Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Two hours later, Shinto finally couldn't help but interrupt this bastard's opening remarks. He just couldn't take it anymore. He thought he was already pretty good, but compared to Glasses Guy, it was like a small stream compared to the vast ocean.

To demonstrate his cultural sophistication, Mitokado Homura spent a full three pages on the opening, reciting each word clearly and deliberately. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane, used to their friend's antics, remained unfazed and indifferent for an hour. However, Shinto, Tsuchiki, and Tsuchida finally understood what Ebizo and his friends had felt twenty years ago. A full hour! Mitokado Homura, that bastard, had spent two whole hours introducing them to the history of Konoha, and he had only just gotten to the final battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara at the Valley of the End. He truly lived up to his glasses; this guy was incredibly rambling. If he were to actually finish introducing the history of Konoha, from its founding to the present, he could probably go on for a month.

This guy was born in the wrong era...

"Right, right, right! I think we should get to the point quickly. Everyone has witnessed your village's contributions to the ninja world, so there's no need for Advisor Menhou to introduce them to us one by one...-_-||"

Despite his drooping eyelids, Tsuchimaki forced himself to stay awake and chime in. At that moment, he finally realized that he and the Tsuchikage had indeed wronged the old man who came to negotiate years ago. These three giants of Konoha were just too damn good at bluffing. Judging by their posture, after Mitokado Homura spoke, the remaining two would definitely launch into a torrent of rambling. This meeting was going to be a damn long battle...

After Tsuchikage finished speaking, Tsuchikage, determined to follow in Shiki's footsteps and not suffer any losses, quickly nodded. This was a one-time thing; next time, let whoever comes, come. Even if the Raikage killed him, he wouldn't come. The verbal skills of Konoha were far more terrifying than the Raikage's fists...

"...Since the three of you have all put it this way, let's skip the unnecessary formalities. Now, can we discuss the issue of war reparations? Since the outbreak of the war, Konoha has suffered countless losses. The war against the Land of Rain alone resulted in significant losses for Konoha. I think you all have a good idea of ​​the extent of casualties on various battlefields afterward. I understand the difficulties faced by each village, and the losses suffered by each village in the war have also been relatively large. It is indeed difficult to come up with a large amount of reparations all at once. Therefore, we would like to change the form of this reparations issue. For the next ten years, Konoha will take on seven of the missions entrusted to each village. This way, we can not only alleviate the mission pressure on each village, but also prevent your villages from suffering severe damage..."

340. Your second generation even appeared in my dream.

Seeing the three's impatient expressions, a subtle glint flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes and Koharu Utatane's eyes. Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Koharu Utatane, indicating that it was her turn to go on stage. Koharu Utatane nodded slightly, stood up, and smiled as she proposed a different method of reparations to the three present than in the first battle.

This was something they had agreed upon over the past few months. The main reason was that these three villages were incredibly dishonest. After World War I, the three families had clearly agreed to pay reparations, but when they went to collect the debt, the three kept crying poverty and stingily produced less than a tenth of the reparations. Every time they thought of that scene, the three families felt a toothache. The saying "the debtor is the boss" was indeed true. They didn't dare to push too hard, but the three families also realized this, so they dragged it out for four or five years, and the reparations issue was eventually dropped. Last time, the reparations from the various families were taken from the village accounts. This time, they learned from the lessons of World War I.

Since you can't provide all the supplies at once, fine, we don't need the supplies either. You just need to hand over 70% of your mission requests over ten years. Although this isn't as practical as receiving supplies, Konoha doesn't care about those resources. Their goal is simply to restrict the development of the three major villages. By requiring them to hand over at least 70% of their mission requests each year, the three major villages will face a shortage of missions. In that case, the three major villages won't be able to develop their military strength. After all, fewer missions will lead to an overabundance of ninjas, similar to the situation before World War II where the villages had an overflow of armed forces. However, this overflow is different from the previous situation. The three major villages can't possibly develop the same formidable military strength as they did back then. If they were to increase their ninja ranks even slightly, they would immediately face a shortage of missions. How would the ninjas maintain their daily lives? Most of them rely on commissions earned from completing tasks, even in Sunagakure, which is not poor in terms of money. Although they have a lot of gold dust, panning for gold is not easy. Over the decades, countless people have died on the way to pan for gold. There are not many people who have awakened Magnet Release. Moreover, Sunagakure is extremely lacking in resources. If they want to develop, they have to rely on those commissioned tasks.

