Naruto: I Use Chakra to Upgrade Bloodline Limit Chapter 39

Shimura Danzō let out a heavy, cold snort.

"We must maintain sufficient patience for guests who have traveled from afar," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a furrowed brow, signaling the two men beside him to be quiet.

Upon hearing this, the two ceased speaking, though their eyes flickered as they each calculated their own agendas.

Suddenly.

Footsteps echoed from outside the door.

A muscular giant, two meters tall with a thick beard, strode into the conference room.

Following closely behind were the numerous members of the Kumogakure delegation.

This included Samui and Darui.

Odley, the leader of the Kumogakure delegation, sat directly in the seat of honor.

Logically speaking.

As the Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no obligation to attend this symposium since the Fourth Raikage had not come himself.

His advisors had tried to dissuade him, but to demonstrate Konoha's magnanimity and sincerity, he had not only attended in person but also brought along Shimura Danzō and Orochimaru to show the importance they placed on the meeting.

"Apologies for being late, everyone," Odley laughed, immediately asserting dominance over the Konoha representatives.

He got straight to the point.

"Lord Hokage, we in Kumogakure have always cherished peace. Our visit to Konoha this time is driven by the greatest and most sincere attitude to conclude a peace treaty. We hope we can engage in in-depth exchanges on certain details and resolve historical grievances."

Odley's words caused the high-ranking officials of Konoha to roll their eyes in unison.

Among the five great hidden villages, Kumogakure was the most obsessed with military force, and they were the ones behind the provocation of many wars.

Especially during the Third Shinobi World War; had Namikaze Minato not deterred the Fourth Raikage and Killer B, the war might have dragged on for several more years, perhaps even continuing to this day.

Kumogakure loves peace?

Heh...

A smile that was awkward but polite appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's aged face as he replied, "We in Konoha feel the same."

"Hahaha." After a hearty laugh, Odley began to say with a smile, "Then let's not waste time and begin the negotiations."

Odley took charge of the symposium as if he were the host.

This behavior left the high-ranking officials of Konoha feeling deeply displeased.

However, before the negotiations, Sarutobi Hiruzen had cautioned the heads of the major clans not to offend the Kumogakure delegation for the sake of peace, so they remained silent.

Fugaku, in particular, was happy to be idle, sipping the rare tea Sarutobi Hiruzen usually kept hidden away, refilling his cup from time to time with a look of pure contentment.

"Our Kumogakure has the following conditions for concluding a peace treaty with your village."

"First: Konoha must withdraw its defensive outpost line in the Land of Hot Water by 50 miles."

"Second: All Kumogakure prisoners from the Third Shinobi World War must be returned to Kumogakure."

"Third: Konoha's land is flat, fertile, and rich in grain; we hope you will provide our village with 400,000 jin of grain annually for the next five years."

When Odley's voice faded.

The high-ranking officials of Konoha stared at them, dumbfounded.

It was both laughable and infuriating.

What kind of peace treaty was this?

Was it not clear that you in Kumogakure were acting as if you had already defeated Konoha in your minds, forcing Konoha to sign a treaty of surrender?

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who always "cherished peace," had his brows deeply furrowed.

You claim Kumogakure came with the utmost sincerity to conclude a peace treaty?

This is it?

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke calmly.

"Leader Odley, today is a good day for concluding a peace treaty. To promote friendly communication and exchange between our villages, we can negotiate and resolve certain issues, but the conditions you have proposed are too harsh, and we cannot accept them in their entirety."

"First: Konoha's defensive outpost line in the Land of Hot Water can only be withdrawn by 10 miles."

The Land of Hot Water was situated in the narrow gap between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.

To monitor Kumogakure, Konoha had established a large number of defensive outposts in the Land of Hot Water.

If the defensive line were withdrawn by 50 miles, Konoha would lose all surveillance over Kumogakure, allowing them to attack Konoha at will.

A withdrawal of ten miles was the limit.

It was also the bottom line.

Regarding the second condition.

Sarutobi Hiruzen indicated.

They could consider returning the Kumogakure shinobi who posed little threat.

The Konoha ninjas who were also captured would be returned to Konoha at a one-to-one ratio.

As for the third condition.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stated that, out of humanitarian aid, he could provide Kumogakure with 100,000 catties of grain in a single shipment.

