"Kin, can you manage this place?" Minato Namikaze asked skeptically. Dai added, "This place looks so desolate. Would tourists really come here?"
Some countries that relied on tourism, such as the small nations of the Land of Tea, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Moon, and the Land of the Waterfall, as well as the large nation of the Land of Snow, had all studied a little geography of the ninja world.
By comparison, they couldn't see any advantages to Qingshi Town in the Land of Earth.
Would the wealthy really come to this desolate place just to see the huge crater left by Dust Release, the cat's-eye-shaped lake, and the salt lake?
Yakushi Nonō also said, "Kin, maybe you should think it over... If you take this place on, the investment in construction will be considerable. If it doesn't make money..." There was a good chance she'd spend the rest of her life paying off the debt with missions.
Uchiha Kin laughed wryly. "It's fine. I just want to give it a try." He didn't mention anything about its location or other advantages.
He lowered his eyes to the map again, and couldn't help reflecting, I imagine many people, like I used to, go their whole lives without realizing how much useful knowledge geography—which they regard as worthless—can teach them...
Just analyzing the advantages of a location, for instance: if you take the time to investigate and analyze things properly, you can earn more than other people whether you're running a small business or looking for a job.
His idea for Qingshi Town wasn't the result of some long-standing, carefully laid plan. It had only occurred to him on a whim after the battle at Kannagi Bridge—or, more accurately, he'd only thought of it because Minato had asked him to lead the negotiations.
He'd also assessed the potential for developing tourism there while chatting with Minato, all the while splitting his attention between the conversation and his analysis.
It wasn't difficult—but first, you had to know how!
And the plan concerning Qingshi Town clearly went beyond that...
But none of them knew much about tourism or commerce, so Uchiha Kin simply didn't elaborate. He smiled at the four of them and said, "That's all for this meeting. Pass the information along. We'll discuss the rest tomorrow."
Yakushi Nonō, Dai, and Qingshan Yisan left, but Minato stayed behind. He asked Uchiha Kin, "You think Iwagakure will take drastic measures to gain the upper hand in the negotiations?" Minato had no experience in this area.
But he trusted Uchiha Kin's judgment and analysis of the larger picture. The battle at Kannagi Bridge had already proven Uchiha Kin's capabilities.
Nothing was more convincing than a "victory."
Uchiha Kin nodded. "That's right. To gain the upper hand in the negotiations, Iwagakure will definitely launch an attack first... And we'll do the same!" Uchiha Kin pointed at the map—but at Iwagakure. "We'll meet them head-on! We'll sweep through their defenses and take Iwagakure itself."
Minato Namikaze frowned. "Then what about Iwagakure's attack?"
"Trust me, they won't dare attack!
"Our goal is to end the war on the western front. Iwagakure is actually even more eager than we are to end it—their attack would just be an attempt to minimize their losses at the negotiating table. So, do you think they'll dare attack?
"The Cloud Ninja are currently fighting on the Land of Earth's own territory. Once they receive the news, they'll inevitably intensify their attacks on Iwagakure. If we also push deep into enemy territory at that point, the Tsuchikage won't dare take the risk! Iwagakure will certainly be destroyed if caught between those two forces!
"He'll have no choice but to ask us to calm down. Ōnoki will definitely say, 'Young people, don't be so hot-tempered. We Rock Ninja come with sincere hopes for peace.' As long as our demands aren't too unreasonable, they'll agree."
Minato was still a little worried, his face full of concern. "I hope peace comes soon." Then he asked Uchiha Kin, "Kin, how far are you planning to take the negotiations?"
"How would I know how far they'll go? We haven't even met with Iwagakure yet." Uchiha Kin found the question a little baffling.
You had to test the waters and gather information first. Only then could you analyze the situation and decide on a course of action. They hadn't even done any of that yet, and Minato was already asking how far they'd get in the negotiations... It all felt a little surreal. But then he thought of things like "bonds" and "love," and understood. Beneath their cold exterior, ninjas were sentimental people.
Minato laughed, covering up his embarrassment. That's right. We haven't even started negotiating. How would we know how things will turn out? Seeing that it was getting late, he didn't bother Uchiha Kin any longer.
Uchiha Kin closed his eyes, his mind racing as he went over his hastily formed plan and the talking points he'd prepared for the negotiations.
Then he ran through the moves both sides might make before letting himself drift into a light doze.
The first rays of morning sunlight fell on his eyelids, and Uchiha Kin opened his eyes. Jasmine and Golden Chrysanthemum came over together, carrying a pot of water and a towel. After a quick wash of his hands and face and a rinse of his mouth, Uchiha Kin said, "Thanks for the effort."
"We were only helping out a little. It wasn't hard. Captain, you're amazing... You actually led us to victory—and such a huge one!"
"Captain, are we going back now?"
The two of them asked one question after another. After such a fierce battle, they couldn't help yearning to return home.
Uchiha Kin said, "Have you forgotten what I told you? Once you've stepped onto the battlefield, don't think things like 'It's finally over,' 'We can go back now,' or 'Once peace comes'—and don't say them out loud, either...
"That's a very vicious curse.
"After the negotiations end, we'll probably head to the other two battlefields. With things as they are, going home isn't an option."
"Oh." The two of them couldn't help feeling disappointed.
They didn't linger. After saying goodbye to Uchiha Kin, they returned to their units and began discussing tactics and reviewing their performance with the companions they'd fought alongside. Uchiha Kin also took out a notebook and began writing.
He wrote a long title—
<On the Use of Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique on the Battlefield—The Relationship Between Spatial Placement and Timing>
Uchiha Kin thought it over, then wrote down topics such as "coordination," "prediction," and "timing." He also proposed an idea that ran completely counter to the way ninjas thought.
Namely:
When using ninjutsu, hand signs shouldn't be made as quickly as possible. Instead, their speed should be adjusted to suit the needs of the battle and coordinate with one's allies, while accounting for the distance between allies and enemies and how long it would take them to make contact.
You needed to master your ninjutsu and be able to hold it back while remaining ready to release it at any moment, adjusting the speed of your hand signs to suit the situation.
An hour later, the more than three hundred people who had finished eating gathered for a meeting.
They compiled their experiences.
They reviewed their mistakes.
Before you continue