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Chapter 646: The Summit of the Four Great Ninja Villages
Chapter 646: The Summit of the Four Great Ninja Villages
"He's currently at the village entrance and says that Daigo has an important matter to discuss with you."
"Tell him I'm in a meeting and then bring him into the village to find out what it's about."
Although the Third Mizukage was curious about Daigo's intentions, he had no plans to personally engage with the Stone Hidden Village, even if he weren't in the middle of a meeting.
It would be a different story if Daigo came in person.
The Mist Hidden Village Intelligence Jonin nodded and left the conference room.
As the door closed again, the conference room once more fell into an eerie silence.
Yuan Shi simply closed his eyes to rest, looking every bit the elderly man with his low spirits.
At his age, he really didn't want his reputation to be affected by such matters.
The Jonin Class Leader feigned deep thought, but kept his mouth shut, not daring to utter a sound.
There were differences even among the higher-ups. As the Jonin Class Leader, he was nominally the leader of all the Jonin in the Mist Village, but he was the last on the list of high-ranking officials.
In other words, he was the most likely to be pushed forward to sign a treaty and take the fall.
The Advisor wore a dissatisfied expression, his face stern, seemingly unhappy with the current situation, but he didn't speak up either.
The Mizukage Assistant stood tall with his head held high, also not breaking the silence.
The Mizukage Assistant held a lower position on the list of high-ranking officials, but this position was special; it was linked to the Mizukage, and usually, as long as the Mizukage didn't have any ideas, the Mizukage Assistant wouldn't have any issues.
"Shui Yu, what are your thoughts?" The Third Mizukage looked to the Jonin Class Leader when no one else spoke.
Shui Yu siged inwardly. What must come, will come. After all, he held the lowest position.
Shui Yu's mind raced, quickly thinking of the perfect response.
Suggest peace talks directly? Impossible. That would surely mean sending him to sign the treaty.
Refusing peace talks was also out of the question; it was too easy to offend people.
Everyone knew that Yuzu Yuzu was the Third Mizukage's favored successor. If, in the end, they truly refused peace talks and Yuzu Yuzu was killed by Konoha, he, as the first to propose it, would surely be resented by the Third Mizukage. Where would he find a good outcome then?
"In this incident, Konoha has displayed formidable military strength. We must investigate why Yuzu Yuzu was defeated so quickly and why more than half of our forces were captured," analyzed Shui Yu with a serious expression.
Refuse or agree? He chose neither!
The Third Mizukage showed a slightly displeased expression but didn't say more, turning to the Mizukage Assistant instead.
The Mizukage Assistant instantly felt the pressure surge, but he had no choice but to speak.
After all, without the Mizukage's support, his position held less authority than Shui Yu's Jonin Class Leader.
"Peace talks are a significant matter with many considerations, such as the opinions of the village's ninjas, Konoha's intentions, and the terms of the talks..."
The Mizukage Assistant spoke a lot but managed to avoid stating whether he supported or opposed the peace talks.
He couldn't help it; he was also unsure of the Third Mizukage's thoughts at the moment.
After such a defeat, would the Third Mizukage still value Yuzu Yuzu as his successor as he did before?
The Third Mizukage then turned his gaze to the Advisor.
After everyone had spoken, the Advisor, not wanting to stand out, followed suit and said something vague.
Once the Advisor finished, the Third Mizukage didn't follow the order and ask Yuan Shi to speak. Instead, he narrowed his eyes in thought.
Over a thousand captives were not a small number.
The Mist Village currently had just over seven thousand ninjas in total. If Konoha killed all the captives, their ninja population would instantly decrease by over seven thousand, an impact that couldn't be overstated.
The key issue was that these ninjas weren't lost in battle but due to a negotiation breakdown, which would stir emotions among the captives' families.
However, the Third Mizukage was reluctant to sign a treaty.
How would he be judged by posterity during his term if the Mist Village initiated two attacks and both failed?
Would he be seen as overambitious and under-skilled? Or overconfident and lacking in ability?
"Let's end today's meeting here," said the Third Mizukage, rubbing his temples.
He was now both worried about the potential fallout from not engaging in peace talks and concerned about the impact of the defeat on his reputation.
Not long after the Third Mizukage returned to his office, the Mist Intelligence Ninja responsible for communicating with the Stone Hidden Village arrived.
"Third Mizukage-sama, this is a secret message from Daigo for you. I've checked it, and it's safe." The Mist Intelligence Ninja handed a scroll to the Third Mizukage.
The Third Mizukage nodded and unrolled the scroll, while the Mist Intelligence Ninja discreetly stepped out of the office.
Initially, the Third Mizukage maintained a calm expression, but after reading for five minutes, his face gradually turned solemn.
"A Wood Style Ninja has reappeared, and Yuyu Mumu has the potential to become the second God of Shinobi?"
