socalfunplaces Chapter 375 The Light of Curiosity and Fear
Chapter 375 The Light of Curiosity and Fear
Chapter 375 The Light of Curiosity and Fear
"Akamaru said your taste has changed," Kiba suddenly said.
Chi Quan opened his eyes.
"What does it taste like?"
"The smell of blood has lessened. The smell of medicine has also lessened." Ya looked down at Akamaru. "It said there's another smell. It's hard to describe. Like the first snow of winter."
Chi Quan looked at Akamaru.
Akamaru tilted his head to look at him, his eyes bright and black, like two black beans soaking in water.
Chi Quan reached out and patted Akamaru's head.
Akamaru stuck out his tongue and licked his finger.
"Salty." (Translated by Yati Akamaru)
Chi Quan's lips twitched slightly.
The Hokage Building. That night.
Tsunade summoned Shikamaru to her office. Three letters lay open on the table, from the Lightning, Wind, and Earth kingdoms respectively. The letters arrived simultaneously, their contents almost identical: agreeing to peace talks, accepting the terms, and requesting an in-person meeting.
Shikamaru finished reading the three letters and put them down.
"Too fast."
Tsunade nodded.
"It's abnormally fast."
"What are they afraid of?" Shikamaru asked.
Tsunade lined up the three letters and looked at the almost identical wording on them.
"They're afraid that once Chi Quan recovers, the terms will be harsh, but at least they'll sign voluntarily. Once Chi Quan recovers, they won't be signing; they'll be forced to sign."
Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Should we tighten our conditions a bit more?"
Tsunade thought for a moment.
"No need. The current conditions are just right. If we tighten them further, they'll renege on their agreement. If we loosen them further, it'll be the same as not signing at all. The armed force of 300,000 men, melted down into farm tools and distributed to farmers—this is a line we cannot cross."
"Did Chi Quan say that?"
"That's what Chi Quan said."
Shikamaru smiled.
"When did he start caring about farm tools?"
Tsunade glanced at him.
"He wasn't concerned about the farm tools. He was concerned about the people who used them."
Shikamaru didn't say anything more.
Ten days later, in the main conference room of the Hokage Building.
Akizuki has arrived again. This time, he is followed not by two people, but by twelve. Each of the three countries has sent four representatives: civil officials, military generals, representatives from ninja villages, and observers from the old nobles of the Land of Fire—these were forced in by the three countries, and Tsunade neither refused nor welcomed them.
A large map was spread out on the long table in the conference room, with the borders of the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth marked with lines of different colors. The treaty text had already been printed, in four copies, written on the finest washi paper from the Land of Fire, and each page was stamped with the Hokage's seal of Konoha Village.
Akizuki sat on the other side of the table, his bamboo cane resting on the armrest of his chair. Beside him sat the female deputy envoy from the Land of Wind—this time she was a formal envoy, previously she had been his deputy. The male deputy envoy from the Land of Earth had also arrived, sitting at the very edge, holding a treaty text in his hand, examining it intently.
Tsunade sat in the main seat. Shikamaru stood to her right, holding a pen.
"Everyone's here," Tsunade said. "Let's begin."
Shikamaru flipped to the first article of the treaty and read it aloud. Then he read the second, the third, and so on up to the seventh. After each article, he paused and looked at the representative opposite him. No one interrupted him.
After the reading was finished, the meeting room was quiet for a few seconds.
Qiuyue spoke.
"Lord Hokage, there are two points regarding the third point that need clarification."
Tsunade nodded.
"explain."
"First, all armed forces exceeding 300,000 personnel must be surrendered. What does 'exceeding 300,000' mean? Does it refer to armed forces of 300,000 personnel, or 300,000 personnel plus any number exceeding 300,000?"
"Three hundred thousand, plus any excess," Tsunade said. "The total strength of your three nations before the war was three hundred and seventy thousand. The extra seventy thousand must also be surrendered. When I said over three hundred thousand, I meant over."
Qiuyue tapped her fingers twice on the table.
"Second, they were melted down and cast into farm tools. Who was responsible for distributing these tools?"
"Konoha," Tsunade said, "the farm tools are ready. Konoha will send people to deliver them to the farmers in the western part of the Land of Fire. Your people don't need to get involved."
The envoy from the Land of Wind spoke.
"Hokage-sama, this is tantamount to Konoha unilaterally disposing of our assets. Don't we even have the right to supervise?"
"No," Tsunade said. "You handed the sword over to someone else to melt down, and you just stood by and watched? If you don't trust me, then don't sign. If you sign, then you trust me."
The envoy's lips were pressed into a thin line.
The male deputy envoy from the Land of Earth put down the treaty text in his hand.
"Lord Hokage, I have only one question."
"ask."
"What happens after the thirty-year peace period ends? What if the terms expire sometime after thirty years? Will our three countries be able to rearm again?"
