Settlement Screen

They stayed in the Land of Hot Water for another three days.

Over three days, the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Whirlpools officially became friendly nations, witnessed by the people.

The Barrier Ninjutsu practitioner of the Land of Whirlpools were invited to set up arrays in several key locations of the Land of Hot Water, and the trade routes of the Land of Hot Water were opened to merchants from the Land of Whirlpools.

More and more people with red hair gradually appeared, and they established their own shops in this place that was in ruins.

The delegations sent by the Four Nations to escort the leaders arrived one after another.

The dead take away the corpses, the living take away the living.

When the assassins and Ninjas were brought out of the temporary prison by their respective countries' envoys, the people of the Land of Hot Water blocked the road, staring at them with red eyes. Some spat on the ground, while others clenched their fists, wanting to rush forward, but were stopped by Hiroyama's men.

Yotsuki A should have been one of those people who were taken away.

But there's nothing we can do. After all, he's the eldest son of the largest Shinobi Village in the Land of Lightning. He was redeemed long ago, and now he's the one picking him up.

He strode over along the stone path of the dock, followed by Chekku, who had broken away from the group.

Ai walked up to Izuna and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Chekku stood behind him and nodded slightly to Izuna.

"I've taken Kinkaku and Ginkaku," Ai said. "These are the ransom."

Izuna took the scroll he offered and put it directly into his pocket.

"Aren't you going to check it out?"

Izuna raised an eyebrow. "Is it necessary to check?"

Ai laughed. "Talking to smart people is so easy. Tell me, what else do you want?"

"We, the Land of Fire, will take the trading rights to iron ore and rare metals. You may take the Seven Star Sword, the Gold Rope, and the Banana Palm Fan. We will leave the rest behind."

Ai frowned. The Seven Star Sword and the Gold Rope —one could sever the Word Spirit, and the other could condense the Word Spirit within an enemy and inflict a curse.

If they only had these two items to begin with, that would be fine. After all, severing the Word Spirit means that the person will never be able to utter that word again, which is an excellent Divine Artifact for maintaining secrecy for Ninjas.

But things are different with the Purple Gold Gourd.

The purple-gold gourd is not very useful on its own, and its enormous size makes it unsuitable as a weapon or shield for attack.

However, the Purple Gold Gourd can absorb the Word Spirit forced out by the Gold Rope and the Seven Star Sword, and seal the person into the gourd when they utter the word again or remain silent for a long time.

Without the Seven Star Sword and Gold Rope from the Purple Gold Gourd, its power is greatly reduced.

Needless to say, the Banana Palm Fan was responsible for half of the storm that Izuna created that night.

The Banana Palm Fan can unleash the Five Elements Escape Technique simply by fanning itself, and its power is extraordinary, comparable to the highest level of Ninjutsu. It can be said to be Divine Artifact that can greatly accelerate the progress of battle.

Conversely, the amount of Chakra required to use the Banana Palm Fan is enormous; even Yotsuki A cannot guarantee that he can wield the Banana Palm Fan many times.

For him, it would be faster to take the stage himself than to waste time fanning himself with a fan.

The storm that Izuna fanned up last night should have drained Izuna Chakra, but Izuna not only showed no signs of weakness, but was even able to control the wind to safely catch people afterward.

Simply put, this thing only has such power in Izuna's hands; in other people's hands, it's either useless or completely unusable.

The Jade Purifying Bottle is a truly magical Divine Artifact that can be used to summon an enemy simply by calling their name and getting a response.

But on the battlefield, who can guarantee they won't call out names or refuse to answer?

If a teammate nearby does this when the bottle is opened, then the one sealed inside is one of your own.

So it's useful, but the indiscriminate identification is still awful, and like the Purple Gold Gourd, it's too big to transport. It's really cumbersome to carry around like this. It would be better to send more people...

Although these Divine Artifacts all have some flaws, they were once Divine Artifacts of the Land of Lightning.

If Izuna said he wouldn't give them any or would only give them one, he might be able to bargain. But if they refused to give a single penny, the Ninjas of the Land of Lightning would have a reason to fight to the death, even if they couldn't defeat them.

They won't let Konoha have an easy time then.

However, Izuna gave away three at once, leaving only the Jade Purifying Bottle and the Purple Gold Gourd.

He couldn't say anything then.

Ai stared at him for two seconds, then finally nodded. "Deal."

He took the Gold Rope, the Seven Star Sword, and the Banana Palm Fan from the handout, tucked them into his belt, and couldn't help but ask Izuna, "I see you're quite skilled with the Banana Leaf Banana Palm Fan, why didn't you leave Banana Palm Fan behind?"

Izuna pouted. "This is too big, and I already have my own fan, so I don't need to collect another one."

Ai laughed, "Your reasoning makes it sound like Banana Palm Fan is some kind of roadside palm-leaf fan."

Isn't that so?

