Chapter 660: Negotiations
Chapter 660: Negotiations
Rain Country, Six Paths City.
Upon entering the city, Orochimaru's team was promptly received by the Shinshu, the official ninja force of Rain Country.
Before Orochimaru's arrival, Enma had already contacted the Shinshu, expressing his intention to resolve the issue through negotiations.
However, the Wood Style ninjas from Leaf Village did not relax because of this.
They were well aware that their demands might be excessive for the Shinshu, and they knew this negotiation would not be easy.
Considering the long journey Orochimaru's team had endured, the Shinshu first escorted them to a reception area for rest and informed them of the specific negotiation meeting time.
After a period of rest, Orochimaru gathered the negotiation team for a meeting, reiterating some important points to keep in mind.
"We must maintain a firm stance and demonstrate the might of the strongest ninja village," Orochimaru said.
To get Son Ryouka to agree to their terms, they had to exert maximum pressure.
Even though Leaf Village couldn't easily dispatch a large force, they needed to show that they were ready to deploy their main forces if their demands weren't met.
"I wonder if the Shinshu's previous demise was due to this reason," Zhi Shui thought to himself.
Based on the information they had from the future, besides Yu Sheng Mu Yue's death, there were three significant events to note: the Nine-Tails Uprising that caused severe losses to Leaf Village, the ruthless Uchiha genocide, and the Akatsuki Organization, a lawless and evil force wreaking havoc in the ninja world.
According to their calculations, Yu Sheng Mu Yue's death should have been averted.
For the remaining three events, their goal was to do their best to make changes and reduce future regrets.
Zhi Shui and his team had ideas and were taking action regarding the Nine-Tails Uprising and the Uchiha genocide, but the evil Akatsuki Organization was a different matter. They couldn't think of a way to change it, and they didn't have the capability to do so yet.
There were many reasons for this, including the practical issue of operating in a different country, which made many things inconvenient.
Another reason was the extreme complexity of the situation.
Before the establishment of the Shinshu, Yahiko and his group had formed the Akatsuki Organization, advocating for peace in Rain Country. During this period, the Akatsuki Organization was undoubtedly a benevolent ninja organization.
After the formation of the Shinshu, Yahiko Nagato became Son Ryouka's disciple, and the Akatsuki Organization merged with the Shinshu. At that time, Rain Country temporarily lost the Akatsuki Organization as a ninja force, which is the current reality.
In the future that Naruto and his team lived in, the Akatsuki Organization was thoroughly evil, known for stealing tailed beasts and indiscriminate killing.
Based on the available information, Zhi Shui's team speculated that the emergence of the evil Akatsuki Organization in the future was likely due to the Shinshu's demise during its development.
However, Zhi Shui's team was only a handful of slightly powerful Leaf Jonin, and they lacked the ability to influence the existence or demise of a ninja force like the Shinshu.
What made matters worse was that the conflict involved Leaf Village and the Shinshu.
As Leaf ninjas, shouldn't they support Leaf Village and side with the Shinshu? The mission came so suddenly that Zhi Shui didn't even have time to consult with Kakashi's team before being dispatched to Rain Country.
At 3 p.m., the Shinshu ninjas arrived at the reception area on time and escorted the Leaf negotiation team to the Shinshu conference room.
Upon reaching the building, the assembled Shinshu negotiation team met with the Leaf negotiation team.
The guiding Shinshu ninja halted and briefly introduced the Shinshu negotiation team.
Orochimaru took this opportunity to observe the Shinshu negotiation team.
Leading them was Kakuzu, the second-in-command of the Shinshu.
Usually, the leader wouldn't personally attend such negotiations, so Kakuzu's presence indicated the Shinshu's seriousness about the matter.
Besides Kakuzu, Orochimaru noticed the presence of Nagato, renowned as the First Genius of the Ninja World.
"Meeting you in person is better than hearing about you," Kakuzu said with a smile. "You are indeed worthy of the title of one of the Three Great Ninjas, bestowed by Half-Cover."
"I'm nowhere near as accomplished as you, Senior Kakuzu," Orochimaru replied, his tone laced with subtle sarcasm. "When you gained fame in the ninja world, I was still a student at the Ninja Academy. It's an unexpected honor to be able to negotiate with you today."
If it were the Half-Cover from the past, Kakuzu's words would have been a compliment.
But after Half-Cover's betrayal and defeat by Son Ryouka, and with the current location being Rain Country, it was clear that Orochimaru was mocking them for not defeating Half-Cover in the past.
So, Orochimaru wasn't praising Kakuzu for his early fame but was essentially calling him an old man.
Kakuzu remained unperturbed, maintaining a calm demeanor as he walked into the conference room.
