, he would draw a horizontal line on the paper with the tip of his pen, completely absorbed in his own world.

Seeing his dazed state, Rui felt somewhat embarrassed and lost all interest in arguing with Minato Namikaze and the Konoha welcoming party, thus losing his momentum.

For a moment, the atmosphere between the two opposing teams inexplicably eased during the silence.

The skirmishes between Kumogakure and Konoha on the border have lasted for nearly two years, and the Konoha ninjas harbor deep hatred towards Kumogakure. The tense atmosphere just now, like a powder keg, had everyone on edge.

The Hidden Leaf Village and the Cloud Village split into two distinct groups, silently continuing their journey. Finally, before nightfall, they arrived at the gates of Hidden Leaf Village.

After Minato processed the village entry registration and certificates for the Cloud Ninja delegation, he led them into the village.

"The Hokage is waiting for you," Minato Namikaze said to Rui, who was walking beside him.

"Let's meet him first, and we'll also hand over the peace documents to him." Rui said, while observing Konoha Village.

As they walked down the street, the pedestrians around them suddenly fell silent, casting concerned glances at them, especially at the leader.

Rui could easily sense the anger and malice in those gazes, but he remained calm as he followed Minato Namikaze.

He had seen these fearful and hateful gazes many times over the past few years, especially in the last two. From Sunagakure, Amegakure, and Konoha.

He didn't care as long as they weren't from Kumogakure.

"Senior Doto, please take them to their accommodations. I'll take Rui to see the Hokage." Minato Namikaze said to Doto Akimichi behind him.

Akimichi Tōdō nodded and led the way for the delegation from Kumogakure.

In the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building, Rui met the Third Hokage, who was known as the "Hero of the Ninja World."

For ninjas, whose lives are mostly short, the Third Hokage, who showed signs of aging, did not feel like the legendary hero of the ninja world. Instead, he gave off the feeling of a gentle old grandfather.

What truly made him feel wary and threatened was the one-eyed old man with bandages wrapped around his body, leaning on a cane, standing silently behind the Third Hokage.

Danzo Shimura!

The Darkness of Konoha!

The information on Konoha figures that he had reviewed before coming included Danzo Shimura. He was a troublesome figure that Danzo needed to be wary of.

"Is Kumogakure unable to withstand the attacks from Sunagakure and Iwagakure?" Shimura Danzo asked sarcastically.

"Is this a show of force?" Rui didn't answer Shimura Danzo's question, but instead looked at the Third Hokage.

Although this was just an excuse in the plan, it was also a fact.

Even Konoha would feel pressured facing more than two major ninja villages. Not to mention that Kumogakure, besides having conflicts with Sunagakure and Iwagakure, also has conflicts with Konoha.

There was no point in arguing with Shimura Danzo about this topic, and Rui knew that very well. So he didn't respond to Shimura Danzo's words.

"Of course not. It would be beneficial for both countries to shake hands and make peace with Kumogakure. It's too late today, let's discuss the terms of peace talks tomorrow."

"Minato, you will be in charge of receiving the son of the Third Raikage." The Third Hokage accepted the documents from Kumogakure, first speaking politely to Rui, then turning to Minato Namikaze, who was standing to the side.

Rui nodded; he had also intended to stall for time. As for having Minato Namikaze entertain him, even though he seemed careless, he understood that the entertainment also had another meaning: surveillance.

It doesn't matter. His position as the head of the delegation and Kirabi were, in the plan, meant to attract attention.

After Minato Namikaze and Rui left, the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura opened the scrolls containing documents from Kumogakure.

The two men frowned as they read the densely packed contents of the scroll. One fell silent, while the other's anger intensified.

"This is outrageous!" Shimura Danzo said coldly after reading the peace terms on the scroll. "It seems Kumogakure has no real intention of negotiating peace! They just want to buy some time to ease the tension. Let the ninja forces move out, and Root will take action from the shadows!"

At the very least, the Raikage of Kumogakure needs to understand his current situation and that of Kumogakure.

"We can talk." Faced with Shimura Danzo's rising anger, the Third Hokage gave a reply that surprised him.

"Hiruzen!" Shimura Danzo narrowed his eyes, considering whether to stop Hiruzen now or let the headstrong Hiruzen ruin his reputation before cleaning up the mess himself.

"I know that Kumogakure is asking for an exorbitant amount, and Konoha would never agree to these conditions!" The Third Hokage lit a pipe piled high with tobacco, his face somewhat blurred by the smoke.

"But we can talk. Even if it's just to give Konoha one more day of peace and to prepare for war, we can talk."

"Are you trying to appease Kumogakure and wait for them to be defeated?" Shimura Danzo gripped his cane tightly.

"If peace can be achieved, then of course we should strive for it. We can selectively agree to some of these conditions," the Third Hokage corrected, tapping the open scroll on the table lightly with his pipe.

……

The next day.

Inside the conference room of the Hokage Building.

The advisory group and Jonin of Konoha sat on one side and the delegation from Kumogakure sat on the other, engaging in a heated debate over the conditions in the documents.

Ultimately, the first negotiation ended with the Third Raikage's son angrily destroying a solid wood table and storming off with his delegation, leaving the two sides on bad terms.

(End of this chapter)