Five Kage Summit (2)

Byakuren's tone held a hint of dissatisfaction. "Besides, why should we follow your arrangements? Are all Ninjas in cahoots? Hmph, that's what the nobles think, but we're not really in cahoots."

Ai then spoke, his voice steady, but his words were laced with barbs. "I believe that the Hokage wants to take responsibility and lead the Ninjas onto a better path, but we will not obey you for that reason."

Reto chimed in, "That's right. You are all leaders of your villages. Although the Hokage has achieved great feats, we don't think we're lacking in anything."

Izuna stood behind Hashirama, rolling his eyes inwardly.

Oh, so they think we want to annex their Shinobi Village? They're dreaming.

Hashirama waved his hand, a hint of helplessness in his expression. "Uh... everyone, have you misunderstood what I said? I simply meant I wanted to make a deal with you all."

Ishikawa leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on the armrests. "Then Hokage, would you like to tell me the details of this transaction?"

"We have a lot to say about this matter," Hashirama said, "So we have prepared some documents for everyone to review."

Izuna casually pulled a Space-Time Scroll from his sleeve, spread his hands, and activated the Sealing Release Formula.

Five stacks of documents appeared out of thin air on the floor in the center of the Meeting Room, neatly arranged.

Each person took one stack, and finally placed the remaining stack Hashirama the table in front of Hashirama.

After distributing the items, he walked back and stood behind Hashirama.

Hashirama opened the first page of the stack of documents in front of him and cleared his throat.

Before discussing the details of the transaction, I'd like to talk to you about something.

All Four Kage's eyes were fixed on him.

"Have you all wondered why the nobles have made such a big show of things in the Land of Hot Water this time?"

Reto frowned. "Didn't we just say that we would annex the Land of Whirlpools in order to force the Land of Land of Hot Water to compromise?"

"That's just the surface," Hashirama said. "Their real goal is to master the power of the Ninja as quickly as possible."

Byakuren glanced at him. "You said that just now too."

"I did say that, but why now? Why the rush?"

"After the establishment of Shinobi Villages, the power of Ninjas changed from scattered clans to concentrated villages, and from sporadic missions to organized operations. This change has become a threat in their eyes."

"So?" Reto shrugged. "To put it bluntly, you are all people who founded Shinobi Villages. You all know how difficult it is to manage those people under your command. Only Konoha has been able to unify its forces and think about that matter so quickly."

Hashirama looked at him sincerely, "Kazekage, we can speak frankly about rebellion; I don't mind."

Reto clicked his tongue, "You really are stubborn."

"Because we all know we can't," Hashirama. "They look down on us Ninjas, but to be honest, I don't care about the power they hold either, otherwise it wouldn't be a Kage sitting here now, it would be Daimyo."

Upon hearing this, Ishikawa burst into laughter. "Well said!"

Raikage A frowned. "Please continue, Hokage."

"Although we look down on Ordinary People and have no intention of vying for power with them, the nobles will still be worried."

Hashirama said, "The incident in the Land of Hot Water was an experiment. They wanted to use that operation to make the world think that Ninjas are uncontrollable and dangerous, thereby getting the Daimyo of various countries to unite and put pressure on the Shinobi Villages, or even directly weaken us."

Ai snorted, "Then we should be even tougher. Let them know the price of messing with us."

Reto said, "That's right, do those moneybags really think they're someone important?"

Hashirama, signaling them to calm down, "Relying solely on force won't solve the fundamental problem."

He turned to the second page of the document and pointed to a line of text on the paper.

Have any of you ever wondered why Ninjas exist?

The question came as abruptly, and all Four Kage were taken aback.

Reto frowned. "Ninjas exist because someone needs them, of course."

"That's right." Hashirama nodded, "But that's the problem. The existence of Ninjas has always been dependent on the needs of others."

"The nobles need us to fight, so we fight; the nobles need us to kill, so we kill. We may not care about taking the nobles' lives now, but we genuinely need their money to live on."

Byakuren narrowed her eyes. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"The Ninjas ' current predicament boils down to an economic problem," Hashirama said. "We have no industry of our own, no production of our own; all our income comes from mission rewards. And who issues the missions? The nobles. If the nobles don't issue missions, we have nothing to eat. If the nobles lower the rewards, we go hungry."

He pushed the document forward. "You can all take a look at page three; that's the data I had Tobirama compile."

"Over the past decade, the rewards for missions carried out by the Land of Fire's Shinobi Clan have been steadily decreasing, while the difficulty of the missions has been increasing. The nobles are making us do increasingly dangerous things for less and less money. Why? Because they know we have no other way out."

Four Kage lowered her head and flipped through the documents, the only sound in the Meeting Room being the rustling of pages turning.

Ishikawa turned to the third page, his brows slowly furrowing.

"These data..." He looked up, "Are they real?"

"It can't be fake," Hashirama said.

"But what does this have to do with the deal we're going to discuss today?"