That's why they didn't think of a win-win solution that would allow them to receive compensation without restricting the development of the three major villages. Otherwise, if they were to launch another war when the villages were not overdeveloped, and each time the war ended, the three powerful families would not pay for the compensation, leaving the major clans to foot the bill themselves, that wouldn't work.

As soon as Koharu Utatane finished speaking, the other two representatives gasped. Even Tsuchida, whose math teacher died young, was shocked by Konoha's appetite. Seventy percent? And ten years? If they really agreed, even dying wouldn't be enough to atone for their sins when they got back!

However, neither of them was in a hurry to speak. Instead, they looked at the Golden Lion, who was more suitable than them to be the main negotiator in terms of status, reputation, and strength.

"Hmm... Advisor Koharu's idea is very constructive. From my personal perspective, I support this approach. However, Advisor Koharu, as the saying goes, every family has its own problems... no, every family has its own troubles. Ninjas are human beings, not domesticated animals. And you all know the situation in Sunagakure. Our daily expenses are two to three times that of your village's ninjas. As the saying goes, 'poverty breeds cunning.' If we really do this, what if some rogue ninja comes to your Land of Fire and causes trouble? Then you can't blame Sunagakure for poor management. Over the years, Sunagakure has..." Quite a few explosive tags survived, though not as many as those from Kumogakure. They could easily blow up several towns. I'm not exaggerating; ninjas live a life of constant danger. When people are desperate, they're capable of anything. If they see no hope left, they might resort to terrorist attacks or suicide bombings, and the ninja world would truly descend into chaos. Last night, your Second Hokage even appeared in my dream. That old sage… cough! Even though he's dead, he's still concerned about the ninja world… truly admirable!”

Receiving the looks from the two guys, Masato rolled his eyes inwardly. After looking at Koharu Utatane, who clearly agreed with her method, he changed the subject and shrugged indifferently, saying, "You want 70% of the missions? Fine, but when our Sand Ninja brothers go broke and come to your Land of Fire with a bunch of explosive tags to play human bombs, we won't be able to stop them."

"...-_-||"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two stared at this bastard with constipated expressions. This bastard was clearly threatening them, and he was even more shameless by bringing up their second-generation teacher who had been dead for decades. They, as disciples, had never dreamed of their teacher in all these years. When their teacher was alive, he wished he could kill this bastard. Now he would appear in their dreams?

Eat shit, Lei! (▼へ▼メ)

However, since this bastard has said so much, they have some idea. They were indeed worried that this bastard might send a suicide bomber to carry out a terrorist incident. They can't have people watching the border every day, can they?

Moreover, it will harm foreign investors. When everyone knows that their Land of Fire is frequently plagued by terrorist incidents, no one will dare to invest, and in the end, they will be the ones who suffer losses.

Secondly, Konoha values ​​respect for teachers above all else. This bastard brought up their teacher; if something like that really happened in the Land of Fire, they'd be drowned in criticism. Besides, if Sunagakure does this, Iwagakure and Kumogakure will definitely follow suit. Judging from the large number of explosive tags used in the last Kumogakure war, Kumogakure definitely has an explosive tag manufacturing plant... If they do that, World War III might break out immediately...

It's still not quite right!

"Actually, according to tradition, as the defeated party, it is mandatory to pay reparations. Although we Sunagakure are poor, we are not so bad as to renege on our debts in this regard. How about this: we Sunagakure have not lost much, but we have plenty of gold dust. We will advance twenty acres of land from your Land of Fire border into our Land of Wind. The gold dust there will be considered our war reparations from Sunagakure. You can send people to pan for gold as much as you want. We Sunagakure will not stop you. Whatever they pan for is yours! What do you three think? That is 999 pure gold without any impurities! It is much more expensive than those 98K golds on the market!"

