Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

Immediately after the incident, Uchiha Touko issued a statement on behalf of Konoha, expressing deep condolences to the victims of the attack and strongly condemning the perpetrators.

After seeing Uchiha Touko speak out, Onoki and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa followed suit, issuing their own statements in the ninja world.

Meanwhile, in the Raikage's office, the Fourth Raikage was pounding on the table, while Calvin, the victim of the attack, stood to the side, his face also looking very grim.

"Lord Raikage, I think this matter is inextricably linked to Konoha. They just built a new ninja tool factory a while ago, and we sent them a warning. Less than a week later, our factory was attacked," Calvin said angrily.

"It's ridiculous that they have the audacity to issue such a statement," the Fourth Raikage, A, said through gritted teeth.

"Lord Raikage, what do we do now?" Calvin asked.

"If he dares to do the first thing, then we dare to do the fifteenth! I'll send out a team of ANBU in a moment and blow up their factory too!" The Fourth Raikage, A, said, slamming his fist on the table.

"Lord Raikage, sending the Anbu to attack the ninja tool factory in the Land of Fire right now is not a good choice." At this moment, Nozomi, one of the Raikage's strategists and a member of the A, B, and C trio, reminded him, "They will definitely strengthen the factory's defenses at this time. Sending people out to attack now is likely to be counterproductive. Moreover, if such an action is used against us, it could easily be seen as an act of declaring war on Konoha."

"Then how did Konoha manage to do that? There haven't been any traces of Fire Country ninjas crossing the border recently," A asked, puzzled.

"Our informant at the underground gold exchange has sent word that there's a bounty of 500 million taels at the gold exchange in the Land of Hot Springs. It's probably for this mission," hope said.

"Five hundred million?" A and Calvin were both dumbfounded upon hearing this. "Such a large sum of money should leave traces in all the major ninja villages, right?"

“No, neither Konoha nor Iwagakure has shown any signs of large-scale misappropriation of public funds.” hope shook her head. “This 500 million in cash must be from private accounts.”

"Is Uchiha Touko really that rich?" Ai said in disbelief. He had been the Raikage for so many years and his personal assets were not even 500 million. Uchiha Touko had only been the Hokage for a short time and he could pull out 500 million in cash.

“Five hundred million, he’s ruthless!” Calvin said through gritted teeth. You see, although he was quite wealthy, taking out five hundred million in cash at once was a very difficult thing to do.

Now, even if they wanted to retaliate, they couldn't. Calvin needed funds to rebuild the factory and resume production, and their personal assets were unlikely to be enough to pay the Land of Fire's ninja tool factory a similar commission.

"Damn it!" Raikage slammed his hand on the desk, shattering it. "Are we just going to let this go like this? Do you even know who took on this mission?"

“I don’t know.” hope shook his head and said, “The underground gold exchange has always been very strict about keeping this information secret. The people from our village who infiltrated it couldn’t get access to this kind of information. However, according to the survivors of the attack, it was probably done by a person wearing a black robe with red cloud patterns.”

"A black robe with red cloud patterns..." Ai pondered, "Is there any organization in the ninja world that uses this as its symbol?"

“It’s not clear yet,” hope said. “However, Orochimaru, the rogue ninja from Konoha, was wearing similar clothes when he assassinated the Daimyo of the Land of Fire some time ago.”

"So, there's a mysterious organization active in the ninja world right now, right? And it's full of powerful individuals?" A frowned. "Keep an eye on this organization's activities lately."

"Understood," hope nodded.

“As for Calvin,” Ai said, glancing at Calvin beside him, “for now, let’s try to get production back on track. But don’t worry, I will definitely avenge you.”

“Okay.” Calvin nodded.

……

The land of rain.

Konan took the 100 million taels of silver that Kakuzu had handed over, nodded in satisfaction, and then looked at Kakuzu: "Kakuzu, it seems you've had some good gains lately. But, can you explain why your teammates died in the mission again?"

“There’s nothing I can do, he’s too useless,” Kakuzu said. “He can be discovered by the guards even with the simplest infiltration work, and his combat ability is not good either. He almost dragged me down.”

"Is that really the case?" Xiao Nan asked, frowning.

“Of course,” Kakuzu said expressionlessly.

"How much money did you get in exchange for him this time?" Xiao Nan asked coldly.

Kakuzu: ...

Kakuzu wanted to gloss over the matter with silence, but under Konan's intense gaze, he couldn't hold back for long and confessed honestly, "1300 million."

"Take it out," Xiao Nan said.

Kakuzu obediently took out another scroll and handed it to Konan.

"Don't do that again next time," Xiao Nan said sternly.

"Yes!" Kakuzu nodded. Konan had said this to him no less than ten times, but he would do it again next time.

