Cooperation

"Ice Release? Isn't that the Kekkei Genkai of the Yuki Clan?"

Many Mist Ninja were shocked by the Ice Wall's defense, while more sharp-eyed ones stared wide-eyed, exclaiming, "Watch out! What is that...?"

Waves reaching thirty to forty meters high surged skyward, and the members of the Kirigakure and Cloud; the sun vanished from their sight, and they felt as insignificant as ants standing before the towering waters.

Several Hidden Mist Ninja, all former fishermen, suddenly recalled the scene of a tsunami triggered by an earthquake that they experienced as children...

Sage Art: Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!

"Don't stand there! Quickly, defend with all your might!" Mei Terumi's sharp shout immediately snapped them out of their daze, and all the Cloud Ninja nearby frantically mobilized their chakra.

Today I finally witnessed the level of a ninja who could single-handedly withstand Tailed Beast Ball. Now, if I'm not careful, I'll probably be smashed into mincemeat.

For a moment, the sea was a dazzling spectacle, with all sorts of Ninjutsu erupting as if they were free. Fortunately Mei Terumi, Darui, and the others were all incredibly powerful, and together they focused their full power on a single point, managing to block Shuichi's casual attack.

"Pretty capable, huh? Well then, I'll get serious a little..." Shuichi puffed out his chest and blew hard forward, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

Despite the bright sunshine, the Jonin were battered as if by a typhoon. First came showers, then a fierce wind swept through, and many nearly tumbled into the sea, unable even to stand.

The highly saline Seawater soaked everyone from head to toe, and the strong winds made it impossible for them to open their eyes; they felt so uncomfortable that they felt like they were going to vomit blood.

The two Konoha cheerleaders were completely dumbfounded; even Yamanaka Inoichi, who was somewhat prepared, was still taken aback.

It's just a regular Ninjutsu, so how is using it any different from a natural disaster?

After warming up, Shuichi waited, standing quietly in place looking at the opposite side. With a flick of his hand, he threw out a large amount of ice.

Unbeknownst to Kirigakure and Cloud, ice blocks had previously flown overhead during a strong wind and were now falling into the Seawater behind them, only to float back up.

"Hehe..."

Shuichi's lips curled into a smile, and a dozen Shadow Clone appeared beside him. Each instantly chose its own ice block and flew away, forming rows in front and back, trapping a large group of enemies in the middle. "You are surrounded!"

All the Shadow Clone simultaneously raised their hands, and the ice bullets, resembling steel needles, were already in place. Bang bang bang bang bang

Sage Art: Ice Release - Endless Barrage!

"What?"

Just as the Mist Ninja and Cloud Ninja were taken aback by his movement, countless ice needles pierced the air, weaving the central area into a dense, impenetrable white net.

Puff puff puff...

There was no time to defend themselves; blood spurted from each of them. When the pain suddenly struck, they were shocked to find that their bodies had been pierced through.

"Retreat immediately!"

As Shuichi's Shadow Clone activated their Flying Thunder God to surround them, Darui, sensing something was wrong, shouted loudly to the Cloud Ninja.

As soon as several Shuichi raised their hands, he immediately led the way, dodging to the side in Body Flicker Technique. The tense team members followed suit immediately.

In the end, about a third of them were pierced by ice needles, but their teammates helped them up in time, and all the Cloud Ninja retreated without looking back.

"Darui, their injuries..."

"There shouldn't be any danger to his life. Purple Aurora held back," Darui said calmly. "This is a warning from a powerful being. He deliberately left a gap in his encirclement, and that move is definitely more powerful than this."

If he were to unleash his full power, most of the people present would probably be instantly killed.

The astute Darui sensed this information: strong people have pride. They've already let you off the hook, and if you still won't leave, that's pushing your luck. The next attack will be much more ruthless.

Sacrificing the village's elite forces for a few resources is definitely not worth it; choosing to give up is the right decision.