Seeing the constipated expressions on the three men's faces, Masato pulled out a world map, pointed to the twenty acres of land he had marked beforehand, and patted his chest to make a promise.

Go ahead and farm these twenty acres! I promise I won't disturb you! ヾ(^?^)?

341. How can this be linked to ecological balance?

"We in Kumogakure are the same. Although our Land of Lightning is not as wealthy as Konoha, we can still afford to compensate with several mountains. From the border of the Land of the Moon, these mountains stretch endlessly, containing countless precious medicinal herbs and wild game. If Konoha wants any, please don't hesitate to ask..."

As soon as Shinto finished speaking, Tsuchida, who had been just passing by, remembered his mission and immediately followed up. He stood up and pointed to a place between the Land of the Moon and the Land of Lightning on the map, saying in his heart that this Golden Lion was really a genius. He could even come up with such a dirty trick. Azabu was right after all. Golden Lion was a genius!

The Land of Wind is famously rich in gold, but also littered with corpses. Gold panning is no easy feat; countless people have died on the road throughout history. Unless one is desperate or has no other choice, no one would dare to take the risk. Even with Golden Lion Shiki's guarantee that the Sand Village underlings wouldn't cause trouble, the harsh weather and the constant threat of sandstorms and tornadoes mean that even if Konoha were given that land, they wouldn't dare send anyone to pan for gold. Unless everyone unfamiliar with the environment could create an oasis with a flick of their wrist like Hashirama Senju, they could only watch from the sidelines.

That guy is so damn cunning! ヾ(^?^)?

"Our Hidden Stone Village is similar to the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Cloud Village. If Konoha really wants it, our Hidden Stone Village is rich in mineral resources, with all kinds of precious jade and other precious materials. These can not only bring great wealth and prosperity, but also ward off evil and bring good fortune. If Konoha is interested, we can try our luck with two of our mines..."

Before the three leaders of Konoha could speak, Tsuchiki, the representative of Iwagakure, also expressed his position. He said that giving 70% of the missions to Konoha was out of the question. Iwagakure was located in a remote area, and although it possessed natural defenses, this also limited their economic development. Tourism, agriculture, and commerce were simply not developing. The only investors in Iwagakure were jade merchants, and the value of jade fluctuated too much. During the years of war, it was practically worthless, even cheaper than stone. Only after the war ended and peace was restored would the price slowly recover. Furthermore, their village didn't have explosive tag factories or gold mines. Their main source of development was those commissioned missions. If they were to give 70% of the missions to Konoha every year, what would become of them? They might as well just quit the game.

"..."

The three leaders of Konoha were speechless, glaring fiercely at the bastard Golden Lion. Gold dust? What did Konoha want with it? Not only was money just a number to them, utterly useless, but even if they were given that piece of gold, they wouldn't dare send anyone to pan for it. The ninja world didn't know Golden Lion was despicable and shameless; his guarantee was nothing but empty words…

The same goes for the ores from Iwagakure. I'd be interested in iron or copper ore, but unfortunately, the mines in Iwagakure are all just those worthless rocks that have been blown out of existence. I wouldn't even want to put them in my house because they'd affect the feng shui.

They were interested in the names of the precious medicinal herbs and wild game from the Hidden Cloud Village, but their Land of Fire was separated from the Land of Lightning by two countries, making it impossible for them to obtain them.

In other words, the price offered by the three guys, led by that bastard Golden Lion, was all compensation that was of no use to Konoha. They really didn't dare to push too hard. It was already terrible enough that one of them launched a terrorist attack with a suicide bomber. If all three attacked together, it would be even more difficult to defend against. However, the three giants of Konoha were really unwilling to accept the lack of compensation.

