304. Time’s Up

"This war was clearly started by Konoha declaring war first. How can you claim that Kumo initiated it?"

Dodai, the Raikage's advisor, immediately countered the first point of Konoha's demands.

In response, Shisui calmly replied, "Elder Dodai, don’t forget that it was Kumo who first conducted military exercises at the border, attempting to take advantage of the situation. If we hadn’t been pushed to our limits, why would we have declared war on Kumo?"

Dodai didn’t respond immediately, but a Kumo shinobi behind him stepped forward.

"What does Kumo’s military exercises at the border have to do with Konoha? Why did you declare war on us?"

Hearing this excuse, Shisui smirked disdainfully. "If it was just an exercise, could you explain why the Third Raikage led hundreds of Kumo elites into the Land of Fire, only to be slain by my teacher?"

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room froze.

All the Kumo shinobi, including Dodai, wore expressions so dark it seemed like water could drip from their faces.

The death of the Third Raikage was a pain they couldn’t accept, and Shisui’s words were like rubbing salt in their wounds.

But Shisui wasn’t done.

In front of the seething Kumo shinobi, he continued, "If Kumo doesn’t even have the courage to admit their mistakes, I suggest you return home and prepare to face Konoha’s forces."

Hard.

Too hard.

This was the impression all the Konoha shinobi had of their acting Foreign Affairs Minister. It was clear that as the top disciple of the "Darkness of the Shinobi" and the future heir of Konoha’s militant faction, Shisui’s negotiation style revolved around one word—

Uncompromising.

Nine out of ten sentences revolved around war. It didn’t seem like he was here to negotiate but rather to declare war.

As for Dodai, he could only think to himself, *How the tables have turned!*

Everything Shisui was saying now were the exact words Kumo had used against Konoha in the past.

But with the current situation being what it was, Dodai had no choice but to swallow his anger.

"I admit that Kumo did provoke first, but admitting defeat is absolutely out of the question! Kumo still has ample fighting strength and cannot be considered defeated. If Konoha insists on Kumo admitting defeat, then we have no choice but to continue the war."

Dodai’s tone was firm. Admitting defeat was not an option.

Doing so would not only crush Kumo’s morale but also undermine the Raikage’s authority.

It would also damage Kumo’s reputation and share in the mission market.

Shisui had anticipated this. Given Kumo’s pride, forcing them to admit defeat would be more painful than death.

Thus, he had prepared an alternative plan.

"Konoha understands Kumo’s desire to protect its reputation. However, given the current state of the war, if you refuse to admit defeat, you’ll need to offer something in exchange. For example, increasing the war reparations from 50 billion ryo to 70 billion ryo?"

Twenty billion ryo for their reputation?

"That’s impossible! Kumo doesn’t have that kind of money!"

Dodai shook his head, rejecting the proposal outright.

At this, Shisui’s expression turned cold.

"If this is unacceptable and that is unacceptable, what’s the point of negotiating? Do you expect Konoha’s shinobi to simply retreat without gaining anything? It seems you’d better return home and prepare for war!"

With that, Shisui stood up and gestured as if to leave.

Seeing this, Dodai knew it was likely an act, but he couldn’t risk letting them go.

The strength of Danzo and the Konoha shinobi was undeniable. If war broke out again, Kumo’s losses would only be greater.

"Minister Shisui! Wait a moment!"

Dodai quickly stood up to stop him. "We can still discuss the specifics. There’s no need to be so hasty!"

Under Dodai’s persuasion, Shisui reluctantly sat back down, his expression still cold.

"Then please state your offer."

Seeing Shisui’s arrogance, Dodai gritted his teeth in frustration but dared not show it. He tentatively proposed, "Two billion ryo?"

Before he could finish, Shisui stood up again.

Panicking, Dodai quickly raised his offer.

"Ten billion! Ten billion ryo at most!"

But this was still far from Shisui’s expectations. He held up four fingers.

"Forty billion ryo at the minimum, or there’s no deal."

Dodai clenched his teeth. "Fifteen billion. That’s the most we can offer."

Shisui shook his head, unwavering. "Thirty billion. It can be paid in installments or replaced with secret techniques and resources."

"Eighteen billion. Kumo can only afford eighteen billion right now."

…………

After much back-and-forth, the two sides finally reached an agreement on the reparations.

Twenty billion ryo.