"Haha! Uchiha Izuna, I'll remember you!"

After saying that, Ai called to Chekku and Earth Flow.

Tobirama stood not far away, watching the whole scene unfold, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Kinkaku and Ginkaku currently belong to Kumogakure, but they were taken away by people from Kumogakure.

It seems that in the end, this kid still got the benefit. With Kinkaku and Ginkaku, from now on, the only Land of Lightning that will have a say in the Shinobi World is the Kumogakure.

Most of the criminals who were taken away left the Land of Hot Water alive, just like this.

But some of them didn't make it.

Wūwū Liánběi died in prison, and Jason, who had been captured, also died.

There were also several Ninja hands were stained with the blood of civilians. They were fine the night before they were redeemed, but when they were found the next morning, they were already dead.

The deaths were peaceful, with no expression of pain on their faces, as if they were asleep. There was only a very fine wound on their chest. When the bodies were being processed, it was discovered that their hearts were missing.

When Izuna heard the news, he was packing his luggage. He was stunned for a moment and was a little confused as to who had done it.

It wasn't until that afternoon, when he saw Kakuzu standing in the corner, with the Earth Grudge Fear around him having increased from one to three, that he realized what was happening.

Good heavens, it was him!

The Earth Grudge Fear is quite skilled at assassination.

The threads of that thing were so fine that they wouldn't be noticeable even after entering the human body. The clones that split off were all pitch black, and the untrained eye couldn't discern anything from the masks. Who would know that those hearts had long since become these masks?

No wonder the original work says he tried to assassinate Hashirama.

If Hashirama hadn't been so incredibly overpowered, it's hard to say whether Kakuzu have succeeded.

Izuna stroked his chin.

He had no opinion about these people's deaths.

To be honest, he originally wanted these people dead. He just planned to go through the motions before taking action, Kakuzu saved him the trouble.

Izuna thought to himself, "I never thought I'd become one of those people who get speculated about in TV dramas."

Kakuzu sensed Izuna's gaze long ago, and only looked back after Izuna turned and left, pursing his lips.

That afternoon, Kakuzu delivered a box, put it down, and left without saying a word.

Izuna opened the box and glanced inside, somewhat surprised.

Ketsuryūgan.

They are perfectly preserved by being immersed in a special liquid.

There was a note next to it. "I hope Lord Izuna likes the gift from the Land of Waterfalls."

Izuna held the note in his hand and stroked his chin.

Well, they're even trying to get sponsorship for their own country. Alright, let's keep in touch with the Land of Waterfalls more often.

Izuna promptly shoved the Ketsuryūgan into Tobirama.

Tobirama looked extremely happy.

He truly deserves the title of a research fanatic.

Before leaving, Izuna took the time to go and have a drink with Haruto and Enma.

Haruto lay sprawled on the table, his hair a mess, his dark circles under his eyes so thick they looked like he'd been punched twice.

"God knows why I had the nerve to come back and inherit the family business," he muttered. "Now look what's happened, I have to do everything."

Izuna reassured him somewhat guiltily, "Well, well... don't worry."

"It's all your fault!" Haruto glared at him. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be staying here to suffer..."

"Hey, well," Izuna waved his hand, "This has somewhat repaired the mother-son relationship. Besides, with your family's vast wealth, the brewery can only get bigger and bigger in the future, which means we can drink even more flavors of sake, right?"

"Well, thank you so much then."

Izuna shut up.

Enma, sitting next to him, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Haruto glared at him, Enma raised his hands in surrender, but the corners of his mouth were still curved.

Enma and Haruto have formed an alliance.

Now that Luotai has joined the Hiroyama Family, as the head of a small shipping business, he has shifted his focus entirely to the Hiroyama Family and is currently learning how to manage Pleasure Quarter's affairs from Tamaro.

Enma's cooperation with him was merely a favor, allowing him to gain a foothold in the Hiroyama Family more quickly and incidentally establish a connection with the Hiroyama Family to strengthen the diplomatic relations between the two countries of Tang and Wo.

Haruto's past business ventures abroad were the true channels that allowed Enma to access overseas markets and the upper class.

Now that everyone has witnessed the Strength of the Uzumaki Clan's Barrier Ninjutsu, safety is the top priority. No matter how much those nobles look down on Ninjas, they will still flock to them.

During this time, Izuna also offered some advice based on his knowledge from his previous life. "It would be best if you could remain neutral."

Enma gave a wry smile, "How could that be? If we could really remain neutral, we wouldn't be in such a sorry state this time."

"Hmm," Izuna put down his glass, "This is my opinion. Besides the fact that you guys are indeed fat, there are two other problems that have gotten you into this mess."

Enma raised his chin. "Two questions?"

"First, they're not ruthless enough." Izuna held up one finger. "If you could set up the Formation with the determination to perish together with the Land of Whirlpools, they wouldn't dare to invade."

"Huh?" Enma didn't quite catch on. What did she mean by "mutual destruction"? Would that even work?

