Chapter 156: Takigakure's Choice and Iwagakure's Reaction
Chapter 156: Takigakure's Choice and Iwagakure's Reaction
And after hearing that the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rice Paddies had already signed the treaty, and that Konoha's ninja army was already stationed on their borders to help them resist the threat from the Land of Lightning, the discussions between Iwata Sawaki and the Land of Waterfall Daimyo also yielded a result.
"So, if Takigakure relies solely on itself, the possibility of our Land of Waterfall resisting the threat from the Land of Earth is zero, correct?" The Land of Waterfall Daimyo looked at the "Konoha Pact Plan" map brought back by Iwata Sawaki, sighed deeply, and then spoke.
"Yes, according to the current situation, our Tailed Beast will be unable to possess combat capability within five years," Iwata Sawaki also said with a helpless expression. "Without the Tailed Beast, our Takigakure, in front of the ninja villages of major powers, is no different from an ant."
"Furthermore, even if we could currently utilize the Seven-Tails' power, in front of Iwagakure, which possesses two Tailed Beasts, it would only make the other side slightly more wary," Iwata Sawaki stated helplessly. "After all, the Tailed Beast is already our sole reliance, but the other side possesses this power too."
"So, to truly protect the safety of the Land of Waterfall, we can only rely on Konoha's strength, right?" the Land of Waterfall Daimyo said somewhat bitterly.
"Your Highness the Daimyo, it is my incompetence," Iwata Sawaki knelt on one knee and bowed.
"Forget it, you can't be blamed for this. For small countries like ours, it's too difficult to produce a sufficiently powerful ninja," the Land of Waterfall Daimyo lamented. "Since the establishment of the ninja village system, over so many years, only the Land of Rain has produced a Hanzō," the Land of Waterfall Daimyo said after helping Iwata Sawaki up.
"However, once this treaty is signed, the Land of Waterfall will never again have the possibility of escaping the Land of Fire's control," the Land of Waterfall Daimyo stated.
"Is it that serious?" Iwata Sawaki asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Iwata, you received a ninja's education since childhood, so you don't understand what this treaty truly represents. The part about joint economic development in this treaty, although Konoha seemingly offers us small nations many favorable conditions, once this treaty is signed, our country's future can only forever become their Land of Fire's raw material base. Furthermore, the money we earn from selling raw materials will eventually be earned back by them in various forms. This is a chronic poison," the Land of Waterfall Daimyo said after a sigh.
Speaking of which, this Land of Waterfall Daimyo was somewhat of an anomaly among the Daimyos of the various nations in the ninja world. As the illegitimate son of the previous Daimyo, he originally had no right to inherit the Daimyo position. Therefore, he began to engage in commercial affairs very early on, wanting to achieve something in this area. But coincidentally, his Crown Prince elder brother was too reckless; clearly lacking the talent, he insisted on learning ninjutsu. Learning ninjutsu was one thing, but he even learned it secretly on his own, ultimately dying for the ridiculous reason of his internal chakra losing control. And because of this, by a strange twist of fate, he became the Daimyo of the Land of Waterfall.
His experiences in his youth made him far more mature than most of these Daimyos in the ninja world who only knew how to eat, drink, and be merry. Therefore, he could clearly see the hidden malice beneath Uchiha Douhuan's seemingly sincere treaty.
"This..." Iwata Sawaki was also startled. He finally understood why, although a full month had passed since his return from Konoha, the Daimyo had consistently not made up his mind to ally with Konoha.
"Then we won't sign?" Iwata Sawaki said after hesitating for a while.
"Do we have a choice?" The Land of Waterfall Daimyo gave a wry smile. "I heard Takigakure Village's mission quota has decreased again recently, right? And, on our border with the Land of Earth, the number of Iwagakure ninjas has nearly doubled, correct?"
"Yes," Iwata Sawaki also said helplessly.
"This Grand Minister of State of the Land of Fire is using an overt scheme," the Land of Waterfall Daimyo smiled wryly. "Once the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rice Paddies signed this treaty, regardless of what choice we make, Onoki will view us as potential enemies, unless we completely side with their Land of Earth. However, you also know the current situation in the Land of Earth. Onoki is already too old, and yet in the vast Iwagakure Village, not a single person can be found to succeed him. But Uchiha Douhuan is not even 20 years old this year. From a conventional ninja's perspective, he still has at least twenty years of peak performance, not to mention he is an Uchiha ninja."
"Yes, we have no other choice," at this point, a bitter expression also appeared on Iwata Sawaki's face. The ruler and minister of the Land of Waterfall looked at each other, neither speaking.
