Want It? Trade Resources for It!

"Could you... no, could you help us manufacture this?"

Rasa knew Konoha's intentions.

Trade!

I just don't know what I'll need to give up...

He cautiously inquired.

"Hokage, what does our Sunagakure need to sacrifice?"

"It won't be anything that would cause your village any trouble."

Tsunade answered.

As she spoke, she took out a piece of paper and handed it to Rasa.

Rasa took it, and even before seeing the expression on his face, he noticed something subtle.

Obviously.

Konoha was already prepared and was just waiting for him to arrive.

However, if the opponent's Puppet Technique truly takes a completely different approach, even knowing that Konoha has a need for it...

He still had to bite the bullet and give it to them.

Rasa lowered his head, then his eyes narrowed, and he was immediately taken aback.

The description above states Konoha's needs: the northeastern mines of the Land of Wind!

His first reaction was--

Has Konoha gone mad?

That was the most important territory for their Sunagakure. It wasn't just the mines and property of the Land of Wind, but also the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain, the Land of Birds, and other countries.

It can be said that it was an important bridgehead between Sunagakure and them, equivalent to Kikyo Mountain in the Land of Fire.

How could Konoha possibly make such a request?

Rasa's mind went blank.

Looking at the words on the paper, he figured Tsunade and her decision-making team must have had quite a bit to drink, which was why they dared to give it to him directly.

but.

Rasa was in a difficult position to refuse...

Tsunade said, "I know your concerns. It's precisely because that's an important base for you that I want it. That way, you can monitor us and also help with the excavation."

Rasa was dumbfounded upon hearing this.

Tsunade was even more shameless than he had imagined, actually making such a request directly.

He paused for a moment, then said, "This is no small matter. I can hardly agree to your request before I'm certain your skills are worth the money."

"Of course, I don't expect you to agree now. As for your previous conditions, I can agree to the first one right now."

Tsunade paused slightly as she spoke, "As for the second one, we can only say we'll try to find out and ask around for you. In reality, Konoha only signed a non-aggression pact with her; we haven't forcibly restricted her freedom."

Rasa fell silent upon hearing this.

Before meeting Pakura, he wouldn't have believed Tsunade's words at all, but now, he was starting to believe them somewhat.

Perhaps Pakura truly didn't want to go back.

"It's alright, please help us make the contact. Whether it succeeds or not, Sunagakure will be very grateful for Konoha's help!"

Upon hearing this, Rasa felt helpless and sorrowful.

Why would he make such a request if he wasn't forced to?

But unfortunately...

Pakura was forced to leave by himself.

At that moment, he was filled with extreme regret.

"It's nothing."

Tsunade.

Then she said, "Since you're so interested in having your child join our Konoha Ninja Academy, how about I take you to see it later?"

"If possible, I would definitely like to take a look!"

Rasa answered immediately.

Tsunade and said, "You are our sincere allies of Konoha, unlike other ninja villages."

"Let the children from Sunagakure join our Ninja Academy? Kyohiko, what are you thinking? What if they adopt our model...?"

Mitokado Homura instinctively objected.

He had always been in charge of the school, and naturally he attached the most importance to the Ninja Academy and education. When he suddenly heard Kyohiko's proposal, his first reaction was to refuse.

after all.

Those kids are different from Temari.

Temari's mental state clearly shows that she has been traumatized by Sunagakure. If she is properly influenced, she might become a member of Konoha in the future.

Those children, however, came from Sunagakure.

They have an innate stronger sense of belonging to Sunagakure, and no amount of persuasion will work; they will return sooner or later, and who knows, they might even become their enemies in the future.

He absolutely disagrees with wasting resources on such a guy!

Kyohiko understood what the other person meant.

He understood that Mitokado Homura had never witnessed the fantastical way of thinking of the international students from his previous life.

While ninjas differ from ordinary people, they share certain commonalities in their thinking. Of course, Kyohiko wasn't sure if this group of people would act as he expected...

Even if all of these people go back, it won't be a loss for Konoha.

With the resources and strength of Sunagakure, it is simply impossible to support an education system like the Konoha Ninja Academy; at most, it can only be enhanced to a certain extent.

"As allies of Konoha, it's a good thing that they've been strengthened."

"Kyohiko, don't try to fool this old man. I don't have the energy to think about it all. Just tell me what you think. If it's suitable, I'll agree; otherwise..."

Mitokado Homura snorted coldly, raising his head, "I still have some influence in Konoha!"