"It's relevant," Hashirama said. "Because the only way to solve this problem is to let the Ninjas realize the economic value we should have."

Four Kage simultaneously looked up at him.

"The economic value that should have been there?" Ishikawa repeated the somewhat new term to him.

"What do you mean?" Ai asked.

"It means we can no longer live off mission rewards alone," Hashirama said. "We need our own industries, our own production, our own trade. We need to transform Ninjas from 'tools' into 'producers'."

He turned to page five. "For example, we have Ninjutsu."

"Ninjutsu can be used for warfare, but it can also be used for work. The Amusement Park that Konoha is currently building is a good example. Once the Amusement Park is built, the revenue will go directly to us, bypassing the nobles."

Hashirama spoke with some pride, "Although we're not officially open yet, we've already received two baskets full of advance invitations. I imagine that once the situation stabilizes, the children of Konoha won't have to do those murderous things for a while."

Reto frowned. "Even if you're right, what does this have to do with us? We in the Land of Wind can't even get enough water to drink, how can we have the time to build an Amusement Park?"

"That's why we need to trade," Hashirama said. "We'll cooperate and each get what we need."

Reto laughed, "A mutually beneficial arrangement? What do we have that would be of interest to your Konoha?"

Hashirama raised an eyebrow. "You're underestimating yourself. Please turn to page five; that contains the details of the transaction with your Sunagakure, and also the treaty of the peace agreement. Not only Sunagakure, but everyone can also turn to the next page."

Upon hearing this, Reto flipped through the pages and saw that it was indeed an agreement.

Draft Letter of Intent for Cooperation between Konoha Special Administrative Region and Sunagakure

Four Kage lowered her head and flipped through the documents, the only sound in the Meeting Room being the rustling of pages turning.

As they read, everyone unconsciously revealed a solemn expression.

After a long pause, Reto closed the file.

He looked up at Hashirama, his expression as if he were confirming that he had taken the wrong thing.

"Hokage," Reto's voice was somewhat hoarse, "This really is... a deal between Shinobi Villages?"

Hashirama nodded. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it?" Ai slammed the documents on the table, his voice rising a notch. "The scale and scope of what's written here are matters for international negotiations! You expect us villages to handle this?"

Ishikawa pushed the document away a bit. "Our entire village in the Land of Earth has less than 100,000 people. What do you expect us to offer to do business with you on this scale?"

Byakuren didn't speak, but looked at Hashirama as if he were a madman.

Hashirama, still sporting his usual smiling expression, placed both hands on the table and leaned forward slightly. "Gentlemen, I think you've misunderstood something."

Four Kage turned their gazes to him.

"These agreements are not meant for you to do all at once. As you can see, each agreement is divided into phases."

"The First Stage is all small-scale pilot projects. If it succeeds, we'll discuss the next step. If it doesn't, we'll just consider it a trial run; we won't lose anything."

Reto frowned and flipped through the pages again, his tone still tinged with unease. "Then... what about the investment? We can't afford it."

"We won't require your entire village to mobilize," Hashirama said. "We'll provide the technology, and while you'll need to contribute manpower, it's not to the point where you can't take on other tasks."

Ai snorted, "That sounds nice. What if we lose money?"

"If we lose money, it's on me," Hashirama said casually. "Our Konoha still has some resources to spare."

The Meeting Room was completely silent; the host from the Land of Iron sat there, barely daring to breathe.

The man in front of me sat upright and had a humble attitude, but his words were extremely arrogant.

We in Konoha, do you really think he owns all ten or so Shinobi Clans in Konoha?

Byakuren stared at Hashirama: "Do you know what you're saying? This involves deals at the national level of four countries."

"I know," Hashirama said, "But I also know that you all have the leadership skills to do this, and I believe these things can be accomplished."

Ishikawa pursed his lips. At his age, he had seen many boastful people at the negotiating table, but no one had ever given him this feeling of having everything under control.

And he also possesses the corresponding leadership skills? This is a clever use of reverse psychology.

They couldn't resist such a huge benefit, so naturally their leadership skills must be very strong.

If they do well, it's because they have good judgment; if they don't, it's because they lack the ability.

This person is quite cunning.

Even after deciding to cooperate, the Four Kage still had some concerns.

After all, no matter how they looked at it, they couldn't see any substantial benefits that Konoha could gain from this agreement.

The Land of Fire is vast and rich in resources, lacking nothing in terms of food and cloth, and possessing all kinds of minerals and seafood. The goods acquired through these trades are not essential to Konoha.

Hashirama of taking advantage of the other Shinobi Villages' lack of foothold and strengthening of their own power, Hashirama came to do business with them. Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

Moreover, these agreements always exude a condescending sense of guidance.

It looks more like an adult teaching a child how to walk.

But if you look closely, the Regulations clearly state that they will be taught the skills.

Some skills, once learned, become their own.

But what if you can't learn it?

Ishikawa looked at Hashirama: "Hokage, I have a question."

