"Time will prove I'm right!"
"You relic of the old era, if you don't seize the opportunity, there will be no place for you on the ship of the new era."
Uchiha Makoto muttered at Senju Tobirama, then turned and walked away without looking back, leaving Tobirama alone, fuming.
Uchiha Makoto was now preparing for the future.
He wanted to rule the world, to truly make ninjas the masters of the ninja world.
But this wasn't something that could be achieved just by shouting slogans like "it's for the good of the ninja world." Ninjas were already accustomed to living under the old social system. To change this world, he needed a large number of "like-minded" ninjas to achieve this goal with him.
Just one Akatsuki Village was not enough, not even with Konoha.
This was not something that could be achieved by military force alone.
As strong as Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were, they could indeed sweep across the ninja world with military force. The Susanoo-clad Great Buddha was enough to directly blow up the headquarters of several great ninja villages.
But that was merely military conquest. Pure military force cannot dissolve hatred and ideology.
No matter how strong they were, they were only two people.
The ninja world was too big. A vast territory needed people to govern it. If they expanded too quickly without solving the ideological problems, things would become very troublesome.
Hashirama was simple-minded. As long as he was unrivaled and happy, he didn't care about anything else, and he believed in the wisdom of future generations, practicing a policy of laissez-faire.
Uchiha Madara was actually much the same. He also believed he was invincible. After a fight, he would just wash his hands of it, also practicing a policy of laissez-faire... but he didn't believe in the wisdom of future generations and would wonder if the ninja world was wrong again.
How could these two vermin govern this ninja world properly!
With pure military conquest, what would follow would be the endurance and counterattacks of countless forces, and an extremely long pacification campaign.
Even American soldiers could get PTSD from moving trees.
Considering the mobility and destructive power of ninjas, this situation would only be more severe.
Even a victory can be categorized as a great victory, a medium victory, or a small victory.
So Uchiha Makoto would rather take the trouble, slow down his pace, and take one step at a time.
He would let the ninjas' minds gradually break free from the shackles of the past, then bind them with benefits, and cultivate a group of ninjas in all corners of the ninja world who could support him.
Another half hour passed.
Just as the crowd's complaining was in full swing.
Uchiha Makoto chose this moment to speak: "Everyone, this lunch is about over. We need to continue the negotiations in a moment."
The heated atmosphere in the venue was like having a basin of cold water poured over it.
Everyone had just managed to open up their hearts and take advantage of the good atmosphere to pour out the bitterness that had accumulated in their hearts over the years.
Now, after just a short moment of release.
It was over so quickly?
Why are you such a killjoy!
Negotiations, negotiations—what result can you negotiate?
But Uchiha Makoto was the Lord Light Shadow, after all.
His words still carried a lot of weight.
The gathered ninjas could only disperse with a lack of enthusiasm, returning to their own small groups according to their factions.
Uchiha Makoto scanned the crowd, observing the ninjas' expressions, and found that everyone had a look of wanting more—that's right!
As the saying goes, all things are difficult before they are easy.
Today was a very good start—Uchiha Makoto was very satisfied with this.
Now that everyone's emotions had been stirred up, this was the best time to end it. There was no need to go any deeper.
After all, this group of ninjas was just talking big earlier.
Although they all looked full of resentment, their hearts filled with hatred for the nobles, wishing they could immediately grab a kunai and kill a few nobles to liven things up for everyone.
But if Uchiha Makoto really asked them to "bring a knife but no umbrella on a rainy night," they would chicken out, quickly draw a line between themselves and him, and turn around to accuse him of being too extreme.
Since that was the case... it was better to interrupt them right when their interest was piqued, leaving an unforgettable memory in their hearts.
The negotiations quickly resumed.
The ninja forces from all over the ninja world returned to their original seats.
Kirigakure and Iwagakure also returned to the negotiating table. At first, both sides were a little uncomfortable, unable to let loose.
After all, the atmosphere was quite good when everyone was cursing the Daimyo and nobles together just now.
But their respective identities and positions quickly brought them back to their senses.
The situation soon became the same as in the morning.
Bickering, arguing, taking a short break, then continuing to bicker and argue.
If Uchiha Makoto weren't there to keep order, they would have definitely started fighting.
However, in the second half of the negotiations, Iwagakure gained the upper hand.
Because Uchiha Makoto would always stand up at the right moment to support the First Tsuchikage, then pull Senju Tobirama along to put pressure on Kirigakure, skillfully using peace in the ninja world as a pretext, claiming that Konoha and Akatsuki Village would not give up the right to use force to support the side of justice!
Of course, these words.
Uchiha Makoto was just saying them.
