Chapter 161 Glory Belongs to the Land of Waterfalls!
Uchiha Touhuan's words stunned Iwata Sawaki.
After a moment, Iwata Sawaki carefully considered his words before asking, "Um, Hokage, is there no more practical assistance?"
Upon hearing this, both Uchiha Touhuan and Uchiha Fugaku turned to look at Iwata Sawaki, and the atmosphere in the reception room suddenly became somewhat strange. After a while, Iwata Sawaki tentatively said, "Um, Hokage, is there no more practical help?"
"Practical help?" Uchiha Touhuan asked, feigning confusion.
"For example, Konoha would send troops to help our Land of Waterfall repel the invading ninjas from the Land of Earth?" Iwata Sawaki said forcing a smile.
"Of course, our Village Hidden by a Waterfall is willing to join the Konoha Pact, and we are willing to fully cooperate with all aspects of cooperation that the Hokage mentioned before."
"I see." Uchiha Touhuan stroked his chin, lost in thought. "If Village Hidden by Rocks hadn't gone to war with you, this agreement would be easy to handle. But now that Village Hidden by Rocks's invasion of your Land of Waterfall is a fait accompli, we can't just arbitrarily include you in the alliance."
"This… how could this be?" Iwata Sawaki immediately panicked upon hearing Uchiha Touhuan's words.
"Mr. Iwata, I understand your feelings. However, the purpose of this treaty is to unite the strength of our allies for the peace of the ninja world.
Bringing a country currently at war into the treaty, and having Konoha send troops, would be tantamount to dragging the countries that previously signed the treaty with us into war. This completely contradicts the purpose of our initiating this treaty," Uchiha Touhuan said with some difficulty.
"But, Hokage, you are the only one who can help our Land of Waterfall right now," Iwata Sawaki almost cried.
"Rest assured, we will definitely do our best to help your Land of Waterfall," Uchiha Touhuan said. "Although Konoha cannot directly send troops for the time being, we will provide you with the greatest possible assistance.
Whether it's daily necessities or military supplies, we will provide them to you at the lowest possible price based on humanitarian principles. Our allies will do the same."
Iwata Sawaki felt a little better upon hearing this. Then, Uchiha Touhuan continued, "However, in the matter of confronting Village Hidden by Rocks head-on, only your Village Hidden by a Waterfall ninjas can handle it."
"This..." Iwata Sawaki looked troubled upon hearing this. "Although I really don't want to boost the morale of others, you know that the quality of our Village Hidden by a Waterfall ninjas is indeed much weaker than that of Village Hidden by Rocks. In a head-on confrontation on the battlefield, our chances of winning are not very high."
"Mr. Iwata, there's no need to be so pessimistic," Uchiha Touhuan said. "In the end, war is a contest of a nation's logistical capabilities. Right now, you have the support of all the allied nations of the Konoha Pact. As long as you can hold off Iwagaku's first wave of attacks, you will definitely be the ones to win. As for the quality of the ninjas…"
Uchiha Touhuan looked at Uchiha Fugaku and asked, "Class President Fugaku, how's the research on that technique going?"
"Does the Hokage mean that combined Lightning Release ninjutsu?" Uchiha Fugaku said. "The most crucial part of the research on that technique, the linking of different chakra, has been solved. Only some details need to be optimized."
"That's good." Uchiha Touhuan nodded, then looked at Iwata Sawaki. "Mr. Iwata, you can bring back to the Land of Waterfall the multi-person combination lightning release ninjutsu that we developed in Konoha to counter the combined earth release ninjutsu of Village Hidden by Rocks.
This technique can concentrate the power of Chunin and Genin, about fifteen fire release ninjas, fifteen water release ninjas, plus fifty lightning release ninjas, to release a combination ninjutsu similar to my Lightning Release: Kirin. We originally developed this technique to deal with the threat from Village Hidden by Rocks, and now it can come in handy."
"Really? Then thank you so much, Hokage." Iwata Sawaki's face lit up with joy. He knew that Village Hidden by Rocks's overall strength ranked among the top three in the ninja world despite the village's limited pool of truly powerful ninjas, thanks to their mastery of combined Earth Release techniques.
Now, Uchiha Touhuan was willing to provide Village Hidden by a Waterfall with a method to counter this technique, and moreover, he was offering Lightning Release, the most effective counter to Earth Release. Coupled with the logistical support from the Land of Fire, Iwata Sawaki felt a surge of confidence in withstanding an attack from the Land of Earth.
