socalfunplaces Chapter 120 Negotiation with Hanzo
Chapter 120 Negotiation with Hanzo
Even through the mask, Shigeaki Aburame could hear the sarcasm in the laughter.
Hanzo the Salamander said, "We have talented people, why don't we train them ourselves? What about you guys?"
"I'm not talking about those talented people, of course." Yu Zhicheng shook his head, then took out a nutrient solution he had prepared in advance from his ninja tool bag: "Lord Hanzo, actually, people with ordinary talent can also become ninjas, it's just that they didn't use the right methods."
"As we all know, chakra is formed by the fusion of spiritual energy and cellular energy. Since they lack the natural talent, they can compensate with external means. If their own chakra is small, they can also accelerate cell division to increase its capacity."
Hanzo the Salamander was also hearing such remarks for the first time, and he was immediately stunned. What external supplements, what accelerating cell division, it seemed to be something related to the medical system.
Aburame Zhicheng continued, "Don't worry about any backup plans anymore. Look at those apathetic people, those starving children. Even if you don't give them power, how long can they live? But as long as you send them to the battlefield, even if they become cannon fodder, at least they will have power, at least they will have a better chance of surviving for their future."
"Dignity, peace, and the right to survival are all things that must be fought for by oneself. I believe that Mr. Hanzo of the Salamander, as the leader of a nation, should be well aware of this, shouldn't he?"
"I can't deny that your words did resonate with me." Hanzo of the Salamander nodded, sitting back down in his chair. "But it's not enough. I'm not one of those idiots, not one of those ninjas who only know ninjutsu but not politics. You should know what a person means to a nation, shouldn't you?"
"I know." Aburame Shisei nodded. "People are the most precious resource. But Chief Hanzo, what you lack most right now is not people, but land that can sustain them."
He stepped forward: "The environment in the Land of Rain has deteriorated to the point that even rats can hardly survive. Chaos has led to the destruction of homes, the exodus of people, and the food shortage has left ordinary people with very little labor."
To borrow someone's words, this country is crying now. If things continue like this, it will collapse from within without any external invasion.
You know better than anyone, even with a signed peace agreement, that in the past three months, twenty-seven famine riots have occurred within the Land of Rain. You suppressed them, but the problem remains unresolved.
Upon hearing this, Hanzo's eyes suddenly turned cold, but this was an undeniable fact.
"You investigated very thoroughly."
"Because if I want to cooperate, I must understand the difficulties my partners face."
Aburame Zhicheng took out a map from his pocket and spread it on the ground: "The Southern Valley covers an area equivalent to 30% of the Rain Kingdom's current arable land. It has abundant water resources and fertile soil. If we can acquire this land, the Rain Kingdom's food problem can be alleviated by half."
Hanzo stared at the map in silence for a long time before slowly speaking.
"Konoha will not allow the Land of Waterfall to grow stronger. Your trick of shifting the blame eastward may have worked at first, but everyone is not stupid. If I can find out, others can find out too. Sooner or later, it will be exposed."
Upon hearing this, Aburame Shisei feigned surprise, then pretended to have been seen through and said, "Oh dear, I didn't expect you to find out after all. Let me reintroduce myself. I am Takikawa Hide, the strategist of Taki no Kuni."
"Heh, it's all the same. Are the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass still considered two separate countries?" Hanzo of the Salamander continued, "It doesn't matter. I don't care what your status is. I just want you to show your sincerity and be frank. I don't like people who beat around the bush."
Aburame Shisei laughed and said, "Alright, since that's the case, let's talk frankly. We are indeed here with sincerity to cooperate. The Land of Rain has always survived in the cracks between the three great powers. You know better than anyone that going it alone will eventually lead to its annexation. But what if the Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Rain form a triangular alliance?"
"The Land of Grass provides strategic depth and the power of the Seven-Tails; the Land of Waterfall provides the economy and ninja training system; and the Land of Rain provides population and the pressure of your demigod status. If any of these three great nations want to harm any of us, they must consider the reactions of the other two."
Hanzo turned around, and rainwater dripped down the edge of the courtyard, splashing tiny droplets at his feet.
He said, "I once believed in cooperation. During the Second Shinobi World War, I joined forces with Konoha and Sunagakure to fight against Iwagakure. But what happened after the war? Konoha took the biggest share, Sunagakure received compensation, but what did the Land of Rain get? Only more corpses and ruins."
"Therefore, this time, we will not wait until the war is over to divide the spoils. We will solidify the spoils now. The border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain will be permanently demarcated, with the Southern River Valley as the boundary. The immigration agreement will be signed in black and white. The ninja exchange program will begin next year."
Hanzo the Salamander asked again, "What makes you so sure these agreements won't be betrayed?"
"Because we both need each other to live."
Aburame Shisei said, "Chief Hanzo, you know better than I that the Third Shinobi World War is not far off. Sunagakure is stockpiling puppet troops, Iwagakure is training demolition squads, and the Raikage of Kumogakure is researching new weapons every day. Their current peace is just a way to conserve their strength and recuperate. Once their power reaches its limit, their peak, their countries will no longer be able to support so many ninjas. That will be the beginning of a great war. When the war breaks out, small countries will either band together for warmth or become battlefields."
The Land of Rain has already been a battlefield once; do you want to be a second one? Therefore, the best solution is for us to instigate the war and take the initiative. We cannot win in a battle of resources, so we can only sustain ourselves through war, using all our strength to hold them off. The Land of Waterfall is our space for development; only when the Land of Waterfall becomes stronger in the future will we be secure.”
The rain pattered softly, and Banzang remained silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly walked back to the stone bench, sat down, removed his breathing mask, revealing a weathered but resolute face.
"You want to trade two for one? You want to bleed the lives of the Rain and Grass Kingdoms to strengthen your Waterfall Country? What a clever scheme, and you speak with such self-righteousness!"
During the conversation, Aburame Shisei felt that the gaze emanating from the other person seemed ready to strike at any moment.
Aburame Shisei quickly waved his hand with a smile and said, "It's not my Taki no Kuni, but our Taki no Kuni."
Hanzo the Salamander's imposing aura subsided: "I need to see the land first. The handover of the Southern Valley must be completed within ten days."
Aburame Zhicheng nodded and said, "Sure, the houses and cities there are already in place. I'll send someone to draw the boundary lines, and you can take over the cities directly."