Noon.
A young blond girl fled through the streets of Leaf, pursued by an elderly red-haired woman. In the end, the blond girl was unfortunately captured alive.
"Tsunade, we're going home!"
"Grandma will teach you ninjutsu!"
Mito only picked fights she could win. Compared to finding trouble with Haru, directly catching Tsunade was much easier.
"Grandma, don't pull my ear. It hurts."
Tsunade's ear had been grabbed by Mito. In truth, Mito was not using much strength, but Tsunade had understood from a very young age that the crying child got the milk. Whenever Mito got angry, she had to act pitiful.
"Hmph. Now you know it hurts. Come on. We're going home. You're not allowed to see that Haru guy!"
Mito let go of her ear, grabbed Tsunade's arm, and prepared to drag her home for strict supervision.
Tsunade had secretly started hanging around with Haru without saying a word.
The more handsome a man was, the better he was at deceiving people. If Tsunade stayed by Haru's side, sooner or later she would end up being tricked by him and still help him count the money.
"Grandma, no! Lord Hokage is a good person!"
Tsunade tried unwillingly to break free from Mito's grip, but it was useless. Mito pulled Tsunade home while nagging in her ear.
"Tsunade, you even dared to teach Hizuki gambling!"
"I still haven't settled that with you. It looks like you have too much allowance!"
Haru circled around a street. After finding that Mito had not chased after him, he slowed down and walked at a leisurely pace. He had just eaten, so intense exercise was bad for the body.
The afternoon was Haru's usual time to train Sage Mode. Recently, Haru had been immersed in training. He could already enter Sage Mode in a preliminary way, and yellow markings had begun to appear around the corners of his eyes. However, he still needed some time before fully mastering Sage Mode.
This progress was already quite fast. Even Fukasaku had praised Haru's talent.
Although he could not be as absurd as the First Hokage, who could simply clap his hands and instantly activate Sage Mode, absorbing natural energy into his body as easily as breathing, the Uchiha were still descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. Their talent was guaranteed.
But Jiraiya, who had gone to Mount Myoboku with Haru to learn Sage Mode, belonged to the category of ordinary people. At present, he was still at the meditation stage, learning how to sense natural energy and draw it into his body.
According to the original story, Jiraiya had spent more than ten years before he could master Sage Mode and use it in battle. Even then, that already counted as decent talent. At least he successfully trained Sage Mode.
At the same time, two travel-worn guests appeared at the Hokage Building.
One wore dark green armor and had a sword hanging at his waist. He was dressed like a standard samurai. The other wore standard ninja clothing and had a forehead protector marked with the symbol of the Rain Village.
The two of them sat awkwardly in the chairs of the reception room. When one reached the peak among ninja villages, one found Leaf at the summit. The moment they entered Leaf, both of them had been rendered speechless by Leaf's development.
Was the meat grinder known as the First Ninja World War not supposed to have exhausted the Five Great Ninja Villages and badly damaged their foundations?
Leaf did not show the slightest sign of decline. Instead, it was full of life and thriving with terrifying momentum. Such a ninja village could not be allowed to remain.
A joke.
The Land of Iron's envoy marveled at Leaf's development, but he did not think too much about it. Leaf was still that powerful Leaf, and the Land of Iron was still that Land of Iron.
In the Land of Iron, ninja were not mainstream. Samurai held the dominant position. The remnants of the old era clung to their outdated ways in the Land of Iron and entertained themselves within their little circle. They were unwilling to embrace the mainstream: becoming ninja, refining chakra, and training ninjutsu.
Samurai did not train chakra or ninjutsu. No matter how hard they trained, in front of ninja, they were only slightly stronger ordinary people. Chakra was the key to unlocking the extraordinary in this world.
Of course, recently, they had finally begun to open their eyes and look at the world.
The Rain Village leader, Hanzo, had not even personally taken action. He had simply sent small groups of subordinates into the Land of Iron to gather information and rob some money along the way. Yet he had not expected the Land of Iron's samurai to be so weak that they collapsed at the first touch.
Voices calling for reform had started spreading among the samurai class of the Land of Iron. Not training chakra really did not work. Even genin who had trained chakra could easily bully the Land of Iron's samurai. Unfortunately, it was already too late. The enemy had already reached their doorstep.
They had to find a powerful backer and let the Land of Iron catch its breath first. Coming to Leaf today was the right choice.
The Rain Village envoy, however, felt uneasy.
Leaf was still that powerful Leaf, while the Rain Village had developed ambitions it should not have.
Inside the Land of Rain, the situation was turbulent. Civil war, division, and a national environment as foul as filth had ultimately raised a king of poison: Hanzo.
