At this moment, the conditions proposed by Hyuga Yu immediately put Kitsuchi in a bit of a difficult position...
Iwagakure's artificial human technology was, for the time being, merely a newly approved project with nothing to show for it yet. However, the biological cloning technology within this project was an initiative that Iwagakure had poured massive funds into since the Second Shinobi World War to engage in an arms race with Kumogakure. Describing it as "biological cloning technology" might be somewhat inaccurate. More precisely, it was a biological chakra conduction technology based on Earth Release nature transformation. Its original purpose was to reduce the attrition rate of training Earth Release shinobi, broaden the variety of Iwagakure's ninjutsu, and create alternative "Kekkei Genkai" to bolster Iwagakure's military power.
This gave rise to Lava Release, which converted earth into lime or concrete, typified by the cement-based Lava Release of Kurotsuchi, the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
Another application involved modifying the body to complete the nature transformation of earth into clay within themselves, integrating Fire Style changes to create an alternative "Explosion Release" based on Earth Release ninjutsu. This was epitomized by Deidara, the disciple of the Third Tsuchikage and the future "Azure Dragon" of the Akatsuki.
(This book was first released on Taiwan Novel Network, twkan.com, offering smooth reading with error-free, correctly ordered chapters.)
Kurotsuchi and Deidara were still very young, and their lineages did not possess the inherent conditions to inherit or create a Kekkei Genkai. The unique techniques they mastered were rooted entirely in Iwagakure's research and development of this biological technology.
Unlike Konohagakure and Kirigakure, which boasted numerous Kekkei Genkai and hiden clans, Iwagakure had been in a state of absolute destitution ever since the shinobi village system was established. Their Kekkei Genkai, and even their Kekkei Tōta, were mostly developed from scratch through sheer manual effort.
Therefore, counterintuitive as it might seem:
In this specific era, the one possessing the strongest biological technology was not Orochimaru, nor was it Hiruko, let alone any other genius scientist in the shinobi world. It was—
Iwagakure.
As for how Orochimaru would completely overtake them in bio-genetics and cloning technology later on, to the point where Iwagakure even had to resort to stealing Orochimaru's created "Mitsuki" to perfect the artificial human project they restarted after the Fourth Shinobi World War—that was another story entirely.
Hyuga Yu had noticed this a long time ago. When Kirigakure established its Yang Release laboratory, most of the cutting-edge biological research equipment was imported from the Land of Earth, while most of the machinery and components used to manufacture these high-tech biological instruments were imported from the Land of Lightning.
Between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, the former specialized in biotechnology, while the latter specialized in engineering technology.
Hyuga Yu's current demand for this technology from Iwagakure was timed at a very specific juncture. Iwagakure had indeed developed this one-of-a-kind biological chakra conduction technology, providing theoretical support for the subsequent artificial human project. However, these techniques currently remained solely at the theoretical level and had not yet been put into practical application. It would be many years after the end of the Third Shinobi World War before they successfully trained shinobi like Kurotsuchi and Deidara.
Therefore, at this moment, while Kitsuchi knew that the technology Iwagakure held was highly important and precious, he was not a professional researcher with meta-knowledge of the plot like Hyuga Yu. He lacked a clear understanding of the technology's actual prospects and what kind of results it could produce once fully implemented.
However, even purely as a "political bargaining chip," Hyuga Yu's demands at this moment seemed a bit too much like a lion opening its mouth wide.
This caused Kitsuchi to hesitate. The five hundred million Ryo demanded by Hyuga Yu was not a massive amount for a shinobi village. What was truly difficult for him to gauge was whether it was worth trading Iwagakure's most cutting-edge technology just to gloss over a defeat in battle.
Hyuga Yu saw Kitsuchi's hesitation, so he immediately raised the stakes. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he smiled and said, "Brother Kitsuchi, you know..."
"Master Danzo has given me full authority over the peace talks between Konohagakure and Iwagakure on April 1st."
"If this current battle 'never happened,' then I believe Iwagakure will receive a 'satisfactory' post-war allocation plan at the next peace conference."
"For instance, the post-war allocation of mission shares among the major shinobi villages... I imagine this will be a crucial factor affecting the Iwagakure village's economic income for the next decade or so."
Hyuga Yu emphasized the words "Iwagakure village" slightly.
Hearing this, Kitsuchi's eyes narrowed slightly. Yes, the Iwagakure village, not the Land of Earth. At this stage, throughout the three Shinobi World Wars so far, what everyone fought for was resources, land, ninjutsu, and most importantly—the allocation of the post-war order.
How this order affected a great nation versus how it affected the shinobi village within that nation manifested as two completely different scenarios. In the current framework of the shinobi world, ninja were essentially mercenary groups with a high degree of autonomy operating under the banner of a military.
A victory in a shinobi war allowed the great nations managing politics and the economy to gain a greater say after the war, letting them set commercial and deed taxes across various countries, leading to greater prosperity.
The wealthy tycoons of the shinobi world would also redraw the scale of their businesses among the great nations based on the outcome of the war.
Meanwhile, the victorious shinobi villages would receive more economic support from their own nations after the war, as well as the mission shares allocated to each village.
