Do You Compromise? I Won't Compromise-Who Would Compromise? Bah, Disgraceful!

The Land of Land of Fire is a vast country, mostly forested, with numerous cities and a prosperous economy. However, it has only enjoyed peace for two or three decades since the end of the war.

The nobles of the Land of Fire devoured each other, leaving only three nobles in the Capital City Fukama, Terahara, Son Kazu Egawa, aside from the tragic death of Land of Fire.

The three noble families have deep ties with the Sarutobi Clan, Fire Temple, and Hyuga Clan, respectively, and these established noble families did not rise to power out of thin air.

Without the support of ninjas, how could they possibly survive during the Shinobi World War and successfully rise to power, annex other nobles, and rapidly expand their own strength?

They've managed to stay unscathed so far, mainly because they've clung to powerful figures and played it safe. They're flexible and adaptable; if they can't be killed, they quickly kneel down and apologize to avoid causing trouble.

In the eyes of these old aristocrats, kneeling and apologizing is not a disgrace but an honor. The world of martial arts is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social customs.

The three noble envoys' daily routine for the past two days consisted of waiting in the conference room, working from nine to five. They ate when it was time to eat and returned to their lodgings in Konohagakure to rest when it got dark.

The waiting time was always tedious and boring. At first, the three of them just quietly drank tea and read books. When their eyes met those of the other two when they looked up, they simply smiled at each other.

Finally, the envoy from the Fukama family couldn't help but break the silence. The man was a middle-aged, fat man with a small mustache on both sides of his face, and he spoke with a twitching motion.

"I think that although Son Kazu Yuanhe has unfortunately passed away, it is not necessarily a bad thing for our three families. However, we still need to show the proper attitude in order to demonstrate our noble demeanor."

"That makes sense!" The Terahara family envoy nodded with a frown. "Nobles aren't pushovers; how can they be so easily manipulated by ninjas?"

"Yes, yes, we still need an explanation." The Egawa family's envoy wholeheartedly agreed.

"Konohagakure must provide an explanation, and even compensation!" The Terahara family's envoy added, "Today it's Son Kazu, but tomorrow it might be the turn of any of your masters."

"This isn't a good idea, after all, the Son Kazu Family were in the wrong first." The envoy from the Fukama family hesitated slightly. "I think we just need an explanation. It's not wise to confront the people of Konohagakure head-on."

He remembered his master's repeated instructions before he arrived: be polite and avoid conflict with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konohagakure. No matter how the other two families pursued the matter, he was absolutely forbidden from following them.

"How can you be so weak?" The Terahara family's envoy glanced at the middle-aged fat man. "Shouldn't we hold someone accountable? Are we supposed to grovel and beg?"

"Yes, where has your noble dignity gone? Have you abandoned your noble integrity?" Egawa Chuan's envoy said indignantly, slamming his hand on the table.

The fat man from the Fukama family was immediately covered in sweat. He thought to himself, "These two envoys are really crazy. Why are they going to provoke the people of Konohagakure at this time?"

Even he understood that what had happened was already done, and the person was dead. The Son Kazu Family met a tragic end, almost entirely divided up by the three major families of the Capital City.

He was now regretting speaking up; why couldn't he stay quiet? The other two noble families seemed even more insane; he would have to be more careful during the conversation later.

Keep a proper distance, and draw a clear line when necessary, to prevent blood from splattering on yourself.

However, this is for the best. It would be best if these two families clashed with that Jinchuriki and fought to the death. Only in this way could the Fukama family benefit.

After all, the Terahara and Egawa families are not like the Son Kazu Family, which has a shallow foundation. Even if a piece of flesh falls from their hands, it would be enough to make the Fukama family happy for years.

Thinking of this, the middle-aged fat man simply stopped trying to persuade him and began to fan the flames.

"That's true. What kind of status do we have? How could we possibly compromise with a mere ninja? We must hold him accountable severely and not give him a chance to explain!"

"Yes, are you going to compromise?" the Terahara family's envoy asked.

"I will not compromise!" The Egawa family's envoy revealed a set of silver teeth, which were even quite attractive. "Which great noble family would compromise for a mere ninja?"

The two exchanged a smile and lightly clinked their teacups together.

"Pah, you despicable person!"

The middle-aged fat man from the Fukama family didn't know what they were laughing about, but he felt he couldn't let the atmosphere get cold, so he also picked up his teacup and took a sip.

A naive smile appeared on his fat face, his small eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly with pride.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Uzuki Yugao were on their way back to Konohagakure.

