"It seems we truly have nothing of value for Konoha to cooperate with."
Mei Terumī massaged her forehead, a hint of distress flashing in her eyes. The more she looked at it, the more it seemed like a trap Konoha had set for them.
Was Kirigakure, which held no exploitable value, worth such an investment from Konoha?
It was impossible for Konoha not to want something in return from them.
"Land of Waves!"
A glint of light flashed in Gensui's eyes. Bai Ye had mentioned earlier that he intended to use Land of Waves to open up trade with Mist Ninja Village.
Land of Waves was an island situated between the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Water.
The Land of Fire was at the center of the landmass, with the Land of Earth to its upper left, the Land of Wind to its lower left, the Land of Lightning to its upper right, and the Hidden Mist across the sea. In reality, there was a sea separating these three nations, and Land of Waves was right in the middle of it.
The three nations had a tacit understanding not to act against Land of Waves, primarily because Land of Waves was too impoverished, and reaching it required travel by boat, which was extremely inconvenient, so it was essentially abandoned.
However, Bai Ye's arrival and mention of Land of Waves, combined with the Uchiha's penchant for conflict and Bai Ye's rise to power by directly overthrowing Hiruzen Sarutobi, suggested he was a hawkish Hokage. Therefore, approaching Kirigakure at this time and offering these conditions in exchange for their support in Konoha taking over Land of Waves seemed logical and well-founded.
"So, you're suggesting Konoha wants to incorporate Land of Waves into their territory?"
Mei Terumī pulled out a map and looked at Land of Waves's location. If it truly fell to Konoha, it would be much easier for Konoha to attack Mist Ninja Village in the future.
However, Konoha would still have to take a detour to reach Land of Waves, which seemed a bit like taking a roundabout route. Konoha didn't need to deploy Ninja there.
"I wouldn't rule it out, but I don't think it's necessary, Gensui. Even if they took it for future wars, they could just attack directly from Konoha. As for Kumogakure, they wouldn't attack by sea, would they?"
From any perspective, Land of Waves seemed completely unsuitable for this purpose.
Mei Terumī analyzed it for a long time but still concluded that Land of Waves was unlikely to be the reason.
"You have a point. Perhaps Land of Waves is genuinely just a place where they want to do business with us, because they understand our Village's internal situation, and now is the time to make money? Also, it could be because the other three Villages might take advantage of Konoha's current instability to act against them, so they're seeking an alliance with us, Kirigakure. This way, with Land of Waves as a medium, we can both attack Kumogakure, and they can focus their main forces on Sunagakure and Iwagakure, which also serves as a deterrent?"
Gensui pondered for a moment, feeling this explanation was more plausible.
Bai Ye's ascension meant that Konoha would not be peaceful in the near future, and the other Ninja Villages were all opportunists who would take advantage of the situation.
Perhaps Bai Ye saw that Kirigakure was also weak at this time, and they could temporarily form an alliance. If they showed signs of alliance and also took over Land of Waves, then Kumogakure would hesitate before acting.
And without Kumogakure's intervention, Iwagakure and Sunagakure wouldn't want to face the majority of Konoha's Ninja. Sunagakure hadn't recovered yet, and only Iwagakure would have to bear most of the firepower. Iwagakure naturally wouldn't agree, so this was Bai Ye's goal?
After discussing it, they all finally agreed that this was the most plausible reason.
"If that's the case, then it seems we can also ally with Konoha, right?"
At least for now, allying with Konoha was the best option. Although they could also take the opportunity to wage war against Konoha, since Bai Ye already knew about Kirigakure's situation, if Konoha was wary, it might be possible to gain some benefits. But if Konoha directly went to war with them, Kirigakure might be wiped out.
They couldn't endure any war at the moment, and this time, success wasn't even guaranteed.
"Let's ally. We'll agree to his terms, and then we'll also ask him to help us this time!"
Although it was truly embarrassing to have Konoha's Hokage resolve their own Village's Hokage.
But if it could reduce losses, why wouldn't they be happy to do it?
Moreover, since Bai Ye sought them out for cooperation, it also meant he hoped to see Yagura's rule overthrown. Bai Ye probably didn't want to see them fail, did he?
