Chapter 195: It Has To Be Konoha
The full moon shone like a silver plate.
Yoru stood at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools, gazing up at the bright moon.
This was the last full moon of Konoha Year 39; in 15 more days, the New Year would arrive.
In the distance, a group of people was quickly leaping through the woods.
It was Advisor Mito Mon’en and his four assistants.
After arriving at the border line, Advisor Mito Mon’en looked at Kiiroinu with a joyful expression.
“Kiiroinu, you’ve done well.”
Kiiroinu hurriedly said, “Advisor, thank goodness you’ve come. Has the Land of Earth War ended?”
Advisor Mito Mon’en said, “I’ve already signed a ceasefire agreement with Oonoki.
Hidden Stone Village bustled around in vain, losing many ninja, but the Daimyo of the Land of Grass’s Guardian Ninja will still be served by Konoha ninja.
The Land of Grass’s mission quota also belongs to our Konoha, just as before the war.
When I left, Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud Village were still fighting; let them be, best if both sides suffer heavy losses, even better if they die off.
Orochimaru has already set off with his troops to return to the village; I left two days early to come here and negotiate with Mist Village.”
Advisor Mito Mon’en glanced at the twin blades wrapped in bandages behind the fox.
Yoru hurriedly handed over the twin blades.
Advisor Mito Mon’en weighed the twin blades and said,
“These are the Twin Blades Flounder? Not bad; this ninja sword will become one of the important bargaining chips in the negotiations.”
He handed the twin blades back to the fox, and together with the guards and Kiiroinu Battalion, they headed to the negotiation site.
In the original story at the beginning, Advisor Mito Mon’en and the others were already elderly.
Aside from Danzo’s constant petty moves refusing to age gracefully, Advisor Mito Mon’en and Koharu Utatane held sway in the village as high-ranking officials with great influence.
In their middle years, both had served as Commander-in-Chief in wars, shedding blood and exerting effort for Konoha.
Their prestige came from more than just the identity of high-level advisors.
For example, Advisor Mito Mon’en at this moment, as Commander-in-Chief of the Land of Grass War and entering the Land of Earth for battle—though Orochimaru as Deputy Commander handled many combat missions—could still be called a Konoha hero.
Yoru looked at the large scroll behind Advisor Mito Mon’en, wondering what was sealed inside.
The group arrived at Lu Jing Port in the Land of Whirlpools.
At the base of a three-story building by the seaside, officials from the Land of Whirlpools were already waiting at the entrance.
The officials greeted Advisor Mito Mon’en and the others and entered the tall building.
Advisor Mito Mon’en, his two assistants, Kiiroinu, Yoru—these few went up to the third floor.
Mist Village’s Elder Yuan Shi and others had already arrived at the meeting hall first.
In the host position was the Great Minister of the Land of Whirlpools, presiding over the joint talks.
“Advisor Mito Mon’en, long time no see.”
After some pleasantries, the Great Minister invited Advisor Mito Mon’en to sit and then said,
“The negotiations between Konoha Village and Mist Village, the two great ninja villages—no matter what result is reached, my Land of Whirlpools will abide by the joint talks outcome. Please begin, Advisor Mito Mon’en and Elder Yuan Shi.”
Facing ninja villages with top-tier military might, the nobles of the Land of Whirlpools could only speak kindly and be extremely courteous.
The Great Minister quietly waited for the negotiation results.
Behind Yuan Shi stood Hozuki Clan Head Hozuki Ringo, along with the towering Suikazan Fuguya.
Suikazan Fuguya had the great sword Samehada on his back; it seemed the Hozuki Clan had suffered another beating from Mist Village, and even the great sword Samehada had been given to the village.
Hozuki Ringo glared angrily at Yoru—or rather, at the Twin Blades Flounder behind Yoru.
Advisor Mito Mon’en spoke first: “Yuan Shi, you’re the person I admire most.
Originally just a Mist Village advisor, you created the ‘Elder’ position yourself—below the Mizukage but above the advisors.
