Black Star in the Snow

"Pleasure cooperating with you, my dearest friend. A."

Hoshino Maki looked at the screen, which no longer displayed any images, and uttered the last word.

"Lord Tsuchikage, was he very rude?"

Hoshino Maki complained to Ōnoki beside him.

"I think he was quite courteous. If the timing allowed, I have no doubt he would have come over and given you a 'Lightning Plow Hot Blade'."

Ōnoki stood up with a calm expression.

This was the fifth day of negotiations between the Three Great Ninja Villages. Due to the alliance between Cloud and Stone, the Cloud Ninja had sent the latest communication equipment to the Stone Ninja for convenience. The Sand Shinobi Village did not have any, so Hoshino Maki had to go to the front lines of Iwagakure to communicate with the Cloud Ninja alongside Ōnoki.

Of course, given Hoshino Maki's cautious nature, this was definitely not his true body, but a puppet.

This upgraded puppet was structurally almost identical to a real person, with only slight differences in the bones. Unless one was from the Hyuga Clan, it would be difficult for others to notice.

"Pleasure cooperating with you, Lord Tsuchikage."

Ōnoki shook hands with Hoshino Maki. "Pleasure cooperating with you. With you here, it also alleviates our pressure."

"Jiraiya is actually putting so much pressure on the Stone Ninja?"

Ōnoki hesitated for a moment and said with some gravity, "Jiraiya alone is not a problem. The problem is that Konoha has too many top-tier Jonin. The ninjas from the Inuzuka Clan and the Aburame Clan can always find our tracks and break our ambushes. Then, the guys from the Shimura Clan lead the Anbu to assassinate our people. Many of our excellent ninjas have died mysteriously, yet we lack countermeasures. The few outposts we've captured have no practical value."

On the surface, they were advancing triumphantly, but in reality, they were at a disadvantage.

If he were timid, hearing that both allied forces were at a disadvantage might make him retreat.

Hoshino Maki sneered inwardly. This old man wasn't telling the truth. If they were truly at a disadvantage, could he be lingering on the front lines with the enemy?

He would have sold out the Cloud Ninja and gone home long ago.

No, with his personality, he would even stab the Cloud Ninja in the back.

As expected, Ōnoki then said, "How about this: you send troops to launch a surprise attack on Jiraiya's forces from behind. We'll attack from both front and back, and we'll definitely catch them off guard. We can wipe out Konoha's Western Front forces, and the entire Land of Fire will be like fat meat on our chopping board!"

After speaking, he floated into the air and patted Hoshino Maki's shoulder.

Hoshino Maki also appeared tempted. "I'll report this to the Elder Council. This piece of fat meat is indeed very tempting~"

Ōnoki nodded with satisfaction upon seeing this. "Then I'll await your good news."

After a few pleasantries, Hoshino Maki got up to take his leave.

When Hoshino Maki's figure disappeared, the gentle smile on Ōnoki's face vanished. "Kitsuchi, what do you think?"

"I think he's just placating you. He seems easy to talk to, but he hasn't made any actual commitments."

Kitsuchi, who had been acting as his bodyguard, said in a deep voice.

Although he appeared rough, as the son of the Third Kazekage, he had learned some insights into judging people through his upbringing.

"Even if he made commitments, what of it? Are ninjas bound by agreements? The important thing is that Sand Shinobi Village put him in charge of negotiations, which means his opinions can largely influence the Elder Council's decisions. I didn't expect those old fossils to listen to a young person."

Ōnoki said this and shook his head with some disappointment. His own son still had a lot to learn. He couldn't entrust the village to him at all.

"Go contact our spies in Sand Shinobi Village and have them release more news about the generational enmity between Konoha and Sand Ninja recently. Invite those whose relatives were killed by Konoha for a drink. They always have complaints to air."

"Yes, but..." Kitsuchi hesitated. Ōnoki frowned at this, his white eyebrows furrowing. "A man should speak his mind."

