Chapter 145: You Call This Negotiation?

It turns out that when a blade is held against your forehead, even the most stubborn person will lower their stance.

At the border of the Land of Wind, in a desolate area piled with yellow sand, the key figures of Sunagakure were already waiting.

Rasa, with his short auburn hair, stood at the forefront of the group. Normally a stern and severe individual, he forced a smile under these circumstances. "Yuto Hyuga, Tsunade Senju, Araki Ryuji... I've long heard of your great names."

"Lord Kazekage," Yuto greeted with a polite bow, displaying the refined elegance characteristic of the Hyuga clan.

Tsunade gave Rasa a slight nod, acknowledging him.

Araki Ryuji maintained his usual cheerful demeanor, dissolving any awkwardness with his words. Before long, both sides were engaged in amicable conversation, creating an atmosphere as harmonious as an oasis in the desert.

This seemed to start things off on the right foot, reassuring Rasa that Konohagakure wouldn't make things too difficult for them.

...

"What did you just say, Hyuga boy?" Chiyo's voice almost shattered the roof, sharp and filled with incredulous anger. "Send the Fourth Kazekage's child to Konoha as a hostage?"

"Hostage? What hostage?" Yuto blinked innocently. "The desert is harsh and cold. As the Kazekage's child, they deserve a better life. Konoha, with its abundant resources, is the best place for nurturing."

"No! Absolutely not!" Chiyo slammed her hand heavily on the table. "Temari is a girl, and she's only three years old. How can she go to Konoha?"

"I heard she's the Kazekage's eldest daughter. Doesn't she have a younger brother?" Yuto asked.

"Kankuro is not even two years old. He can't leave his mother!"

"Oh..." Yuto nodded thoughtfully, then revealed his true intentions. "I also heard on my way here that the Kazekage's wife is pregnant again."

Seeing that Chiyo was about to speak, Yuto's tone suddenly turned stern and rigid. "Refuse the first time, refuse the second time, and refuse the third time. Do you still want to negotiate?"

"Offering the Kazekage's child is simply to show Sunagakure's sincerity. The child won't be harmed. Konoha will raise them, teaching them shinobi arts."

"The war with you has cost the Land of Fire dearly. If there's no show of sincerity, how can we negotiate?"

Forcing an infant to leave their home and go to a foreign land seemed extremely cruel, a blatant display of dominance by a superior nation over a defeated one. However, when it came to Gaara, Yuto felt no moral dilemma.

—To be fair, the hardships Gaara endured as a child were far worse than those of Naruto Uzumaki. Growing up in Konoha as a hostage might actually be better, at least allowing him to sleep peacefully.

"You..." Chiyo gritted her teeth, struggling to find a good argument.

Honestly, she didn't particularly care where Rasa's children grew up. But if Rasa, as the Kazekage, suffered such a significant loss at the start, it would be detrimental to future negotiations.

Negotiation is about power and momentum. Lose once, and you lose every step!

Unfortunately... understanding this doesn't help. The situation is stronger than people.

Chiyo sighed and subconsciously glanced at the blonde woman.

She had long admired Tsunade. During the Second Shinobi World War, Chiyo would poison, and Tsunade would detoxify. Both were top medical experts of their time, sharing a mutual respect.

The blonde woman, feeling her gaze, smiled at Chiyo and then continued to meticulously paint her nails. Beside her, Araki Ryuji displayed a similar disinterest, grinning like a mascot. It was clear they had left everything to Yuto.

Chiyo's breath caught, but before she could speak, Rasa suddenly said calmly, "I thought you wanted something significant... If it's children, I can give you all three."

"That's unnecessary." Yuto smiled. "As a gesture of Sunagakure's sincere desire to restore friendly relations with Konoha, one child is enough."

"Alright. After the child is born, they will be sent to Konoha."

"As expected of the Kazekage. Now, let's begin the formal negotiations." Yuto took out a sealed scroll and unfurled a thick stack of documents, looking like a dictionary. Ignoring the Sunagakure members' twitching brows, he spoke softly, "First, regarding the delineation of borders, to ensure the unbreakable friendship between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, Konoha wishes to obtain control of the 'Valley of the Dead Fortress' on the border of the Land of Wind..."

...

"Hahaha..." The blonde woman leaned on Yuto's shoulder, laughing uproariously. "You should have seen Rasa's face when you got to the thirty-fourth point. He looked like Gamabunta, the Toad... Too bad most of your conditions weren't accepted by Sunagakure today."

"That's how negotiations go—haggling back and forth. Today was about testing the limits. The remaining days will be a battle of wills." Yuto patted his sensei's hand. "We have plenty of time here. We can take it slow. Sunagakure won't hold out for long; they'll eventually compromise."

"You're really something." The blonde woman tapped her student's chest, not in a teasing manner. The crystal pendant passed down from Hashirama Senju hung there, symbolizing the Will of Fire that Yuto had inherited, marking him as a shinobi capable of standing on his own.

"By the way, Sunagakure does resemble this desert in some ways," Yuto mused.

In his previous life, reading the manga, he had found many characters from this shinobi village in the desert to be memorable. They appeared cold and unfeeling on the surface but were deeply emotional inside. Even Sasori, who defected after killing the Third Kazekage, chose to die in the embrace of his 'father' and 'mother' puppets, revealing some secrets about the Akatsuki organization to Chiyo before his death.

A rough, hardened exterior, yet a delicate, sensitive heart.

"Like the desert?" The blonde woman tilted her head, not understanding her student's analogy.

Yuto chuckled. "Because it's the color of gold, sensei. Now that we've finished our business for today, shouldn't you..."

"You know me so well!" Tsunade beamed and pulled out three dice. "These have brought me luck through many battles."

...

The days in Sunagakure were quite pleasant overall.

After all, Konoha was the victor, holding the upper hand with their strong position. Yuto could make demands freely, with Sunagakure having no choice but to negotiate.

—This was not a negotiation but a robbery under the guise of peace!

Yet, even though they were suffering, the Land of Wind had to accept the situation. As Kazekage, Rasa couldn't disregard the lives of his shinobi and continue the war.

Yuto and his group were treated well, staying as unwelcome guests in Sunagakure for over half a month.

The mood among the Konoha group was generally good, except for Tsunade.

Every evening, the blonde woman would head to the casino with her beloved dice, only to lose all her money and even end up pawning her dice.

In the final days of the negotiations with the Land of Wind, Tsunade was quite disheartened.

(End of Chapter)