Chapter 149 Fire and Earth Non-Aggression Pact
After Uchiha Touhuan put the two kids down on his left and right, Onoki landed from the air, looking at Uchiha Touhuan in astonishment.
His Super Light-Heavy Rock Technique was already very fast, but Uchiha Touhuan's speed had completely exceeded his expectations.
"Earth Shadow, so how should this match be settled?" Uchiha Touhuan asked Onoki with a smile.
"Let's call it a draw, how about that?" Onoki said.
"Alright, let's call it a draw then." Onoki nodded, then grabbed his student by the scruff of the neck and walked towards the podium.
As the two returned to the VIP area with their respective disciples, the referee announced the result of the sparring match, and enthusiastic applause rang out.
Even though neither of them had graduated from the Ninja Academy, the excitement of this match was comparable to some Chunin duels.
With this pre-match warm-up, the Chunin Exams matches became more lively.
The contestants who entered the main tournament also took to the field one after another.
However, while the contestants below were putting on a spectacular show, Uchiha Touhuan and Onoki didn't focus on the matches. Instead, they immediately began dividing up the extra missions available to Village Hidden in the Grass due to the near-total extinction of their Jonin.
The negotiations went very smoothly. Konoha and Village Hidden in the Rock essentially split the B-rank and higher missions that Village Hidden in the Grass, couldn't handle. In reality, this amount of missions was negligible for both Konoha and Village Hidden in the Rocks, so both sides were willing to take a loss, resulting in an equal distribution.
However, for Village Hidden in the Grass, with these missions divided between Konoha and Village Hidden in the Rocks, unless one of the two great nations' ninja villages fell, their village was essentially doomed. Training new Jonin required experience gained through missions, but now they couldn't get any decent ones.
Onoki and Uchiha Touhuan tacitly chose to deny Village Hidden in the Grass, any chance of resurgence, given their role as a troublemaker on the border between the two nations.
"The Fifth Hokage is indeed a straightforward person." After dividing the spoils, Onoki laughed heartily. "Negotiating with you is much more pleasant than dealing with that old codger Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Hehe, Earth Shadow, you flatter me. Whether it's you or the Third Hokage, you are both role models for me, a junior." Uchiha Touhuan smiled and changed the subject.
At this moment, the competition below had reached the semi-finals. Uchiha Shingetsu, who had just awakened his two-tomoe chakra, had successfully made it this far and was dealing with his current opponent, a genius genin from Iwagakure, with ease. Victory was only a matter of time. As for Uchiha Masato, who only had one tomoe chakra, he had fallen in the previous round due to insufficient chakra after facing a series of strong opponents.
"It seems the championship will be won by your Uchiha clan this time," Onoki chuckled. "
Just luck. If Shingetsu hadn't activated his two-tomoe power earlier, he probably would have been eliminated long ago," Uchiha Touhuan said. "
The Hokage is just being modest," Onoki shook his head, then spoke again after a moment: "What does the Hokage think of the current situation in the ninja world?"
"The situation in the ninja world?" Uchiha Touhuan smiled upon hearing this; it seemed this was Onoki's real test.
"If you ask me, while peace is the prevailing theme in the ninja world right now, there are undercurrents surging beneath this surface," Uchiha Touhuan said.
"What do you mean by that, Hokage?" Onoki asked.
"Although the ninja world is currently at peace, everyone is merely licking the wounds of the Third Shinobi World War.
If the situation changes, the Fourth Shinobi World War will be imminent, and the ninja world will face a major upheaval unseen in decades," Uchiha Touhuan said, looking at Onoki with a light laugh.
"Heh, the Hokage and I are indeed of the same mind," Onoki chuckled. "It seems Konoha is prepared for the changing times?"
"Heh, before that day truly arrives, who dares say they're fully prepared?" Uchiha Touhuan replied. "We can only do our best to make arrangements so the village can navigate the turmoil to the other side. Isn't that what Village Hidden in the Rocks has been doing all these years?"
"The Hokage's words make sense," Onoki nodded. "As Kage, it's our inescapable responsibility to ensure the nation and village can reach the other side amidst the turmoil."
"But I wonder, in the Hokage's eyes, who in this vast ninja world can truly control the situation?" Onoki paused for a moment before looking at Uchiha Touhuan and asking.
"The ninja world is so vast; to say who can control the situation, I really can't say right now," Uchiha Touhuan laughed.
"Amegakure (Village Hidden by Rain) in the Land of Rain, Hanzo, the demigod of the ninja world, once fought alone against three great nations. Though defeated, he was still glorious. Could he influence the course of the ninja world?" Onoki asked.
"His strength relies entirely on external things. Once the poison of the salamander is neutralized, he'll be nothing but a skeleton in a grave," Uchiha Touhuan said
. "Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, what about him?" Onoki asked.
"The Kage of a village has to personally engage in craftsmanship to maintain the village's operation. A joke," Uchiha Touhuan said disdainfully.