Unexpectedly, Odley was extremely concerned about this last point, and he spoke up with a frown.

"100,000 catties at once? That's barely enough to feed 250 people for a year; that's far too little."

Odley looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and complained, "Lord Hokage, Konoha is rich in grain. 100,000 catties is truly too little."

"Our village of Kumogakure is located high in the mountains, and our geographical location is not advantageous. Could you give us a bit more!?"

He wore the expression of someone who believed that being poor gave him the right to make demands.

After hesitating for a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally said, "Then let it be 200,000 catties!"

"Lord Hokage, you..." Danzo couldn't help but speak up, but before he could finish, Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand to interrupt him.

Danzo sneered.

He felt that Sarutobi Hiruzen was truly foolish for using his own village's grain to subsidize the enemy.

A peace treaty was nothing more than a scrap of paper.

Kumogakure could tear it up whenever they pleased.

For Sarutobi Hiruzen to pin his hopes for peace on this was truly naive!

It was true that Konoha's geographical environment was superior, but it also had a large population, and grain was limited.

Giving 200,000 catties of grain to Kumogakure all at once meant...

Some villagers would likely go hungry this winter.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen held a different perspective.

As long as peace and stability were maintained.

The villagers would live better lives.

These 200,000 catties of grain were worth the cost.

Following this.

Konoha also put forward its own conditions.

Unexpectedly.

Kumogakure readily accepted many of these terms.

There was absolutely no table-thumping or shouting.

The conclusion of this peace treaty went very smoothly.

After all, Kumogakure's true goal was to obtain the Byakugan bloodline.

As the discussion was drawing to a close, Odley complained bitterly to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Lord Hokage, a few days ago, a member of the Kumogakure delegation was bullied by a Konoha ninja. I hope Lord Hokage can help Kumogakure seek justice!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you know who it was?"

Odley gave a sinister smile.

"It was a young man from your Uchiha clan, I believe his name is Uchiha Genya."

Instantly.

The gazes of everyone in the room fell upon Fugaku.

Some people even began to gloat.

Finding many malicious gazes fixed upon him, Fugaku took a sip of his seventh cup of tea before speaking in a measured, unhurried tone.

"I have heard of this matter from the youth Genya within our clan. The incident began because members of the Kumogakure delegation provoked our clansmen without cause. Since Commander Odley has failed to discipline his subordinates, we Uchiha stepped in to educate them on your behalf, lest they accidentally lose their lives while visiting other villages in the future."

"In that sense, you Kumogakure should actually be thanking us Uchiha!"

When Fugaku first heard this news from Genya, he had felt both amused and exasperated, marveling at the boy's sheer audacity.

But the fault lay with the Kumogakure delegation.

They couldn't just let the Uchiha swallow their pride, could they?

Besides, after more than two years of development.

The Uchiha's strength had changed significantly; there was no need to be subservient.

"Bullshit!" Odley roared at Fugaku, slamming his hand onto the table. "Every member of our Kumogakure delegation is polite and well-mannered; they even speak in soft, gentle tones. How could they possibly provoke the Uchiha without cause?"

Odley flatly denied Fugaku's previous statement.

After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to rap his knuckles heavily against the tabletop, as if doing so could add credibility to his words.

Many of Konoha's high-ranking officials watched his actions with strange expressions on their faces.

Polite, cultured, soft-spoken?

Are you here to crack a joke?

Even the members of the Cloud Village delegation lowered their heads slightly.

It seemed their leader had bragged a bit too much...

Even as the other party flew into a rage, Fugaku remained indifferent.

He sipped his eighth cup of tea...

At the same time.

Shisui stepped out from the crowd and spoke to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Lord Hokage, I observed the entire incident, and it was indeed the Cloud Village delegation that provoked and struck first."

Following that.

Shisui recounted everything he had seen and heard that day.

It was true that Shisui was blindly loyal.

But he still knew how to distinguish right from wrong.

The fault in this matter clearly lay with the Cloud Village!

After hearing the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed tightly.

He could choose not to believe Fugaku.

But he could not disbelieve the Anbu's Shisui.

If he were to punish the Uchiha, it would chill the hearts of every clan present.

If the Hokage would sell out the Uchiha for the sake of a mere Cloud Village delegation, would he sell me out next time?