Hanzo was powerful and possessed a poisonous salamander that could release poison gas on a large scale. Anyone who inhaled it would die within seconds. On the battlefield, it was like mowing down grass, perfectly suited for group combat.
Relying on his great strength, grand ambitions, and personal charisma, Hanzo attracted a group of ninja who followed him. He gave a speech in a tavern.
"What have the nobles of the Land of Rain done? A pound of grain sells for..."
"We must unite and establish our own ninja village!"
"..."
His deep, magnetic voice rose from low to high as he spoke. Every ninja present was excited and inspired. They raised their arms and shouted, "Long live Lord Hanzo!"
The Rain Village was founded on the spot!
Afterward, Hanzo carried out a series of assassinations, suppressions, and political maneuvers inside the country. He supported the current daimyo of the Land of Rain, swept away rebellion, and wiped out the internal troublemakers. Externally, he actively expanded their living space.
In short, he went out to rob money to feed the family!
Hanzo was extremely efficient. The situation within the Land of Rain quickly entered a period of stability. The nobles and merchants who had hoarded food, bought low and sold high, and also engaged in loan sharking during the chaos all obediently quieted down.
Hanzo truly killed people. He killed until heads rolled.
But it did not matter. The daimyo supported him. The daimyo needed a ninja village to help him wipe out rebellion. It was not as if Hanzo did not share the money with him either.
Those pieces of trash could die as much as they wanted!
Grain prices were pushed down to a level the common people could accept. The daimyo's political enemies and nobles were assassinated by Rain Village ninja. Whole families died out, their properties were confiscated, and their land was redistributed to the people.
Hanzo had already been raised to the altar of a god in the Land of Rain.
Hanzo was young and ambitious. He wanted to open up a richer living space for the Land of Rain and the Rain Village. Taking advantage of the heavenly opportunity presented by the First Ninja World War, he had endured for years and cleaned up the country.
The First Ninja World War had severely damaged the Five Great Ninja Villages. Now it was time for the Rain Village to rise!
Hanzo wanted to create a new order and forge the sixth great ninja village of the ninja world. First, he would strike small ninja villages and small countries to test the waters.
Everything had gone extremely smoothly.
Until today, when the Rain Village envoy witnessed Leaf's prosperity. The foundation of the Five Great Ninja Villages was terrifying beyond imagination. They had recovered in such a short time. Was only Leaf like this, or were all five great villages like this?
The Rain Village envoy was deeply worried, and his admiration for Leader Hanzo's foresight grew even greater. Fortunately, they had targeted small ninja villages and small countries first and had not moved against the great countries or great villages. Otherwise, the Rain Village's ambition to dominate the ninja world and become the sixth great ninja village might have died before it even began.
"Envoy of the Land of Iron, come in first."
Shikato walked into the reception room and asked the Land of Iron's envoy to follow him into the office next door.
After arriving in the neighboring office and exchanging a few simple pleasantries with Shikato, the Land of Iron's envoy handed Shikato a red envelope.
"This is my first time visiting Leaf. I fear I have been terribly abrupt."
"The Land of Iron is poor and has no local specialties worth mentioning. Only some tea leaves are passable. Please accept them."
Shikato weighed it in his hand, and a smile appeared on his face.
Sensible!
As Leaf's Hokage Assistant and the Hokage's capable right hand, being invited to meals and receiving gifts was as common as eating and drinking.
Of course, Shikato knew very well what money could be accepted and what money could not. The great Lord Hokage only looked at work efficiency and whether the matter could be handled. If it could not be handled, then the person would be sent to the Anbu for interrogation, with mind techniques waiting for them.
"Tea is good. Drinking tea can prolong one's life."
Shikato accepted the envelope and placed it in his pocket. The two exchanged a smile.
Good. Taking money was good.
"Lord Shikato, the Rain Village has invaded my Land of Iron without cause. As the number one ninja village in the ninja world and a model of peace, please show mercy and save my Land of Iron from this disaster!"
The Land of Iron's envoy spoke with tears in his eyes, looking as though he had been bullied terribly.
"Of course. Leaf has always pursued peace."
"It is just that Leaf only recently ended the war. Our financial pressure is enormous, and we lost many ninja. I'm afraid... sigh."
"Leaf is currently... devastated and waiting to be rebuilt. Cough."
The Land of Iron's envoy widened his eyes and stared at Shikato in disbelief.
You call the current Leaf devastated?
As Shikato spoke, even he nearly could not continue making it up, but he still refused to loosen his stance.
Add money. Add money!
Without money, they wanted Leaf to work?
Even with money, Leaf might not work!
