Naruto: Nara's skill set is incredibly sneaky.

Chapter 210 The Scheme of the Daimyo of the Land of Water

"What the hell?"

The deer was startled.

"Brother! Don't you want to listen to what you're saying? If I go and kill the Fourth Mizukage, won't that mean there'll be another war?!"

"While I'm not afraid of the Fourth Shinobi World War, isn't it a bit too early?"

Minato understands the deer's reaction very well.

He was also shocked when he first heard this.

"I can't explain it clearly. Come with me to the meeting room; the people from Kirigakure are waiting for you inside."

As Minato caught the deer, a Flying Thunder God appeared at the conference room door.

Lu Shi pushed open the door and went inside.

The two people in front of me were old acquaintances, namely Terumi Mei and Ao.

Seeing Minato and Shikatoki walk in, Terumi Mei stood up excitedly, "Shikatoki-sama, we meet again."

"I heard you want me to kill the Mizukage?"

Lu Shi got straight to the point.

Mei Terumi nodded solemnly, "The Blood Mist Village created by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, is truly terrifying. If we don't deal with it soon, Kirigakure will be destroyed."

Shika was not surprised at all; what intrigued him was something else: "I remember telling you about the Minazuki clan incident that Yagura Karatachi was being controlled."

Mei Terumi looked dejected upon hearing this. "We've confirmed through various means that Yagura Karatachi is being controlled, but we've tried many methods without success in waking him up. Some time ago, under Master Gen's guidance, we attacked Yagura Karatachi, but—"

At this point, both Mei Terumi and Ao fell silent.

"You failed, didn't you?"

"Yes, our side has suffered heavy losses and is no longer able to fight against Yagura Karatachi." Mei Terumi's tone was somewhat sorrowful.

In response to this situation, Shikamaru simply asked calmly, "Why should I help? We don't need to do anything now; Kirigakure will perish on its own. There's no need for Konoha to help."

"After all, going to kill the Fourth Mizukage could easily put Konoha at a disadvantage if you're not careful. This mission is purely thankless and exhausting!"

As Lu Shi spoke, he looked at Minato, wanting to know what Minato was thinking.

Minato smiled and nodded at Shikatoki. The unspoken understanding between Shikatoki and Minato made him immediately realize that Kirigakure must have brought a generous reward.

Mei Terumi listened to Shikatoki's words and realized that Shikatoki was right.

Yagura Karatachi is currently the Fourth Mizukage. Making a rash move against him could easily trigger a ninja world war.

But the problem now is that Kirigakure really can't afford to delay any longer.

"I discussed it with the Fourth Hokage beforehand. This time, it's not just a request from Kirigakure, but also from the Daimyo of the Land of Water." Mei Terumi took out a scroll and pushed it towards Shikatoki.

"This is?"

"There are 200 billion taels in here."

When the number appeared, Lu Shi's pupils contracted.

This is no small amount.

"Your Hidden Mist Village is quite wealthy."

Mei Terumi chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Most of this money was paid by the daimyo. Once things are settled, Kirigakure will have to repay the daimyo."

Shika was not surprised at all that the Daimyo of the Land of Water was involved in this matter.

To put it bluntly, a ninja village represents a country's military strength.

If the Land of Water loses Kirigakure, its situation will become very dangerous.

Whether for their own power or for their own safety, the Daimyo of the Land of Water would never allow Kirigakure to perish.

The Blood Mist Village of Yagura by Karatachi was far too extravagant.

The daimyo of the Land of Water had heard of him before. When Mei Terumi found him, she explained that Yagura Karatachi was being held captive, which made the daimyo even more uneasy, which is why he gave her the money.

Shika did not agree directly, but sat in the chair and looked at Minato: "You are very sincere, but unfortunately I am not the Hokage. I will listen to our boss on such a big matter."

Upon hearing this, Mei Terumi immediately knelt down.

Seeing this, Qing also knelt down.

Mei Terumi's voice trembled slightly as she pleaded, "Lord Shikatoki, Lord Hokage! We really have no other choice. Kirigakure is already on the edge of a cliff. Please, both of you, help us."

Shikatoki remained unmoved by Mei Terumi's words.

There is no sympathy between nations; there is only the exchange of interests and political maneuvering.

Minato was also very rational; he gently tapped the table, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

Seeing this situation, Mei Terumi knew that playing the victim wouldn't work; she had to come up with something concrete.