"Please speak."

"Are you sure you want to teach these techniques?"

Hashirama smiled and said, "Of course, I guarantee you'll learn it."

"What if we don't learn it? What if you hold back on crucial parts? Wouldn't we still need you?"

Hashirama did not shy away from the question, "That is indeed a problem, so, gentlemen, we have a second matter to discuss with you."

Hashirama told them to turn the pages of the document.

Four Kage turned the page as instructed, and found that the titles on the later pages were different from the earlier ones, the font was larger, and the layout was more spacious.

"A draft of Kage-Level Trainee Exchange Program... A draft of Inter-Village Elite Training System?" Reto read the title aloud, then looked up at Hashirama. "What does this mean?"

"Konoha is willing to open up some non-core Ninjutsu and logistical management techniques," Hashirama said. "But the prerequisite is that Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure must send young elites, Jonin or Special Jōnin level, to Konoha for a six-month training program. This is not only a technology transfer, but also a means of building a network of trust among people."

Ishikawa turned to the next page, his brow furrowing. "Six months for one phase... isn't that too long?"

"It won't be long." Hashirama waved his hand. "Our original plan was three years. What can you learn in six months? It takes three years to truly master a skill. Only then can you return to your village and be truly useful."

Ai flipped through the document twice, then suddenly looked up and said, "You mean, we should send the village's most capable people right under your nose?"

"To be precise, they're children," Hashirama said. "They come to Konoha to learn techniques, and they can also live with our children."

Ai squinted. "Aren't you afraid that our people will find out everything about you?"

"I dared to send you here because I'm not afraid of this kind of thing happening," Hashirama said frankly. "What might happen in secret is hard to say, but if the children can still figure out our family's secrets openly, then we adults might as well commit seppuku."

Ai chuckled upon hearing this.

As expected of the God of the Shinobi World, his words carry a grand air.

Reto said, "The plan looks good. But I still maintain that what if the people we send don't learn anything? And how can you guarantee that we'll teach your children real skills?"

"If we can't learn anything, then let's stop exchanging ideas," Hashirama said. "The spots for the next training program are canceled."

Reto raised an eyebrow. "Is this a threat?"

"This is a threat," Hashirama nodded, his tone frank. "And it's a threat that works on both sides. Surely you wouldn't miss the opportunity to openly and legitimately send spies into each other's villages?"

Byakuren snorted from the side, "Young man, why do you speak so harshly? What spy? That's really awful."

Hashirama chuckled, "That's right, not a spy, but Exchange Student."

Byakuren snorted again, picked up the pen, and signed the proposal. "Our Kirigakure will participate in this plan."

"Yes, Lord Mizukage."

Ai closed the file and placed it on the table. "Kumogakure will also send people. I hope the Lord Hokage will take good care of us then."

"Sure, sure."

Reto pondered for a moment, "Sunagakure will also participate. I hope the Lord Hokage will keep his word."

"I also hope that Lord Kazekage the same way."

Ishikawa didn't rush to write. He glanced at Wu, who had been standing behind him tense ever since he heard the word "Exchange Student," and sighed, "Sigh... I have a question. Could we send an adult to lead the children? I'm worried that if they make a mistake, we won't be able to explain it to you."

Hashirama thought for a moment and said, "Speaking of which, students under the age of fifteen can go with a Guardian. Meanwhile, students studying in Konoha can accept missions in our Mission Hall to earn commissions for their studies and living expenses."

Ishikawa was stunned. "But this wasn't written in the agreement."

Hashirama scratched the back of his head, smiling a little embarrassedly, "Hehe, that's why it's called a draft. We'll write a formal one later. In short, our school's mission is to allow children to fully immerse themselves in their studies. I hope everyone who comes to Konoha can learn real skills."

Ishikawa sighed again, "Sigh... What if my child doesn't want to come home after all this?"

"Ah, this..." Hashirama's smile froze for a moment.

Byakuren suddenly spoke up from the side, "Hmph, isn't that defection?"

Hashirama turned to look at him, his smile faltering slightly, "Well, calling it defection is too strong a word. Wanting to live in a better place isn't a bad thing, is it?"

Byakuren's eyelids drooped slightly as she spoke calmly, "To me, that's treason. Since the Ninjas of my Land of Water were born in the Land of Water, they should be loyal to the Land of Water. If any of them do something like staying because they're having a good time in another country, then don't blame me for being ruthless and putting their Wanted Notice on the bulletin board."

Hashirama opened his mouth. "... Um, well..."

A sinister smile crept across Byakuren's lips beneath his mustache, "Lord Hokage, there's no need to feel troubled. If such a thing really happens, blame it on our poor upbringing, not on your fault."

Hashirama was furious.

Isn't this basically saying it's my fault?!

Is it wrong for the Land of Fire to have such a superior geographical location?!

Izuna! Help!

He didn't move his face, but his eyes had already secretly glanced behind him.