"Mitokado, if you were a poor boy who came to Konoha from out of town and had the opportunity to study here, would you want to go back after you've learned something?"

Kyohiko gave an example.

Then, he paused and said, "If you stay in Konoha, you might become stronger and more powerful, but if you go back, your strength might stop there, but you could make your hometown a better place."

Mitokado Homura paused for a moment after hearing this, then fell into deep thought.

He was unable to give an answer immediately.

This issue is actually a choice between "public and private" and "individual and village," which may sound easy, but is actually very complex.

because...

Human hearts are unpredictable!

If everyone had the spirit of dedication to the village, there wouldn't be so many missing-nin; there are far too few selfless ninjas.

and.

Mitokado Homura knew that Kyohiko had another "reformation" plan, intending to have these people learn the "Will of Fire."

He vaguely understood what Kyohiko meant.

Using this mindset, coupled with Konoha's advanced and powerful nature, as well as its abundant resources, we can retain these ninjas who come to learn.

even.

This will create a virtuous cycle in the future.

Even ninjas who return to Sunagakure may, to some extent, align their thinking with that of Konoha, but ultimately only a minority will be able to see through all of this and launch a counterattack.

He nodded as he thought of this.

"If that's the case, then it's certainly possible to let them come and visit, but aren't you afraid that Rasa will see through our plans?"

He had no choice.

Kyohiko's face broke into a bright smile.

"Unless, he's willing to watch Temari become a Konoha ninja, and Shukaku might even come to identify more with Konoha in the future."

"Rasa can only see what's in front of him, or rather, the current situation in Sunagakure only allows him to focus on immediate benefits."

Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement.

He couldn't help but look at Kyohiko with admiration, and couldn't help but praise, "I don't know how your brain works, how you can always think of these angles that ordinary people can't even think of?"

"Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Kyohiko smiled slightly.

Then, he stood up. "If you agree, I will reply to the Lord Hokage."

"No problem."

Mitokado Homura nodded.

He paused suddenly as he spoke, then said, "Oh, right, there's something..."

Mitokado Homura hesitated for a moment.

I'd still like to hear your opinion.

"What's up?"

"It's related to Asuma..."

Mitokado Homura explained the situation.

In Asuma's imagination, the Guardian Ninja should protect the Feudal Lord and the people, but when he arrived in Kyoto, he found that this was not the case.

The Guardian Ninja primarily protected Feudal Lord, nobles, and wealthy merchants.

Ordinary people without money can hardly get help from the Guardian Ninja. Although they do receive indirect benefits, it is not what they want.

He sighed.

"What do you think...?"

Did he ask for help?

Kyohiko countered with a question.

Mitokado Homura shook his head. "No."

"Then let's leave him be. Mitokado- senpai, things that come easily are never cherished. It's good to let him make his own way."

Kyohiko didn't care.

Asuma is now fourteen years old, a bit older than him, and no longer a child. If he really wants to come back, the other party will naturally ask.

Mitokado Homura sighed and did not insist any further.

He also understood the reasoning behind Kyohiko's words.

However, he had a very good relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and seeing Asuma suffer, he couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted and couldn't see things fairly.

Before long, Rasa, along with Baki and the others, arrived at the school gate.

The Konoha Ninja Academy is not expanding at the moment.

but.

In reality, many courses are no longer conducted within the school, so there's no fear of them seeing too much at once.

However.

Even so, in the eyes of the people of Sunagakure, the size of the Ninja Academy here was still astonishingly large.

Compared to Sunagakure, Konoha's Ninja Academy looked incredibly luxurious, complete with various training facilities. Through the wall, they could see children running in long lines.

at the same time.

Outside, Baki immediately heard the commotion and looked in the direction of the sound. He then saw a strange group of people dressed in green bodysuits running past.

Looking at these people, Baki's face was blank.

It should be said that...

As expected of Konoha!

The ninjas have so much free time that they have time to engage in performance art.

He was completely bewildered.

However, upon closer inspection, Rasa's expression suddenly changed.

This person...

Back then, when a large number of ninja from the Kusagakure were wiped out in one move, all the other ninja villages actively gathered intelligence, hoping to figure out how the Konoha had done it.

Because Konoha made no attempt to hide anything, they were able to easily obtain a great deal of information.

They basically lack physical features.

but.

The other party has a common characteristic that everyone remembers --

Wearing a green bodysuit!

Could it be that...?

The person leading the group, was he the Jonin who killed the leader of Kusagakure and half of the elite ninja back then?

If that's the case, what does Konoha want to do now?