To put it bluntly, it all came down to money.
In the division of labor in the current world, being a shinobi was a top-paying profession. The economic operations and political struggles between nations required the participation of powerful shinobi. The allocated mission shares were the very foundation upon which the shinobi collective relied to survive. Without this, no matter how large a shinobi village was, it would be extremely difficult to maintain a large-scale shinobi force. Units like the Anbu or Root—purely military entities that did not rely on the mission system to earn fees—were destined to be the minority. Their expansion was strictly limited to wartime, consuming the vast financial reserves previously saved up by the village.
The greater the share obtained, the more shinobi a village could accommodate and train, making the village even stronger.
Conversely, if the share was smaller, Sunagakure at the start of the original story served as the perfect example. After all, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind himself was dirt poor, so where would he get the money to fund Sunagakure? Without funding and having lost a massive amount of mission shares, the village couldn't afford to maintain a large-scale shinobi force, which forced them to implement the so-called "elite cultivation system."
At this moment, Iwagakure had put practically all its remaining assets on the line for a desperate gamble and lost. Once news of this leaked, the blow to the shinobi village would be devastating.
The village would inevitably have to pay massive reparations to Konohagakure. At the same time, as a defeated nation, they would lose a significant portion of the Daimyo's funding and a massive chunk of mission shares. The scale of their future shinobi force would have to shrink drastically, and a large number of Iwagakure shinobi would be forced to become rogue ninja.
In the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had successively fought Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Konohagakure, defeating Kirigakure and drawing with Kumogakure. The excellent position they had fought so hard to achieve would be completely wiped out if they failed in the peace talks with Konohagakure, rendering all their previous sacrifices entirely in vain.
At this moment, hearing that Hyuga Yu was actually willing to make concessions during the official peace talks on April 1st, Kitsuchi's mind immediately became active. He quickly calculated the financial trade-offs and soon had an answer. On the surface, however, he still feigned a difficult expression, gritting his teeth as he looked at Hyuga Yu. "This... this is still..."
""
He still seemed to feel it wasn't quite enough, wanting to wring more promises out of Hyuga Yu.
Seeing this, Hyuga Yu did not fall for the bait. He merely said indifferently, "Brother Kitsuchi, it's mostly because I can't bear to see you suffer in Iwagakure that I'm willing to let Konohagakure take a bit of a loss, with your younger brother here bearing the infamy."
"But if you push your luck any further, I don't think we can be brothers anymore."
"Let's just go by the book then—"
"After all, I'm not in the habit of keeping prisoners and inviting trouble for myself."
With that, Hyuga Yu made a move to stand up, casually pulling a ninja sword from the ground.
"W-Wait, little brother!"
Kitsuchi panicked instantly. Hyuga Yu was clearly using the spoils of his victory to coerce him, selling out the benefits Konohagakure rightfully deserved under these circumstances to line his own pockets. Even if he was skimming quite a massive "little bit" for himself, overall, it was still acceptable for Iwagakure.
But if Hyuga Yu flipped his lid right now, it was hard to say how many of them would be walking out of here on their own two feet...
He immediately gritted his teeth and promised in a deep voice, "The money and the technology can be given to you. But Particle Style... that is absolutely out of the question. The old man will never agree to it. However... I can take it upon myself to grant you the high-level Wind Style, Earth Style, and Fire Style ninjutsu required to master and fuse Particle Style."
"This is my absolute bottom line, otherwise you might as well just kill me."
"Furthermore, what do you plan to do? I mean—regarding that conference a month from now!"
Hearing this and seeing that Kitsuchi was playing ball, Hyuga Yu smiled. He sat back down on his "air chair," tossed the ninja sword aside, and then laid out his post-war terms for Iwagakure: "First, Iwagakure must abandon Amegakure and recognize the fact that the Land of Rain has formed an alliance with Konohagakure."
"Second, at the April 1st peace talks, Iwagakure does not have to admit defeat. The two sides will make peace, but you must pay reparations to Konohagakure. The exact amount of the reparations will be 'negotiated' at that time."
"Third..."
""
Hyuga Yu looked at Kitsuchi and the others, speaking calmly, "Next, you will choose one person to return to Iwagakure. Everyone else will remain in the Land of Rain under the custody of the Akatsuki until all the 'negotiated conditions' regarding the Land of Rain have been completely handed over."
"At that time, I will let you all return."
Under this framework, compared to their fate in the original story, Iwagakure would merely pay Konohagakure an additional sum that wasn't explicitly labeled as "reparations," thereby avoiding the whirlpool of public scandal surrounding a military defeat.
Meanwhile, the extra expenses and costs paid for this would be entirely pocketed by Hyuga Yu.
Konohagakure would also receive an extra sum of funding to develop the village because of this.
It could truly be called a triple-win situation!
At this point, Hyuga Yu stood up, turned around, and looked at the silent members of the Akatsuki and Hanzo behind him. He flashed a smile. "Fourth is the matter of the Land of Rain peace talks."