"It's just that the spies sent a letter earlier saying that the cost of living in Sand Shinobi Village is getting higher and higher. The previous operational funds are almost used up. They hope the village will allocate more funds. If you have them wait in the surrounding oases and then gather them, the timing might be..."

Kitsuchi knew that even though he was his son, he would still be severely reprimanded if he openly contradicted his decisions.

As expected, Ōnoki's face turned red, and he glared fiercely at Kitsuchi. "Are you questioning my decision?!"

"No, no!"

Ōnoki took two deep breaths and paused. "Forget it, go call Han."

"Are you going to send Han out? What about the rear?"

"It's fine. Sand and Cloud are our allies now, so there won't be any problems in the rear in the short term. Dealing with those damned bugs and dogs is the priority."

Ōnoki seemed to think of something. "Oh, right. Also, hire a few rogue ninjas to disguise themselves as Leaf Ninja and attack Hoshino Maki. Make sure our people don't get involved."

Kitsuchi was a little confused. These rogue ninjas couldn't kill him, so he didn't understand why his father was making such an unnecessary move. But he still nodded in agreement.

The next day

"...These are the preliminary intentions and terms of our alliance."

Hoshino Maki closed the document and said to the elders.

"I heard you encountered assassins on your way back?"

Moyuzi spoke.

Hoshino Maki calmly shook his head. "Just some rogue ninjas looking for money."

Moyuzi nodded. The war had made the already fragile order of this world even more dilapidated. It wasn't unusual for such a situation to occur.

Suddenly, an abrupt voice rang out.

"This... our benefits are still a bit lacking~"

An elder from the Kazekage faction spoke, implicitly accusing the other party of not handling things effectively.

Since both sides were already in a competitive relationship, he couldn't be blamed for nitpicking.

Hoshino Maki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then, Lord, what other conditions do you think we should propose?"

The Elder cleared his throat. "The Stone Ninja have stolen so many of our ore orders before. We can make them cancel them. Anyway, those merchants wouldn't dare do anything to them. The Cloud Ninja should also provide a few treasures."

He rambled on, and in the end, unable to think of anything else, he nodded. "Let's leave it at that for now."

Hoshino Maki nodded and directly tore the Alliance Document in his hand. The ripping sound startled everyone present.

"I am untalented and lack learning. I cannot fulfill the Lord's demands and am willing to accept responsibility for my incompetence and await punishment from the Elder Council in prison. I only hope the Lord can shoulder the heavy responsibility and secure the benefits for the Sand Shinobi Village that you mentioned."

With that, he threw the Alliance Document on the ground, turned, and strode away.

The Elder's face turned ashen. He knew himself best. He was good at finding fault, very good at it, but his ability to get things done was very shallow.

If this got out, and the alliance between the Three Great Ninja Villages broke because of him, causing the village to lose many benefits, and Chōjūrō's faction seized the opportunity to attack, it would be a very troublesome matter.

But he was, after all, a highly respected Elder. Asking a junior for leniency would be a loss of face, and the atmosphere became awkward.

Sajiu kept winking at Rasa. Rasa sighed inwardly, Am I sitting at this table just to clean up after the old man?

Even so, he still stood up and chased after Hoshino Maki.

After a while, Rasa returned and whispered a few words into the Elder's ear. The Elder's face looked embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly nodded.

Only then did Rasa go out and soon returned with Hoshino Maki. Everyone resumed discussing troop deployment as if nothing had happened.

"Qu Zhen, lend me a light."

At a border outpost in the western region of the Land of Fire, two ninjas on guard duty were exhaling warm air and lighting traditional cigarettes.

It had just snowed lightly there last night. Although it didn't form a thick layer of snow, it had adorned the land with a thin layer of silver.

The ninja named Qu Zhen shielded his hand from the cold wind, lit a match, and lit the other person's cigarette while lighting one for himself.