To be paid over five years, with the option to substitute with minerals, secret techniques, and other resources. However, Konoha would have the final say on the valuation, and if Kumo refused, they would have to pay in cash.

With the reparations settled, the negotiations moved on to the next issue—

Kumo’s withdrawal of troops.

For a long time, Kumo had stationed troops in the Land of Rice and the Land of Hot Water, which bordered the Land of Fire.

These two countries were like Kumo’s extended claws, posing a significant threat to Konoha’s security.

Danzo had long been displeased with this arrangement. Now was the perfect opportunity to drive Kumo out.

However, Kumo was well aware of the strategic importance of these two nations.


They served as crucial passages from the Land of Lightning’s highlands to the plains and had been Kumo’s bridgeheads for invading the Land of Fire multiple times.

Losing them would deal a massive blow to Kumo’s influence. Thus, they vehemently opposed this condition.

"The defense of the Land of Rice and the Land of Hot Water has always been the responsibility of Kumo. On this matter, we absolutely cannot yield!"

Dodai’s stance was firm.

But Shisui only responded with a cold laugh.

Under Danzo’s leadership, Konoha’s forces had already crossed the border into the Land of Rice. Due to Kumo’s continuous retreats, Konoha now controlled most of the Land of Rice. In such a situation, what good would Kumo’s objections do?

"Elder Dodai, Konoha doesn’t have the habit of spitting out what it has already swallowed."

Shisui’s words were calm but carried a clear message: Kumo couldn’t hold onto the Land of Rice. If they didn’t want to give it up, they’d be forced out.

Dodai understood this all too well. After several rounds of back-and-forth, he had no choice but to compromise.

"Kumo’s troops can withdraw from the Land of Rice, but the Land of Hot Water must remain under Kumo’s control!"

To this, Shisui agreed.

To be honest, if possible, Danzo didn’t want to start a new war either.

Konoha was still in the process of rebuilding, and stretching the frontlines too far would leave them without enough personnel to occupy the territories, even if they won.

It could also provoke attacks from other villages, which would be pointless.

So why were they being so aggressive?

This was all part of the psychological game between the two sides.

Danzo’s goal was to use the threat of war to force peace. Only by making Kumo aware of Konoha’s determination to fight would they become wary, allowing Konoha to dominate the negotiations.

As it turned out, this strategy, combined with Danzo’s infamous reputation, played a crucial role in the negotiations.

While it seemed like Shisui was leading the talks, it was actually Danzo pulling the strings behind the scenes.

With the reparations and troop withdrawal settled, the final condition remained—

The method for creating perfect jinchūriki and the lease of the Island Turtle.

On this matter, Dodai was more resolute than ever, leaving no room for negotiation.

This was Kumo’s strategic resource, their most closely guarded secret!

In the original story, Kumo only helped Naruto with his tailed beast training to combat the Akatsuki.

Under normal circumstances, they would never be so generous!

Thus, no matter how Shisui pressed, even offering to reduce the reparations, Dodai refused to budge.

No means no.

The two sides remained deadlocked for hours.

As the deadline set by Danzo approached, Shisui tapped the table impatiently.

"Elder Dodai, I must remind you that the time my teacher allotted me is almost up."

Faced with Shisui’s thinly veiled threat, Dodai clenched his teeth.

"Everything else can be discussed, but this is non-negotiable!"

Shisui said nothing more, only offering a faint, eerie smile and shaking his head at Dodai.

Kumo refused to yield on this point, and Konoha was equally unyielding.

After the Nine-Tails incident, while the village had suffered great damage, they had also gained something—the Seven-Tails.


Combined with the Five-Tails captured earlier, Konoha now possessed three tailed beasts, making it the village with the most tailed beasts in the ninja world.

Thus, Danzo was determined to obtain the method for creating perfect jinchūriki.

Successfully training three perfect jinchūriki would mean gaining three Kage-level fighters for Konoha.

In certain situations, a perfect jinchūriki could even outperform a typical Kage.

Therefore, Danzo was absolutely set on obtaining this method, even if it meant resorting to force.

As the stalemate continued, time ticked away.

When the time Danzo had promised finally ran out…

Everyone held their breath, except for Shisui, who still wore that faint, mysterious smile.

Just as the Kumo shinobi began to think Danzo’s threats were empty, a deafening explosion in the distance shattered their illusions...