Orochimaru didn't say more and led his team into the room.
Zhi Shui had intended to sit in the middle of the long side of the conference table, but he was too young and lacked seniority.
Before he could even approach the table, Orochimaru called him over and seated him on his left.
Although Zhi Shui wasn't entirely sure of Orochimaru's intention, he followed the order and sat down, as Orochimaru was the team leader.
"According to our investigation, our former Fire Lord Advisor was killed by your leader, Son Ryouka, during a friendly visit to Rain Village," Orochimaru began, his face cold as he questioned them. "Is the Shinshu planning to declare war on Leaf Village?"
Although Uchiha Danzo's visit to Rain Village was initially a personal initiative, negotiations required presenting some favorable points.
Once Enma decided to resolve the issue through negotiations, Uchiha Danzo's actions were no longer personal but had the backing of Leaf Village as a "friendly visit."
Kakuzu almost laughed in anger when he heard Orochimaru's words. So, a friendly visit meant an assassination mission? This was news to him.
"Do you know why Uchiha Danzo was killed by us?" Kakuzu's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "He attempted to assassinate our leader, but fortunately, our leader's skills prevailed, and he counter-killed Uchiha Danzo. The consequences would have been unimaginable otherwise."
"Whether the Shinshu declares war on Leaf Village depends on Leaf Village!"
If Kakuzu had been present, he would have stopped Son Ryouka from killing Uchiha Danzo. However, since it had already happened, and Son Ryouka had expressed his ability to protect the Shinshu, there was no need to give Leaf Village any face. They would just have to deal with the consequences.
Orochimaru's eyebrows furrowed slightly, surprised by the Shinshu's unyielding attitude.
The Shinshu's stance was unexpectedly rigid, almost to the point of absurdity.
A ninja organization with only a few hundred ninjas, even when including Rain Village's ninjas, wouldn't exceed two thousand. How could they have the courage to challenge a giant like Leaf Village?
Leaf Village not only outnumbered the Shinshu in terms of ninja quantity but also far surpassed them in quality, leading to a comprehensive dominance.
Orochimaru's mind raced as he realized that Kakuzu's unexpectedly firm stance had disrupted his negotiation plan.
He had intended to pressure the Shinshu into submission, but Kakuzu's behavior seemed to indicate that they weren't afraid of going to war with Leaf Village.
This presented a dilemma because Orochimaru couldn't declare war on the Shinshu on behalf of Leaf Village; he lacked the authority, and his mission didn't permit such an action.
"Oh, it seems that Shinshu has been prepared." Orochimaru's thoughts did not hinder his speech.
Silence at this moment would be a sign of weakness, even if the negotiation falls through, one must never show fear.
"It seems that Konoha has been prepared. In this matter, we of Shinshu have been the victims from start to finish." Kakuzu sneered.
Orochimaru's brows furrowed even deeper.
"Is that so? Our current Fire Lord Advisor, Yuyu Mumu, personally witnessed Son Ryouka trying his best to kill Uchiha Danzo, as if fearing to leave any witnesses alive."
Nagato: ...
This meeting, in a sense, was a bit torturous for him.
"If you continue to distort the facts and avoid the issue, there's no point in continuing today's negotiation." Kakuzu had an inkling of Orochimaru's bottom line.
Despite Orochimaru's harsh words, he didn't retaliate against Kakuzu's firm stance, indicating that Orochimaru's side might also be reluctant to start a war.
"If Shinshu continues to show such lack of sincerity, there's indeed no need to continue the negotiation. I will report Shinshu's attitude to the Fire Lord honestly." Orochimaru said calmly.
"Konoha is willing to give a chance to a neutral organization like Shinshu, but it won't be an indefinite offer."
The attitude of the Shinshu side was indeed strange, and Orochimaru guessed that this mission would likely fail.
"Since we're at this point, let's not beat around the bush. Let's be open and honest." Seeing that Orochimaru was about to give up, Kakuzu decided to get to the bottom of things.
"Since Konoha sent someone to negotiate first, it means you also don't want a war. What exactly do you want? Just say it directly."
"A life for a life. If Son Ryouka takes his own life, Konoha will consider this matter closed." After some thought, Orochimaru stated his demand.
With Kakuzu's attitude, a normal negotiation was out of the question, and there was no more time for further discussion.
Huff!
A terrifying aura erupted from Nagato, and his powerful chakra stirred up a gust of wind that blew away the documents on the negotiation table.
Even though he knew that even if Son Ryouka took his own life, Yuyu Mumu should be fine, Nagato still felt a nameless fire burning in his heart.