This was the sorrow of small nations situated between major powers. Unless they could immediately produce a powerhouse comparable to Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara back then, they could only serve as pawns in the games between major powers.
"Sign it," after a long pause, the Land of Waterfall Daimyo sighed deeply, then took out a pen and heavily signed his name on the document.
Only after affixing the Daimyo's seal did he say self-deprecatingly, "By signing this, at least I can continue to be the Daimyo of this Land of Waterfall peacefully. The Land of Fire has no interest in our barren land, aside from a few minerals."
"Iwata, make another trip to Konoha. Bring back Konoha's garrison troops as soon as possible. Onoki and Uesugi Hidekoshi won't give us much time," the Land of Waterfall Daimyo instructed.
"Yes!" Iwata Sawaki gritted his teeth and nodded.
However, just as Iwata Sawaki left the Land of Waterfall Daimyo's palace with the agreement signed and sealed by the Daimyo, spies from the Land of Earth hidden in the shadows transmitted this intelligence back to the Land of Earth at top speed.
Therefore, just as Iwata Sawaki returned to Takigakure Village, before he even had time to prepare the carriage for the trip to Konoha, an envoy from Iwagakure Village arrived at his door first.
Iwata Sawaki braced himself and received this Iwagakure envoy. As soon as the other party opened his mouth, he directly questioned Iwata Sawaki about whether he intended to join the Konoha Pact and bring Konoha's garrison troops to their border.
Iwata Sawaki could only deny it, but the Iwagakure envoy continued to speak aggressively, relaying the message Onoki had him bring.
If Takigakure Village intended to join the Konoha Pact, then Iwagakure would consider it a declaration of war by the Land of Waterfall against the Land of Earth and would directly take military action.
Facing Onoki's warning, Iwata Sawaki nearly ground his teeth to dust. But at this moment, circumstances were stronger than people. Iwata Sawaki could only say Takigakure never had such intentions and politely sent off the Iwagakure envoy.
After the Iwagakure envoy swaggered off, Iwata Sawaki could only return to the capital of the Land of Waterfall and find the Daimyo.
After hearing about this matter, the Land of Waterfall Daimyo could only take a deep breath, then gritted his teeth and said, "We can't hesitate any longer! Right now, only Konoha can make Iwagakure wary! You must immediately proceed to Konoha, conclude the alliance with them, and quickly request them to send garrison troops! Travel light and move quickly!"
"I understand," Iwata Sawaki nodded and accepted the order.
When Iwata Sawaki left the Daimyo's palace this time, he deliberately used a Water Clone Technique. The clone returned to Takigakure Village after leaving the palace, while his real body dared not stop for a moment, rushing towards Konoha Village overnight.
Just as Iwata Sawaki and the Land of Waterfall Daimyo made up their minds, Uchiha Douhuan in Konoha received a request from Onoki for a video conference.
"After chumming the waters for so long, the big fish is finally about to take the bait," Uchiha Douhuan chuckled lightly, changed into his most formal Hokage robes, put on the Hokage hat, and only then connected the video call with Onoki.
On the other end of the screen, Onoki was also in full formal attire. After the two looked at each other across the screen for a moment, they simultaneously removed the hats from their heads and placed them on the tables beside them, as a sign of treating each other with sincerity. This was what the First Hokage did before pleading for peace at the first Five Kage Summit; since that day, this act had been preserved as a traditional etiquette for meetings between Kage.
"Lord Tsuchikage, I hope you've been well?" Uchiha Douhuan said with a smile to Onoki on the other side of the screen.
"Just so-so. Can't compare to you, Hokage. You've been quite successful lately," Onoki said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "That Konoha Pact of yours is causing quite a stir."
"Lord Tsuchikage jests. This is merely a small attempt by me, as Hokage, for the peace of the ninja world. After all, only with peace can villages and countries have an environment for development," Uchiha Douhuan said unhurriedly.
"Are you really doing this for peace?" Onoki sneered. "If Takigakure joins your alliance, then your Land of Fire ninjas can be directly stationed on our Land of Earth's border. The Hokage plays a good hand indeed."
"Hehe, this is merely to give our allies a sense of security. I hope Lord Tsuchikage won't overthink it," Uchiha Douhuan said with a pleasant chuckle. "Between our two nations, there is a non-aggression pact, after all."
"Yes, our two nations have a non-aggression pact, but the Land of Waterfall does not," Onoki said, his face grim. "I don't care how Kumogakure views your alliance, but Iwagakure will not sit by and watch this happen. If something unfortunate occurs then, I hope the Hokage will not assign blame."
(End of Chapter)
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