Do they want to mass-produce ninjas capable of performing that kind of Ninjutsu?

Rasa swallowed.

If there were a group of ninjas capable of using that kind of Ninjutsu, he wouldn't even dare to dream of anyone daring to oppose Konoha on the front lines in the future.

Even the Iwagakure probably doesn't have that many skilled fighters to withstand them, right?

"Kazekage?"

"Ah? Oh, sorry, I... I was daydreaming."

Rasa realized his lapse in composure and quickly apologized for his behavior.

"It's alright, those people's clothes were indeed quite eye-catching."

Tsunade smiled meaningfully.

It was no coincidence that Might Duy and his men passed by here; it was a route they had deliberately planned.

This meeting between Konoha and Sunagakure is meant to be a show of force, making Sunagakure realize the vast gap between them and Konoha.

otherwise.

In the future, Sunagakure may continue to shift its allegiance and cause trouble for them in the war.

Rasa understood that the other party already knew roughly what he was thinking, but he didn't lose his composure too much. "Indeed, but it's probably more suitable for sports."

"Haha, let's go."

Tsunade it off without delving deeper.

Baki and the others, however, were all bewildered, wondering why the Hokage and Kazekage had mentioned the green bodysuit.

Just because of that group of people?

Upon entering the school, Rasa took a look around. Konoha made no attempt to hide anything; if he wanted to attend a class, he let them. Apart from the ideological Teacher, who were all sick today, everyone else was present.

Rasa grew increasingly alarmed as he listened.

The Konoha Genin have so much to learn in terms of theory.

Although its usefulness may not be immediately apparent at this stage, this knowledge will prove extremely valuable once one reaches the Chunin or higher.

even.

With a larger number of participants, there are more opportunities for elites to emerge.

In comparison, their Sunagakure's model is more about free-range farming and capturing elites.

The educational gap between the two villages is reflected in the ninja community as follows:

Sunagakure has more Chunin and Genin.

Konoha has significantly more Chunin and above than other ninja villages.

He glanced at the children, his heart filled with complex emotions.

How many of these children can maintain their original aspirations in such an environment and remain unaffected by the prosperity and power of Konoha?

But by then, there was no turning back.

"Kazekage, you should have someone here who is skilled in Puppet Technique, right?"

Tsunade scanned the room.

Rasa remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Rina."

A child stepped forward.

It's a girl.

Rasa's introduction.

"This child's name is Rina, and she's the most skilled at puppet manipulation among these children."

"Perfect timing, I have a child here too."

Tsunade smiled.

Then, she led the way forward.

Before long, we exited through the back gate of the Ninja Academy and arrived at a park that wasn't very large.

Tsunade clapped her hands.

"Lord Hokage!"

A figure Body Flicker Technique.

A child who isn't very old.

However, his Body Flicker Technique is quite astonishing among his peers.

Rasa observed secretly.

Is this the "puppet master" of Konoha?

"Yamato, spar with her, but go easy on her."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Yamato stepped forward and looked the girl in front of him straight in the eye.

Rina took out the Sealing Scroll, then Hand Seals and quickly released the puppet inside.

A puppet shaped like a giant insect!

at the same time.

Yamato also took out his own puppet.

Baki and his men kept their eyes fixed on Yamato.

At this moment, they realized what Konoha was planning to do.

Use Puppet Technique to defeat their Puppet Technique!

They were furious.

Puppet Technique was created by the Second Kazekage of Sunagakure, Konoha...

But the next second, their eyes widened.

Because Yamato took out was not a puppet, but a wooden arm.

this?

They looked at each other, puzzled for a moment.

Limb modification?

Please advise!

Yamato formed a Seal of Confrontation.

Rina was clueless, but she still imitated the hand seal, and the next second...

She manipulated the puppet, which instantly lunged at Yamato.

But.

In an instant, Yamato threw a punch.

Boom!

Chakra spreads along the Chakra lines to the flesh and blood, and then undergoes special changes through the puppet's limbs.

He extended his fist and punched the giant insect puppet away.

An ordinary, unremarkable, and unglamorous strike.

Rina was at a loss, because no matter how she manipulated the Chakra Threads with her fingers, her puppet did not move.

That punch destroyed the internal structure of her puppet!

Rasa's face showed undisguised astonishment.

He considered that Konoha's puppets might be very strong, perhaps possessing extremely sophisticated techniques, or perhaps using some special method, but he never expected...

These things aren't there!

It's just an ordinary attack, but it's powerful enough to send bricks flying.