This reminded him of the time when Shinshu was first established and was lured to be killed by Hanzou.
At that time, Hanzou, from his high position, tried to use Shinshu as a threat to force Yuyu Mumu to commit suicide.
At that time, Nagato couldn't control the power of the Rinnegan, and his strength wasn't strong. He still couldn't forget the feeling of helplessness when Yuyu Mumu was injured while trying to save him.
Now, Orochimaru was once again trying to force Yuyu Mumu to commit suicide from a position of superiority, which made Nagato extremely angry.
"Compared to before, he's become much stronger."
Zhi Shui regarded Nagato as an imaginary enemy and found that even with his Trifoliate Sharingan, it would be difficult to defeat Nagato.
Because his Moon Reading might not have a good effect on Nagato, Nagato's eyes were the legendary Sage Eye.
"What strong chakra." Orochimaru was surprised in his heart, as he felt a strong threat from the young Nagato.
Who was he? He was one of Konoha's top combat forces, and Nagato was only fifteen or sixteen years old.
Such terror, Orochimaru could only use this word to describe Nagato's ninja talent.
The title of the First Ninja Genius, which seemed like a one-hit-kill on paper, felt quite fitting for Nagato.
"It seems that Shinshu has indeed been prepared." Orochimaru looked at Nagato deeply and said.
"Nagato has a high sense of humor and doesn't appreciate low-level jokes. Please forgive him." Kakuzu said leisurely.
Negotiation? Forget about it!
Shinshu couldn't afford to lose anyone, let alone Son Ryouka himself. Kakuzu would never agree to such a foolish condition.
"So I can understand that Shinshu refuses to solve the problem through negotiation?" Orochimaru asked.
"If Konoha's demands remain unchanged, there's nothing to discuss." Kakuzu was too lazy to argue with Orochimaru.
"You're not going to report to Son Ryouka first?"
Logically, Kakuzu didn't have the final decision-making power in such a major diplomatic event.
"Konoha is indeed very concerned." Kakuzu didn't answer Orochimaru's question.
At this point, the negotiation could no longer continue. Kakuzu and Orochimaru stood up, followed by their subordinates, who also left the conference room.
Instead of returning to Shinshu's reception area, Orochimaru led his team back to Konoha.
It wasn't that he was worried about Shinshu taking them out, as in a battle between two armies, messengers were generally not in danger.
Orochimaru found Shinshu's attitude too strange and felt the need to report to Enma and then investigate.
On the way back, Orochimaru didn't forget to comfort Zhi Shui to raise his favorability, saying that failure in this mission wasn't a big deal, and the fault didn't lie with them as the executors.
Unfortunately, Zhi Shui wasn't in the mood to listen to Orochimaru's comfort. He was thinking about Shinshu.
"If this continues, Shinshu will be destroyed, and the remaining ninjas may form the Dark Akatsuki. What should we do..." Zhi Shui fell into deep thought.
He didn't know why Shinshu could be so tough, but no matter what, Shinshu was no match for Konoha. The gap in strength between the two sides was too great.
The history of the future also proved that Shinshu's ending wasn't pleasant. Neither Naruto nor Daichi mentioned Shinshu as a force.
If Nagato and his group were evil, it would be easier to handle. They could just take action in advance and strangle them in their cradle.
But Shinshu wasn't evil. On the contrary, in Rain Country and in the ninja world, Shinshu was a well-regarded ninja organization, which made things very complicated.
Should they just watch as a group of peace-loving good people experience hardships and eventually turn into terrorists?
"Maybe I should be honest with Teacher Yuyu Mumu about changing the future." Zhi Shui thought.
Yuyu Mumu's attitude towards the future was subtle. He refused to have Uzumaki Naruto seal his memories but also never asked about the future of Uzumaki Naruto.
Kakashi and the others couldn't figure out Yuyu Mumu's thoughts, and since they had obtained future information behind Yuyu Mumu's back, they, as his disciples, had been keeping it a secret from him.
Now, they had already changed the future a lot, and even if Yuyu Mumu had objections, he couldn't go back to the past to change history.
Moreover, Zhi Shui felt that given Yuyu Mumu's character, he probably wouldn't want to see a kind ninja organization fall into darkness.
As the Fire Lord Advisor, Yuyu Mumu could do much more than Zhi Shui and the others.
Just being able to express opinions in high-level meetings was something Zhi Shui and the others couldn't do no matter what.
Of course, if Yuyu Mumu couldn't stop this from happening, Zhi Shui would still find a way to strangle the Dark Akatsuki in its cradle.
He wasn't familiar with the ninjas of Shinshu, but Asama, who would be killed by the Akatsuki, was his friend.
(End of Chapter)
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