He would give Iwagakure all kinds of support, except for actually joining the fight.
If possible, he would rather sell military weapons and medical equipment to both sides... Akatsuki Village's stock of explosive tags was still very sufficient—it was just a pity that Iwagakure and Kirigakure were unlikely to have a full-blown fight.
But this kind of military intimidation was still quite effective.
The last ninja village that didn't believe Uchiha Makoto would launch a war over a few Chunin was Kumogakure, and then... Kumogakure was beaten soundly by Akatsuki Village and still hadn't recovered.
This was the effect of one's reputation.
The First Mizukage really didn't dare to gamble, nor did he have the ability to shout in Uchiha Makoto's face—Come at us together if you have the guts!
So, facing the pressure from the three major ninja forces, the First Mizukage was under great pressure, but he was still holding on without compromising.
Uchiha Makoto also knew when to stop, maintaining just the right amount of pressure.
After several rounds of offense and defense.
The entire afternoon of negotiations still progressed slowly.
Seeing that it was about time, Uchiha Makoto announced that the negotiations for the day were over and would continue tomorrow, until both sides reached a satisfactory result.
The ninjas in the venue began to disperse.
Not long after leaving the venue, Uchiha Makoto deliberately went to a small pub and stayed there alone for a while.
And he waited for the person he had been wanting to see.
Hmm... not Senju Tobirama!
Although that naturally evil old demon of the Senju had also followed him all the way.
After being discovered by Uchiha Makoto, he shamelessly ordered a plate of peanuts and sat down in front of him.
...............
"Lord Light Shadow, what a coincidence."
Uchiha Makoto heard the voice and turned his head.
The First Mizukage, dressed in plain clothes and holding a pot of wine, had already come to his side.
"Ah~ what a coincidence indeed!"
Uchiha Makoto raised his hands, slicked back his hair on both sides, and gave Senju Tobirama a look.
Just a moment ago, the two of them were discussing when the First Mizukage would approach them.
Today, Uchiha Makoto's attitude had been biased towards the First Tsuchikage, purely because the two of them had already made a deal in private, which was why Uchiha Makoto had backed him up at the critical moment.
He had already fulfilled the conditions he had promised the First Tsuchikage... Now, only Kirigakure was left.
Although Uchiha Makoto had always wanted to take the initiative on the issues of the fishing grounds and the bird dropping islands, the party that proposes a deal first will inevitably be at a disadvantage in terms of bargaining power. By taking the opportunity to pressure Kirigakure along with Iwagakure during the day, it would be easier to gain the initiative.
"Gentlemen, would you mind if we spoke in private?"
"Of course not, we have been looking forward to having an in-depth conversation with the Mizukage!"
The three of them quickly moved from the open seating in the pub to a private room.
The First Mizukage sat upright in his chair.
From his observations during the day, the First Mizukage had already seen it.
The Lord Light Shadow of Akatsuki Village and the Konoha envoy, Senju Tobirama, were both on Iwagakure's side, which was why Uchiha Makoto always spoke up for the First Tsuchikage at critical moments.
And this was very abnormal.
After all, according to the intelligence the First Mizukage had gathered from all over the ninja world, the relationship between Akatsuki Village and Iwagakure was very bad.
During the Kumogakure war, it was precisely because the First Tsuchikage had led the elite ninjas of Iwagakure to block the main forces of Akatsuki Village and the Uzumaki clan that Uchiha Makoto's strategic goal of capturing the third line of defense of Kumogakure had failed... With such a grudge between the two sides, how could Uchiha Makoto possibly side with Iwagakure in the negotiations?
When something is out of the ordinary, there must be a demon at play.
And based on the First Mizukage's extremely rich experience, he believed that Iwagakure must have privately made some unknown deal with Akatsuki Village and Konoha.
Otherwise, Akatsuki Village and Konoha would not have sided with Iwagakure.
It's just talking...
Kirigakure can talk too, Kirigakure can also make a deal with you!
But despite saying so.
The First Mizukage was still under great pressure.
What if... Uchiha Makoto asked for an exorbitant price from Kirigakure?
Who knows what a great price Iwagakure had paid to sway Uchiha Makoto!
But if he let the situation continue to worsen, with Kirigakure constantly under the pressure of three great ninja villages, it would sooner or later be overwhelmed and choose to give in... He still had to try as much as possible!
So the First Mizukage still came.
"Lord Light Shadow, Senju Tobirama, I hope that your Akatsuki Village and Konoha can stand on Kirigakure's side... Iwagakure's conditions are simply too outrageous..."
The First Mizukage took a deep breath and, without beating around the bush, stated his purpose directly.