After a long day of running around, Uzuki Yugao, soaked to the bone, was exhausted. She was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, looking very breathless.

"Wait! I can't take it anymore! Slow down!" she said, supporting her back. "Are you always this fast? Did you leave the gas on at home?"

"Are you sure you want to rest again? Lady Uzuki Yugao, we're on the move. Do you think this is child's play?" Naruto stopped, not a single drop of sweat appearing on his nose.

His physique became increasingly abnormal, allowing him to travel at a pace comparable to Uzuki Yugao's overloaded training. For an Anbu Captain to be unable to withstand such a level of travel intensity was truly too weak.

"What kind of speed is that?" Uzuki Yugao couldn't hold on any longer. She was so tired that she bent over, supporting herself on her knees with her hands. She barely managed to look up at him, and sweat immediately streamed into her eyes.

"Normal speed, otherwise how do you think I've survived until now?" Naruto joked. "When you're out in the game, you have to be quick to escape, otherwise you'd be killed long ago."

Speaking of running away, Naruto thought of Jiraiya again, wondering how the old man was doing. He was supposed to go find the Child of Prophecy, but it had been more than half a year and there was still no news.

The Child of Prophecy —who knows if it's just old Toad spouting nonsense? In any case, those who play the fatalist card never end well.

"Alright, let's rest for a bit." Naruto finally agreed reluctantly. It wasn't that he insisted on traveling quickly, but rather that he had limited time.

Traveling is tedious and pointless, so the less time spent on it, the better. Besides, I haven't figured out a way to get around yet, so I'm forced to improve my walking stamina.

"Your travel speed is too..." Uzuki Yugao collapsed to the ground, her eyes lifeless, muttering, "I really, really can't go on."

Upon hearing this, he looked up and saw dense greenery and the wind rustling through the treetops.

"If only I could fly."

"It can fly?" Uzuki Yugao chuckled, looking at the blue dome peeking through the dense canopy. "How does it fly? Does it sprout wings?"

"It's not impossible. Times have changed. We can even have trains and airships now, so why don't we have anything that can fly?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"Who knows? Communicators have been invented, haven't they? But have you seen the disputes between countries disappear?" Uzuki Yugao sighed.

"Ninjas are born for war; they're either fighting for resources or protecting them. They don't have time to care about those things. Didn't our ninja predecessors travel on foot before trains existed?"

"Moreover, there is no direct train from the Capital City to Konohagakure, so even getting off midway is more troublesome than traveling directly."

"This is so awkward. Being a ninja has become an obstacle to a happy life. Can't we just die for once?" Naruto sighed, took out some dry rations, and ate a few bites.

"It's hard to say what will happen now, but there will definitely be planes soon."

What is an airplane?

"You don't."

"Oh." Uzuki Yugao realized that this was a joke about color that she didn't understand, so she simply ended the conversation.

As for the strange things about airplanes, she didn't take them to heart. She just assumed Naruto was talking nonsense; after all, he often blurted out some odd things.

After resting for a while, the two continued their journey. Another day passed, and they finally arrived at the entrance of Konoha. Chunin the Chunin guarding the gate and went straight in.

Uzuki Yugao suggested they wash up, Naruto immediately refused.

"I rushed back here so that those noble envoys could see that they were the ones who made me go through all this trouble to get back. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state."

Hearing Naruto's chilling tone, Uzuki Yugao was speechless and stood aside with her arms crossed, offering a reminder.

"You now represent the image of Konohagakure Village. Remember to be kind. Otherwise, those nobles will think we ninjas are all bandits, a bunch of vicious villains."

"Got it, good luck." Naruto pouted and strode to the conference room door.

With a bang, it was pushed away.

Three people were seated in the simple conference room, envoys from three noble families. They were startled when the door was pushed open and a young man exuding a menacing aura entered.

"I heard you're looking for me?" Naruto pulled out a chair and sat down on the other side of the long table, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"What?" The envoy from the Fukama family had just picked up his water cup and was about to drink when he was so startled that his hand trembled and he spilled water on his collar. "Who are you! You scared me to death."

"Naruto Uzumaki".

"You're Naruto Uzumaki? Hah."

He wanted to be more polite as his master had suggested, but seeing Naruto's arrogant demeanor, he hesitated for a moment and decided to remain silent, habitually adopting a more authoritative stance first.

"Who are you??" The Terahara family member stood up, his attitude extremely respectful. "You must be Naruto Uzumaki. The Terahara family offers you our respects."

Naruto was stunned, as was the middle-aged fat man from the Fukama family. They turned their heads stiffly, looking at the Terahara family's envoy with disbelief.