"Of course... the Land of Iron understands Leaf's difficulties. The Land of Iron is willing to pay a price... Please, help us!"
The Land of Iron's envoy gritted his teeth.
He knew Leaf would not help the Land of Iron for free, but could Leaf at least find a better excuse? They could actually say something like "devastated and waiting to be rebuilt." Then what was the Land of Iron? Was it already lingering on the edge of extinction?
Mm. It did seem to be lingering on the edge of extinction.
Pay money to avert disaster.
"Leaf needs high-quality iron ore, coal, iron ore sales channels, the Land of Iron's participation in Leaf's futures trading system, and tax reductions on Leaf's products."
Shikato took out the agreement and read through the general contents.
The Land of Iron's envoy accepted the agreement. The series of clauses stretched from the economy to politics. Leaf wanted to import the Land of Iron's low-cost raw materials, then turn them into industrial products and export them.
The terms were harsh!
After the Land of Iron's envoy finished reading, his expression became ugly. These conditions were practically selling out the country. Leaf had specifically named several major iron mines and coal mines in the country. Those were important sources of income for the Land of Iron.
But...
"If you have no objections, you can sign it now. According to our intelligence, the Rain Village is about to gather heavy forces and attack the Land of Iron soon. If you do not sign, then what your Land of Iron loses will be more than this."
Shikato saw the envoy's hesitation and fabricated false intelligence. In reality, the Rain Village only planned to rob them and leave, then withdraw to develop its economy. Leaf's terms were indeed extremely harsh.
In any case, the Land of Iron's intelligence was outdated. What powerful intelligence network could a backward military group made up of samurai have? They were merely remnants of the old era.
"I... Can Leaf guarantee that the Rain Village will withdraw?"
The Land of Iron's envoy felt as though a blade had been placed against his neck. Advancing was wrong, and retreating was wrong. Leaf only wanted money. The Rain Village did not just want money. It wanted land, and it wanted their lives.
Comparing the two, Leaf's conditions were obviously easier to accept.
But Leaf had turned out to be a tiger that ate people without spitting out the bones. Could Leaf really make the Rain Village withdraw?
"Hmph. What do you think?"
Shikato opened the window, revealing Leaf's prosperous scenery.
"Fine."
The Land of Iron's envoy remembered the Land of Iron daimyo's instructions. He had to request Leaf's assistance at all costs. The Rain Village ninja were still carrying out raids in the Land of Iron, killing entire families and carrying away their wealth.
To defend their homeland, the Land of Iron had even been willing to break its old rules, abandon the employment of samurai, and choose to hire ninja as guards instead.
The Land of Iron's envoy spoke weakly. This time, he could be considered unlucky. After signing this, he would become a national criminal once he returned. The daimyo would definitely use him as a scapegoat.
He would have to retire and return home.
Reform. Change.
The Land of Iron could not continue like this. Samurai truly belonged to the past. They had to train chakra and learn ninjutsu.
"Then sign it."
Shikato smiled with satisfaction as he watched the Land of Iron's envoy sign. Afterward, he cheerfully escorted him out, then called in the Rain Village envoy with a stern face.
"Does the Rain Village wish to become enemies with Leaf and start a war?"
Shikato gave the Rain Village ninja no pleasant expression. The moment he entered the room, Shikato sharply interrogated him. The Rain Village envoy's expression changed instantly.
The authority of someone in a high position, combined with Leaf's strength and prosperity, made the Rain Village envoy afraid to speak.
The Rain Village envoy, who had originally been ambitious, had seen Leaf's prosperity. The flame of ambition to follow Lord Hanzo and make the Rain Village the sixth great ninja village had been doused.
A ruined and weakened Leaf would have given the Rain Village an opportunity. But the current Leaf was unimaginably prosperous. Leaf, which had once fought the other four great ninja villages by itself, showed not the slightest sign of decline. Such a Leaf was not something the Rain Village could resist.
They had to lie low and develop quietly. The current Leaf could not be opposed!
"Lord Shikato, believe me. The Rain Village absolutely has no such idea. There must be a misunderstanding."
"The Land of Iron is Leaf's neighbor. Leaf will absolutely not allow any ill-intentioned ninja village to launch a war against the Land of Iron."
"According to our intelligence, your Rain Village intends to wage war on the Land of Iron. If this can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated?"
"A misunderstanding. It is all a misunderstanding!"
The Rain Village envoy smiled bitterly.
Sure enough, the Land of Iron had latched onto Leaf's thigh.
The looting plan had to be stopped temporarily. They had not planned to wage war against the Land of Iron in the first place. They simply wanted to go out and rob money.
(End of Chapter)
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