"Ah~ is that so... this is very difficult in principle... after all, Senju Tobirama and I have always made our decisions based on fairness, justice, and for the peace of the ninja world. This involves... so... you're really making things difficult for me!"
Uchiha Makoto put on his usual posture.
Senju Tobirama took a sip of sake, then picked up a few peanuts with his chopsticks and put them in his mouth. He didn't say anything, just watched Uchiha Makoto's performance—he suddenly felt that if he wasn't the victim, just watching Uchiha Makoto's performance was a kind of enjoyment.
"Feigning, falsely benevolent, sanctimonious, a beast in fine clothes..."
Senju Tobirama gave such an evaluation of Uchiha Makoto's performance in his heart... but he had to learn. He hoped that these performance skills could all be used on Uchiha Makoto in the future.
"So, Lord Light Shadow, what do you want to get from Kirigakure?"
"I am willing to pay a certain price."
Hearing Uchiha Makoto's "add money" signal, the First Mizukage did not hesitate and directly offered to make a deal with Uchiha Makoto.
"Good, I admire the Mizukage's frankness."
"Actually, what I want is not much, just the division of the fishing grounds... I hope Kirigakure can lobby the Daimyo of the Land of Water."
Uchiha Makoto smiled, took out a scroll from his bosom, and from it, a map of the ninja world.
The map clearly marked the sea area division drawn by Uchiha Makoto.
Without a doubt.
The Land of Fire, represented by Konoha and Akatsuki Village, occupied the largest share of the benefits.
The demarcated sea area included several golden fishing grounds. These golden fishing grounds were originally shared fishing grounds for several surrounding countries, but in the future, they would all belong to the Land of Fire.
And the Land of Fire could be equated with Akatsuki Village and Konoha.
These few golden fishing grounds were enough to support the development of the cannery for the next ten years, until it became what Uchiha Makoto envisioned—a super behemoth covering tens of thousands of square meters, a trust in the entire ninja world's canned aquatic product industry.
The First Mizukage looked at the sea area division drawn by Uchiha Makoto.
The Land of Fire had always been a land-locked country and had never been very concerned with the division of sea areas.
Now, they suddenly wanted to divide the sea area?
—Is it for the fishing grounds?
The First Mizukage quickly thought of a type of mission the village had received before.
The mission was posted by a group of major aquatic product merchants from the Land of Water, and the content was to attack the fishermen from the Land of Fire.
The representative of the aquatic product merchants who had burst into his office that day was very agitated.
"This group of Land of Fire fishermen have openly broken the rules of many years, brazenly entering our territory to fish on a large scale, causing our catch to decrease significantly."
"Get rid of them!"
They were called fishermen... but they were actually all ninjas.
Ninjas were much stronger than ordinary people.
The ninjas of Akatsuki Village and the Uzumaki clan had even contracted a large number of large aquatic ninja beasts as support. The competitiveness of the two sides was not on the same level at all.
But in the end, the matter was dropped.
Because Akatsuki Village, Konoha... Kirigakure couldn't afford to offend them.
But dragging it on like this was not a solution. The First Mizukage had actually been looking for an opportunity to completely resolve this matter.
So the First Mizukage carefully studied the sea area divided by Uchiha Makoto.
"Eh~~ the Land of Water doesn't seem to be at a disadvantage."
"....With such a division, those small countries will probably have a lot of objections... this will be very troublesome."
After studying the map of the divided sea area for a while, the First Mizukage's brow couldn't help but furrow.
The sea area divided by Uchiha Makoto was essentially the big countries bullying the small ones.
The Land of Fire took the lion's share, the Land of Water didn't get a small share either, but the surrounding small countries... were in a miserable state.
This could easily attract the hostility of the small countries.
Even the Daimyo would have to bear considerable pressure, especially the political discredit... The potential loss of prestige for Kirigakure would also be great.
And Uchiha Makoto certainly knew the obstacles involved, as well as the various negative impacts of pushing this matter.
That's why he needed to drag you, Kirigakure and the Land of Water, into this!
As everyone knows...
The Land of Fire is a land-locked country.
So people's subconscious would not think that the Land of Fire is interested in the sea.
And the Land of Water... it would have to take the big blame this time.
The First Mizukage was still hesitating.
Uchiha Makoto's face showed a pure smile, waiting unhurriedly.
And Senju Tobirama, at the side, suddenly felt a sense of foreboding—why does it feel like someone is going to be the scapegoat again?
It can't be me this time, can it!
"Tobirama, what's wrong? Why the sudden look of guilt and fear?"
"Uchiha Makoto, I haven't offended you recently, have I?"
"No, you haven't. I think we've been getting along quite pleasantly recently."
"Oh~ that's good, that's good!"
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