CH - 197 An Ace?

"Pah!" Akihiko, seemingly wary of being implicated, expressed his disdain by spitting at the door. Hanzo, standing beside him, wore a sudden expression of disbelief, observing Akihiko's behavior. "Why do you look so disgusted?" he inquired.

After all, Konoha Shinobi Shimura Danzo might not be overwhelmingly powerful, but he remains a significant figure in the ninja world. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been appointed as Konoha's Assistant Hokage by the Third Hokage. There are even rumors circulating that Konoha's current prosperity and strength owe much to two individuals, one of them being the Assistant Hokage—Shimura Danzo.

"On that note… if you harbor such aversion, why not just eliminate him? Don't tell me you genuinely intend to recruit him?" Hanzo asked with curiosity.

"Don't talk nonsense! The Grass Village is modest and cannot accommodate someone of his caliber." At Hanzo's words, Akihiko, startled, jumped up and sighed, "As for him, let's leave it to Konoha."

Their modest Grass Village couldn't house such talents. If any member of Konoha's Top Four was missing, their collective strength would undoubtedly suffer. Therefore, this individual had to return to Konoha unharmed. Konoha... was the stage where he could truly showcase his abilities.

With that said, observing Hanzo, who appeared eager to voice more, Akihiko swiftly changed the subject. "What about you? You seem quite carefree. Grass Village just abducted Konoha's Jinchuriki this time. Aren't you concerned about the possibility of war?"

Before the words could fully settle, Hanzo, donning a mask, casually waved his hand. "I'm well-prepared. With the operations of your Grass Village, it's only a matter of time before it becomes an adversary to the entire ninja world."

Abducting individuals, deceitful schemes, swindling money, and disseminating false intelligence. Which respectable ninja village would engage in such actions? While other ninja villages might involve themselves in abductions, doing so openly and blatantly in front of others raised serious questions.

If not for the weariness brought on by successive wars and the prevailing distrust among the ninja villages, Hanzo speculated that Grass Village would have faced severe consequences long ago. Similar to the aftermath of the First Ninja World War.

"To be honest, It's somewhat beyond my expectations that Grass Village has managed to survive until now. Of course..." Hanzo sighed, his eyes narrowing. Halting his steps, he folded his hands, held his head high, and stood tall on the side, fully embodying the aura of a legendary ninja. "Perhaps we can't surpass the five great ninja villages at the moment, but we can certainly hold our own against them."

Over the years, he had witnessed the growth of Grass and Rain. They might not yet be formidable adversaries to the five great ninja villages, but they could endure, especially after three years of war for Konoha.

Moreover, To achieve true power, to ascend as the sixth great ninja village, conflict with the five great ninja villages was inevitable. Rather than allowing them to prepare and engage in a future battle, it was better to make them understand now that Grass and Rain were not to be trifled with.

As the words settled, Akihiko, upon hearing Hanzo's words, immediately flickered his eyes and then sighed inwardly. Despite Hanzo's occasional disrespect and his frequent visits for financial matters, in times of trouble, he unwaveringly stands on the side of Grass Village. His decisiveness in challenging times is truly commendable.

Akihiko also understood that this time, Hanzo wasn't merely here to entertain the distinguished guest; he was actively participating in discussions about the impending war. As a seasoned ninja, Hanzo likely foresaw long ago that the five major ninja villages harbored intentions to suppress Grass Village, and this wasn't a recent development.

Reflecting on it, since its reconstruction, Grass Village has maintained stability and refrained from any excessive actions. They've even abandoned their traditional false intelligence dealings. Instead, they focused on legitimate business and membership management.

Yet, despite these efforts, the five major ninja villages continue to look down on Grass Village, aiming to exploit their small, pitiable, and seemingly defenseless status.

"Don't worry, I have a solution, and the problem isn't significant," Akihiko reassured, waving his hand.

"Huh? What solution?" Hanzo inquired, a bit puzzled. "You know, this isn't like the last time when the four major ninja villages surrounded us. If a war truly erupts, the five major ninja villages will likely not underestimate Grass Village this time."

"Rest assured, we have an ace up our sleeve," Akihiko said, a smile playing on his lips.

"Huh? What ace? How come I don't know?" Hanzo asked, a little confused.

"We just witnessed it a moment ago," Akihiko replied, glancing back with the same smile.

Hanzo was momentarily stunned, then realization dawned on him. He nodded and furrowed his brow, contemplating for a moment. "Are you planning to negotiate with Konoha using this? The Assistant Hokage of Konoha is indeed a crucial figure, rumored to be a close friend of the Third Hokage. I believe the Third Hokage won't easily relinquish him."