After Kakuzu left, Konan took the money and returned to Nagato's room in the tower of the Land of Rain.

"Was Kakuzu responsible for the explosion at the Land of Lightning's ninja tool factory?" Nagato asked.

“That’s right, this is his reward for this mission.” Konan placed the scroll on the table in front of Nagato and said, “One hundred million taels.”

"One hundred million taels? That's quite a sum," Nagato said with a sneer. "Has Kakuzu ever met the person who issued this mission?"

"No, the other party provided the funds, and after issuing the mission to Kakuzu, they left," Konan said.

“Never mind if you don’t know. In any case, blowing up a place like the ninja tool factory that makes a fortune from war is a good thing,” Nagato said.

“However, witnesses saw the clothes Kakuzu and the others were wearing for this mission,” Konan said. “For now, let’s keep a low profile.”

"I understand." Nagato nodded and said, "The people tracking Orochimaru should also withdraw."

"Understood," Xiao Nan nodded.

……

Soon, seven days had passed since the attack on the ninja tool factory in the Land of Lightning. During these seven days, no organization in the ninja world came forward to claim responsibility for the attack, so the incident remained an unsolved mystery.

Meanwhile, on Kado's side, the new ninja tool factory was gradually getting on track, and after the first batch of raw materials arrived, it officially began production.

On this day, Iwata Sawamoto, the leader of Takigakure, and his party also arrived in Konoha.

Chapter 153 Konoha Pact Plan

Konoha attached great importance to the visit to Takigakure.

As soon as the Takigakure leader's convoy arrived at the entrance of Konoha, Uchiha Touko, who was already the village's mascot and spent most of his time attending various ribbon-cutting ceremonies, was already waiting there. However, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been forcibly dragged here by Uchiha Touko to perform today, was already waiting.

A red carpet nearly 100 meters long stretched out from the main entrance.

As soon as Iwata Sawaki got out of the car, he felt flattered. The scale of this welcoming ceremony was comparable to that of welcoming the Kage of some major ninja villages.

While Iwata Sawaki was slightly bewildered by Konoha's extraordinary hospitality, Uchiha Touko had already stepped forward and warmly shook hands with him.

"Welcome to Konoha, everyone from Takigakure! On behalf of Konoha, I extend a warm welcome to you all," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

"Hehe, Iwata, it seems like it's been a long time since we last met." At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi also said with a smile, "The last time we met was when your Takigakure came to our Konoha to participate in the joint Chunin Exams, right?"

"The Third Hokage, the Fifth Hokage." Iwata Sawaki bowed slightly, greeting the two in turn.

"Chief Iwata, let's go into the village first. We in Konoha have prepared a grand ceremony for our guests who have come from afar," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

After the group from Takigakure walked onto the red carpet, a group of Fire Release ninjas specially transferred from the guard unit by Uchiha Tokō also began to release firework ninjutsu into the air, making the village entrance lively and bustling.

Under Uchiha Touko's arrangement, the group went directly to the high-end restaurant owned by Gato and hosted the Takigakure group with the highest level of hospitality. Afterward, they were taken to the most upscale hotel in Konoha to stay.

The next day, Uchiha Tokō sent Kakashi, who was assisting the Hokage, to lead Iwata Sawaki on a tour of the many factories recently built in Konoha. The scale of the new industrial zone in western Konoha amazed Iwata Sawaki.

The afternoon's itinerary included a visit to the garrison and dinner at the garrison headquarters.

At Uchiha Tokō's behest, the security forces put on a small-scale military parade.

When thousands of guard ninjas saluted the platform in unison and shouted their loyalty like a tidal wave, Iwata Sawaki was utterly shocked.

He couldn't understand how Konoha had managed to train such a disciplined ninja force.

If such a force were to unleash their ninjutsu together on the battlefield, even a powerful elite Jonin like him would have no choice but to temporarily retreat.

When dinner time arrived, Iwata Zeki was dumbfounded as he looked at the plates of delicious-looking beef and seafood being served in the cafeteria. The line of genin queuing at the cafeteria window must be a whole group of genin, right? Are the genin of Konoha eating this well? You know, even for him in Takigakure, this kind of food isn't something he can eat every day.

Judging from the ninjas' expressions of being accustomed to these foods, it's not hard to see that these ninjas really eat this well on a regular basis, and it wasn't specially made for him after he arrived!

"Hehe, Mr. Iwata, today's menu was originally supposed to include salmon, but we haven't been able to get any salmon of the required quality from the port these past few days, so we've switched to a slightly lower-grade fish. However, to ensure the team members get enough nutrition, we've added an extra serving of lobster today. I hope Mr. Iwata won't mind," Kakashi said with a smile.