"A smart guy." Shuichi smiled as he watched the Cloud team leave, then turned his gaze back to the heavily injured Mist Ninja.

All the Shadow Clone created ice bullets again, pointing their guns at the guys.

Yamanaka Inoichi hurriedly interrupted him, "Shuichi-kun, it's best not to engage in large-scale killings now, even though Kirigakure has already..."

"I know," Shuichi said helplessly. "I haven't killed a single person yet; I'm just waiting for their reaction. If this Mizukage is stubborn, that would be troublesome. Senior, you'll have to wait a bit..."

"Wait a minute, are you trying to start a war, Purple Aurora?" Mei Terumi clutched her wounded arm. "To seize our country's resources, you've created unparalleled bloodshed."

"Ahem, ahem... Lord Shuichi, the matter of the Molten Water development can be discussed again!" Qing said somewhat anxiously, "We originally planned to cooperate with the Land of Fire, so there's no need for conflict."

Shuichi raised his hand to the sky and fired an ice bullet with a bang. He looked at him in surprise. "There was no conflict between us at all. I just came out to hunt birds today. Just now... maybe I missed."

Splat

A large seagull fell from the sky, its entire body ripped open with a huge bloody hole. The Shadow Clone all disappeared in a row, as if nothing had happened.

Mei Terumi instantly regained her senses and turned back to carefully examine the injured ninjas. She found that they were not seriously injured, and the pinhole-sized observation wounds were all far from vital organs. The level of control she had over this power was simply terrifying.

She quickly realized that she was now the shadow of the village, and diplomatic affairs must not be influenced by personal grudges.

The Kirigakure is completely vulnerable right now. It has very few capable fighters left. This large-scale mobilization brought a large number of elite troops, and if they are all lost in this village, it will be finished.

"Is this Lord Shuichi? Could you please discuss the matter of establishing formal diplomatic relations between our two countries? Cooperation on this resource point is naturally included in that."

Mei Terumi has matured a lot.

Her childhood dream was to restore Kirigakure to its former glory and make it a peaceful and open village, and this was an extremely rare opportunity.

"Oh?" Shuichi surprised by her decisiveness, thinking to himself that she was broad-minded, just young and inexperienced. "Then I'll respectfully accept your offer."

Both sides traveled together to the deserted island to settle down. To demonstrate the friendly attitude of Konoha, Shuichi even offered to help with the treatment.

Because the situation changed after Mei Terumi took over, the crippled Kirigakure completely lost its power to expand outwards, and destroying them would not benefit the Land of Fire in any way.

"The Land of Fire and the Land of Water shouldn't be in conflict." Shuichi spoke first as he and Mei Terumi faced each other. "On the contrary, the resources of island nations can complement ours, so cooperation should be a natural thing to do."

"However, your side has always practiced mysticism, and even initiated an invasion war back then. If I may be frank, gaining your trust is not something that can be achieved in a short period of time."

Mei Terumi, having already prepared her speech in that brief moment, calmly said, "Our Kirigakure is absolutely sincere this time. This batch of Molten Water will be sold directly to the Land of Fire at 60% of the market price. I wonder if Lord Shuichi can make this decision on behalf of Konoha?"

"Mizukage, what a bold move!" Shuichi eyebrow. Considering the costs of mining and transportation, Kirigakure was practically making a loss at this price. It seemed the other party intended to overdraft some cash to rebuild the village.

"While I cannot agree directly, I can communicate with the Lord Hokage at any time. Kirigakure has any requests, please let us know first."

Mei Terumi stroked her chin and said earnestly, "I hope Konoha will allow us to send people to inspect the Ninja Academy, preferably with experts explaining the relevant training system in detail. Further cooperation projects can then be discussed."

"This is a matter of great importance, and I must obtain the approval of the village's higher-ups." Shuichi assured them that he would relay the message truthfully, and smiled, "Those old folks will probably need quite a while to discuss it, so I might have to bother the Mizukage for the next few days."

"You're welcome."