"Secondly," Izuna held up a second finger, "You guys aren't tactful enough. Look at this Barrier Ninjutsu; if I hadn't pointed it out, would you have ever intended to use it in business?"

Enma opened his mouth, putting aside his previous doubts, and said, "Actually, we have tried it, but Formation, once set up, can be used for a long time..."

"Sigh, are you guys stupid?" Izuna sighed. "Just make sure the Formation can be used for four or five years. At the very least, introduce a more elaborate Formation every year. Only by constantly innovating can it last. Besides, your country naturally has Sealing Jutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu. Haven't you ever thought about preserving important items for certain nobles?"

Enma and Haruto exchanged a glance.

Their eyes lit up at the same time.

"Wonderful!"

"Is this really possible?!"

Izuna crossed his arms. "Why not? This is how you make money. As for safekeeping important items, you can't do this business according to traditional ideas."

Enma leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"You cannot do business with one country; you must preserve goods for everyone."

"Whether they are from the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, or the Land of Earth, and regardless of whether the property was stolen or robbed, you must do business with them."

Enma frowned. "But... we don't have the military force to protect these valuables..."

"This brings us to the mutual destruction method I mentioned earlier."

"Explain in detail."

"This method is called the National Fortress Project."

Haruto grunted, "Should I excuse myself?"

Izuna raised an eyebrow. "Avoid what? There's no need to avoid it. After all, we'll need you to spread this around later."

Haruto was stunned. "So I'm involved too?"

Izuna grinned. "Just listen."

"Project National Fortress involves deploying a large number of Explosive Tags and traps around the entire country."

Izuna held up one finger. "However, these Explosive Tags and traps are not for defense."

"What is it used for?"

"Destroy key roads, bridges, and tunnels," Izuna said. "Some can even be deployed on mountainsides, ready to create mudslides at any time. If your country has many mountains, this will be especially useful."

Enma frowned. "Isn't this cutting off our own escape route? Even if there's no way out, the Ninjas can still get in, right?"

Izuna shook his finger. "This isn't over yet. After you go back, mobilize the entire clan to copy all the scrolls they have treasured. Copy what you can, and move what you can't. When copying, write down as many mistakes as possible, make the fakes look exactly like the real ones, and then hide these forgeries in your original stronghold. Move all the originals away."

"Then, also place Explosive Tags around these key locations, as well as your killing formation. Explosive Tags are best; others will recognize them at a glance. Also, send in some spies to create the impression that they're ready to detonate at any moment."

Enma pondered for a moment, "You mean, to give the outside world the impression of 'preferring mutual destruction to being bullied'?"

"That's right." Izuna slammed his hand on the table. "I call this the Hedgehog Strategy."

"This sends a clear signal to other countries: I can't say how powerful I am, but I'm definitely not someone to mess with. If you insist on fighting me, then we'll fight to the death. If I'm gone, you won't get anything out of me either."

Haruto, who was listening nearby, gasped, "Holy crap, that's ruthless."

"Besides, you're a Shinobi Clan, aren't you? You have some fighting power." Izuna leaned back in his chair. "We risked our lives and got nothing in return. Thinking about it this way, there's absolutely no benefit in fighting you, so why fight?"

Enma nodded, but then shook his head. "But that can only make people wary, not prevent them from taking action. What if someone is really determined to take on this tough nut?"

"Our Uzumaki Clan is ultimately just a clan, a small country, and a Ninja country at that. Even without any benefit, the Ninjas will still take action under the instigation of the nobles."

"That's why we have a second strategy." Izuna held up a second finger. "As long as you do business with everyone indiscriminately, give everyone benefits, and find fault with everyone, no one will touch you. Not only will they not touch you, they will treat you like treasures."

Enma thought for a moment, "That's true, but how can we get the nobles to willingly leave their things with us...?"

"I'm not going to worry about that," Izuna shrugged. "That's all I'll say. Figure out the rest yourselves."

Enma condemned his half-hearted attempt to help and immediately turned back, presumably to inform the Land of Whirlpools' Ruler about the matter.

As for Haruto, he felt that this matter was currently none of his business, and it was good that Enma was gone, so he and Izuna could drink to their hearts' content.

Izuna thought so too.

After dealing with this series of events, Izuna and the others first went to see the Jurōjin, to explain their intention to leave.

After a round of compliments, the Jurōjin, leaning on his cane, personally escorted them to the door. He bowed slightly, said nothing fancy, only that "The Land of Hot Water owes you a favor," and then turned and went back.

Next, they went to find Kyōnosuke, the Land of Whirlpools' ruler.

Kyōnosuke sat on the veranda of the Temporary Camp, a pot of tea in front of him.

Well, this guy was waiting for them to come.

Hashirama stared coldly at Kyōnosuke, who picked up Kyōnosuke teacup and used the rim to hide his guilty conscience.