"Hoo~"

The ninja took a deep drag, a look of contentment on his face.

"Captain, how much longer do we have to patrol? There isn't even a shadow of a person around here."

The Captain blew a smoke ring and waved his hand. "Ah, Qu Zhen, you're new here, you don't understand. This southwest corner, although there's no one, is safe. Look at the northwest and the east, they're in such a mess. Nowadays, staying alive is the most important thing."

He squinted again, enjoying the pleasure brought by nicotine.

Qu Zhen was young. Hearing words so different from what the Ninja Academy professors taught, he felt a bit indignant. He stiffened his neck and said, "I was recognized as a genius in the Ninja Academy. I should be on the battlefield fighting enemies and defending the village. If I went to the eastern front, I could surely achieve great things."

The Captain smiled but didn't say anything. If he were truly a genius, would he be sent here?

But he didn't refute him either. Everyone had their youthful arrogance.

He took a deep breath. Half of the cigarette at his lips quickly turned into a gray-white fluff, drifting away with the cold wind.

Just then, he caught sight of a black figure speeding towards them in the silver world out of the corner of his eye. His gaze sharpened.

"Enemy attack—!"

The Captain yelled at the top of his lungs and simultaneously struck the nearby gong with force. The gong's sound quickly spread throughout the entire outpost.

"Qu Zhen! Run!"

The Captain swallowed and pulled out a kunai, blocking in front of him. His voice trembled but was firm.

"No! Konoha has no deserters! I will stay and intercept the enemy!"

Although Qu Zhen looked flustered, he still mustered his courage, gripped his kunai, and stood beside the Captain.

"Idiot! That's Pakura! We are no match for her, do you understand?! Get lost! Now!"

The Captain forcefully pushed Qu Zhen away, shouting with a fierce expression.

As the figure gradually approached, Pakura's distinctive attire made the Konoha Captain realize who he was about to face.

As the border defense force of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, they were nominally guarding the Land of Rivers. But everyone knew that the Land of Rivers didn't even have a ninja village, so who needed guarding? This was to guard against Sand Ninjas.

As one of the representative figures of the younger generation among Sand Ninjas, they were naturally familiar with Pakura. But precisely because of this, they felt despair. The only thing they could do was to relay the news of the Sand Ninja invasion back to the village as much as possible.

"Did you hear me! Get lost!"

"Yes!"

Qu Zhen bit his lip, his muscles trembling uncontrollably.

As the only ninja in the outpost proficient in Wind Release and Taijutsu, he hadn't expected to be the sole candidate for such an important mission.

But time was no longer enough for him to adjust his mindset. He pressed down on the railing of the watchtower and leaped down. With a push of his foot, he shot out like an arrow, rapidly retreating towards the village. There was still a Konoha base there.

Just as he was about to disappear into the woods, he couldn't resist the urge to look back. But the scene before him almost made his heart stop.

He saw Pakura holding the Captain's neck high in the air. This originally burly man had turned into a shriveled corpse, motionless.

At the same time, shouts of killing and screams continuously entered his ears. Two streams of hot tears involuntarily flowed from the corners of his eyes, turning into two tear tracks in the wind.

Qu Zhen sniffled. The Captain had entrusted everything to him. He had no time to grieve.

"Need paper?"

A gentle greeting suddenly sounded in his ears, making Qu Zhen's body tremble, and his whole being felt as if plunged into an ice cellar.

Thank you @Book Friend 20220912030623248@ for the two monthly passes to So Sharp!

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I just heard some gossip in the author group. One author directly copy-pasted 40,000 useless words to get the full attendance bonus next month. Originally, there were still over a dozen real followers, but now there are none, which is hilarious.

What's even more amusing is that the editor wouldn't let him put it on shelves, so he went to Bilibili to post a video complaining. He was thoroughly cursed out, which is truly delightful o(∩_∩)o