Tsunade looked at him.
"We'll talk about what will happen in thirty years. But if you fight again in thirty years, Chi Quan will still be around. He's twenty-four this year, and fifty-four in thirty years. Fifty-four-year-old Chi Quan will still be able to bury you all."
7
The meeting room was as quiet as a tomb.
No one thought Tsunade was bragging.
Because they had all read the post-battle report on the Rain Rift Basin. Twenty-three thousand men. One man. Earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique used in martial arts). A sword. No reinforcements.
No backup. Alone.
Qiuyue picked up her pen.
His hands were trembling. Not from fear, but a complex tremor mixed with humiliation, anger, and helplessness. He knew what he was signing. He knew that with this signature, for the next thirty years, or even longer, the Lands of Lightning, Wind, and Earth would no longer be qualified to stand on equal footing with the Land of Fire.
But he signed it anyway.
Because if we don't sign, we won't even have thirty years of peace. If we don't sign, tomorrow Chi Quan's knife might not just stab 23,000 people.
After Qiuyue finished signing, she put down her pen. The female envoy from the Land of Wind took the pen and signed her name. The male deputy envoy from the Land of Earth was the last to sign; he wrote very slowly, each stroke as if carving stone.
The three signed treaty texts were pushed in front of Tsunade.
Tsunade picked up a pen and signed her name on each document.
After signing, she put down the pen.
"Go back and tell your people. The treaty is signed, and that's it. Whoever goes back on their word, whoever breaches the contract first, will bear the consequences."
"The entire force of 300,000 men must be transported to Konoha within three months. Missing even one item constitutes a breach of contract. A single day's delay also constitutes a breach of contract. Once the farm tools are finished, I will send them to every farmer in the western border of the Land of Fire. They will know where these tools came from."
She stood up.
Meeting adjourned.
One by one, the delegates stood up and filed out. Qiuyue walked at the very back, her bamboo cane tapping the ground, the sound echoing in the empty corridor, growing farther and farther away, fainter and fainter, until it disappeared completely.
Shikamaru carefully put away the four treaty texts and locked them in the safe in the Hokage's office.
Tsunade stood by the window, looking at the village outside.
"Shikamaru".
"exist."
"The army of 300,000 men. Melt them into farm tools. Go tell the forge to prepare in advance. Also, tell the officials in the western border to take stock of the number of affected farmers. How many farm tools do they need, what type, how many, how many hoes, how many sickles, how many shovels? Have them report the numbers."
Shikamaru nodded.
"The pond over there is a 6"
"I'll go," Tsunade said.
The rightmost ward on the third floor of the medical department.
When Tsunade pushed the door open, Ikezumi was sitting on the bed, holding a wet towel in her right hand and wiping her sword.
The knife was retrieved from the basin yesterday by Ya. The scabbard was covered with a layer of dried mud, and there was still Helian's blood on the blade. The blade was chipped in several places and needed to be re-sharpened. Chi Quan cleaned it very carefully, wiping it inch by inch from tip to tip, removing the mud, the blood, and the dust left by the mist.
Tsunade pulled up a chair and sat down.
"The treaty has been signed."
Chi Quan did not stop what he was doing.
"Um."
"The army of 300,000 men was transported to Konoha within three months. They were melted down into farm tools and distributed to farmers in the western border region."
Chi Quan flipped the knife over and wiped the other side.
"it is good."
Tsunade watched him wipe his sword. His left hand was still wrapped in thick bandages and he couldn't move it, so he could only use his right hand. The wiping motion was slow but steady, and he wiped every inch of the sword.
"Chiquan."
"Um."
"You drafted the treaty. Don't you want to know what their expressions were when they signed it?"
Chi Quan stopped, placed the towel on the bedside table, and laid the knife flat on his lap.
"What kind of expression is that?"
"It's like eating shit," Tsunade said.
Chi Quan's lips twitched slightly.
Tsunade looked at his face.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I didn't laugh."
Your lips moved.
7
"Drawing out the jar".
Tsunade leaned back in her chair and lit a cigarette. The smoke dissipated in the ward, but Izumi didn't frown. Tsunade then stubbed it out herself.
"Forget you can't smell smoke." She stubbed out the cigarette in the air outside Dingtai and threw it into the trash can in the corridor.
Chi Quan lowered his bowl and continued wiping his knife.
"Chiquan."
"Um."
"I will never forget the incident of the rain-splitting basin. I will never forget the number of 23,000 people. I will never forget the knife you stabbed yourself in the thigh."
Chi Quan paused for a moment.
Why are you telling me all this?
Tsunade looked at him.
"I want you to say that someone remembers. You thought you could get through it on your own, but someone is remembering for you. You don't have to remember alone."
Chi Quan remained silent for a long time.
