Chapter 79: Treaty

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Sasuke now possessed the strength to negotiate with the Raikage.

The two of them sat on the partially destroyed Raikage Building. With a serious expression, the Raikage asked Sasuke, "What do you want? Or rather, what does Konoha want?"

Sasuke smiled slightly and replied, "It's not about what Konoha wants. The real question is, what do you want, Raikage?"

The Raikage looked at Sasuke, confused.

Sasuke's gaze hardened as he locked eyes with the Raikage. "Konoha and Kumogakure signed a peace treaty. So why does Kumogakure keep provoking Konoha by attacking our borders?"

The Raikage initially considered bluffing, but the cold intensity in Sasuke's eyes made him think twice.

Finally, he sighed and said, "I understand. I will restrain my subordinates and ensure they adhere strictly to the terms of the peace treaty."

Sasuke's expression turned serious. "If Kumogakure continues to violate Konoha's borders, we, the Uchiha clan, will bring every Uchiha to the Valley of Clouds and Lightning!"

The Raikage's eyes widened in shock his thought, alarmed. 'If the Uchiha really attack there, our village would be humiliated in front of all the other villages.'

'And Kumogakure would be a laughingstock—practically a vassal of Konoha.'

...

''Meanwhile, in Konoha Village, at the Konoha Opera House...''

Koyuki Kazahana stood center stage, dancing and singing in perfect harmony.

The melody and rhythm of her song were mesmerizing, perfectly complementing her graceful movements.

Rather than living by taking away someone else's place,

I wish I could become a stone,

Then there would be no misunderstandings or confusions,

And even you would remain ignorant

...

As her performance ended, the entire auditorium erupted in thunderous applause.

"Encore!"

"Princess Koyuki, one more song!"

Sweat beaded on Koyuki's forehead. She scanned the audience, but the one person she longed to see was nowhere in sight.

In the third row, a figure wearing a hat to obscure his face struggled to contain his excitement.

'This music, this dance... it's simply... perfect!' thought Killer Bee. His body trembled with excitement, and he had to resist the urge to rush onto the stage and kiss her feet.

But Killer Bee held back, knowing that if word got out that the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki had caused a scene at the Konoha Opera House, the Raikage would definitely be furious.

So, with great effort, he controlled himself.

Killer Bee had three great passions in life: rapping, dancing, and playing basketball.

Yet, he had never thought to combine music and dance until now. Inspired by Koyuki's performance, Bee's mind raced with new ideas.

He was determined to try his hand at merging singing and dancing—perhaps even a new style of rap!

...

Suddenly, a voice rang out, asking Koyuki, "Princess, what's the name of this piece?"

Koyuki's heart leaped with hope as she turned to see Uchiha Sasuke standing at the entrance of the opera house.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"The lyrics, music, and dance for this song were taught to me by a young man several years ago," Koyuki explained, her voice trembling slightly. "He called it 'Eine Kleine.'"

Killer Bee bit down hard on his sleeve. 'Eine Kleine!' he thought, his heart racing. 'What a perfect name!'

Bee was nearly vibrating with excitement.

At that moment, the white-haired man beside Bee spoke up. "Quiet down, you're disturbing my writing."

Bee turned to see a muscular man in red clothing, scribbling furiously in a small notebook.

It was Jiraiya. He leaned closer to Bee and whispered, "I'm creating a heroine for my next book, and this performance is giving me all kinds of inspiration!"

Bee was about to dismiss Jiraiya as just another eccentric, but then their eyes met.

Both men instantly recognized each other.

Jiraiya, a wandering sage who had traveled across many lands, knew of Killer Bee.

And Bee was well aware of Jiraiya's legendary status—one of the Sannin, alongside Tsunade and Orochimaru, and perhaps the most famous of the three.

Before Bee could say anything, Jiraiya clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shh! Keep it down! My presence here is a secret!"

Bee nodded, making an OK gesture, and the two turned their attention back to the stage.

They watched as Sasuke walked onto the stage. Standing at 176 cm, Koyuki still towered slightly over Sasuke.

