bookbashuk Chapter 184 Loess
Chapter 184 Loess
In the eastern part of the Grass Country, deep in the dense forest.
A bolt of blue lightning, like that of a raging beast, flashed through the forest, shattering the trees along its path with the force of the violent chakra.
The Third Raikage, A, stopped in his tracks, his muscular physique, seemingly forged from steel, appearing ferocious and terrifying under the lightning. Behind him followed dozens of the most elite Anbu members of Kumogakure, each radiating a suffocating killing intent.
"Has the signal from Iwagakure not arrived yet?" The Third Raikage's voice boomed, causing the leaves around him to rustle and fall.
"Not yet, Lord Raikage," a Cloud Ninja reported. "Onoki replied that there are difficulties in mobilizing supplies, and we should wait a little longer."
"Hmph, you indecisive old man, you're so close by."
The Raikage spat disdainfully, his gaze fixed on the Konoha positions to the west.
"Give him some more time. If it doesn't happen by then, I'll do it myself! That electromagnetic cannon, as long as it's fast enough, I can just blow it up before it fires, right?"
He was unaware that his ally was currently calculating where to strike most painfully.
……
The border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Birds.
The heavy rain continued.
On a towering rock watchtower, Yahiko, dressed in a red cloud-patterned black robe, was holding a telescope and staring intently at the border line.
With the aid of his perception from the Rain Tiger Freedom Technique, Nagato's voice echoed in his mind:
"Yahiko, they're here. There are many of them, and their chakra reactions are very strong... That's Han's steam army, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki."
At the edge of the horizon, a large army of Iwa ninja clad in red armor and carrying steam jets was silently moving laterally towards the Land of Grass along the border of the Land of Birds.
"Onoki's ambitions are too great."
Yahiko put down his binoculars, his expression grave.
"They want to join forces with the main force of Iwagakure in the Land of Grass to form a giant pincer and completely crush Konoha's defenses."
"We must inform Jiraiya-sensei immediately."
……
The Land of Grass, Konoha Frontline Command Post.
The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
"Snapped!"
Jiraiya looked at the two intelligence reports he had just received and slammed his fist on the table.
A report from the Akatsuki organization: The garrison in the Land of Rock Hidden in the Bird Village is making unusual movements, and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki is flanking the Land of Grass.
Another report came from the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire: an urgent military intelligence report stated that a large number of Kirigakure troops had landed on the east coast. Although the remnants of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had retreated, the elite forces of the Kaguya and Minazuki clans were gathering, intending to penetrate deep into Konoha's territory!
"There are wolves in front, tigers behind, and the Raikage, a bear, sandwiched in the middle."
Jiraiya rubbed his throbbing temples and looked at Nishikawa Tetsu beside him.
"Che, the situation can't drag on any longer. If we fight to the death with Iwagakure and Kumogakure in the Land of Grass, our old home in the east will be stolen by Kirigakure."
"The battle lines are stretched too thin; we simply don't have enough troops."
Nishikawa Tetsu looked at the map, his eyes frighteningly calm.
"Therefore, these three parties must be separated."
He straightened his collar and picked up the briefcase containing the negotiation documents.
"Since Onoki sent his son, Koto, to negotiate, it means he is still wavering and wants to wait for a better price."
"Are you sure you can handle this?" Jiraiya asked, somewhat worried.
"In this world, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests."
Nishikawa Tetsu said.
"If the price is right, Iwagakure would even sell their own father, let alone Kumogakure, their temporary ally?"
……
The two sides agreed to meet at a secluded spot in the Land of Grass, where they temporarily set up a tent.
The representative of Iwagakure, a tall man as big as a small hill, stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Nishikawa Tetsu as he walked in.
"Is Konoha out of people? Sending a brat to talk to me?"
Huang Tu was just a young man in his early twenties at the time, but he was already very strong. Compared to this strong man, Nishikawa Tetsu looked very small.
"The Tsuchikage said that we must hand over the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, withdraw from the Land of Grass, and..."
A glint of greed flashed in Huang Tu's eyes:
"In return for sharing our technology, Iwagakure's technology will also be open to Konoha. Otherwise, by this time tomorrow, Iwagakure's army, in conjunction with Kumogakure, will raze your camp to the ground!"
This was Onoki's plan.
If negotiations break down, they will truly encircle the village; if Konoha yields, they will reap huge profits.
Nishikawa Tetsu calmly sat down and even poured himself a glass of water.
"Your Excellency Huangtu, your appetite is a bit too great."
Nishikawa Tetsu smiled and said, "Technology cannot be shared, and withdrawing from the Land of Grass is also impossible. We cannot allow you to hold a knife to the throat of the Land of Fire."
"So there's no room for negotiation?" Huang Tu abruptly stood up, his chakra exploding with an overwhelming aura. "Then we'll see each other on the battlefield!"
"Don't rush."
Nishikawa Tetsu tapped his fingers lightly on the table, slowly casting out the bait.