After reading, the Third Mizukage rolled up the scroll and fell into deep thought.
Did the Mist and Stone Hidden Villages have a grudge? Of course, they did. Their respective Second Mizukage and Second Tsuchikage had perished together on the battlefield.
However, that was an old grudge. Looking at the entire Shinobi World, if one were to count, the Five Great Shinobi Villages all had old grudges against each other.
The Third Mizukage believed that the information Daigo provided was highly likely to be true, at least partially.
Because Ninjutsu couldn't deceive anyone, and Mumu couldn't possibly hold back forever. Whether she possessed Wood Style or not, and the extent of her abilities, would eventually be exposed.
"Could Yuzu Yuzu's capture be Mumu's doing?" A sudden realization flashed through the Third Mizukage's mind.
If Mumu truly possessed the powerful Wood Style as Daigo claimed and continued to grow, she could become the second Senju Hashirama.
In that case, Yuzu Yuzu's defeat would be understandable.
With a powerful Wood Style Ninja like Mumu leading the ninja forces, it wouldn't be unusual for Yuzu Yuzu to be captured.
It wasn't that the Mist Village's forces were weak, but that Konoha was too strong.
The Third Mizukage shook his head immediately, realizing now wasn't the time for such thoughts.
"Should I accept Daigo's invitation?" The Third Mizukage began weighing the pros and cons.
Daigo didn't directly propose an alliance to deal with Konoha and assassinate Mumu; he merely invited the Mist Village to send a representative to the Earth Country for a meeting.
The Third Mizukage thought he could send a reliable Jonin to probe Daigo's intentions.
After all, peace talks wouldn't be a matter of a day or two, and as long as the Mist Village didn't make any drastic moves, Yuzu Yuzu's situation shouldn't be in danger.
...
In the Land of Wind, the Sand Village.
Daigo also sent a ninja to the Sand Village.
"This old man isn't trying to trick me, is he?" Luo Sha finished reading the scroll and instinctively thought it was fake.
Yuyu Mumu was recognized as the strongest young ninja in the Shinobi World, but the information in the scroll was exaggerated.
Moreover, if Mumu had such a powerful Wood Style, why didn't she use it in previous battles? Wood Style was formidable, not only for its offensive and defensive capabilities but also for its ability to suppress Jinchuriki.
However, Luo Sha reconsidered and felt that Daigo wasn't that foolish.
After all, Daigo didn't ask him to directly attack Konoha; he merely invited him to a meeting, so it was unlikely he would use such obvious fake information to deceive him.
Recalling the recent peculiar developments in the Shinobi World, Luo Sha's expression turned grave.
"Could it be that Yuyu Mumu has been in hiding all this time, and only now, with his Wood Style training bearing fruit, has he revealed his true strength?"
After careful consideration, Luo Sha realized that this information didn't seem entirely false; it was just beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Suddenly, a second Wood Style Shinobi appeared, and he even showed the potential to become the second Senju Hashirama.
If the messenger from the Stone Hidden Village wasn't well-known in the Shinobi World, Luo Sha would have suspected someone was impersonating a Stone Village Ninja to cause trouble.
"What's so special about this Wood Style? Does a Shinobi with Wood Style inevitably become as powerful as Senju Hashirama?" Luo Sha couldn't help but wonder.
Logically, it shouldn't be like this.
A Shinobi's strength is comprehensive, encompassing Ninjutsu, Body Illusion, Chakra quantity, and physical qualities.
They shouldn't become overwhelmingly powerful just by mastering a certain Bloodline Limit or secret technique.
But Senju Hashirama was strong, and the second Wood Style Shinobi, Yuyu Mumu, was also formidable.
The first could be a coincidence, but what about the second?
Luo Sha summoned his trusted subordinates for a discussion.
They felt they could go ahead, but whether or not to take action against the Leaf Village depended on the future situation.
After all, if the Leaf Village produced a second God of Shinobi, it wouldn't significantly impact the Sand Hidden Village.
Currently, the Sand Village was relatively weak among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and even without the Leaf Village standing in their way, the Sand Village still had the Stone and Cloud Villages ahead of them.
"How's Yekang's investigation going?" Luo Sha asked, remembering something.
He had never forgotten Yekang, the Shinobi who had almost affected his position as the Kazekage.
"We haven't found any evidence that could imprison Yekang." The Sand Village Jonin shook his head.
"However, I noticed that Yekang seems very interested in the Shinshu of the Rain Country. She took time off during both of Son Ryouka's lectures."
"Instead of focusing on her tasks as a hero of the Sand Village, she's attending lectures by the Rain Country's Shinobi forces. If the village were to choose its most diligent Shinobi, I'd definitely vote for Yekang."
Hearing his subordinate mock Yekang for being unprofessional, Luo Sha couldn't help but smile.