Taking Sasuke's hand, Koyuki addressed the crowd, "This is the man who taught me the art of dance and music—Uchiha Sasuke!"

...

''That night, Koyuki, the Princess of the Land of Snow and its current ruler, announced Sasuke's name to everyone.''

She openly expressed her love and admiration for him.

In no time, Sasuke's reputation soared to new heights across the ninja world.

...

''The next day, at the Hokage Building...''

Tsunade stared at Koyuki Kazahana in disbelief. "Princess? Are you sure you want to sign a treaty of annexation with Konoha?"

A treaty of annexation was very different from a peace treaty.

A peace treaty placed two countries on relatively equal footing, ensuring that neither side would invade or harm the other. It was the standard agreement between nations.

As the ruler of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Kazahana preferred to be addressed as "Princess." However, Koyuki was now offering to sign an annexation treaty with Konoha.

This type of treaty was far from equal.

The annexation treaty meant that the Land of Snow would become a vassal state of Konoha, allowing Konoha's people to enter and leave the Land of Snow freely. In exchange, the Land of Snow would receive protection from Konoha.

To put it nicely, they would become a "vassal state."

To put it bluntly, it meant being absorbed by Konoha.

Koyuki nodded and clarified, "Yes, but I must emphasize a few key points. First, the Land of Snow does not belong to Konoha; it belongs to the Uchiha clan. Second, while Konoha members may enter and leave the Land of Snow, they are not allowed to build a military presence there."

Tsunade frowned.

'First, the Uchiha took control of the Land of Grass under the pretext of upholding justice. And now, the Land of Snow has voluntarily aligned itself with the Uchiha clan,' Tsunade thought, troubled.

'What's so special about the Uchiha? Why do they attract so much loyalty?'

Tsunade questioned Koyuki's decision.

But Koyuki responded with a question of her own, "Hokage-sama, between Konoha and the Uchiha, who do you believe has the strength to protect the Land of Snow right now?"

Tsunade remained silent.

The answer was obvious—Koyuki had asked the question with the answer already in mind. The Uchiha were the clear choice.

Tsunade clenched her fists. 'As Hokage, I can't always do what I want!'

Suppressing her frustration, Tsunade finally said, "Fine! Agreed!"

No matter what, the Uchiha were still part of Konoha. This decision, though unsettling, was ultimately beneficial to the village.

Had she not been Hokage, Tsunade might have reacted differently. But as Hokage, she had to consider the well-being of the village above all else. There were so many factors to weigh.

Only now did Tsunade truly understand the burdens her grandfather, Hashirama, and her great-uncle, Tobirama, had borne.

Governing a country was no simple task—it was, in fact, incredibly difficult.

Not only must we take care of the affairs of our own village, but we also have to deal with the issues of other villages.

It's incredibly difficult.

However, the reality back then was:

...

Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama, let's join forces and take control of the entire ninja world!"

Senju Hashirama: "No, Madara, that's too extreme."

Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama, you and I are like brothers! We have the power to reshape the world!"

Senju Hashirama: "No, Madara, the war just ended…"

Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama! We might be judged in our time, but our actions will echo through eternity!"

Senju Tobirama: "Madara, you Uchiha fiend, stop trying to corrupt my brother!"

If Hashirama had made up his mind back then, perhaps the ninja world wouldn't have faced so many conflicts.

The Second and Third Great Ninja Wars might never have happened.

After all, Hashirama and Madara were the two most powerful shinobi in the world.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were once friends.

Hashirama held control over all nine Tailed Beasts.

It was a different world back then.

Konoha once stood for peace.

But now, without the Uchiha clan, Konoha can't truly stand up to the other villages.

...

Konoha, Uchiha Clan Compound

In the backyard, Sasuke, Naruto, and Utakata sat in a circle on the ground.

Sasuke began describing what he remembered about Jigen, the leader of the Kara organization.

"He's bald, no, wait—he has a ponytail. He's quite thin, a monk who usually wears white robes. He has the Roman numeral 'V' under his eyes, and a diamond-shaped mark on his chin..."

As Sasuke described Jigen's appearance, Utakata used his painting skills to sketch Jigen.