No Mizukage title, yet with the substance of a Mizukage.
I really want to force Hiruzen to yield and create an Elder position for myself in Konoha, haha.”
Advisor Mito Mon’en was extremely relaxed, even in the mood to joke with Yuan Shi.
Yuan Shi’s expression turned ugly; Advisor Mito Mon’en was mocking him for not being worthy of Mizukage and for clinging to power.
Yuan Shi said, “Mito Mon’en, it’s truly surprising that Oonoki didn’t grind your bones to dust.”
“Heh.” Advisor Mito Mon’en said, “You just happened to have Mist Village isolated overseas with no conflicts with Oonoki; otherwise, with your weak strength, Oonoki really would have ground your bones to dust.”
The two went back and forth, showing no intention of negotiating, just purely trading barbs.
The real joint talks were this straightforward; Yoru even suspected these two had some personal grudge from their youth.
The Great Minister hurriedly signaled the maids to add tea, lest the two feel thirsty—insulting people was tiring too.
Advisor Mito Mon’en mainly attacked Yuan Shi for being unworthy of his position, unfit to lead Mist Village; he said even Hozuki Clan Head Hozuki Ringo was more suited to be an elder or even Mizukage than Yuan Shi.
Yuan Shi mainly attacked Advisor Mito Mon’en as a dog following behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.
It wasn’t that Yoru lacked manners; this was Yuan Shi’s exact wording.
After half an hour of mutual barbs, Yuan Shi finally couldn’t take it anymore; he said,
“You’re just wasting tea. Shut up already. Say something useful: what is your Konoha prepared to pay to make my Mist Village withdraw troops?”
Advisor Mito Mon’en said,
“Then listen carefully: Konoha has withdrawn over 1,500 ninja from the Land of Earth.
In another month, over 1,500 ninja will come to the Land of Whirlpools under the leadership of Sakumo Hatake and Orochimaru.
Is that not enough from our Konoha?”
Yuan Shi, Hozuki Ringo, and Suikazan Fuguya all changed expressions.
Sakumo Hatake plus Orochimaru, along with 1,500 Konoha ninja tempered by the Land of Grass and Land of Earth wars—if these entered the Land of Whirlpools, how could the Mist ninja fight?
Advisor Mito Mon’en said, “Yuan Shi, hear my Konoha’s conditions.
First, Mist Village announces an unconditional ceasefire, with all Mist ninja withdrawing from the Land of Whirlpools coast.
Second, the Land of Whirlpools mission quota and Daimyo Guardian Ninja both belong to Konoha.
Third, Mist Village compensates Konoha Village 240 million Ryo.
Fourth, Land of Water compensates the Land of Whirlpools 100 million Ryo.
If you disagree with a single word, wait for our reinforcements to rest and enter the battlefield—then you’ll thank me for my current mercy, and regret not agreeing now.”
Yuan Shi’s face turned ashen, his eyes darting about, his heart far from calm.
Advisor Mito Mon’en continued, “Of course, I’ll save face for you, Yuan Shi. When the compensation arrives in Konoha, I can return the Twin Blades Flounder to you.”
The third-floor hall was unusually quiet.
The Great Minister looked out the wide-open doorway to the churning sea waves beyond.
The Great Minister began to zone out, lost in random thoughts.
If the Land of Water could compensate the Land of Whirlpools with 100 million Ryo, that would be great.
Find a way to set up a reconstruction project, estimate it—next year he’d have at least 30 million Ryo in extra income.
If he could skim 30 million Ryo from the compensation, what to do first?
Buy a ship; the Ninja World War seemed to be ending, and buying a ship would yield more profit.
His plan grew more detailed; unknowingly, 5 minutes passed.
Yuan Shi suddenly stood up, startling the Great Minister.
“Fine, since you’re willing to return the Twin Blades Flounder, my Mist Village agrees to withdraw troops.”
The Great Minister was delighted inwardly; the 30 million Ryo was in sight.
It had to be Konoha.