He opened his mouth, looking at his humble and modest appearance, one would think he was serving the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. It was impossible to connect him with his arrogant and boastful manner in the conference room earlier.

Outrageous! He seemed to hear the voice of the Terahara family's envoy in his ear: "Will you compromise?" "I won't compromise. Who among the great nobles compromises? Bah, despicable!"

Bending over at less than 90 degrees? What the hell are you doing?

"Naruto, the head of the Egawa family pays his respects to you." Another young man stood up and said, "For this, we have prepared a small gift."

As he spoke, the young man from the Egawa family clapped his hands. Several servants pushed in a cart filled with gift boxes, which, when opened, revealed all sorts of precious and valuable handicrafts.

Jade pendants, gold, and various other raw materials are displayed in a dazzling array of ornaments, each piece glittering on the table.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation; I hope you won't find it offensive."

"Uh..." Naruto looked at the gifts and didn't know what to say for a moment. "Alright, I'll accept them. Please give my regards to your clan leader."

"The Egawa family, right?"

"Yes, Naruto." The young man smiled gently and spoke softly, "Our Egawa family and the Hyuga Clan have always been on good terms. I will be visiting Lord Hiashi's residence soon."

"The Hyuga Clan, I see. Then you're considered our main family." Upon hearing the Naruto Hinata immediately understood why this person was so respectful.

"Yes, it's the main family." The young man from the Egawa family smiled. Recently, there have been many changes in the Hyuga Clan, and the situation is unclear.

In this situation, the Egawa family, having ascertained the relationship, would naturally want to befriend Naruto. Firstly, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and secondly, they'd practically be considered one of their own.

I don't expect much benefit, just that it doesn't target me. The major noble families in the Capital City have been fighting for so long, and those who have managed to survive are already quite well-off.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged, overweight man from the Fukama family wiped the sweat from his brow. He thought to himself, "This is totally wrong! What happened to the promised strong accountability?"

Compromise is one thing, but to bring gifts? That's outrageous! What happened to the dignity of the nobility?

The fat man was internally screaming; he hadn't brought a gift. Who would have thought that you needed to bring a gift to listen to someone explain themselves for their mistakes? Has everyone become this stingy now?

Isn't it enough to just show goodwill? Perhaps Konohagakure will have to send gifts to the three envoys to appease the situation in the future.

This world is absolutely insane!

Just as he was about to speak, the Terahara family's messenger spoke first.

"Naruto, the Terahara family has prepared a small gift from the Fire Temple. We hope that Naruto will not find it offensive and will accept Terahara kindness."

After he finished speaking, a group of people entered from outside, carrying a batch of antique-style gift boxes. They were arranged in two rows, one on each side.

Upon opening, the box was filled with wooden treasures such as Buddhist prayer beads, as well as a few gifts like gemstones. It exuded auspicious energy, making it a perfect gift with a touch of class.

"Fire Temple? What's your relationship with the Fire Temple?" Naruto asked, sitting in a chair.

"Our Terahara family has a very deep connection with the Fire Temple, and our head of the family has been a friend of Master Jiraiya for many years. This batch of gifts was also chosen on Master Jiraiya's advice."

"Oh, Chiriku, so that's who chose him. No wonder he's so ugly," Naruto said casually.

Upon hearing this, the envoy from the Terahara family was slightly startled, realizing that this person had a close relationship with Master Jiraiya, and his expression became even more respectful.

"Alright, I'll accept all the gifts." Naruto stood up, casually looked up, and put all the gifts into his Sealing Space, waiting to give them away next time.

Having done all that, he glanced around casually and happened to see the middle-aged, overweight man across the long table, looking rather flustered. He was already drenched in sweat, mentally cursing under his breath.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I am... I am from the Fukama family. Our patriarch also offers you his respects." The fat man swallowed hard. "Our patriarch... he..."

"Our Fukama family and the Sarutobi Clan have a deep historical connection. Our patriarch once had a relationship with the Third Hokage."

"Oh, the Third Hokage, right?" Naruto's eyelids twitched, and he looked behind him with a puzzled expression. "Did you bring a gift too?"

Gurgle.

The fat man swallowed awkwardly. A gift? He brought a worthless gift. Who knew that bringing a gift was necessary when someone came to hear about his crimes?

His master wasn't prepared either, and hurriedly sent him, instructing him to get ahead of the other two families. He was told to maintain a good attitude and not to antagonize them.

They arrived in such a rush that Naruto wouldn't be there so soon. The other two families arrived late, also empty-handed and arrogant, but little did they know it was a lie!

Besides