"Yahiko—"
"I'm here." Yahiko immediately stepped out from the Akatsuki group, took a deep breath, and walked up to Hyuga Yu with a slightly thrilled expression. Next, Hyuga Yu looked over at the solitary figure standing to the side of the Akatsuki. "Hanzo."
Hanzo of the Salamander walked out without a word, looking very much like a poor student being called on by the teacher in class.
"Nagato, please dig out that table from earlier and place it here."
"Oh, oh, alright."
Under Hyuga Yu's instructions, Nagato executed Universal Pull in front of everyone, pulling the negotiation table that had previously been in the center of the canyon out from a nearby pile of dirt and placing it between Yahiko and Hanzo.
Hyuga Yu stood smiling between the two men. He took Yahiko's hand in one of his and Hanzo's in the other, bringing them together to make them shake hands.
"In my life, I have never been fond of fighting; I am only skilled at resolving conflicts."
"I believe you two have already thoroughly exchanged your opinions. How about you stop here and return peace to the Land of Rain?"
Hearing this, Yahiko and Hanzo looked up at Hyuga Yu simultaneously, then turned their heads to look at each other.
Staring at Yahiko's sincere face, Hanzo fell silent for a long while. Finally, he reached into the inner armor of his undergarments and, as if handling a priceless treasure, drew out a folded letter.
"Is this... that joint letter?" Yahiko looked at the document in Hanzo's hand with some surprise.
"This old man has grown old, Yahiko. In this era, perhaps you are the one who is right."
Hanzo shook his head, bit his finger, and pressed a vivid red thumbprint onto the letter. He handed it to Yahiko, staring at him solemnly as he warned, "However, Yahiko, your ideas are far too dangerous. This old man... cannot agree with them."
"I shall leave the Land of Rain to you then. But I also ask that, under the witness of Tennin, you allow this old man to take some children... and leave this village."
Yahiko froze, then looked at Hanzo in utter bewilderment. After using the newly explored methods of Ninshu to activate the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and fight Hanzo, their respective chakras had clashed and connected. He thought Hanzo had already understood his will and come to share his views. Yet... Hanzo's choice at this moment completely defied Yahiko's expectations.
He wanted to ask why, but when Yahiko caught sight of the Akatsuki members behind him out of the corner of his eye, he fell silent for a moment and only asked, "Where... are you going?"
"This old man will probably go to the Land of Iron to find a junior, and see if he'll take me in."
Yahiko hesitated for a moment, still trying to make him stay. "Actually, you could—"
But at that moment, Hyuga Yu suddenly interrupted him. "That's enough, Yahiko."
Hanzo cast a grateful glance toward Hyuga Yu, then decisively pulled his hand from Yahiko's grasp without any lingering attachment, his gaze hardening.
Then, he silently walked away alone toward Amegakure, following the path of the setting sun.
Three hundred Hidden Rain shinobi had come; when leaving, only a single soul remained.
And so, with Hanzo exiting the stage of the shinobi world, voluntarily relinquishing his power, and choosing to lead a group of Amegakure children out of the Land of Rain,
The Akatsuki organization, led by Yahiko, took over Amegakure and reached an alliance agreement with Konohagakure. The forces of Iwagakure and Sunagakure withdrew from the Land of Rain one after another.
This civil war that had taken place within the Land of Rain was declared over. Soon, the Land of Rain would turn a brand new page!
Meanwhile, hidden away in the shadows, the reactions of those who had witnessed this battle with their own eyes varied greatly.
First were Black Zetsu and Obito Uchiha. After watching Hyuga Yu's series of baffling maneuvers actually succeed in suppressing the madness that every generation of the "Hyuga Tennin" was destined to succumb to, Black Zetsu was momentarily struck speechless. It realized that a situation completely beyond its control... had occurred!
This generation's "Hyuga Tennin" had actually not gone completely insane!
"But even so, it won't change Tennin's preordained fate. Hamura's descendants on the moon surely won't let him off!"
Soon, Black Zetsu came to another sudden realization. "Hyuga Yu forcibly severed the connection with the 'Tennin power' on the moon, which means he has abandoned the power of 'Tennin.' If so... how much strength does he have left right now?"
"In that case, wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to eliminate him and drive this Uchiha brat completely into madness?!"
"No need to rush... no need to rush..."
"However, it wouldn't hurt to have someone test the waters first."
With this thought, above the basin, Black Zetsu quietly directed its eerie, cold gaze a short distance away—toward Kakuzu, who was hiding behind a mound of earth with an expression of shock and uncertainty written across his face.
However, just as Black Zetsu was staring at Kakuzu and plotting its next move, elsewhere, deep underground, an ancient, withered, yet incomparably sharp crimson gaze pierced through the layers of earth, quietly settling upon Black Zetsu above.
According to Madara Uchiha's grand design, his "will" shouldn't have even been here at this moment. Instead, it should have been setting his second contingency plan into motion, ensuring that even if Obito Uchiha betrayed him, Madara Uchiha could still be resurrected according to schedule.
Yet right now, upon seeing Black Zetsu—the very "manifestation of his will"—failing to act in accordance with his desires, a faint expression of suspicion gradually surfaced on Madara Uchiha's face.
————
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