Trade

Ruri seemed to transform into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, a chakra stream carrying immense suction power erupting from his mouth and shooting straight toward Chomei.

Chomei instinctively sensed danger and wanted to dodge, but it was unable to move; having just broken free from the seal, it was still somewhat weak.

Chomei was firmly gripped by Ruri's chakra, which transformed into a giant chakra dragon in the blink of an eye, coiling around it layer by layer before pulling it bit by bit toward Ruri.

"Roar!" Chomei let out a series of hisses. Beyond its entire body being dragged, the chakra within it was constantly leaking, the crimson chakra representing the Tailed Beast flowing along the chakra dragon and into Ruri's body.

"Is this... a sealing jutsu?"

"Does the Takikage possess such a powerful sealing jutsu?"

"So this is his true ability. I fear there is no one in the ninja world whose sealing arts can reach his level..."

"Could the Uzumaki Clan do this? No... perhaps only the great-uncle who passed away a few days ago could perform a sealing jutsu of this magnitude..."

Shock—nothing but shock remained for the five Kage, including Hashirama. It was not that they had never fought Tailed Beasts; defeating one was not particularly difficult for ninjas of their caliber. The difficulty lay in the fact that Tailed Beasts could not be fully destroyed, only sealed.

There were few in the ninja world with true mastery over sealing arts. Sealing jutsu were easy to learn but hard to master; while the use of sealing scrolls could be popularized, it was impossible for everyone to grasp the techniques required to seal chakra or ninjutsu. It could be said that aside from the Uzumaki Clan, almost no one was proficient in sealing arts. Even Hashirama's sealing of Tailed Beasts was merely a crude, makeshift method relying on the suppression of Wood Release over Tailed Beast chakra.

Tobirama watched with a displeased expression as Chomei was absorbed bit by bit. He had wanted to test the authenticity of Ruri's Wood Release, yet he had witnessed such an unbelievable scene: a man who could suppress a Tailed Beast through sealing arts alone, even sealing the beast within his own body!

The chakra of Chomei was sucked dry, and even its final physical form was converted into chakra and sealed within Ruri by the Phantom Nine Dragons Sealing.

Inside Ruri, Chomei was in agony. Damn it, this feeling... how could it feel like the Ten-Tails?!

What dense chakra!

Ruri sensed his own chakra. The Phantom Nine Dragons Sealing just now had not only absorbed a portion of Chomei's chakra for his own use but had also sealed the beast within him like a battery. The seal now gave him the feeling that if his chakra ran low, he could simply make a withdrawal from Chomei...

Truly worthy of being a top-tier sealing jutsu, Ruri couldn't help but sigh. It was far stronger than the Four Symbols Seal or the Eight Trigrams Seal; it didn't just seal the Tailed Beast, it directly claimed it for his own use. It was the definition of a perfect Jinchuriki!

Feeling the surging chakra within his body, Ruri suddenly had the urge to have a go at Hashirama. What ninja wouldn't want a hearty, full-blown battle after becoming stronger? Moreover, there were no Jinchuriki in this era; no one knew what changes would occur when a Tailed Beast was sealed into a human body. Who was to say he couldn't use Chomei's chakra to catch Hashirama off guard and make him suffer a loss?

"Let us continue discussing the terms of our cooperation!" Hashirama's hearty voice rang out, as if nothing had happened. Although he hadn't seen Ruri's Wood Release, that terrifying sealing jutsu had once again refreshed his understanding of Ruri's strength.

Tobirama stood behind Hashirama, silent. The probe into Ruri had failed, and the Wood Release had not been triggered. However, he was certain of one thing: Ruri knew space-time ninjutsu. He had already memorized the spatial fluctuations that occurred just before the use of that terrifying sealing jutsu.

The cooperation Hashirama spoke of was simple: mutual exchange of needs, the opening of trade between nations, and the planning of territories to facilitate the acceptance of missions by each village.

The Land of Water provided abundant seafood and maritime trade, the Land of Earth had various building materials and construction workers, the Land of Fire had fertile soil and was a major grain producer, the Land of Lightning had deep financial resources, and even the impoverished Land of Wind could offer unique minerals from its deserts. While trade exchange sounded simple, in the chaotic Warring States period, no two nations had ever traded, as caravans would be slaughtered and looted by enemy ninjas halfway to their destination. Only by ensuring basic peace could trade be possible.

The five Kage looked at Ruri. If the Land of Waterfalls could not provide anything worth trading, simple commerce would be equivalent to the five great nations unilaterally aiding the Land of Waterfalls, which would undoubtedly leave the Land of Waterfalls in a weak position once again.

"As for the Land of Waterfalls, we truly have nothing of trade value. We even require the assistance of other nations regarding supplies, and having to pay to purchase Chomei has left us with no spare capacity. I hope you can all be understanding." Ruri seemed not to care at all, slowly laying out the reality of his nation.

"In that case, if the Takikage is willing to sell us Chomei, our Land of Lightning can unconditionally support the commerce and agriculture of the Land of Waterfalls," A said impatiently. Only the wealthy Land of Lightning dared to say such things; the Land of Water and the Land of Earth had already exhausted most of their liquid capital just by purchasing their two Tailed Beasts.

"Many thanks for the kindness of the Raikage, but the Land of Waterfalls is fully capable of self-sufficiency. Furthermore, our current development trend is excellent; we only need normal trade with everyone," Ruri said with a smile. If it came to money, the wealth gathered by the underground exchange was certainly more than the Land of Lightning's liquid capital, but he dared not say it! That was a shameful underground industry.

"Trading with the Land of Waterfalls offers us no benefits. Why should we do something that yields no gain?" Byakuren interjected.

Retto watched from the sidelines. This time, he did not offer help. Ruri had not brought the Hero Water to the table, but Retto had long coveted it. If he could take this opportunity to make Ruri use the Hero Water as a trade item, that would be for the best.

Ruri, of course, knew what Retto was thinking, but the Hero Water had not accumulated much since the founding of the Land of Waterfalls, and the diluted amount he had given Retto before was already quite limited. How could he possibly bring it out as common merchandise?

"Well... didn't we just sign the Ninja World Peace Treaty? Since we are all allies, we should naturally help one another! Trading with the Land of Waterfalls may not offer you much benefit, but it certainly doesn't do any harm, does it?"

"But..."

"What is there to 'but' about? Besides, trading with the Land of Waterfalls will earn you my favor!" Ruri's words were cheeky. Favor? Did they need that?

"And look, it's not necessarily without benefits. The peace treaty is set, but the advantage of the Land of Fire's vast, fertile plains remains unchanged. If there is peace for a dozen years and the Land of Fire develops to the point where it can take on all five nations at once, what will become of our countries? This geographical disadvantage is real..." Ruri's words sounded flippant, yet they gave the other Kage pause for thought.

It was not that they were projecting their own dark hearts onto others; being a ninja was a dark profession. Coupled with their previous hostility, while Hashirama's attitude today was indeed sincere, could an attitude alone guarantee anything? In a peaceful ninja world, every nation would enter a period of rapid development, and during this time, the Land of Fire, with its vast area and richest soil, held the greatest advantage! What Ruri said about developing to the point of taking on five nations was not impossible! Even if Hashirama could guarantee he wouldn't invade other nations, what about after he died? Moreover, the current Konoha was not something Hashirama could decide alone; there was also Uchiha Madara, who stood on equal footing with him in strength and harbored great ambition!