The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 214 Seeking External Aid

At this moment, the eldest prince, Enichi, was holding an emergency meeting in the council hall.

Yuan Shixiu sat in the main seat, wearing a suit of armor covered in dust, his face gloomy.

On the map in front of him, the red markers representing his territory were already surrounded by blue, yellow, and brown markers representing Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.

Yuan Shixiu's voice was deep and muffled, filled with suppressed anger: "Ministers, tell me, what should we do now? Kumogakure attacked our quarry again yesterday, Iwagakure is reinforcing its troops in the east, and Sunagakure has cut off our supply lines. If this continues, we will be swallowed up by them sooner or later!"

The council chamber was completely silent, with several senior officials bowing their heads and their brows furrowed.

The young generals clenched their fists, their eyes filled with resentment, but none of them dared to speak first.

The situation had deteriorated to the extreme, and they had tried almost every method they could think of.

He sent envoys to seek peace with the other princes, but they were rejected by the second, third, and fourth princes. He sent messengers to persuade various countries to withdraw their troops, but they were driven back before they could even enter the enemy's camp.

After a long silence, the Minister of Revenue finally stepped forward.

His hair was gray, his face was full of wrinkles, and his voice carried a hint of helplessness: "Your Highness, the three kingdoms are now very powerful, and we cannot possibly contend with them on our own. In my humble opinion, perhaps... perhaps we can seek outside help."

Yuan Shixiu raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes, only to quickly fade: "External aid? Besides those princes and the three kingdoms, who else can help us? The Land of Earth, the Land of Thunder, and the Land of Wind are all supporting the other princes. Are we going to turn to the Land of Water?"

The Minister of Revenue hurriedly said, "It is indeed the Land of Water! Your Highness, think about it. More than two months ago, after the Land of Water occupied the Land of Whirlpools, they remained silent. They neither continued to advance into the heart of the Land of Fire nor supported any prince. Uchiha Mitsunori is ambitious and certainly will not be content with merely occupying the Land of Whirlpools. If we take the initiative to ask him for help and offer him great benefits, he might very well lend a hand!"

A young general immediately retorted, "Ask for help from the Uchiha Three Peaks? Sir, have you forgotten? The Land of Water is our enemy! Their conquest of the Land of Whirlpools was already a provocation against the Land of Fire. If we let them in, wouldn't that be like inviting wolves into the house? At that time, the Land of Fire's lands might be swallowed up by them!"

The Minister of Revenue sighed, "But do we have any other choice now? If we don't seek help from the Land of Water, we won't last half a month! At that point, we won't even be able to save our lives, let alone our land! The Uchiha Mitsurugi are very ambitious, but what he needs most right now is for the Land of Fire to remain in chaos, not for it to be monopolized by the other three countries. If we offer him five cities in the east and an annual grain tribute, he will definitely weigh the pros and cons and choose to help us."

Silence fell over the council chamber once again, and the ministers split into two factions.

One faction supports seeking help from the Water Kingdom, believing it to be their only way out.

The other faction strongly opposed it, fearing that it would invite trouble and plunge the Land of Fire into an even deeper crisis.

Watching the ministers argue endlessly, Yuan Shixiu tapped his five fingers lightly on the table, his heart also in turmoil.

He hated the Land of Water, and he hated the Uchiha Triumphs for conquering the Land of Whirlpools, but he didn't want to lose the power he had now, and he didn't want to die in the chaos of war.

The Minister of War also stepped forward: "Your Highness, this old minister believes that the Minister of Revenue is right. Uchiha Mitsunori, though ruthless, is also greedy. We can first send an envoy to the Land of Water to test his attitude before making a decision. If he makes exorbitant demands, we will think of another way; if he is willing to take action, we can at least buy time to reorganize our forces and plan for the future."

Yuan Shixiu remained silent for a moment before finally making up his mind.

He slammed his hand on the table, his voice firm: "Do as you say! Immediately send an envoy to the Land of Water to meet with the Uchiha Mitsurugi and tell him that if he is willing to send troops to help us defeat the three countries, I am willing to cede five eastern cities to the Land of Water and pay them 5 koku of grain annually!"

"Your Highness is wise!"

The ministers bowed, and the atmosphere in the council hall finally eased somewhat.

That afternoon, the messenger, carrying a personal letter from Enichi Kyu, hurried to the Land of Water.

Dressed as an ordinary merchant, carrying a secret letter in his pocket, he evaded the patrolling ninjas of the three kingdoms, traveling day and night without daring to stop for even a moment.

He knew that this letter concerned the fate of the eldest prince and the future of the Fire Kingdom.

Meanwhile, in the royal palace of the Land of Water, Uchiha Mitsunori was sitting in his study, looking at the situation report from his spies regarding the Land of Fire.

When they saw that the territory of the eldest prince's city had shrunk, leaving only 9 cities.

When news of Hiruzen Sarutobi's execution of the Shimura, Utatane, and Minato clans, who were taken prisoner, arrived.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

Kazami Tomohiko stood to the side and respectfully asked, "My lord, the situation in the Land of Fire is becoming increasingly chaotic. Should we take this opportunity to advance and capture the eastern cities of the Land of Fire?"

Uchiha Mitsunori shook his head, his eyes full of calculation: "No rush. Hiruzen Sarutobi's execution of the three clans may have been a shock, but it will also have caused resentment among the other clans. Right now, the three countries are fighting for territory in the Land of Fire. If we act rashly, we will only become the target of everyone's attacks. It's better to wait and see what choice the princes of the Land of Fire will make."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a guard reported from outside the door: "My lord, Prince Yuanshi Xiu of the Land of Fire has sent an envoy to request an audience, saying he has important matters to discuss."

Uchiha Mitsunori raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Perfect timing. Let him in. I want to see what benefits Yuan Shixiu can offer me."

He had already anticipated that Yuan City would suspend the meeting and seek external assistance, but he didn't expect it to come so quickly.

It seems that the chaos in the Land of Fire is about to take a new turn, and the Land of Water is about to play an even more important role in this game.

The messenger was still slightly out of breath when he entered the study.

He held the secret letter in both hands and respectfully handed it to Mitsufumi: "Your Excellency Mitsufumi, this is a letter from our Crown Prince. He earnestly requests your military assistance. If we can defeat the three kingdoms, our Crown Prince is willing to cede five cities in the south and pay 5 shi of grain annually."

Uchiha Mitsunori took the secret letter, slowly opened it, and as he read it, the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.

He raised his head, looked at the messenger, and said with a hint of amusement, "Go back and tell your eldest prince that I refuse to provide support."

The envoy paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Your Excellency Mitsumine, is there anything you are not satisfied with regarding the conditions we have provided? If so, we can discuss it further."

Uchiha Mitsunori calmly smiled and said, "How about this? I'll invite the First Prince and the Fifth Prince together; I'd like to have a chat with them!"

The envoy bowed and said, "Very well, I will convey the message of Lord Mikado to the two princes!"