A breeze picked up outside. The bare branches of the persimmon tree swayed gently in the wind, and the buds on the branches were already swelling, but they would not sprout until next spring.
"It's good that the treaty is signed," Chi Quan said. "Nothing else matters."
Tsunade stood up.
"Take good care of your injuries. I'll have someone take care of the farm tools. The weapons of 300,000 men can be melted down into farm tools, enough for the farmers in the western border for a long time."
Chiquan donburi.
Tsunade walked to the door and paused for a moment.
"Chiquan."
"Um."
"Thanks."
Chi Quan raised the donburi (rice bowl).
Tsunade did not return to the well. She closed the door and went outside.
The door closed gently behind me.
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.
The chimneys of the Konoha Forging Squad never went out from morning till night. Three hundred thousand armed men were piled up in the open space behind the forging squad, like a mountain of iron-gray. Kunai, shuriken, short swords, long swords, headbands, metal buckles from ninja tools, sheet metal from explosive talisman tubes—all were piled together, indistinguishable by country, by whether they had been used in killing, and by whether they were still unseen. The forging soldiers first sorted the metal in the furnace: iron in one pile, steel in another, copper in another, silver in another. Then they melted it piece by piece, pouring it furnace by furnace.
When the first batch of farm tools came out, Lu Ting went to see them. Piles, hoes, sickles, shovels, picks, and rakes were neatly stacked in the forge's yard, gleaming a bluish-gray in the winter sun. He squatted down, picked up a hoe, and tested its weight. It was just right, neither too light nor too heavy. The blade was well-made, the angle steep enough to prevent slipping when cutting through the soil. He put the hoe back, stood up, and dusted his hands off.
"How many pieces are in the first batch?" he asked the forging team leader.
"Two hundred plows, eight hundred hoes, twelve thousand sickles, six hundred shovels, three hundred pickaxes, and four hundred rakes. Three thousand five in total." Zheng Ban was an old blacksmith in his fifties, surnamed Tie Jing, whose hands were covered with burn scars. He spoke with an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. "Master Huo said we should send them to the northernmost villages in the western border first. They were the hardest hit there; houses burned down, land was barren, and spring harvesting is due after the New Year. If we don't go to the fields soon, there will be no harvest for the whole year."
Lu Ting's donburi. "I'll have someone arrange transportation. Who will lead the team?"
Tetsuya took the unlit cigarette out of his mouth and glanced at Shirotei. "Lord Ikezumi said he'll go."
Lu Ting paused for a second. "Has he recovered?"
"Bu Yundao. He came to the forging workshop yesterday to check on the farm tools. He stood for a while and didn't say it hurt. But I noticed that the bandage on his left hand was still on, and the scar on the web of his right hand was still red when he gripped something."
Shikamaru didn't respond.
The northernmost part of the western border is Shimohira Village.
The village was small, with about forty households scattered along both banks of a small stream. A thin layer of ice had formed on the stream, and a layer of ash covered the surface, making it impossible to tell whether the water underneath was clear or murky. The wooden sign at the village entrance was half burned, leaving only the two characters "下柊" (Xiaqiu); the character "村" (village) was gone. The fields beside the road were barren, with last year's stubble still stuck in the ground, withered and yellow, bent and crooked under the weight of the snow.
Chi Quan stood at the village entrance, wearing a thick, dark gray coat. A bandage peeked out from his left sleeve, and in his right hand he carried a cloth bag containing samples of several farm tools. Behind him followed three oxcarts, piled high with well-making tools, hoes, and sickles, bound together with straw ropes. The drivers were three young apprentices from the forging workshop, all on their first trip out of Konoha, everything new and exciting to them, yet they dared not show it.
Ya followed beside the pond, with Chiting perched on his shoulder—it was too cold for Chiting to walk on its own, so Ya let it lie there. Chiting's nostrils were red from the cold, and its breath came out in puffs of white air, like tiny clouds.
"Nobody's here," Ya said.
Chi Quan didn't speak. He saw that there was no one at the village entrance, no one on the village road, and no one in the fields. But it didn't seem like they had moved away. Although there were some signs of burning, most of the houses were still there, and there was smoke coming from the chimneys, indicating that someone was making a fire.
He walked towards the village.
After walking about thirty steps, a door by the roadside was slightly ajar, revealing a pair of eyes. The old man's eyes were cloudy, carrying a light that was both curious and fearful.
Chi Quan stopped, put down the cloth bag in his hand, and hung his hands at his sides with his palms facing outward.
"From Konoha Village. They're here to deliver farm tools." His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.
The crack in the door was a little too wide. An old woman poked her head out of the well; her hair was white, her face was full of wrinkles, and she wore a cotton-padded jacket that had been patched countless times, with burn marks on the sleeves. She looked at the well, then at the oxcart behind it, her gaze lingering on the farm tools for a long time.