End-of-Arc Note: Cooperation

Mei Terumi looked at Sakura Haruno with a smile.

"Don't tell me that the previous letter was a genuine handwritten one." She smiled, her eyes crinkling. "It was mostly official rhetoric, just something to fool the Grand Elder, wasn't it?"

Sakura Haruno chuckled softly, admiring the woman's keen insight.

"I'm sorry, we don't know whether you actually have substantial control over the Mist Ninja, so we could only write the previous letter that way."

Some things can only be discussed with the Mist Ninja under Mei Terumi's command, especially information about Akatsuki!

If it had been written in the letter from the beginning, it would have been difficult for Akatsuki spies hidden in the Mist Ninja, such as the Grand Elder who was only discovered later, to report to that so-called Madara Uchiha!

"This letter contains my master's true thoughts." Sakura glanced around, then unfastened her Jonin vest, took out a letter from the lining of her inner garment, and handed it to Mei Terumi.

The Fifth Mizukage took the slightly warm letter and began to read it in the sunlight.

Unlike the previous letter, this letter skipped the initial pleasantries and small talk, getting straight to the Gate of Opening in a style very characteristic of Tsunade.

Mei Terumi only read the first few paragraphs before looking up in surprise and glancing at Sakura Haruno.

"What's wrong?" Sakura Haruno was putting her clothes back on when she felt her gaze and asked, a little puzzled, "What happened to my master?"

"This is packed with useful information!" she said with a smile, waving the letter in her hand.

The first issue discussed in the handwritten letter with the Fifth Mizukage was the handling of the ninjas or property originally from the Land of Water who had ended up in Konoha.

Mei Terumi looked the girl up and down, then looked at her face and hair with interest and said, "Sakura Haruno, if I may ask, your Ice Release... don't you have the bloodline of Yuki?"

"Hehe... of course not!" Sakura chuckled dryly.

There were some gossipy folks in the village who even spread rumors about the color of the hat worn by one of her immediate male relatives.

Rumors need to be presented with concrete details.

Since there are members of the Terumi Clan in Konoha, it's not surprising that there are members of the Yuki clan as well. They might change their names and identities, pretend to be ordinary ninjas, and settle in Konoha. Besides, the Yuki Clan is known for its handsome men and beautiful women. It's not uncommon for someone to lose control and have a green light appear on their head. That would be quite normal...

Such rumors were only allowed to circulate secretly in private and did not affect her family; especially after Sakura Haruno's strength rose rapidly, she was promoted to Jonin, and seemingly stood at the pinnacle of Konoha Ninja, she completely disappeared.

In the past year, no one has dared to talk about her like that behind her back.

So hearing the Fifth Mizukage's words, Sakura was somewhat amused and exasperated. She quickly clarified, "I mastered the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai myself!"

"Is that so..." Mei Terumi pondered for a moment, "The characteristic of the Yuki Clan is black hair and black eyes. It seems you really did develop your own Ice Release. Impressive!"

"It was just a coincidence!" Sakura Haruno said modestly, "You have two Kekkei Genkai, which is much stronger than mine!"

Her situation was similar to Mei Terumi's; she possessed the spiritual aptitude to cultivate Kekkei Genkai, saving her several years of arduous practice in Wind Release.

However, unlike others, Mei Terumi's strength lies entirely in the two Kekkei Genkai she developed. Her Boil Release has extremely strong offensive power, while her Lava Release and defensive. Among Ninjutsu- type Kage Level ninjas, she is also one of the strongest!

As for Sakura Haruno, even without using Ice Release, her strength wouldn't be significantly reduced; with just the Cherry Blossom Impact Secret Technique, Yin Seal Secret Technique, Nintaijutsu, and Water Release, she would be enough to reach the Kage Level!

"Let's stop flattering each other," Mei Terumi said seriously, stopping their empty boasting. "Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō and the Ice Release Girl who used to be by his side are in your village right now, aren't they?"

"Huh?" Sakura Haruno blinked, unsure whether she should answer the question truthfully.

"Don't underestimate the intelligence capabilities of the Mist Ninja!" Mei Terumi had already discerned the answer from the girl's slightly shifty eyes.

This girl from Konoha is strong, but she's not very good at lying!

She smiled gently. It turned out that besides her imposing presence in battle, she also had this innocent side, which reminded Terumi Mei Terumi Chōjūrō.

"You and Orochimaru caused quite a stir in the Land of Waves, and since it's not too far from us, I was worried it might threaten the safety of the Mist Ninja, so I sent people to investigate. They discovered something quite interesting!" She wagged her slender, pale index finger. "So, it turns out your Konoha killed Zabuza here, and also took the girl with him..."

Mei Terumi said that, Sakura knew that there was no point in denying it anymore.

"Yuki Haku is already a ninja of Konoha."

Mei Terumi stared at her intently for a few seconds.

"Is her name Yuki Haku? It's a very nice name... but you didn't even try to hide your surname!"

She paused for a moment, then continued, "The Kirigakure in the Land of Water is the hometown of Yuki Haku. She was born here, and her maternal clan Yuki Clan, was one of the original cornerstones of the Kirigakure... Now, the Kirigakure is resuming its policy of peace and openness, welcoming back the ninjas who were forced to leave the Mist Ninja Village!"

Mei Terumi is trying to use Konoha's need for help from Mist Ninja to bring the Yuki Clan back to Mist Ninja.

As Konoha's representative, Sakura Haruno naturally had to righteously and firmly refuse her.

