A Beating * The Five-Nation Talks

Shūichi lay prone on the ground, his face buried in the grass, and didn't move for a long time.

My whole body aches.

Just now, the guy who kidnapped me didn't explain a word, but gave me a good beating.

They acted with great restraint.

Every punch and kick was just right, barely touching the edge of "very painful but not causing injury." Shūichi tried to fight back, but every time he made a move, he was immediately pushed back down.

Now, the boy has completely lost the will to resist.

"Stand up."

Shūichi didn't move.

"Dead?"

"No."

"Then get up."

Shūichi braced himself on the ground and slowly got up.

His knees buckled, and he almost knelt down again. He gritted his teeth, steadied himself, and looked up at the person in front of him.

Uchiha Setsuna.

He recognized the name; the sharpshooter of the Uchiha Clan, whose reputation had been renowned since the Warring States Period.

He is said to be the man who once traversed an entire country and took the head of Daimyo.

Although it was just a small country, that distance was not something an ordinary Ninja could easily cross.

At that moment, this person stood in front of him and beat him up.

So why is that?!

I didn't do anything to him! Why did he beat me up?!

Could it be some deep-seated grudge from a past life that hasn't been resolved yet?

Forget it! It's been half a year, is it still around?!

"You must respect Lord Izuna," Setsuna said. "Understand?"

"... Huh?"

Setsuna for three seconds.

"Don't you understand why I hit you?"

Shūichi shook his head.

"You released your murderous intent towards him."

Shūichi looked completely bewildered.

"Killing intent? What is that? When did I release killing intent at him?"

"You've been staring at Lord Izuna from the very beginning."

"I'm just observing!"

"That's not allowed either," Setsuna said. "Even if you have no murderous intent or hostility, and simply want to observe, that's still not permitted."

"Huh?!" Shūichi was annoyed. "That's so unreasonable! You Uchiha can't even look?"

"That's not how it is." Setsuna didn't explain why, but simply ended the conversation. "Anyway, from today onwards, I'm your Kyudo teacher."

"Ah?"

"If you understand, get up immediately and begin your cultivation with me."

Shūichi was completely dumbfounded; he couldn't follow this guy's train of thought at all. "Wait a minute, I haven't agreed yet! I am—"

"Your thoughts are irrelevant," Setsuna interrupted him. "Or do you want to get beaten up again?"

Shūichi fell silent.

Fine, you have the bigger fist, so you get to call the shots.

She waited a Setsuna to make sure he wouldn't say anything more.

"Well then, let me introduce myself," he began. "My name is Uchiha Setsuna. I enjoy practicing Kyudo, I dislike long-winded talk, and my current goal is to fulfill Lord Izuna's dream. Your turn."

Shūichi's expression was somewhat subtle.

"... Is this some kind of tradition?"

How should I put it? So childish.

"Everyone in the Theatre Troupe must introduce themselves like this," Setsuna said. "Consider it practice before joining the troupe. Okay, hurry up."

Shūichi mouth.

I didn't say I wanted to join!

Never mind.

Anyway, he figured it out: this guy was just a deadbeat who only knew how to follow orders, and all he needed to do now was obey.

"... My name is Hyuga Shūichi," he said in a low voice. "I enjoy training, hate being told what to do, and my goal is to become stronger."

In that Setsuna, I could tell that Shūichi was deliberately emphasizing the words "hates being told what to do."

It's probably an expression of dissatisfaction with oneself.

So childish.

Moreover, all the other information is false. Anyone can say they like cultivation, and everyone has the goal of becoming stronger.

This kid has absolutely no intention of telling the truth.

Well, Lord Izuna will take care of correcting it anyway, so let's put it aside for now.

"Then," Setsuna began, "The first lesson."

Shūichi looked at him.

How to observe others without being noticed.

The Post Station district of the Capital of the Land of Fire.

The day gradually became lively.

The first to arrive were the Envoys from the Land of Wind.

The procession was small, with few guards. Unlike the astonished expressions of the Land of Earth's Envoys upon their arrival, the people from the Land of Wind entered the city with calm demeanor.

The leading Envoy was a thin, middle-aged man dressed in the thick robes commonly worn by nobles of the Land of Wind. As he alighted from the carriage, he glanced at the guards at the city gate, nodded, and was then led inside by the receiving official.

Next is the Land of Lightning.

The army from the Land of Lightning was larger than the previous two, with more guards. The leader was a loud-voiced military general who shouted "This city wall is not bad!" and "This road is well-maintained!" as he entered the city, attracting the attention of many passersby.

The official in charge of receiving them greeted them with a smile and led them to the Post Station.

Finally, we arrived at the Land of Water.

They were the last to arrive, reaching their destination in the afternoon.

The delegation from the Land of Water was quiet. The Envoy leading the group was a shrewd-looking middle-aged man dressed in the waterproof material typical of the Land of Water. After getting out of the carriage, he simply said, "Thank you for your trouble," and then followed the receiving official.