After finishing the drawing, Utakata asked Sasuke, "How about this? Is this him?"

Sasuke's eyes lit up when he saw the drawing. "That's him exactly! Make several copies!"

It took Utakata three days to produce a thousand copies of Jigen's likeness.

The posters were then distributed to the 36th Squadron of the Konoha Guard.

The Konoha Guard coordinated with the Raikage, and with his approval, the entire Land of Lightning was plastered with Jigen's wanted posters.

In Kumogakure, the capital of the Land of Lightning, and even in Konoha, Jigen's "Wanted" posters were everywhere.

The content read:

[Konoha's S-Rank Missing-nin, Monk Jigen]

[Provide valid clues and receive a reward of 30 million ryō!]

[Successfully capture Jigen, and you will be rewarded 200 million ryō!]

The stakes were high: 30 million ryō for valid clues, and 200 million ryō for capturing Jigen.

Sasuke had a personal vendetta against the Ōtsutsuki clan, particularly against Jigen.

Jigen was said to be one of the most dangerous members of the Ōtsutsuki, and Sasuke knew he had to be stopped before he could reach his full potential.

...

The Land of Rain

Due to his connections with Obito, there were also many wanted posters in the Land of Rain.

Kakuzu, carrying his belongings, wandered through the administrative area of the Land of Rain. As he passed by a wanted poster, something caught his eye.

His gaze locked onto the reward.

200 million ryō for capturing Jigen!

As a seasoned bounty hunter, Kakuzu knew he needed to confirm a few key details: Who was the target, and could he defeat them? Secondly, who was the employer? After all, most couldn't afford 200 million ryō.

When he looked closer and saw that the employer was the Konoha Guard, Kakuzu felt reassured. The Konoha Guard definitely had the means to pay such a bounty.

Without hesitation, Kakuzu decided to take the job.

This 200 million ryō would be his.

The target, Jigen, was a monk—an unknown name to Kakuzu, but that didn't deter him.

Kakuzu found Hidan, who was in the middle of cutting off his own head.

Kakuzu sighed, Why do I even bother? "What are you doing?"

Hidan, panicking, shouted, "Kakuzu, help! My head is out of control!"

With a look of exasperation, Kakuzu stitched Hidan's head back on.

He then told Hidan, "I'll be gone for a few months. During that time, you'll be responsible for Akatsuki's finances and mission summaries."

Hidan was shocked. "Me? Are you sure?"

Kakuzu looked at Hidan, doubting his competence. Deciding against it, he found someone more reliable—Shisui.

"Shisui, I'll be out for a while, so I'm leaving Akatsuki's finances and mission summaries to you."

Shisui, who was visually impaired, responded, "I'm blind. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Kakuzu felt a headache coming on. Is there really no one capable enough to handle this? He thought of the other members: Deidara, Sasori, Kisame… All of them seemed unreliable.

Then there was Konan. Recently, Konan had bought some explosive tags, which was fine. However, Kakuzu later discovered that 100 million ryō was missing from the accounts.

It turned out Konan had spent 100 million ryō on explosive tags!

Kakuzu was stunned by the sheer extravagance. Spending 100 million on explosive tags—who does that!?

After that incident, Kakuzu never dared to let Konan manage finances again.

Feeling his scalp tingle from the stress, Kakuzu realized there was no one else he could trust with such responsibilities.

In the end, he decided to keep Akatsuki's finances in his own hands and temporarily handed over mission summaries to Kisame.

Kisame might be the safest bet for now, Kakuzu thought.

Finally, he turned to Hidan, "Hidan, let's go."

"Where are we going, Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu replied, "I need to make some extra money. Our accounts are running low."

In Kakuzu's hand, he held three wanted posters:

Jigen: 200 million ryō.

Chiriku, Abbot of the Fire Temple in the Land of Fire: 20 million ryō.

Asuma Sarutobi, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja: 30 million ryō.

In addition to these tasks, Kakuzu saw an opportunity to make some serious money.

In this world, Kakuzu knew one thing for certain: Money was the only thing that would never betray him.