"Do Konoha ninjas... usually eat this well?" Iwata Zeki asked with some difficulty, as the standard of their meals was truly shocking to him.

“Of course, Mr. Iwata is also a ninja, so he should know that ninjas consume a lot of energy every day during their work and training. Our guard unit is an elite force of Konoha Village, so our daily training volume is even greater. As a result, the ninjas need more nutrition,” Kakashi said.

“I understand.” Iwata Sawaki nodded.

Now, Iwata Zeki no longer doubted his choice. Whether it was the size of Konoha or the strength it displayed, it was superior to Iwagakure. More importantly, the goodwill that Uchiha Touko showed him was something that Onoki, who had always been somewhat arrogant towards small countries like them, could not match.

"The Hokage will assist you, sir." With this thought in mind, Iwata Sawaki called out to Kakashi after finishing his meal.

"What can Iwata do for you?" Kakashi turned around and asked with a smile.

"I wonder when Your Hokage will have time. I've come here to discuss cooperation between our two villages," Iwata Sawaki said.

“His Hokage has been very busy lately. He is not only the Hokage of Konoha, but also the Grand Minister of State of the Land of Fire. He has many things to deal with every day. Why don’t you stay in Konoha for a couple more days, Mr. Iwata? Once His Hokage has finished dealing with his affairs, he will naturally take the initiative to summon you.” Kakashi dealt with Iwata Zeki as instructed by Uchiha Touko.

"Is that so?" Iwata Zeki hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Alright then, I will wait here for the Hokage's summons."

After leaving the hotel where the group from Takigakure Village had been staying, Kakashi immediately returned to the Hokage's office.

Uchiha Touko, who was brewing tea, poured Kakashi a cup of tea before asking, "How is the situation?"

"That guy's reaction was even stronger than you expected; he can't wait to see you." Kakashi downed his tea in one gulp, raising an eyebrow. "This tastes a bit different from what you usually drink."

"I had some tea that Kado sent over last time, so I thought I'd try it out since I had nothing else to do," said Uchiha Touko.

“You seem quite relaxed,” Kakashi said. “But when are you planning to meet him?”

"No rush, let him wait a couple of days. Someone will be more anxious than him," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

“Alright, let’s make him wait two more days,” Kakashi nodded.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon the news of Iwata Sawamoto, the leader of Takigakure, visiting Konoha reached Onoki's ears.

"Why is Iwata Sawaki visiting Konoha at this time?" Onoki frowned. Although Uchiha Touki and Onoki had cooperated very well in dividing up Kusagakure when Uchiha Touki came to the village, and even signed a non-aggression pact, Onoki had just taken the signed and stamped contract back to the Tsuchikage's office and used it as a table leg. Therefore, Onoki knew that Uchiha Touki probably wouldn't take the contract seriously.

Therefore, this non-aggression pact, to put it bluntly, is more like a tacit understanding between the two sides to temporarily exercise restraint while engaging in a game of strategy.

In the power struggle between major powers, the smaller neighboring countries are naturally the pawns.

In the past few days, Onoki has been paying close attention to the reactions of the surrounding small countries to the contract he signed with Uchiha Touko. The Land of Rain has not responded, which is understandable. After all, although Hanzo is old, his salamanders are not old yet. As long as he can still summon salamanders, this method of large-scale poisoning has a certain deterrent effect and is enough to serve as a means of self-defense.

Furthermore, Onoki is one of the few people in the ninja world who knows about the existence of the Akatsuki organization. He knows that there is a group of powerful rogue ninja in the Land of Rain.

As for the Land of Grass, the meager profits there had already been divided up between him and Uchiha Toko. As for their daimyo who was causing trouble, neither he nor Uchiha Toko took them seriously; keeping them around for amusement was fine too.

Therefore, the key to their contest is actually the land of Taki.

Takigakure in the Land of Waterfalls is the most unique among the ninja villages of the smaller countries. After all, they possess a tailed beast. Although a single Seven-Tails is not enough to pose a significant threat to Konoha or Iwagakure, it still serves as a deterrent. Therefore, the larger countries would not provoke them lightly.

However, the new Jinchuriki of Takigakure have not yet grown up, which has given Onoki an opportunity.

For Onoki, the best state for Takigakure is to maintain its current strength without the power of the Tailed Beasts. In this way, Takigakure can serve as an excellent conflict barrier between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, giving them time to react no matter what the Land of Fire does.

He thought Uchiha Touko thought the same way, but now it seems that Uchiha Touko is not satisfied with the status quo. He wants the Land of Waterfall to completely side with Konoha.

Takigakure's complete alignment with Konoha was something Onoki couldn't tolerate. After all, based on the information he received from Han, a single Nine-Tails could defeat two of their village's tailed beasts. Adding a Seven-Tails to the mix would be disastrous.