chsdbacks Chapter 45 Hiruzen Sarutobi is practically selling out his country!
Chapter 45 Hiruzen Sarutobi is practically selling out his country!
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept across the deck. Uchiha Mitsunori leaned against the stern railing, his fingers tapping nervously on the wooden handrail.
The seventeen-year-old genius ninja was now frowning, completely losing his composure on the battlefield.
"Hey, you're banging on me and it's getting annoying."
Mei Terumi appeared beside him at some point, her long reddish-brown hair fluttering in the wind. The girl crossed her arms, her emerald green eyes filled with impatience.
"Ah, sorry." Uchiha Mitsunori stopped what he was doing and forced a smile.
Mei Terumi hit the nail on the head, a mocking smile playing on her lips as she looked at him suspiciously: "Because you're about to see your girlfriend?"
Uchiha Mitsumine slumped his shoulders: "How do you know about Megumi?"
Mei Terumi rolled her eyes: "Your subordinates don't even know to lower their voices when they're talking."
She mimicked the tone of a Konoha ninja: "Lord Mimine is going to have a headache when he gets back, his official girlfriend and his fiancée have run into each other..."
Uchiha Mitsunori feigned annoyance: "Damn it, why are they so gossipy?"
Mei Terumi suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice: "So, that Megumi Uzumaki, is she really your 'first wife'?"
Uchiha Mitsumine's expression remained unchanged: "Don't use such words!"
"So you're admitting it?" Mei Terumi took a step back, her expression unreadable.
Seagulls circled overhead, emitting piercing cries.
Uchiha Mitsunori took a deep breath and decided to be honest: "After the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the Uzumaki clan had a very difficult time. I rescued Uzumaki Megumi from Kusagakure... and then, we got together."
Mei Terumi sneered, "Heh, you already have a first wife at seventeen, and you still want a concubine in the future. With your character, who knows how many women you'll have in the future? You're really something."
Uchiha Mitsunori replied calmly, "In this feudal era, isn't it common for strong men to have many women?"
Mei Terumi turned and left: "Shut up, I'm going to find something to eat, that's better than listening to your excuses."
Uchiha Mitsunori watched her departing figure and sighed helplessly.
In the distance, the four islands of the Land of Whirlpools are already faintly visible, standing like guardians on the sea.
He touched the ninja tool pouch at his waist, where the amulet that Huiyi had given him when they parted last time was kept.
A member of the Uchiha clan approached and bowed respectfully. "Lord Mimine. Lord Fugaku requests your presence at a meeting."
On the watchtower on the east side of Kirigakure, two Kirigakure ninjas are monitoring the departing Konoha fleet through binoculars.
"Confirmed, the last batch has left the territorial waters." The older ninja put down his binoculars and breathed a sigh of relief.
The young ninja wiped the sweat from his brow: "I never expected Fugaku Uchiha to lead so many Konoha ninjas into this... This is the first time Konoha has invaded another country... If Fugaku Uchiha becomes Hokage... then the future of the ninja world is truly unimaginable."
Another young ninja said, "I heard that the Uchiha clan has contacted several major clans, and it seems that some clans want to leave Kirigakure. I wonder if it's true?"
The older ninja leading the group sneered, "These things are none of our business... If you want to live a long life... you shouldn't be discussing these things."
On the distant sea, Konoha's fleet had become several small black dots, gradually disappearing into the horizon.
In the conference room of the Konoha flagship, Fugaku Uchiha stood in front of the tactical map, his long black hair neatly tied back, his sharp gaze sweeping over every Jonin present.
His voice was deep and powerful, each word like a nail hammering into everyone's hearts: "Sunagakure has withdrawn its troops and offered an alliance, which Hiruzen Sarutobi and his men have accepted. Once we return to Konoha, the war will truly be over."
In the corner, Uchiha Mitsunori rested his chin on one hand, while unconsciously stroking the amulet under the table with the other.
"Three Peaks...Three Peaks!"
It wasn't until Fugaku Uchiha raised his voice and called roll for the second time that Mitsumine Uchiha snapped back to reality, instinctively standing up and shouting, "Here!"
A few soft laughs rang out in the conference room, but Fugaku Uchiha's gaze swept over them like a knife, and the laughter immediately stopped.
Fugaku Uchiha ordered, "Mitsubone, analyze the current situation."
Uchiha Mitsunori took a deep breath and quickly gathered his thoughts.
He walked to the tactical map and pointed to the location of Kikyo Mountain.
"The Sand Village attacked our Konoha with great force. They even pushed their battle lines to the vicinity of Mount Kikyo and plundered five cities in our Land of Fire. According to previous intelligence, the total value of the food, medicine, and precious metals they looted is estimated to exceed 80 billion ryo."
A gasp of surprise rippled through the conference room, before gradually subsiding after a while.
Uchiha Mitsunori continued, "They've had their fill in this battle, and now they're voluntarily withdrawing their troops and proposing an alliance for only two reasons. First, they're afraid of our retaliation; second, they want to avoid war reparations."
Hiashi Hyuga frowned and interjected, "Hiruzen Sarutobi has accepted the alliance, what should we do next?"
Uchiha Mitsumine interrupted him, a sharp glint in his eyes: "That's precisely the problem. The Land of Wind relies on our country for 60% of its food imports, and most of the looted goods belong to nobles. After the war ends, the Land of Wind will inevitably face a fierce counterattack from the noble groups of the Land of Fire. The Land of Wind's economy will certainly be greatly affected, so the Fourth Kazekage won't have an easy time after he returns."
(In the original work: After the Third Shinobi World War, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind drastically reduced the funding for Sunagakure, and relations between the two sides became very strained.)
Fugaku Uchiha nodded almost imperceptibly, his tone firm: "Hiruzen Sarutobi is afraid we'll gain more merit in battle, so he's in a hurry to agree to Sunagakure's request for peace. But this move... is utterly disastrous."
The meeting room erupted in chaos, with discussions rising and falling.
Uchiha Mitsunaga surveyed the crowd, his voice rising slightly: "We retrieved 300 billion ryo from Iwagakure and 400 billion ryo from Kirigakure. The compensation for casualties from the Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure battlefields will be distributed in a lump sum, except for the Sunagakure battlefield. Think about it... what will those families who lost loved ones think? What will those severely wounded or disabled comrades think?"
Hiashi Hyuga clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table: "Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions are tantamount to treason... bastard..."
He was so angry because most of the Hyuga clan's ninjas were sent to the Sand Village battlefield to support Orochimaru, but now the Sand Village battlefield was finding it difficult to receive compensation for casualties, which made him feel like he had been betrayed.
Uchiha Mitsunori sneered, "What's even more interesting is that the overall commander of the Sand Village battlefield was Orochimaru, a disciple of the Third Hokage. The overall commander of the Cloud Village battlefield was his grand-disciple, Minato Namikaze, and yet neither of those battlefields... yielded any good results."
He deliberately left his sentence unfinished, but everyone present understood his implication: the other battlefields were dominated by the Uchiha.
A flicker of admiration crossed Fugaku Uchiha's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "Enough, Mitsume. Your analysis... is very insightful. All units, withdraw as planned. You must reach the Land of Whirlpools before dawn tomorrow... Dismissed!"
The Jonin left the meeting room one after another, but Uchiha Mitsunori was left behind.
At this moment, Fugaku Uchiha's expression softened considerably: "What you said earlier was very good... It seems that the position of Fourth Hokage... is rightfully mine!"