While Hanzo agreed with the strategy, he remained cautious. "However, this time, we've taken the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Konoha won't readily compromise. They'll likely send ninjas for a rescue mission. But if we emerge victorious in this war and hand him over, perhaps we can force Konoha into a compromise. Even if not, we can delay the onset of this war for a while."

With a sigh, he added, his tone tinged with regret, "Unfortunately, it seems... we've lost hundreds of millions."

However, as soon as the words were spoken, Akihiko looked at Hanzo with surprise. "Loss? What loss? It's impossible to force Konoha to compromise with this guy. You know, for Konoha, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is even more crucial."

"...Then why do you consider this an ace?" Hanzo asked, puzzled. After all, if they exchange him for money, how could they leverage him in other negotiations?

"What I mean is... later, we'll send the person to the front line and hang him on the border of Grass Village. If those Konoha ninjas dare to approach, we'll threaten them with him. I don't believe that without the Third Hokage's order, the individuals on the front line would dare to attack the Assistant Hokage." Akihiko explained, an ominous smile reappearing on his face.

"But what if the Third Hokage orders to 'sacrifice' him?" Hanzo nodded for a moment before posing the question.

Akihiko responded nonchalantly, as if it were self-evident. "We'll release him later. By then, we can make some money. He can settle the score with his beloved relatives and friends on his own. You know, we are allies with Konoha. After all, we are brothers; how could we harm Konoha's Assistant Hokage?"

As the words settled, Hanzo looked at Akihiko in silence. He then sighed, "Konoha has an ally like you, perhaps it's the result of accumulated bad luck from past lives."

...

Meanwhile, on the Konoha side, even though they had finally reached an agreement with the Cloud Village, Konoha couldn't relax just yet. Their Jinchuriki and Assistant Hokage were still in captivity.

Captured by the neighboring Grass Village, the Third Hokage massaged his forehead with a headache. This period had been excessively eventful. First, the Cloud Village failed in their attempt to abduct a person, and then... Grass Village successfully took away theirs.

Especially Grass Village, always professing love for relatives, brothers, and allies. It turns out, it's all just a façade. Although they had already suspected that Grass Village had intentions regarding their Jinchuriki, at the time, they believed it was just to irk Konoha or play with the emotions of the Jinchuriki. They didn't expect that the seemingly modest Grass Village would actually dare to steal. And to make matters worse, they had captured Danzo. It felt like nothing short of bullying.

Observing the serious but somewhat fatigued faces in front of him, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood well that, if there was an alternative, Konoha truly did not want to plunge into another war.

From the Third Great Ninja War to the present, Konoha has never experienced a true respite from conflict. If they continued along this path, other ninja villages might eventually catch up or... might even surpass them. However, losing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was not an option.

Interrupting the ongoing discussion among the group, he declared, "Let's hear what everyone has to say. What should be our next course of action?"

As soon as the words fell, Mitokado, the wise general of Konoha, spoke up. "Perhaps the situation is not too bad. Maybe Elder Yoshinori simply wanted the Jinchuriki to reunite with his family. After all, in recent years, business between Konoha and Grass Village has been thriving. Grass Village probably wouldn't easily relinquish the market on our side. If they declare war, the resulting losses are not something Grass Village can afford. Moreover, In these years, Grass Village has earned the displeasure of several ninja villages. Of course..."

Narrowing his eyes, he continued, "We in Konoha are not easy to intimidate either. We can first condemn Grass Village, ask them to return our Assistant Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and declare that all this is for the peace of the ninja world. Otherwise, all cooperation with Grass Village will cease."

"It's indeed worth attempting diplomacy first." Koharu nodded. "I believe the leader of Grass Village won't act so imprudently."

As the words fell, hearing the suggestions from his subordinates, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Since that's the case, let's initiate dialogue with the leader of Grass Village." Turning to Koharu, he added, "You can handle the letter."

"No problem!" She nodded in acknowledgment.

However, after the letter of condemnation was dispatched, a few days later, Konoha officials received a letter from Grass Village.

At this moment, the Konoha officials examined the reply from Grass Village with grave expressions. The letter was sent by the advisor of Grass Village—Mubuki.

However, it conveyed the message that 'Konoha has no qualification to condemn Grass Village and speak of peace.'

This indicated that Grass Village had, in fact, rejected their overtures.

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