"While we cannot give you the technology, we can return the Four-Tails Jinchuriki to you, and more..."
Nishikawa Tetsu took a map out of his bag and drew a line on it.
"We can also acknowledge Iwagakure's vested interests in the Bird Country."
"That's it?" Huang Tu sneered. "Trying to fob off a beggar? Technology is the key!"
"Even if you take the technology, you can't manufacture it; it requires a supporting industrial system."
Nishikawa Tetsu's tone turned icy, and he leaned forward, staring intently into Huang Tu's eyes.
The loess soil wasn't afraid at all; on the contrary, it became a threat.
"I'm afraid you don't know this yet, but the Third Raikage has already led his elite troops to infiltrate the Land of Grass. Even if your Konoha's weapons are powerful, how can they withstand the combined attack of our Tsuchikage and the Raikage?"
Did this yellow earth just sell out the Hidden Cloud Village?
Nishikawa Tetsu said calmly, "We already know this news. Lord Orochimaru is on his way with his troops. When we attack from both sides, you and Kumogakure may not be able to gain any advantage. Don't end up doing the work for someone else."
"Lord Huangtu, do you really think that Kumogakure is sincerely allied with you? With the Third Raikage's fiery temper, once they defeat Konoha, Iwagakure will be the next to suffer."
Seeing how serious Nishikawa Tetsu was, and how calm and composed he seemed, Huang Tu couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth.
"Furthermore, I have an even better suggestion."
Nishikawa Tetsu lowered his voice.
"We are willing to hire Iwagakure... to do something."
He didn't reveal the matter of Kirigakure. If Onoki found out about this information, things would be much more complicated than just negotiations.
During wartime, the importance of intelligence is self-evident; he wouldn't make the same mistake Huang Tu did.
"What is it?" Huang Tu frowned.
"Rather than sharing the spoils with the Hidden Cloud Village, I'd rather keep them all for myself."
Nishikawa Tetsu pointed heavily at the location of the Cloud Hidden Army on the map.
"The main force of Kumogakure is currently deep in enemy territory, lying in ambush in the eastern part of the Land of Grass, waiting to rendezvous with you. If, at this moment, the allies who were supposed to appear suddenly turn into treacherous blades..."
"The Third Raikage was strong, but faced with a pincer attack from Iwagakure and Konoha, he would surely perish on the spot, wouldn't he?"
"By eliminating the main force of Kumogakure, Iwagakure is the sole winner of this great war. Not only did they retrieve their Jinchūriki, but they also weakened their two biggest rivals."
Huang Tu's pupils contracted sharply.
This proposal is both incredibly toxic and incredibly tempting.
betraying an ally?
This didn't bother Iwagakure at all.
"But..." Huang Tu was still hesitant. The Third Tsuchikage cared a lot about technology sharing.
"That's not up for discussion."
Nishikawa Tetsuya completely blocked this road.
"Furthermore, don't think we don't know that the Tsuchikage has sent some of his forces from the Land of Wind battlefield to the Land of Grass battlefield. I hope you Iwagakure will act accordingly and not be opportunists."
Upon hearing this, Huang Tu was certain that Nishikawa Tetsu's words earlier were not a bluff. The secret mobilization of this unit was a top secret that even the Land of Wind did not know about. It seemed that Konoha's intelligence network could not be underestimated.
Then Nishikawa Tetsu threw out his final trump card.
"However, as compensation, Konoha Electric Power and Home Appliance Service Company can provide Iwagakure with a batch of civilian power generation equipment and infrastructure technical support in the name of the company."
"On one hand, it's a fight to the death that results in mutual destruction; on the other hand, it's a win-win situation where we can gain benefits and weaken the Cloud Village."
Nishikawa Tetsu stood up and extended his hand.
"Your Excellency Huangtu, I think this is a very easy choice."
The loess remained silent for a long time.
He recalled his father Onoki's teachings: "The will of stone is hard, but it is also realistic."
There are no permanent enemies between major powers; it's all just an exchange of interests.
Huang Tu felt that he was indeed not suitable to be a leader.
"……make a deal."
Huang Tu stretched out his rough, large hand and grasped Nishikawa Tetsu's hand.
"But we need to see that Lao Zi is alive first."
"no problem."
Nishikawa Tetsu laughed. It was too simple. The village's higher-ups meant they could offer 200 million ryo plus Old Purple to force Iwagakure to withdraw its troops.
But if you have the initiative, why be so weak?
No wonder the Third Hokage stepped down after the Third Shinobi World War in the original story. Someone had to bear the losses of the war, even if that person was the Hokage.
Stepping out of the tent and looking at the gloomy sky in the distance, Nishikawa Tetsu breathed a long sigh of relief.
"As for Kirigakure... we don't need to worry about anything else, but I'm afraid they might also infiltrate the Land of Grass, a chaotic battlefield."
"As for Cloud Village..."
He looked eastward, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.
"Third Raikage, your ally has already sold you for a good price."