Moreover, they never expected that their previously infallible negotiation tactics would be broken by that bastard Golden Lion. Their previous tactics were divided into three steps: top, middle, and bottom. Under normal circumstances, when a meeting was held, the host would speak, and out of courtesy, outsiders would not interrupt. So, the first to speak was the cultured one, who was also the most prolific of the three in terms of word count. The more wordy the better, as long as they got impatient with the rambling. Just like the negotiations after the first war, before they even spoke, the other side had already been pressured by Men Yan to the point of offering compensation. Whether they would actually get it was another matter, but they had already achieved their goal.

So, whenever they negotiated with others, they always used this routine, which almost always worked. This time, they did the same. First, they let Men Yan start nagging. It would be best if the three of them couldn't take it anymore and brought it up themselves. It didn't matter if they didn't bring it up themselves. As long as they got them agitated, then they would have Xiao Chun replace Men Yan and bring up compensation. Generally speaking, the process was basically over at this point, because over the years, no one had been able to stand Men Yan's nagging. If it weren't for the need to maintain order, even they, who had listened to it for many years, would have been unable to stand it.

However, their tactics didn't work at all in today's negotiations. Well, not entirely. Men Yan's nagging did have an effect at first, making the three of them drowsy. And that bastard Jin Shi Zi couldn't stand it and forcibly interrupted Men Yan's speech. But the effect wasn't as good as before. Although Jin Shi Zi seemed very agitated, he didn't look like he wanted to leave. He was able to stick to his bottom line and not waver. Instead, he turned the tables on Konoha.

This is a difficult situation. It's not that they're unwilling to compensate, but they disagree with their compensation method. In fact, they've proposed an even more novel compensation method, but there's no way they'd accept it.

Thus, in the Konoha meeting room, the three leaders of Konoha engaged in a unique tug-of-war with the three regarding war reparations. First, Mitokado Homura stepped forward, flipping to the last two pages of his speech, once again standing on the moral high ground to condemn the three. He argued that the three families had started the war, and were the first to withdraw, yet their proposed reparations showed no sincerity. He claimed that such actions would only hinder the peaceful development of the ninja world, leading to slow economic development in various countries and villages, and disrupting ecological balance...

Mitokado Homura's rambling left Masato and the other two speechless. Cultured people are cultured people. Even the Civil Engineering student, whose IQ was rumored to be as high as 95, was shocked by Mitokado Homura's superb speech and shamelessness.

This is ridiculous! They've even managed to drag this into the topic of hindering the peaceful development of the ninja world and maintaining ecological balance.

He discovered that this seemingly unknown advisor to Konoha was actually a master!

342. That's because you haven't seen this bastard's true colors.

Shinto was utterly astonished to see the three Konoha leaders, who remained unfazed, neither blushing nor out of breath. He had always thought he was thick-skinned enough, but compared to these politicians, he was just a child playing house. Look at them! While his friends were rambling on and on, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane didn't seem to have a shred of shame. Their expressions remained so calm, completely different from Danzo, who wore his heart on his sleeve. No wonder they didn't include Danzo in their games unless something like this happened.

Shocked as they were, astonished as they were, after barely managing to interrupt Mitokado Homura to finish reading two pages of his personal statement, before Shinto could even speak, Tsuchiki, whose intelligence was rumored to be as high as 95, also gave his opinion. Tsuchiki stated that Konoha's demands for over 70% of the missions were beyond their bottom line; this was clearly unreasonable. For the peaceful development of the ninja world and the proper maintenance of ecological balance, the three clans had already proactively come to Konoha for peace talks, demonstrating their love of peace and their efforts towards peace in the ninja world. On the contrary, Konoha's obstruction regarding compensation would hinder the peaceful development of the ninja world. As long as this compensation issue remained unresolved, the leaders of each clan would absolutely not sign this so-called peace treaty…

Having just been shocked by the audacity of Konoha's three leaders, Masato looked at Tsuchiki, the legendary figure with an intelligence stat of 95, with surprise. To be honest, while this guy was quite famous, he hadn't actually left any memorable moments since his debut. He was entirely promoted by Onoki. Even the claim of having an intelligence stat of 95 seemed to have come out of nowhere, without any verification or scrutiny like the Nara and Azabu clans. Although he wasn't very familiar with Tsuchiki, he vividly remembered how this guy, impersonating White Fang, had nearly crippled the Hozuki clan leader in Sunagakure by killing him with his killing techniques. However, he figured that Tsuchiki's supposed 95 intelligence stat was mostly bragging. If he were truly that smart, he wouldn't have used such a stupid method to frame Konoha. There were many ways to frame someone; there was no need for him to do it himself, especially since he almost ruined his right hand...