The Envoy Four Nations have arrived.

That afternoon, the Land of Fire arranged a meeting.

The location was the Council Hall in the Capital, a large building with neatly laid tatami mats. In the center were several long tables with tea sets and simple snacks.

The delegation from the Land of Fire consisted of several high-ranking officials in charge of foreign affairs, led by an elderly minister with gray hair named Fujiwara, who held considerable influence in the Land of Fire's court.

He sat in the main seat, his expression neither warm nor cold.

The Envoy the Four Nations sat on either side.

Ishimi from the Land of Earth still had that same smiling face, sitting there drinking tea, looking completely harmless.

The Envoy from the Land of Wind was very quiet; he didn't say much after sitting down.

The warriors of the Land of Lightning couldn't sit still; they kept looking around, as if trying to see every corner of the room clearly.

The Envoy from the Land of Water sat at the very back, his expression calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Fujiwara.

He said a few polite words, such as "You have come from afar, thank you for your hard work" and "The Land of Fire and your country have always been on good terms."

These were all polite words, and the Envoy the Four Nations responded with smiles, so the atmosphere seemed fairly harmonious.

But the real confrontation is yet to come.

Fujiwara's gaze swept over everyone present before he spoke.

"You've all come to the Land of Fire for matters concerning Konoha, haven't you?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Ishimi of the Land of Earth said with a smile, "Lord Fujiwara is straightforward, so we'll speak frankly too."

He paused, then continued, "I heard that the Land of Fire has granted Konoha the status of a 'Special Administrative Region,' and we're all very interested. This kind of system is unprecedented."

Fujiwara nodded but didn't reply.

Ishimi waited a while, and seeing that he didn't answer, he continued, "Our Daimyo of the Land of Earth is quite curious about this matter. Konoha is, after all, a place where Ninjas gather. The Land of Fire is giving them so much autonomy, aren't they afraid... something might go wrong?"

He phrased it tactfully, but the meaning was clear: You're praising Ninjas so highly, aren't you afraid they'll turn around and bite you?

Fujiwara glanced at him.

"Ishimi is overthinking it," he said calmly. "Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha of Konoha are both trustworthy people. The Land of Fire's cooperation with them is a matter of careful consideration."

Ishimi smiled. "Think it over carefully..."

At this moment, a military commander from the Land of Lightning interrupted.

"Reconsider carefully?" His voice was loud, with a hint of rudeness. "Lord Fujiwara, our Land of Lightning has also considered cooperating with the Ninjas. But to be honest, if you give them a little benefit, they'll want more."

"If we grant autonomy today, what will they want tomorrow? What will they want the day after?"

His words were so direct that the other Envoys all glanced at him.

Fujiwara remained unfazed.

"Konoha is different," he said.

What's different?

"You've all probably heard of Hashirama Senju."

He said, "With his Strength, if he wanted to take over the Land of Fire, we couldn't stop him. But he didn't do that. He chose to build a village and negotiate with the Daimyo."

"We believe that such people can be trusted to a certain extent."

The Envoy from the Land of Wind spoke at this moment. His voice was not loud, but it was very clear.

"Lord Fujiwara is right," he said, "But trust is one thing, and systems are another."

"Konoha now has several thousand Ninjas, including powerful figures like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, and it also has its own territory and autonomy. Isn't the Land of Fire afraid that they might change their minds one day?"

Fujiwara didn't answer immediately. He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and put it down. His movements were so slow that everyone in the room was waiting for him to speak.

"My lord of the Land of Wind," he said, "You are right that people's hearts change."

He paused, his gaze falling on the face of the Envoy from the Land of Wind.

"Then let me ask you a question."

The Envoy from the Land of Wind bowed slightly, gesturing for him to speak.

"If Hashirama Senju has truly changed, becoming the kind of ambitious person who wants to seize the world—then what difference does it make whether the Land of Fire grants him autonomy or not?"

"With his Strength, even if we don't grant him Special Administrative Region, we can't stop him if he wants it," Fujiwara continued. "He and Madara Uchiha, the two of them are enough."

The Envoy from the Land of Wind's expression turned sour for a moment, and the Envoys from other countries also remained tight-lipped.

This is what they are most worried about.

In the past, Ninjas weren't this Strength. They could use tactics and economic means to suppress the Ninjas, keeping them preoccupied with survival and hatred, leaving them no time for anything else.

But now, perhaps it is the times that create heroes, not only in the Land of Fire, but in every country, powerful Ninjas capable of destroying an entire nation have emerged.

Moreover, it wasn't just one or two people, but multiple powerful beings capable of destroying the world.

These people also ended the chaos and established Ninja alliances, or Shinobi Villages.

These days, all nations are pondering how to deal with these Ninjas, and now the Land of Fire has set an example by taking the lead.

But this is not the kind of example they want to see.

"Are you saying that your Land of Fire has already relinquished its autonomy?"