"Furthermore, we can provide you with high-quality explosive tags and other ninja tools, and we can even prioritize providing you with our own Konoha ninja tools," Uchiha Touhuan continued.
"Thank you so much, Hokage!" Iwata Sawaki said gratefully.
"Don't rush to thank me," Uchiha Touhuan waved his hand instead. "I can give you the combination ninjutsu for free, considering our personal relationship. However, you'll still need to purchase the ninja tools and supplies yourself. After all, these are essential for the livelihood of millions of civilians in the Land of Fire. Please understand, Mr. Iwata."
Iwata Sawaki thought for a moment and then gritted his teeth, saying, "The Land of Village Hidden by a Waterfall will pay for it, but regarding the price..."
"Don't worry, Mr. Iwata," Uchiha Touhuan said. "The Land of Fire isn't one to take advantage of others' misfortunes. We can provide you with the supplies you need during your war with the Land of Earth at 80% of the market price. Furthermore, considering your difficulties, you can also pay in advance through a loan to get through this crisis first."
"Thank you, Hokage," Iwata Sawaki said. "Now, there's only one last question: what if Onoki or one of Village Hidden by Rocks's Jinchuriki personally intervenes? We at Village Hidden by a Waterfall currently don't have any strong enough to withstand them."
"That is indeed a problem," Uchiha Touhuan said, stroking his chin. "Although I estimate that Onoki won't personally intervene, if the siege drags on, the possibility of him personally leading the charge cannot be ruled out. Moreover, their Jinchuriki is indeed a troublesome matter for you."
"By the way, how old is your Jinchuriki this year?" Uchiha Touhuan asked.
"13 years old, but she's still like a child who hasn't grown up," Iwata Sawaki said with a wry smile. "If she were more mature, we wouldn't be in such a passive position."
"Don't say that. 13 years old is still just a child," Uchiha Touhuan said. "Have you tried the sealing jutsu you brought back last time?"
"Speaking of which, we have to thank the Hokage for this. Last time, the Hokage provided us with the sealing jutsu, which stabilized the Seven-Tails' seal a lot, at least temporarily resolving the risk of the Tailed Beast going berserk," Iwata Sawaki said. "But it will take a long time before the Seven-Tails can play a role on the battlefield."
"That's troublesome," Uchiha Touhuan said. "We can help you with the logistics, but the lack of high-end combat power is a real problem. I can't personally intervene, since we have a non-aggression pact with the Land of Earth."
Iwata Sawaki fell silent again upon hearing this. Yes, even with the logistical support of the Land of Fire, what could Village Hidden by a Waterfall do to resist if Onoki or one of the two Jinchūriki from Village Hidden by Rocks were to be deployed?
"Well then, Mr. Iwata, have you ever heard of an organization called Akatsuki?" Uchiha Touhuan asked.
"Akatsuki?" Iwata Sawaki shook his head blankly. Although the Land of Rain and the Land of Waterfall were very close, he knew nothing about Akatsuki.
"This is a mercenary organization in the ninja world. They have many strong members. While it might be difficult for one of their strongest to defeat Onoki or a Jinchuriki from Village Hidden by Rocks, I think they should be able to hold off their top-tier fighters."
"Really?" Iwata Sawaki exclaimed excitedly. "But getting such strong individuals to help must be very expensive…"
"The Land of Fire and our allies can provide you with low-interest loans," Uchiha Touhuan reminded him. "After you survive this war, you can repay them slowly."
"This... I wonder how much our Land of Waterfall can lend?" Iwata Sawaki asked.
"If you are willing to use the mineral resources within your territory as collateral, Konoha can provide you with this amount of loan," Uchiha Touhuan held up five fingers.
"Five hundred million?" Iwata Sawaki asked tentatively.
"Fifty billion!" Uchiha Touhuan said, "We will only charge 3.3% interest, and you can wait two years before you start repaying."
Upon hearing this, Iwata Sawaki fell into deep thought, while Uchiha Touhuan remained silent, quietly waiting for his decision.
After thinking for a long time, Iwata Sawaki finally made up his mind. Uchiha Touhuan's aid was already very sincere. As for the loan and interest? If they won, everything would be fine; if they lost, and the Land of Waterfall was gone, then there would be no need to repay.