However, he now realized that this guy's IQ might really be 95. He couldn't tell because the guy was seriously unbalanced in his studies. Look at his acting skills and his eloquence. Without more than ten years of reading experience, it would be impossible to refute Mitokado Yan in such a short time. And this guy stood up immediately the moment Mitokado Yan finished speaking without any hesitation. It can be seen that his literary skills are superb.

ヽ(ー_ー)ノ...

After listening to Tsuchiki's debate, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time, and finally gave Homura Mitokado a wink as he took a sip of tea and was gathering his emotions.

Let's get him!

He was also amazed by this slightly famous high-ranking civil engineer from Iwagakure. He originally thought that only a place like Konoha with beautiful mountains and rivers could produce a literary genius like his friend. Unexpectedly, Onoki also had one, and it was only revealed now.

That bastard Ohnoki's been hiding his true colors pretty well...

Mitokado Homura, who was still preparing for his speech, smiled slightly after receiving a look from his friend, then stood up and began another powerful and inspiring speech. Civil Engineering, not to be outdone, also stood up to refute him.

A highly ceremonial round of peace talks instantly turned into a clash between two great scholars, and the battle was fierce.

The four members of the group stared in disbelief as the two engaged in a fierce, back-and-forth exchange of insults. The scene was one of utter chaos, neither willing to yield, and the intensity was extraordinary. No one had expected a clash between intellectuals to reach such a level. Crucially, this exchange also seemed to elevate their spirits; it was the first time they had witnessed that insulting someone's family could be done without using a single vulgar word, and in a way that sounded incredibly elegant…

.....

"Lord Sakumo, things seem quite harmonious inside. They're even concerned about each other's families at a time like this... (′???`)"

The soundproofing in the conference room was so poor that the three groups maintaining order outside could faintly hear what sounded like friendly greetings to each other's families coming from inside. The atmosphere outside became tense again. On the other hand, Minato Namikaze could faintly hear what sounded like the voice of their advisor, Menyan. Menyan seemed to be expressing concern for the other party's family. This made Minato, who was kind-hearted and never thought of anything dark, assume that the scene inside was harmonious and that the meeting was going smoothly.

"(⊙_⊙)...."

After Minato Namikaze finished speaking, everyone around, even the handsome Sasori, looked at this super genius, whom his bastard uncle had praised to the skies, with utter astonishment. Was this guy genuinely oblivious or pretending? He was clearly spewing nonsense!

"-_-||.....cough, I guess so. Why is Consultant Men Yan concerned about the Civil Engineering student's family but not that guy's family...."

Sakumo Hatake nodded sheepishly, having dealt with their genius boy, but then became a little puzzled. In his mind, given Shiki's big name and his foul mouth, if anyone was going to start arguing, it should be him arguing with Homura Mitokado. Why was Homura Mitokado arguing with Tsuchimaki from Iwagakure first? This scene was not right!

"Um...."

Sakumo Hatake's words were completely agreed upon by the handsome Sasori standing to the side. Just based on that bastard's mouth, anyone would want to kill him...

"-_-||.....Impossible, I think the Golden Lion is quite kind, except for being a bit rambling."

When Minato saw Sasori nodding in agreement, he was sweating profusely. Just how much of a failure was this Golden Lion to have even his own nephew disapproving of him?

"That's because you haven't seen that bastard's real face..."

Handsome Scorpion looked at the naive blond-haired boy who was clearly older than him and said calmly.

"Uh-huh....!"

This time, the Iwa and Kumo ninja around them nodded in agreement. At this moment, they realized that this red-haired brat wasn't so hateful after all, and the more they looked at him, the more pleasing he seemed. Their previous anger vanished instantly.

