Land of Fire * conversation

"Say what you will," he said casually, "But until now, Konoha has always been Special Administrative Region of the Land of Fire."

He emphasized the words, especially the phrase "of the Land of Fire".

Judging from this, Lord Fujiwara had already been clearly instructed on the bottom line.

Continuing to provoke us here will only make us lose face and look bad.

Let's try approaching it indirectly.

Ishimi's smiling expression remained unchanged.

"I hope Lord Fujiwara doesn't misunderstand," he said. "How the Land of Fire treats Konoha is its own Land of Fire. We're just curious whether this system can last."

Fujiwara looked at him.

"Does Ishimi think we can't go far?"

Ishimi waved his hand.

"I was just thinking about something," he said. "The Ninjas of your Land of Fire are living a good life now. No more fighting, no more risking their lives, and I've even heard they've formed Theatre Troupes and are making a fortune."

"But if one day something really happens to the Land of Fire... like a war, will the Ninjas of Konoha go to the battlefield?"

Fujiwara raised an eyebrow.

"They are Ninjas, and their only skill in this life is killing. The Land of Fire gives them autonomy, land, and status, isn't it all so that one day they can be used?"

He looked at Fujiwara with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"But will they be willing then? They're doing well now, with families, careers, and stable lives. Why would they want to risk their lives again?"

The military commander of the Land of Lightning snorted.

"That hits the nail on the head!" he said. "Ninjas are Ninjas. If you treat them like human beings, they won't want to be swords anymore. But what we need are swords. What if you give them autonomy and they become disobedient?"

The Envoy from the Land of Wind did not speak, but his silence itself was an attitude.

The Envoy from the Land of Water remained calm, his thoughts unreadable, though his attendants noticed his distracted state.

Fujiwara laughed before he even finished listening.

"Ishimi Iwami asked a good question." He tilted his head. "That's something we definitely need to consider."

"But... why... are we fighting this war?"

Ishimi's smile faltered for a moment.

"Our Land of Fire is vast and rich in resources, with a wealth of talent... In short, we don't need to rely on external forces to balance our domestic situation, so..."

"If the Land of Fire doesn't invade others, who would attack Land of Fire?" Fujiwara's voice was calm, with a hint of amusement. "Is it your Land of Earth that wants to attack?"

Ishimi's expression changed.

"Lord Fujiwara, those words—"

"I was just giving an example," Fujiwara interrupted him, still in his unhurried manner. "Ishimi, don't be nervous."

"What I mean is, if no one attacks, there's no question of whether or not to go to war. The Land of Fire doesn't want war, and neither does Konoha."

"Therefore, as long as no one initiates a war, this problem does not exist."

A crack finally appeared on Ishimi's smiling face.

He certainly understood what Fujiwara meant, and everyone present understood as well.

It's impossible to avoid war, because compared to the Land of Fire, each of their countries has its own difficulties.

The Land of Earth is mountainous with little land, few rivers, and barren soil. Warring States Period, it frequently fought eastward for water and arable land.

Although a village has been built and Ninjas have been integrated, people still need to eat, and the country needs to develop; resources won't fall from the sky.

This battle must be fought.

Ishimi this perfectly well. He also knew that the others present understood it as well.

The Land of Lightning is rich in mineral resources, has a suitable climate, and plenty of flat land suitable for farming and daily life. However, it is surrounded by mountains, and the terrain is uneven, making it difficult for Ordinary People to travel. Even Ninjas find it inconvenient to traverse the mountains. The wealth of one region cannot help other regions.

Moreover, because it is surrounded by the sea on three sides, natural disasters occur frequently, and a year's worth of farming can be wasted if one is not careful.

They also wanted to leave and find a better place to live, but to the north was the sea, to the west the Land of Earth, and to the south the Land of Fire —none of these places were easy to cross.

The situation in the Land of Wind was even worse, with vast deserts, few oases, and a population concentrated along a few rivers. No matter how strong the Ninjas of Sunagakure were, they couldn't conjure water or food.

The Land of Water is surrounded by the sea, and its freshwater comes from rainwater and a few inland rivers. During the dry season, some villages even suffer from thirst and die. It is ironic that a country that is supposed to be a water-rich nation is so short of water.

Resources are limited; some you have, I don't; some you have more, I have less.

The Land of Fire occupies the best piece of land, with flat land, abundant water, and a mild climate; it lacks nothing.

They can say they won't fight because they don't need to.

But what about them?

Even though they dared not act rashly upon hearing that Konoha was guarded by the God of the Shinobi World and the Asura of the Ninja World, they still had to fight for these resources.

A few years of lying low is acceptable, but if they are suppressed for more than ten or even several decades, they will truly fall behind other countries. At that time, their status as Five Great Nations will be in jeopardy, and their wealth and glory will vanish.

This is absolutely unacceptable.

Therefore, this war was bound to happen sooner or later.

Ishimi remained silent for a long time, then gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Lord Fujiwara is right."

He said, "As long as no one attacks, there's no need for war. That makes sense."

He stood up and dusted off his clothes.

"Then let's wait and see. Let's see if Konoha can really keep the Land of Fire from fighting forever."

He bowed slightly to Fujiwara, then turned and walked towards the door.

The other three kingdoms also withdrew one after another.

No one expected things to turn out like this on the very first day.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere eased considerably. The Envoy the Four Nations softened their stance in the subsequent wrangling and were no longer as confrontational as they had been on the first day.

