Steve Chapter 116

After the battle on the Kikyō Mountain side came to an end, the dispute between Konoha and Suna was also nearly over.

Following Nara Shikaku's advice, the majority of Konoha's forces didn't return to the village immediately but continued to advance towards Suna.

After their defeat on Kikyō Mountain, Suna lost both their Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts. The remaining ninja witnessed the terrifying power of "Uchiha Madara" and had no intention of fighting further. Suna was in a state of disarray, allowing Konoha's ninja to continue their invasion.

However, Konoha's forces didn't resort to burning, looting, or pillaging. They mostly just took some orphaned children from the villages along the way. The Ninja World War III had been ongoing for a long time, leaving every village in a state of shortage, especially in terms of population. It wasn't easy to replenish those losses, so Konoha needed to focus on this aspect as well.

Regular prisoners or villagers weren't taken by Konoha's ninja, but war orphans were different. These young children could quickly be integrated into Konoha's ranks with their strong will to protect and contribute to the village. Even if they couldn't become ninjas, they could still serve in other capacities, providing valuable manpower.

During this time, Fang Mo observed the customs and situation in the Land of Wind. Though it was just the border region, he noticed the severe problem of desertification in the Land of Wind. If it weren't for the Land of Rivers, with its vast mountains, separating the Land of Wind from the Land of Fire, the deserts might have encroached into the Land of Fire's territory.

After about three or four days of wandering, Konoha's forces halted their invasion because Suna was ready to negotiate for peace.

Yes, even though Suna had puppet forces and a few strong individuals, they were actually in a position where they couldn't afford to lose. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind had been cutting their budget, making it difficult for them to compete. Considering the poor and barren environment with deserts surrounding Suna, it was exceedingly challenging to cultivate elite ninja, and losing even one was heart-wrenching.

Soon, Suna's negotiation team arrived, led by the Third Kazekage and accompanied by elders like Chiyo.

Notably, upon seeing Fang Mo, this group from Suna couldn't help but show expressions of disbelief, especially Chiyo. She had the privilege of meeting the original Uchiha Madara before.

Upon encountering Fang Mo, she realized that the Ninja World was about to change.

As expected, the peace talks were initially supposed to be led by Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato, but surprisingly, only Uchiha Madara was sitting on the chair inside the tent. Orochimaru and Minato were standing on each side behind him.

Facing Suna's delegation, Fang Mo only said one sentence, stating that he could accept their surrender and even considered them just a group of small fry. However, the One-Tailed Shukaku must be confiscated.

Upon hearing this, the Third Kazekage became somewhat unsettled.

"We can agree to other compensations, but the Shukaku must be returned to us."

The Third Kazekage said, "It was given to each village during the First Hokage's Five Kage Summit, and we also..."

"That was the decision of the First Hokage, but now he has passed away."

Interrupting the Third Kazekage, Orochimaru smiled and said, "The First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts with the hope of signing a peace treaty among the Five Great Nations. However, wasn't it your village that tore that treaty apart? We distributed Tailed Beasts for peace, and now we're just reclaiming them for the same reason, aren't we?"

"We assure you that we won't use the Tailed Beasts to wage war."

Namikaze Minato followed, "We just want to create true peace. Tailed Beasts are too dangerous. Please return Shukaku to us."

"You're simply robbing us!"

The Third Kazekage gritted his teeth and said, "The Tailed Beasts are meant to balance the power among the Five Great Nations. Is Konoha trying to disrupt the balance of power?"

Seeing this, Fang Mo raised his hand, signaling Orochimaru to stop talking.

"Are you saying..."

Fang Mo calmly looked at the Third Kazekage, saying, "You believe Tailed Beasts are meant to balance the power among the Five Great Nations?"

"Isn't it so?" The Third Kazekage looked at Uchiha Madara, feeling a growing sense of unease. Although there was no killing intent from him, nor any aura, just his calm presence alone made him feel nervous.

"According to you, the Five Great Nations use Tailed Beasts to balance their military power."