"Let's go with the conditions Bai Ye proposed earlier, and add that he helps us resolve Kirigakure's problem this time. Oh, and should we ask him to examine Yagura's genjutsu? After all, the Uchiha are most skilled in genjutsu."
Gensui finished speaking and looked at the others. The fact that Yagura was under genjutsu was discovered by Ao using his Byakugan.
This was also the reason they had long wanted to end the Bloody Mist policy.
They never expected that Yagura, a Jinchuriki, would be controlled by genjutsu. At first, they didn't believe it.
But the current situation left them no choice but to believe.
"We can ask, I suppose. I've heard that the Uchiha's Sharingan can control Tailed Beasts."
Mei Terumī said faintly. Moreover, Bai Ye was so knowledgeable about the Village's internal situation that she even suspected if Yagura was controlled by Bai Ye.
However, thinking about it, she also felt a little ridiculous for having such a thought. Bai Ye was probably still a child when Yagura started acting strangely.
How could he have had the power to control Yagura at that time?
Then, the group continued to discuss the details of the operation and the issues to negotiate with Bai Ye when he arrived.
Kirigakure Grand Canyon.
Pakura gazed at the misty surroundings. She only needed to pass through here to reach Kirigakure.
However, she vaguely remembered Rasa also saying that someone would meet her once she arrived here.
Due to the continuous battles with Iwagakure, which had led to a gradual weakening of their national power, Sunagakure now had no choice but to seek help from Mist Ninja Village.
When Rasa assigned her to come here this time, Pakura had actually considered the possibility of an accident, but before she left, Rasa repeatedly assured her that there would be no problems, so she could only temporarily suppress the unease in her heart.
Sunagakure and Kirigakure had also waged war against each other. Pakura had killed so many Kirigakure Ninja on the battlefield that she earned the moniker of Scorch Release Pakura.
Just as she was pondering, a figure slowly emerged from the mist. Upon seeing Pakura, the Kirigakure Ninja's face broke into a jovial smile as he greeted her: "You must be Sunagakure's Pakura, right? Please follow me, Mizukage-sama is already waiting for you!"
Saying this, he stepped aside, allowing Pakura to pass.
"Hmm."
Pakura nodded and stepped past the Ninja. However, the moment she passed him, a sharp glint flashed in the Ninja's eyes, and he pulled out a kunai, aiming to stab Pakura in the back.
From afar, Bai Ye pondered for a moment, finally deciding to let the Ninja stab Pakura with a kunai first.
Being stabbed was different from not being stabbed. Being stabbed would also facilitate his future talk-no-jutsu.
He watched as Pakura, unprepared, was stabbed, then the Kirigakure Ninja jumped away, and countless shuriken flew towards Pakura in mid-air.
Watching the kunai and shuriken getting closer and closer, Pakura endured the pain in her back, wanting to move away, but she felt as if her body had been anesthetized, completely unable to exert any strength. She could only watch helplessly as the kunai drew nearer.
The next second, space twisted, and all the kunai were swallowed into Kamui Space.
And in Kamui Space, Obito looked at the kunai on his arm and immediately cursed loudly. He swore his desire to kill Kakashi was growing stronger and stronger.
"Act! Kill her immediately!"
After the Kirigakure Ninja missed, they all surrounded Pakura the next second, ready to attack again and finish her off.
There was no poison on the kunai, but there was a paralytic agent, which could instantly render a person unable to move. They originally thought Pakura would surely die after being stabbed, but they didn't expect someone to intervene.
"God's Judgment!"
Dozens of lightning bolts continuously fell from the sky. The Anbu could only give up on assassinating Pakura and were about to flee, but the lightning seemed to have locked onto them. A dozen Kirigakure Anbu were instantly killed by the lightning strikes.
It was surprisingly effective.
In the Hokage world, facing these squishy targets, using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's ability to clear out fodder was quite satisfying. One lightning strike meant death.
"Who?!"
Pakura struggled to hold herself up. She felt completely powerless, and this feeling of helplessness made her very uneasy.
"How pitiful. To be betrayed by your own Village. The so-called peace talks are about sacrificing your Village's hero to achieve peace. Kirigakure's condition was to hand over Pakura to appease their anger and then ally with Sunagakure. I never thought those guys like Rasa would so readily abandon you!"