Then Mei Terumi took out three contracts.

"This is a contract for three ports from the Land of Fire to the Land of Water. As long as Konoha Village helps, all three ports can be handed over to Konoha Village for management."

Upon hearing this, Lu Shi had already made up his mind.

Compared to money, this kind of port is a gold mine, and a sustainable gold mine at that.

When the water gate looked at the deer.

Lu blinked.

Minato coughed. "I am also deeply saddened by the situation in Kirigakure. For the sake of peace in the ninja world, Konoha should naturally do its part. Here's what we'll do: Shikatoki, go and help them out."

Lu Shi immediately replied, "No problem, I'm a peace-loving person."

Mei Terumi's face lit up with joy.

She didn't care about the cost; the most important thing now was to protect Kirigakure.

"You can go now. I need to get ready. We'll meet at the Konoha gates in an hour." Shikatoki dismissed Mei Terumi.

go.

Shikatoki picked up the contract and smiled. "I didn't expect the Daimyo of the Land of Water to be so willing to sacrifice so much to protect Kirigakure."

Minato nodded. "With these assets, Konoha will be financially independent."

Shika then tossed the contract to Minato, saying, "We can't take all of this contract. Each port will receive 40% from the daimyo of the Land of Fire."

Minato was taken aback. "Why?"

"Konoha can achieve financial freedom, but not everyone can achieve financial freedom alone! Minato, what do you think is the relationship between a ninja village and a nation?" Shikatoki asked calmly.

Minato thought for a moment, "A cooperative relationship?"

"Yes, so why are they cooperating?"

Shika's words made Minato realize something instantly.

Ninjas are not good at production, so they need the economic support of a major power.

The Land of Fire lacks sufficient military strength, so it needs ninja villages to protect its territory.

The two sides are in a delicate balance.

Once Konoha is financially secure, this balance will be directly disrupted.

At that time, Konoha Village will become the target of everyone's hatred.

A ninja village that possesses both military strength and financial resources directly threatens the status of a daimyo.

Not to mention, once this precedent is set, will other ninja villages follow suit?

Therefore, the daimyo of other major powers would not stand idly by and watch this situation unfold; the best solution would be for them to launch a coordinated attack.

After thinking it through, Minato realized this contract was a hot potato. "Shikatoki, do you think this might be something the Daimyo of the Land of Water did on purpose?"

"Most likely, these daimyo are quite adept at playing politics. However, if you, Minato, intend to unify the ninja world, you don't have to divide it up. With Konoha's current strength, it's more than enough to conquer the entire ninja world."

Lu Shi joked.

Minato glanced at Shikatoshi speechlessly. "Unifying the ninja world is easy, but management is a big problem! Konoha doesn't have any management talent, so it's better to maintain the status quo."

"Then there's no other way. If we bring the Fire Country Daimyo onto this ship, he'll get a share of the money and will naturally protect us. Besides, as the Hokage, you can also make a statement. Whether the Fire Country Daimyo believes you or not doesn't matter, as long as your attitude is there."

Shika stood up and stretched, saying, "You should ask Shikaku-nii for details. I'm leaving now. I estimate that Terumi Mei will be gone this time."

Their defeat must have been orchestrated by Uchiha Shinnoho. I'll go to Kirigakure and see if I can capture him.

Minato slumped onto the table. "I know, sigh~ that's why everyone loves scheming against each other so much!"

"That's politics, there's nothing we can do about it!"

Lu Shi replied with one sentence and left immediately.

"Kakashi, tell Shikaku to come to my office for a meeting. This matter must be handled properly."

"Yes."

Minato got busy again, while Shikatoki went home, packed a few things, and headed to the gates of Konoha.

Mei Terumi and Ao had been waiting for a long time.

Mei Terumi and Ao immediately went to greet Shikatoki, "Lord Shikatoki, let's go."

"Okay, let's go!"

Shika also knew that Terumi Mei was anxious.

On the way, Lu Shi asked about the situation in detail, and it turned out to be just as Lu Shi had guessed.

Mei Terumi and her team were about to succeed, but for some reason, the Kirigakure ninjas who were preparing in the rear were all killed, which led to their final failure.

Shikatoki probably figured it was Uchiha Shinka who made the move.

"Although your mission requires you to kill the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, I still have to ask, do you need his body intact?"