"Thank you, Hokage. When will the aid you mentioned arrive?" Iwata Sawaki asked Uchiha Touhuan.
"Mr. Iwata, you'll be leaving shortly with the scroll of combined ninjutsu. As for the weapons and supplies, they will be delivered to the front lines in Village Hidden by a Waterfall within three days of you signing the contract," Uchiha Touhuan replied with a smile.
"Alright, I'll sign!" Iwata Sawaki nodded.
Soon, Uchiha Touhuan had someone draft the mortgage loan and aid contracts, and he signed his name on them first, along with the seals of the Hokage and the Minister of State.
Iwata Sawaki took the contract, but when he picked up the pen, he found his hand trembling slightly, as if the pen weighed a ton.
"Hokage, we will win, won't we?" Iwata Sawaki then looked up at Uchiha Touhuan.
"Of course, this war launched by the Land of Earth is an unjust war. I believe that everyone in the Land of Waterfall will persevere to the final victory. Glory belongs to the Land of Waterfall!" Uchiha Touhuan encouraged Iwata Sawaki.
"Yes, that's right, glory belongs to the Land of Waterfall!" Iwata Sawaki took a deep breath, signed his name on the contract, and affixed his own seal and the seal of the daimyo of the Land of Waterfall that he had brought.
After Iwata Sawaki signed, Uchiha Touhuan nodded to Uchiha Inahisa beside him. After receiving the instruction, Uchiha Inahisa presented a scroll with both hands.
"This is the training method for combination ninjutsu. As for the Akatsuki organization, we can help you make connections, but you must negotiate with them yourself," Uchiha Touhuan said.
"I understand," Iwata Sawaki nodded.
"Furthermore, regarding your village's Jinchuriki," Uchiha Touhuan looked at Iwata Sawaki with sincere eyes, "in this war between you and Village Hidden by Rocks, Jinchuriki will definitely be their primary target.
If your village trusts us, you can temporarily send her to Konoha. While providing her with protection, we will also teach her to use the power of the Tailed Beasts. In at most two years, she should be able to master the power of the Tailed Beasts and contribute to protecting your country's territory."
Upon hearing this, Iwata Sawaki pondered for a moment and then nodded. Uchiha Touhuan was right. After the war began, Onoki would definitely try to kill their village's Jinchuriki directly. After all, the Tailed Beasts were their village's only trump card. Once the Jinchuriki was killed, their village would be completely hopeless. Uchiha Touhuan's words undoubtedly solved their immediate problem. Although this would leave them with a huge debt to Konoha, Iwata Sawaki suddenly felt a sense of indifference.
"I will send someone to bring our village's Jinchuriki to the border of the Land of Fire tomorrow," Iwata Sawaki said.
"No need to see me off. I'll have someone accompany you. We'll use the Flying Thunder God Formation to get you to the border between our two countries. This way, you can quickly return to your village to take charge of the overall situation. Also, we can bring your village's Jinchuriki to Konoha as quickly as possible to ensure everything goes smoothly," said Uchiha Touhuan.
"Thank you so much," said Iwata Sawaki.
"It's all for the peace of the ninja world," Uchiha Touhuan waved his hand. "Then, I wish everyone in the Land of Waterfall victory in this war. I believe the glory will belong to the Land of Waterfall!"
"Yes, the glory belongs to the Land of Waterfall!" Iwata Sawaki nodded, his eyes filled with determination.
Soon, Shiranui Genma and the others prepared the Flying Thunder God Formation and brought Kakashi, who was also going to pick up the Jinchuriki of Village Hidden by a Waterfall, along with Iwata Sawaki, to the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Waterfall.
Then, they headed towards Village Hidden by a Waterfall Village together.
Meanwhile, the ninja forces at the Village Hidden by a Waterfall front were already suffering heavy losses under the Village Hidden by Rocks offensive, forced to cede large amounts of territory.
After everyone in the office left, Uchiha Touhuan stretched. Iwata Sawaki was too easily fooled, which made Uchiha Touhuan feel somewhat bored.
At that moment, Black Zetsu and Tobi emerged from the ground in the office. Black Zetsu looked at Uchiha Touhuan with the expression of someone looking at a monster.
All these years, he had schemed and plotted without capturing a single tailed beast, yet Uchiha Touhuan had obtained one simply through planning and scheming?
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(End of Chapter)