Fang Mo continued in his calm tone, "Weak nations receive powerful Tailed Beasts, while strong nations get weaker ones. This makes them wary of each other, preventing them from easily waging war."

"So you think... Konoha, having the Nine-Tails, is actually very weak, and Suna, having the One-Tail Shukaku, is the strongest among the Five Great Nations? Is that what you're suggesting?"

Hearing this, the Third Kazekage suddenly felt a chill.

But at this moment, Chiyo beside him suddenly spoke up.

"Konoha's goal should not only be Shukaku, right?" Chiyo said slowly, "If you will also reclaim the Tailed Beasts from other villages, then Suna might consider accepting this condition."

"Hmm?"

Hearing Chiyo's words, the Third Kazekage was briefly stunned.

However, as a Kage, he quickly understood what she meant. Just now, when he heard that Konoha wanted to take Shukaku, he became anxious. But after a little thought, he calmed down.

First of all, Suna was certainly no match for Konoha at this point. Uchiha Madara had appeared, and the ninja who escaped from the battlefield before all had the same description of him: his Fire Release was unimaginably powerful, and he even controlled Tailed Beasts with Wood Release. Under these circumstances, Suna stood no chance, and the Wind Daimyo kept deducting their ninja village's budget. Why would they want to engage in a futile fight?

As for the Tailed Beasts, Suna only possessed Shukaku, and both Iwa and Kumo had two Tailed Beasts. If Konoha wanted to reclaim Tailed Beasts, those two villages would be at a greater disadvantage. If Konoha triggered their anger and got surrounded by the other villages, Suna could take advantage of the situation and act against Konoha as well.

"That's right."

Thinking this through, the Third Kazekage finally spoke, "If Konoha will also reclaim Tailed Beasts from other villages, then Suna agrees to hand over Shukaku, but..."

Before the Third Kazekage finished speaking, Fang Mo suddenly nodded.

"Very wise."

He said, "Since Suna is so understanding, I don't mind helping you a bit."

With that, Fang Mo signaled Orochimaru with a wave of his hand.

Orochimaru then walked forward and took out a scroll from his pocket, handing it to the Third Kazekage.

The Third Kazekage took the scroll, looked at it with confusion, and then froze in place, "This... this is..."

"This is the terms for an alliance."

Orochimaru smiled and said, "Lord Kazakage, we've heard that the Land of Wind is terribly impoverished, and the Wind Daimyo has been withholding funds from Suna... You wouldn't want your ninja to continue suffering like this, right?"

"Are you sure this is an alliance?"

The Third Kazekage looked at the shocking contents of the scroll, which seemed more like a rebellion, "Isn't this supposed to be a coup?"

"How can you call it a coup?"

Orochimaru said with a smile, "We're creating a new generation. Lord Kazakage, our ideal is to make the whole world peaceful and prosperous, to eliminate barriers and conflicts between people. We're not taking over violently. Do you really want Suna to remain in such a harsh environment forever?"

"How can you ensure that what's written here will succeed?"

The Third Kazekage couldn't help but ask.

"Many ninjas have spent their entire lives without truly understanding the power of chakra. Moreover, the Daimyo is just an ordinary person."

Orochimaru explained patiently and handed another scroll.

The Third Kazekage took it, looked at it, and was once again stunned.

The scroll contained information about infrastructure projects in the Five Great Nations, like the railway network in the Land of Fire, the water resources transportation in the Land of Rain, the wind defense and sand stabilization plan in the Land of Wind, the heavy industry in the Land of Earth, the crop hybridization research in the Land of Fire, in the Land of Lightning, and the chakra power generation system in the ancient country.

To be honest, the Third Kazekage recognized all the words on the scroll, but when they were combined together, he couldn't make any sense of it.

But Orochimaru, being a scientist, had a good patience. At this moment, he tried to explain to the Third Kazekage what the treaty meant, and the vision for the future.

If the abundant rainwater of the Land of Rain could flow into the desert, combined with Wood Release ninjutsu, many barren lands in the Land of Wind would become oases.

In an instant, the Third Kazekage was intrigued.

~~~

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