"I understand what you mean, but Konoha is Haku's new home now, and she can't and won't want to leave Konoha," Sakura Haruno said firmly. "Haku is my friend!"

"What if someone is willing to come back? They were originally ninjas from Kirigakure!"

"In principle, regardless of who they were before, as long as they are registered, they are Konoha ninjas and cannot leave the village at will; otherwise, it would be tantamount to treason." Sakura, of course, would not budge on such a matter of principle.

Mei Terumi pouted, "You're such a blockhead! Can't you be a little more flexible? Forget it, let's put this aside for now. You can't fully represent Konoha and can't make decisions like this."

Her eyes darted around, and she added, "Then what about the Kubikiribōchō? Surely it's not registered with you!"

Mei Terumi's negotiation technique is to first present Sakura Haruno with an impossible condition for her to refuse. According to human nature, the other party will think that since the first condition has been refused, the second request will be more difficult to refuse.

Although the technique was crude, it couldn't overcome the opponent's even greater inexperience.

However, Sakura Haruno's solution was quite simple.

"Ahem, this matter is of great importance, and I cannot make a decision about it."

When faced with a difficult question, just say you don't have the authority to answer it; that's Tsunade's advice.

"Furthermore, if we're going to return them, shouldn't Ao's Byakugan also be returned to Konoha?"

Mei Terumi immediately became a little anxious. "That's different, these are our spoils of war!"

Compared to the Byakugan, the Kubikiribōchō isn't as strategically valuable. The fact that the Byakugan was so crucial in finding the Suikazan Clan's secret base and warehouse was largely due to Ao's!

"The Kubikiribōchō is also our spoils of war!" Sakura said with a hint of amusement. "You can't apply double standards, can you?"

If given a choice between the two, what would Mei Terumi choose? Looking at her eyes, Sakura Haruno figured she would most likely choose to Byakugan.

However, Mei Terumi retorted, "First, the Kubikiribōchō was Zabuza from Kirigakure and should be returned to us; second, there are only seven blades in total, while your Byakugan can always produce new Hyuga clan members; third, your Konoha doesn't even have the corresponding sword techniques, not even ninjas who wield blades, so what's the point of keeping the Kubikiribōchō!"

"Nonsense!" Sakura dismissed her argument with a nonchalant remark. "In short, I disagree! If you have any other ideas, you can discuss them directly with the Lord Fifth Hokage."

"You disagree with this, you disagree with that!" Mei Terumi rolled her eyes. "Then where is your sincerity?"

"Don't rush, keep reading, there should be more content below!"

The Fifth Mizukage shook his head, picked up the letter, and continued reading.

"Invite Kirigakure to participate in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams?"

She paused, slightly stunned, as she read this.

Haven't the remaining four major ninja villages always excluded Kirigakure from the mainland?

It's been so many years since ninjas from the Mist Ninja Village appeared on the stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams in a mainland country.

Konoha's invitation effectively brought Kirigakure into the view of the continental countries, giving them a boost and a great opportunity to advertise!

This means that from now on, the Mist Ninja will also receive mission orders from mainland countries!

"This is to help you announce to the world that the Mist Ninja has shed its reputation Bloody Mist Village and is implementing a policy of peace and openness," Sakura Haruno explained. "It's a call for peace."

In this way, three ninja villages achieved a fragile, but at least superficial, peace.

Meanwhile, Gaara is also vying for the position of Kazekage in the Sand shinobi Village. His performance over the past year or two has been remarkable, and he has shed his former image as a cruel and ruthless Jinchūriki in the eyes of many, making him a strong contender for the Kazekage. Given his relationship with Naruto, Sakura, and others, as their respective positions in their respective villages rise, the alliance between the Sand shinobi and Konoha will become increasingly solid!

In this alliance, which has not yet been formally established, Konoha is the strongest and has the most resources. It also has two younger brothers sharing the same food, so it naturally occupies the top position in the three-way alliance.

Regardless of whether Mist Ninja or Sand shinobi is the second most powerful, the remaining two of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Iwagakure and Kumogakure, will now pay even more attention to Konoha's opinions.

Although Konoha made concessions, it doesn't mean that Konoha's interests will be harmed. After the three countries achieved peaceful coexistence, resources were complemented, the economy became more active, and the pie grew larger. Although Konoha's share decreased slightly, it was able to take a bigger bite.

As for the Sand shinobi and Mist Ninja, they can naturally obtain more mission orders from the more prosperous economy and also gain their own benefits.

This can be considered the result of the win-win policy implemented by Tsunade since she took power in recent years.

In contrast, war is a zero-sum game, or even a lose-lose game.

Mei Terumi took a deep breath and slowly calmed herself down.

With this invitation as a prelude, what follows is relatively insignificant.

"Open trade routes between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water?" Mei Terumi smiled and nodded. "It's only right!"

As long as it's not the Treaty of Nanking, exchanging goods is a win-win situation. The Mist Ninja has many advantageous industries, such as ninja tool manufacturing: the Seven Great Swords are their masterpiece!

Of course, this is just a general idea, and the specific agreement still needs to be discussed in detail.

She continued reading.

"Intelligence sharing with Akatsuki? No problem." Mei Terumi had no objection to this either; one of the most important reasons for their diplomatic relations with Konoha was to cooperate in combating the threat of Akatsuki.

There were no major objections to the following matters of cooperation, and the intention was finalized.

Next item.

Mei Terumi's body jolted violently.

"Isobu?"

She only uttered this one word throughout the entire passage.

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