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Chapter 696: The Deal!
Chapter 696: The Deal!
The Leaf Village!
It was already afternoon when they arrived.
The pursuit had taken a long time, but the return journey was much quicker.
"Tong Ping-sama!" 2
Shingetsu Izumo and Ganzi Tie knew better than to cause trouble by insisting on a formal identity check; instead, they greeted him respectfully.
However, when they saw the bandages on Tong Ping's body and his face pale as paper, their expressions changed instantly.
They couldn't believe that the renowned 'Purification Flame' had been injured so badly.
Fortunately, even though they were curious, they didn't dare ask about the cause.
No wonder he could be a gatekeeper; he was indeed clever.
Upon entering the village, Tong Ping's first stop was the Hokage Tower to report his mission.
As the mission was assigned by Jiraiya, it was only natural to report back to him.
However, when he arrived at the Hokage's office, he found more than just Jiraiya there.
Tsunade, Kiba, Chojin Shoko, and Mizuharu Monen were also present, as if they had been waiting specifically for him.
"You've worked hard on this mission, but your injury..."
Jiraiya began with praise, intending to inquire about the process, but upon seeing Tong Ping's feeble state, as if he might collapse at any moment, he hesitated, unsure if he should continue questioning.
"Cough... It's nothing. I'm not dead yet. A few years of rest will do the trick!"
Tong Ping coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, his tone harsh, and his gaze swept over the crowd like a blade.
Even Chojin Shoko, who enjoyed facing him head-on, didn't react to his rude stare.
They were in the wrong!
Since Izumi and Yamayori Houshi had returned to the village first, they had learned about the mission's details and knew that Tong Ping had been ambushed by Danzo, the two major ninja villages, and the nobles.
The precision of the ambush was undoubtedly linked to the leak of Tong Ping's intelligence.
From this perspective, it was the Leaf Village that had put Tong Ping in this situation, and they felt guilty about it.
If it were ordinary people, even if they were in the wrong, they wouldn't bother explaining or would demand evidence.
But Tong Ping wasn't an ordinary person!
Not only did he have the power of the Skyguard Tower, a force with thousands of registered ninjas, but he was also a top-tier powerhouse himself, so he didn't need any evidence.
"Senior Jiraiya, there were too many coincidences in this mission. Shouldn't we conduct a thorough investigation to find out who leaked my intelligence?"
Tong Ping got straight to the point, demanding an explanation.
He had every right to demand an account from the Leaf Village.
After nearly losing his life while carrying out the village's mission, it was only reasonable to seek an explanation.
It would be abnormal not to!
Even though Tong Ping didn't mind the ambush, he had learned through it that the nobles and the Daimyo were planning to join forces with several major ninja villages to target the Skyguard Tower.
This intelligence alone made the mission worthwhile.
However, despite his nonchalance, he still had to put on a show.
If Tong Ping appeared unbothered, everyone would know something was amiss.
"This..."
Jiraiya felt a bit embarrassed.
He couldn't be sure who had leaked the intelligence.
But he was certain that the culprit was in the office; otherwise, they wouldn't have known about the information and been able to connect with Danzo.
He suspected the two advisor elders! Given their relationship with Danzo, even if he was now a rogue ninja, there was likely still communication.
No, there must be communication.
This matter couldn't be investigated deeply. If pursued, it might eventually lead back to the two elders.
"This was an accident!" Tsunade, with her arms crossed, broke the awkward silence and continued, "It must have been one of Danzo's remaining subordinates who saw you leaving the village and passed on the information!"
She was clearly making things up.
What else could she do? She couldn't very well turn against them, could she?
Well, at that moment, she was unaware that the Fire Country envoy and Jiraiya were discussing a 'fire-extinguishing plan,' thinking there was room for reconciliation.
"Is that so..."
Doubt filled Tong Ping's eyes, and just as the others thought he was about to lose his temper, he suddenly changed the topic, saying:
"In that case, I'd like to hire some people to work for the Skyguard Tower. Here's the list."
As he spoke, he took out a scroll.
This list was the result of the Skyguard Tower's intelligence division's extensive efforts to select individuals who could blend in with the Skyguard Tower and were not below the Leaf Village's standards.