Is that bastard Golden Lion kind?

This is the biggest joke they've ever heard in all their decades of life.

Countless people in the entire ninja world have been verbally abused by that bastard Shiki. Even the Tsuchikage, who is usually calm and collected, always starts by unleashing a torrent of abuse upon encountering Shiki, and each time the Tsuchikage is driven insane by it. And you call that being kind?

343. A 50/50 split where the hair hasn't fully grown in yet.

......

Why did you guys come out? (⊙_⊙)?

The meeting continued, but when the afternoon of the next day arrived, the meeting room door opened, and Masato and Tsuchida walked out looking slightly tired. Hearing the greetings still coming from inside, Hatake Sakumo and the others looked at the two of them in surprise.

"Halftime... I got hungry and came out to find something to eat. Given their vocabulary, it'll probably be a few more overtimes. Let's wait until they decide the winner. Come on, let's go to your place for a bit. I've been here for two days and haven't seen your son yet..."

Masato waved his hand helplessly and said, "For a whole day and night, the two literary giants, Tsuchimaki and Mitokado Homura, were like they were having a final battle, neither willing to concede to the other. While they were amazed by the two men's vocabulary, they were also exhausted. At first, it was fine, but after so many people started arguing, it was actually quite enjoyable to see the two of them arguing back and forth for the first time. In particular, the fact that not a single word was repeated between the two men shocked him."

But after a day and a night of just listening to them talk nonsense, it was honestly quite tedious. When dawn broke and they still showed no sign of ending the war, the meeting had turned into a final round of literary insults. So he decided to call a timeout with Hiruzen Sarutobi to relax and unwind. This was more tiring than fighting White Fang for ten days or half a month.

"...What's going on inside?"

Hatake Sakumo rolled his dead fish eyes and followed up, asking, "Since the meeting started, people inside have been exchanging greetings about each other's families. Now that this guy and Tsuchikage, the representative of Kumogakure, have come out, the people inside still haven't stopped, which makes him even more curious."

"What's going on?! Ugh...! I never expected that old schemer Onoki to be so cunning. I thought that Tsuchidai was just someone Iwagakure lacked talent, and that Onoki would promote any Tom, Dick, or Harry. I thought Tsuchidai's 95 IQ was just bragging. But who knew that Tsuchidai is also a literary genius? As the saying goes, there's no first place in literature, but there's a second in martial arts. Right now, he's competing with your great genius Mitokado Homura for the title of the greatest ninja genius in the world..."

As Masato walked with the handsome Sasori, he said, "I thought he was the main character, but somehow I ended up playing a supporting role in the first half..."

"...So you've been talking for a whole day and night, just watching those two argue?"

Sakumo Hatake stared speechlessly at the sky. He knew the talks wouldn't be simple, but he never imagined the plot would develop this way. A perfectly good peace negotiation had turned into a clash between two great scholars; the whole thing had gone completely off track...-_-||

"Actually, that's not entirely true. It was quite normal at first, but speaking of which, your Konoha has quite the appetite. You actually want to take over 70% of the missions from our three villages. Aren't you afraid of being overwhelmed by it all..."

..........

"You know what, your son really does look like you, both have white hair...ヾ(^?^)?"

Inside the Hatake clan, Shinto looked at Wu Wukai, who was almost three years old and had the same deadpan face as Hatake Sakumo when he was a child. He couldn't help but pinch his little deadpan face and laugh. Don't look at Hatake Sakumo like this now. It's because he has experienced the harshness of society and the wear and tear of time. In addition, he has been involved in so much officialdom. Although he can't be as shameless as people like Sarutobi Hiruzen, his personality has become more rounded. He hasn't had dead fish eyes and a deadpan face for a long time. But Shinto still remembers the expression on his face when the two of them first met. It looked like his father had died.

"You've already said that...(ー_ー)"

Hatake Sakumo glared at him irritably. "Isn't that obvious? Do you think my son is some kind of red-haired or blond-haired guy?"