After all, they didn't come here to antagonize the Land of Fire.

They came with three purposes: to investigate the policies of the Konoha Special Administrative Region, to learn how to deal with Ninjas, and to discuss trade with the Land of Fire.

The first two were forced to be clearly explained on the first day. The Land of Fire's unwarranted trust in the Ninjas puzzled them, but they didn't want to understand. Each country has its own policies, and the higher-ups had already planned how to deal with the Ninjas.

They came here simply to find out if there was a gap between the Land of Fire and Konoha that they could exploit. If not, it didn't matter; since the first two objectives had been achieved, the third objective—real money—would now be on the negotiating table.

The Land of Fire is rich in resources; grains, cloth, ironware, and Medicinal Herbs are all in high demand.

The Land of Earth wants Medicinal Herbs, the Land of Lightning wants cloth, the Land of Wind wants water and food, and the Land of Water wants everything.

Fujiwara was happy to take things slowly, discussing tariffs one day, quotas the next, and shipping routes the day after. Progress was slow but steady, and no one mentioned Konoha again.

The Ninjas were ordered not to enter the Meeting Room.

This is a common request from Envoys from various countries.

The reason is respectable: it is inconvenient for Ninja guards to participate in diplomatic occasions.

The real reason is obvious to everyone. Ninjas are all shrewd and calculating; sitting in the Meeting Room, who knows what other ideas they might have after they go back?

In trade, Ninjas only needed to act as guards and escorts for caravans.

The Ninjas from the Four Nations obediently complied.

No one objected; after all, this had always been the case, and they were used to it. The Ninjas brought before the palace were either exceptionally Strength or had exquisite appearances that nobles could flaunt.

They were just misfits, with unlimited potential but lacking in Strength, and their appearance was also unremarkable. Even if they wanted to be on the table, they would have to have the "Strength" to do so.

With nothing to do, the idle Ninjas had to find things to do themselves. Some trained in the courtyard of the Post Station, some slept in their rooms, and some wandered the streets.

Ōnoki was strolling around the streets. He rarely had the chance to go out and wander around in the Land of Earth, and now that he was in the Land of Fire, everything felt new and exciting.

Moreover, having received his master's orders to gather intelligence, he felt even more justified in his loitering.

He wanted to look at all the shops on the street, all the food, toys, and other goods!

The streets were bustling, completely different from the Land of Earth. The shop signs were colorful, and they sold Eight Gates of things.

After wandering around for a while, Ōnoki stopped in front of a shop selling ironware.

The shop sells mostly items for Ordinary People, but it also has a fair number of weapons used by Ninjas, such as Kunai and Shuriken. The Kunai and Shuriken here are well-made and much better than the ones he uses.

He picked up a Kunai and examined it from all angles, just about to ask the price, when he heard someone speaking behind him.

"You brat from the Land of Earth, you're here to buy things too?"

Ōnoki turned around.

A young man stood behind him, wearing the uniform of the Land of Lightning's guards, with dark skin, light-colored hair, and a muscular build like an ox.

They are Ninjas from the Land of Lightning.

He looked to be in his early twenties, but his eyes were bright and held a fierce, indomitable spirit.

Ōnoki looked at him but didn't say anything.

The man didn't seem to care. He picked up a Shuriken from the shelf, flicked the blade, and listened to the sound.

"The workmanship is alright, but the style is a bit different." He put down his Shuriken and turned to look at Ōnoki. "What's your name?"

"Ōnoki."

"My name is Ai," the man said. " From Kumogakure)."

Ōnoki knew this name. A of the Kumogakure Yotsuki Clan.

"How old are you?" Ai asked.

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen?" Ai looked him up and down, then smiled. "You look about ten years old."

Ōnoki's face darkened slightly.

Ai either didn't notice, or if she did, she didn't care, and continued, "The things from the Land of Fire are indeed good, but they're too expensive. You could buy two of these Shuriken in the Land of Lightning."

Ōnoki didn't reply and put the Kunai back on the shelf.

As the two left the shop, they encountered two more people. One was from Sunagakure, a bit older than A, with a scar on his face, and he seemed very quiet.

The other one was from Kirigakure, and he looked older than the rest of them. He had a cold expression and didn't say a word from beginning to end.

Ninjas from four Shinobi Villages stood on the streets of the Capital of the Land of Fire.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Ai spoke first.

"Since we've run into each other, how about we find a place to sit?" He pointed to a teahouse across the street. "It's on me."

The man from Sunagakure glanced at him, said nothing, but moved his feet in that direction.

The one from Kirigakure remained expressionless and followed.

Ōnoki thought for a moment and followed.

The four of them sat down by the window in the teahouse and ordered a pot of tea and several plates of snacks.

No one spoke.

Ai looked out the window for a while, then suddenly spoke up, "What do you think the Land of Fire is thinking?"

Ōnoki looked at him.

"Giving Ninjas such a large area and letting them govern themselves—we in the Land of Lightning would never do that."

The one from Sunagakure finally spoke, his voice very low.

"Even the Land of Wind is impossible."

The people from Kirigakure nodded without saying a word.

Ai looked at Ōnoki.

"Where is your Land of Earth?"

Ōnoki paused for a moment.

"I don't know," he said. "It's not our place to decide."

Ai glanced at him and thought to herself, "This kid is really hard to get along with; his words are so sarcastic they're almost suffocating."

That's true. They are hostile countries, and war could break out at any time. There's no need to play along with the enemy.