Signing, Medical Handbook, and Konoha

Ōnoki and Uchiha Kin, the two "brains" of the operation, finalized the terms of the agreement. The rest was up to the people working under them.

"General Kin, do you dare to take a walk with this old man?" Ōnoki stood up, levitating, and changed his address to Uchiha Kin as "General Kin," with a hint of provocation in his tone. Uchiha Kin chuckled, "Haha, alright, let's take a walk..."

Leaving behind the personnel responsible for drafting the agreement, Uchiha Kin and Ōnoki exited the interior of the fortress together.

Ōnoki said, "This fortress, I was stationed here for ten years when I was young. I never thought it would fall into your hands—young man, Qingshi Town is not easy to take!" He spoke with a hidden meaning.

"It's not difficult to take either!" Uchiha Kin naturally knew what he was referring to. "It's just a town! If we lose, we get nothing. If we win, we still get nothing, so wasn't our victory in vain? This town, does the Tsuchikage think the Third Hokage will object? Or will the advisors object? Will the Land of Fire object?"

Ōnoki stopped abruptly, hovering directly in front of Uchiha Kin, his eyes wide open as he stared at him.

Uchiha Kin said, "Qingshi Town at this time is no longer just an ordinary town; it's a political statement!

"From this moment on, anyone in Konoha who dares to tell me not to accept Qingshi Town, to make me abandon this agreement—they can die. And they will die with the title of 'traitor' on their name.

"I am expanding our territory, and they not only don't help but also try to take back the land that has been opened up from behind. People will actually die.

"As for me... from now on, when Konoha's ninja call me Uchiha Kin in private, I won't hold it against them. But in public, they must call me General Kin, to show sufficient respect to the general of another great land, the Land of Earth.

"Lord Tsuchikage, tell me, isn't that how it should be?"

Ōnoki said, "A member of the Uchiha Clan serving as a vassal in a foreign land will surely make the Hokage greatly wary. Your Uchiha Clan might have a difficult time."

Uchiha Kin said, "Why must the Tsuchikage say such disheartening things... In this situation, I've met your desires, and you've met mine. Isn't that good?"

Ōnoki felt a bit uncomfortable being disgusted by his words... What did he mean by "I've met your desires, and you've met mine"? However, he also understood that he couldn't gain even a tiny advantage in this verbal sparring or in this negotiation.

The two only stayed for a while before returning to the negotiation table. After each checked the agreement, Uchiha Kin had someone make a slight revision!

A clause stating "At equivalent prices, priority will be given to hiring Rock Ninja" was supplemented, with the calculation of "equivalent prices" excluding transportation costs.

Here, Uchiha Kin played a small trick by changing the calculation method to the price after deducting transportation costs from the normal hiring price of an external village, as the price to compare with Rock Ninja.

Ōnoki merely glanced at it and didn't argue over this clause before quickly signing. Once the agreement was completed, Ōnoki said, "You all wait here, the decree of enfeoffment will be issued soon." With that, he led his team away.

Ōnoki didn't want to stay there any longer; he felt disgusted with every minute he lingered...

Returning to his own camp, Ōnoki issued two commands. The first was to contact the Daimyo to have Uchiha Kin enfeoffed. The second was to write a letter and dispatch a messenger to Konoha to discuss troop deployment with the Third Hokage.

He no longer expected Uchiha Kin to "deploy troops" and then reap the benefits of both sides being weakened by clashing with the Raikage.

He simply wanted to disgust Uchiha Kin, cause him some trouble, and, in addition, sow discord between the Third Hokage and Uchiha.

It might not work... but it was worth a shot. What if it succeeded?

Uchiha Kin was also writing a letter at the same time.

The first was to report on the situation on the western front, explaining how he was entrusted with the mission, his decisive defeat of the Rock Ninja, and the subsequent negotiations. The second was to attach a thin Medical Handbook on battlefield first aid, requesting the Hokage to widely publish it.

The task of delivering this letter was directly assigned to Minato's team. Minato Namikaze left behind a kunai, saying, "This will make it easier for me when I return to relay the message."

Minato, Kakashi, and Nohara Rin set off, their arms dragging, running like airplanes, at a very high speed.

As they ran, Minato flipped through the medical booklet written by Uchiha Kin.

The contents deeply shocked him!

It was simple, crude, and even seemed somewhat unbelievable...

Wounds could be sealed with glue, and for kunai puncture wounds, one was instructed to tightly roll up a piece of clothing and stuff it into the wound. If the patient was in shock, they could cut open the chest cavity, insert a hand, grasp the heart, and perform manual resuscitation.

There were also Fire Style "tips"—blowing fire onto a wound to cauterize it for hemostasis, and using steel wire for temporary wound closure, among other things.

There was nothing as profound as "Mystical Palm Technique" or "chakra scalpel," but each method was highly targeted, simple, and effective.

"Such medical techniques..." Minato was greatly shaken. Nohara Rin asked, "Teacher, are the treatment methods described here really that shocking?"

Minato handed the booklet to Nohara Rin to read. After she finished, she was also dumbfounded... Were these techniques really something a human could come up with? This was simply monstrous. But she had to admit, it could indeed save lives.

Minato said, "With such medical techniques, our casualties can be reduced by 30%. Out of ten thousand ninja, at least three thousand can be saved because of this."

He couldn't think of any reason why such a booklet wouldn't be approved—because no opponent could present a valid reason to object.

Upon returning to Konoha, they were met with a scene of desolation. Those who could fight had already gone to the battlefield; there were few people left in Konoha. The Ichiraku Ramen stall was still swaying, and Ichiraku sat inside, listlessly waiting.

Minato looked at the ramen shop and thought, "It's been a long time since I had a bowl of hot ramen." He remembered the last time he ate ramen was the last time, with Kushina.

They passed straight through the main street and entered the Hokage Building. In the mission hall, Minato saw the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Flanking Hiruzen Sarutobi were the two advisors: Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

This place had been transformed into a militarized mission dispatch platform, and these three were the brains of this platform.

"Lord Hokage! Two advisors... Minato Namikaze reporting!" Minato Namikaze saluted and submitted the mission report.

"Hagane... what a pity." The Third Hokage sighed upon seeing the first part of the report. Hagane's full name was Hagane Mimura, the former commander of the western front, who was skilled in defense. Unfortunately, he died on the front lines. He then saw that Uchiha Kin had become the commander and suddenly looked up, "Uchiha Kin?" His gaze towards Minato was filled with disbelief.