"Since she likes interacting with other forces, I'll send her to the Stone Hidden Village." Luo Sha said after some thought.
He saw this as an opportunity to suppress Yekang. If the mission to the Stone Village failed, he could blame it on Yekang's incompetence.
If the mission to the Stone Village succeeded, he could recall Yekang for other reasons midway.
...
Rain Country, Shinshu.
Huang Tu led a team of Stone Village Ninjas into Six Paths City.
"It seems there are more people and more Shinobi."
As they entered Six Paths City, Huang Tu noticed that the city seemed even more prosperous.
The raging flames of war in the Shinobi World hadn't hindered the development of Six Paths City; instead, it had promoted its prosperity to some extent.
Huang Tu didn't pay much attention to this, even though the Stone Village valued Shinshu, it was specifically for Son Ryouka and his group, not for Six Paths City or the ordinary Shinshu Ninjas.
Relying on their cooperative relationship, Huang Tu smoothly reached Son Ryouka's office without any obstacles.
"Son Ryouka, the Stone Village needs Shinshu's help with something." Huang Tu stated his purpose directly.
Mumu nodded, indicating for Huang Tu to continue.
"We have a need to cooperate with the Cloud Village, and we hope you can convey some of our intentions to them."
Since the Stone and Cloud Villages were at war and had been engaged in frequent battles since the war began, Daigo was concerned that directly contacting the Cloud Village might backfire. So, he wanted Shinshu to act as an intermediary.
Although Shinshu and the Stone Village had some cooperation, overall, Shinshu was perceived as a neutral force in the public eye.
The first major reason was Son Ryouka's unlimited lectures.
By generously imparting advanced knowledge to Shinobi from various villages, Son Ryouka naturally carried a label of neutrality and friendliness.
Then there was the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, which was held before.
Numerous Shinobi from large and small villages participated in the tournament, but under Shinshu's management, no violent incidents occurred, and all competing Shinobi were treated equally.
Son Ryouka was famous, powerful, and Shinshu was a well-known neutral force, making them the most suitable intermediary in the current Shinobi World.
"I need to know some specific details before I can make a judgment." Mumu said after taking a sip of tea.
He couldn't possibly agree to help without knowing anything; otherwise, he might be taken advantage of.
"The main content is some intelligence about Yuyu Mumu and the ambitions of the Leaf Village." Huang Tu began to explain.
Before Huang Tu's arrival, Daigo had already considered this and instructed him to share the information directly.
Firstly, when asking Shinshu for help, they couldn't keep them in the dark.
Secondly, Daigo believed that Son Ryouka had no reason to refuse.
By eliminating Danzo Shimura, Son Ryouka had naturally positioned himself against the Leaf Village. With an opportunity to undermine the Leaf Village, he would certainly take it.
This wasn't a deep cooperation; the Stone Village wouldn't station a Ninja force in the Rain Country, so there would be no harm to Shinshu.
On the contrary, if the Leaf Village produced a second God of Shinobi, would Shinshu have good days ahead?
Perhaps, once the war ended, Shinshu would be the next target.
"I'm sorry, but I refuse." Mumu replied with a faint smile.
What kind of international joke was this, asking him, a Shadow Clone, to help others against the original body?
He had no intention of playing the undercover game.
"However, based on this information, the original body might have already dealt with Uchiha Sasuke, otherwise, such a commotion wouldn't have occurred." Mumu's Shadow Clone thought.
He was a Shadow Clone created by Mumu before Uchiha Sasuke's defeat, so he didn't have the original body's memories from that period.
"In that case, Shinshu's concerns are reduced, and we can be more open."
Huang Tu was stunned; this was different from what he had predicted. Why would Son Ryouka refuse so decisively?
"Shinshu has no intention of participating in the power struggle among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, whether it's against the Leaf Village or any other major Shinobi village." Mumu explained.
With this statement, Mumu completely shut down the conversation, leaving Huang Tu and his advisors speechless.
"Son Ryouka is too naive," Huang Tu thought to himself.
Although he was often called straightforward, he felt that Son Ryouka was even more idealistic than him.
Was it possible to simply opt out of the Five Great Shinobi Villages' influence while living in the Shinobi World? However, with Son Ryouka's firm attitude, Huang Tu and his team had no choice.
In the end, the Stone Village reluctantly sent a messenger to propose a ceasefire with the Cloud Village, and they also shared Mumu's intelligence with the Cloud Village.
Perhaps the Cloud Village was too busy fighting the Leaf Village to want to create conflict with the Stone Village, as the situation proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
Eventually, the Cloud Village also agreed to attend the conference hosted by the Stone Village in the Earth Country.
On the agreed-upon date, various Shinobi villages sent their representatives to the Earth Country as promised.
(End of Chapter)
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