The people on this list, in the Leaf Village, were deemed to possess insufficient talent to be admitted into the Ninja Academy, and their connections were not strong enough to be considered "useless" by the village.
Before the appearance of the Skyguard Tower, the Leaf Village wouldn't have cared about these people; if they wanted to leave, they could do so without any concern.
In the Leaf Village, they still had a chance to become ninjas, but if they left, they would have no opportunities at all.
However, since the emergence of the Skyguard Tower, these people now had a new choice.
At the very least, at the Skyguard Tower, they could apply to enter the Ninja Academy or receive ninja training.
The Skyguard Tower provided a complete set of resources! But as a cost, graduates had to work for the Skyguard Tower for several years.
It was because of these reasons that the number of ninjas in the Skyguard Tower seemed to sprout like bamboo shoots after the rain.
There was no need to worry about people taking advantage of their resources.
Regardless of the probability, during the training process, various tests and the Blazing Sun Will were constantly instilled.
Even if there were freeloaders, the Skyguard Tower would hunt them down.
With a few measures in place, they could basically eliminate such situations.
Currently, the Skyguard Tower had more than enough resources, but there weren't many people with Chakra talent.
That's why they had to keep sucking the blood of the Leaf Village.
"No, absolutely not!"
Jiraiya hadn't even finished reading when Chojin Shoko on the side had already exploded in anger.
Over a thousand names! For the Leaf Village, this was actually not a big deal; the probability of them becoming ninjas in the village was zero.
The problem was that if these people went to the Skyguard Tower, they would all become ninjas, which was unacceptable.
Jiraiya frowned and glanced at the list, noticing that there were only a few ninjas on it, and they were all from small, declining ninja clans.
Apart from 'Tenten', who seemed vaguely familiar, he didn't recognize any of the others.
"As the Hokage, I cannot force the villagers to leave the village!"
Jiraiya made his stance clear.
Even if the Hokage had to bear darkness, he could never use the villagers as a bargaining chip.
"How can you be sure that these people don't want to go to the Skyguard Tower?"
Tong Ping's mocking gaze swept over the two advisor elders and Kiba.
The people on this list dreamed of becoming ninjas, but they had no chance in the Leaf Village; the Skyguard Tower, on the other hand, offered a great opportunity.
The problem was that the Hokage system had noticed the Skyguard Tower's bloodsucking and implemented regulations, prohibiting these talented villagers from leaving.
It was as if they didn't consider them human!
It was only because of Danzo's formidable might and his underhanded methods that they could be stopped.
Becoming a ninja was the dream of all ninja villagers, and now that there was finally a path, someone was blocking it, which was infuriating.
The two advisors and Nara Kiba were aware of this, but not only did they not stop it, they secretly helped.
They didn't want to see the Skyguard Tower continue to grow, and restricting these people from leaving the village was like cutting off the Tower's supply of nutrients.
That's why Tong Ping looked at them with scorn, implying that their protection of the villagers was hypocritical.
Obviously, none of them had Danzo's thick skin, and under Tong Ping's gaze, they all avoided eye contact.
"Even if it's like this, the village will never agree to use villagers as a bargaining chip!"
Tsunade's emotional intelligence allowed her to see the underlying scheme, but she still shook her head.
She seemed to be firmly rejecting Tong Ping's terms, but in reality, she was agreeing, albeit hinting at an alternative method of negotiation.
"What if they want to 'migrate' to another place on their own? Will the village interfere?"
Tong Ping rephrased his proposal.
In other words, he wanted these people to 'voluntarily' migrate.
"Tsunade!"
Chojin Shoko called out to Tsunade in a somewhat urgent tone.
But Tsunade ignored her and directly nodded, saying, "The Leaf Village won't interfere with the migration of commoners, and those few Genin can also leave through special procedures!"
Using these conditions to exchange for Tong Ping's silence about the leaked information was already a good deal.
Otherwise, after suffering such a severe injury for the village, it would be strange not to take advantage of the situation, and the cost would only be greater.
One could say that Tsunade was indeed decisive.
The deal was successfully reached.
Tong Ping no longer mentioned the village's leaked information and only briefly reported the task before leaving.
After he left, the office became lively.
(End of Chapter)
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