"Kigakure (Village Hidden in the Mist) in the Land of Water, Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, what about him?" Onoki asked again.
"Village Hidden in the Mist's policies are self-destructive and nonsensical. They've survived to this day only because of the geographical advantage of the sea.
If it weren't for that sea, I could destroy them all by myself," Uchiha Touhuan said.
"And what about A, the Fourth Raikage of Village Hidden by Clouds") in the Land of Lightning?" Onoki continued to press.
"That Fourth Raikage is nothing but a reckless fool, not worth worrying about," Uchiha Touhuan said.
"If these people are no good, then who does the Hokage think is the one who can influence the situation in the ninja world?" Onoki asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Heh, aren't all those qualified and capable of influencing the entire ninja world sitting right here?" Uchiha Touhuan chuckled.
At this moment, Uchiha Shingetsu was locked in a fierce battle with his final opponent. The arena, neither too big nor too small, was engulfed in flames, and his opponent, in a moment of aggression, inadvertently locked eyes with Shingetsu. Uchiha
Touhuan smiled faintly, looking at Onoki with a burning gaze, and said, "If you ask me, only the two of us are truly qualified to influence the ninja world."
Onoki's eyes narrowed slightly, and he fell silent.
After this probing, although Onoki still couldn't see through Uchiha Touhuan, he was certain of one thing: Uchiha Touhuan's ambition was far from simple.
"Hehe, the Hokage's thoughts coincide with mine once again." After a long while, Onoki slowly spoke, "In that case, why not take this opportunity to form an alliance between our two great ninja villages and jointly deal with the upcoming changes in the situation? What do you say?"
"I knew the Earth Shadow's grand invitation to participate in this Chunin Exams wasn't for nothing," Uchiha Touhuan said. "However, the Earth Shadow's suggestion is exactly what I was thinking. If our two villages cooperate, we can surely achieve great things in the changing times."
"If the Hokage thinks this way, then it couldn't be more appropriate," Onoki smiled. The battle below had ended. Uchiha Shingetsu's opponent, having been affected by genjutsu, had lost the ability to fight. Uchiha Shingetsu, representing Konoha, won the championship of this joint Chunin Exams tournament.
"As for the detailed cooperation plan, we can discuss it at the banquet later. What does the Hokage think?" Onoki asked.
"The Earth Shadow is the host of this place, so I, as a guest, naturally follow his lead," Uchiha Touhuan said with a smile.
...
That evening, after the banquet celebrating the successful completion of the joint Chunin Exams, Uchiha Touhuan and Onoki chatted until late into the night.
Soon, a treaty entitled "Non-Aggression Treaty between the Fire and Earth Nations" was freshly drawn up after their discussions.
Uchiha Touhuan and Onoki signed their names on the two copies of the treaty and affixed their seals representing their respective identities.
After completing all this, Uchiha Touhuan embarked on his journey home.
Before leaving, Onoki personally came to the village entrance to see him off.
Naruto and Deidara, the two blond-haired boys, also bid each other a reluctant farewell at the village entrance.
"Little brother, take care of your health. Try not to use that technique of continuously releasing clones in a short period of time if you can avoid it," Deidara said. "Also, take this."
Deidara took out two clay figurines from his pocket and put them in Naruto's hands.
"What's this?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Based on the inspiration you gave me that day, the portable explosive clay I created will explode within 5 seconds after chakra is inputted. The explosive power is equivalent to three explosive tags exploding simultaneously, and it will also create a burst of colorful light, effectively interfering with the opponent's vision," Deidara explained.
"This…" Naruto stared blankly at the two clay figures in his hands.
"Little brother, take care of yourself. I'll come find you in a while, and we can exchange new art then," Deidara said in a low voice.
"What did you say, big brother?" At that moment, the celebratory cannons for the Hokage's departure exploded, making Naruto somewhat miss what Deidara was saying.
"Nothing, take good care of yourself," Deidara said immediately when he saw Onoki looking in their direction.
"You too, big brother!" Naruto said.
…
After the two said goodbye, the group officially began their journey home.
A day later, just as the group stepped out of the Land of Earth's border, Naruto suddenly clutched his stomach and said to Uchiha Touhuan, "Sensei, my stomach hurts!"
"I told you not to eat hot ramen after a cold popsicle last night, but you didn't listen. Now you know what's what," Uchiha Touhuan said, glancing at the boy.
However, despite his words, Uchiha Touhuan pulled a stack of papers from his pocket, handed them to Naruto, and said, "Take care of it somewhere safe, and remember to clean up the mess."
"Yes!" Naruto, desperate to relieve himself, didn't care about anything else, grabbed the stack of papers from Uchiha Touhuan's hand, and rushed out of the carriage
. "Sensei, those papers aren't..." Sasuke looked at Uchiha Touhuan with an incredulous expression.
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