Bai Ye's voice slowly echoed behind Pakura, his footsteps drawing closer. Pakura's unease intensified. She didn't know if the person behind her was friend or foe.
At the same time, she roughly understood the truth. Perhaps, as the person behind her said, she had been betrayed, and by the entire Sunagakure high command, who would hand her over for the sake of peace.
Kirigakure's actions just now clearly intended to kill her.
Behind her, the footsteps drew closer. The person knelt on the ground. Looking at the clear face before her, Pakura estimated the distance in her mind. Although she felt weak all over, she could try to act at this distance.
"No matter what, I'm your savior, yet you still want to kill me!"
Even though the killing intent was well-concealed, Bai Ye still sensed the malice from her. Having just experienced betrayal, she seemed like a thorny rose, unwilling to let anyone approach.
Her thoughts exposed, Pakura felt a sense of despair. In her current situation, she had no ability to resist. She hated this feeling; she probably couldn't even commit suicide.
"It's a shame that such a beautiful back will have a scar now."
Saying this, Bai Ye stood up and used Mystical Palm Technique to heal Pakura's wound.
"Visible betrayal isn't terrifying; true terror lies in unseen betrayal." Saying this, Bai Ye extended his hand towards Pakura: "Do you want revenge?"
After speaking, Bai Ye couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Sure enough, talk-no-jutsu wasn't his strongest suit.
Bai Ye had been trying to think of something to say for a long time but couldn't come up with a single sentence.
"You're not Kirigakure, nor Sunagakure. Who are you?"
"Konoha's Fifth Hokage."
Pakura instinctively froze after hearing Bai Ye's answer, and a cold sneer flashed in her heart.
Because at this moment, it seemed to her that all Ninja Villages were the same. When they needed you, they always spoke so sweetly. When they didn't need you, they could discard you at any time, just like now.
And his saving her now, saying so much, was nothing more than wanting to use her against Sunagakure.
"That's right, I'll be causing trouble for Sunagakure later. If you can join Konoha, I think it would be quite interesting. You won't just be dealing with Rasa alone. This decision was made by all of Sunagakure's high command. You can't fight them by yourself. If you go back now, you'll just be branded with 'mission failed' and then be put on trial. If you don't go back, you'll be a rogue Ninja."
Bai Ye's undisguised attitude actually made Pakura look at him with a bit more respect.
In fact, he didn't need to say it; Pakura herself understood her predicament. If she went back and broke ties with Rasa and the others, she would ultimately be accused of failing the mission because she didn't reconcile with Kirigakure. She would go from being Sunagakure's hero to a criminal.
"How can I trust you?"
Pakura said in a hoarse voice, then stared intently at Bai Ye.
"Because we are the same kind of people. We have both been abandoned by the higher-ups, but I succeeded, so I can empathize with you. I need your strength, and you also need our strength. All traitors must die, don't they?"
The same kind of people?
Pakura thought about it and suddenly realized that, indeed, it seemed as Bai Ye said. The Uchiha Clan had also once been feared by Konoha. On her way here, she had heard about the grievances between the Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo.
Although the two situations were somewhat different, they were both largely betrayed by the Village's high command. Bai Ye had indeed won.
Their shared experiences of betrayal lessened Pakura's hostility towards Bai Ye.
"All traitors must die, you're right. But I can also betray you at any time. I need you to help me get revenge, and I will become the sharpest sword under your command, but one day I won't guarantee that I won't betray you. We are simply taking what we need!"
Pakura understood that Bai Ye needed her to act in the war against Sunagakure. Her defection would surely cause Sunagakure's morale to collapse.
But she also stated her position: she was only cooperating with Bai Ye and could betray him at any time.
Just like the saying earlier, all traitors must die. Perhaps she would die, but she didn't care, as long as she could get her revenge before she died.
"No problem, happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation."
A hint of surprise flashed in Pakura's eyes. Although she didn't understand why the other party still chose to cooperate with her, she extended her left hand and lightly clasped Bai Ye's.
She now needed to rely on Konoha's strength to get her revenge.
[Ding! Changed Pakura's fate, rewarded with one lottery chance!]
Happy cooperation!
Bai Ye's lips curved into a smile. Sure enough, it was as he thought: only strong people could trigger it!