Uzumaki Shori considered the other party's weak points.
"Envoy of the Land of Water, I believe that Kirigakure has many shinobi. But why didn't you bring all your forces to bear and crush us from the start?"
"The Land of Lightning borders the Land of Water. If all the shinobi of Kirigakure came here, Kumogakure could invade your homeland at will."
The smile on Wuming's face gradually faded.
Threatening them with superior numbers hadn't worked.
"Uzukage, you're right. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, we can't sign a surrender document to a small country. Sometimes honor matters more than one's own life."
Uzumaki Shori knew the strength of the Land of Whirlpools. If the Land of Water truly fought to the death, both sides would suffer heavy losses.
"Ten million ryo for the Mizukage, two million for each jonin, two hundred thousand for each chunin, and ten thousand for each genin."
Wuming studied Uzumaki Shori for a long while. Then he smiled again and held out his right hand.
Uzumaki Shori saw his gesture. It seemed the other party had accepted. The two shook hands.
Wuming of the Land of Water strode into the celebration hall.
"Looks like the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Water have reached an agreement."
"Which side got the worse deal, the Land of Whirlpools or the Land of Water?"
"The Land of Water hasn't sent any more shinobi. Looks like they backed down."
The envoys from the various countries marveled that the young Second Uzukage could lead the Land of Whirlpools in standing up to the Land of Water.
A chunin in the hall shouted.
"The Land of Whirlpools' daimyo inauguration ceremony is now beginning!"
Uzumaki Ashina wore the Uzumaki Clan's ornate traditional robes.
He slowly made his way through the center of the hall and climbed onto a platform raised ten centimeters above the floor.
Uzumaki Shori turned toward the band and shouted,
"Begin the music!"
The envoys from the various countries watched in amazement. The Land of Whirlpools' inauguration ceremony was so grand.
"Please issue the first decree, Daimyo."
Uzumaki Shori gave the next instruction.
He took the seal in his hand and stepped forward to present it to Uzumaki Ashina.
Uzumaki Ashina took the seal and stamped it onto the document that had already been prepared.
Uzumaki Shori took the document and read it aloud to the gathering.
"The new daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools is severely short of staff. The Daimyo Palace will be established, with officials divided into civil and military positions."
"Civil positions are open not only to members of the Uzumaki Clan in the Land of Whirlpools. Anyone with a useful skill may take an exam, and those who pass may serve as officials in the Land of Whirlpools."
"Military positions are open to everyone, whether or not they are shinobi. Anyone may undergo selection, and those accepted will receive benefits from the Land of Whirlpools."
The envoys from the various countries exchanged glances. As a small country, the Land of Whirlpools was maintaining both a shinobi village and a samurai force. Their functions overlapped.
The Land of Whirlpools still needed to bring in people from other regions. After taking office, the Second Uzukage would be reorganizing the entire country.
This was a major event in the entire Ninja World. For now, they could eat and drink, then return home and let their own Kage worry about it.
When Uzumaki Shori finished his speech, the members of the Uzumaki Clan in attendance cheered.
"Long live the Land of Whirlpools! Long live the Land of Whirlpools!"
The inauguration ceremony came to an end.
In the reception room, two men sat together, savoring their tea.
Uzumaki Shori spoke.
"May I ask if there's anything else, Lord Danzo?"
"Then I'll get straight to the point. During your battle with the Land of Water, your country used Rocket Launchers. Would you teach Konoha how to make them?"
"Our two countries have been solid allies since the First's time."
Danzo savored his tea and spoke slowly.
Uzumaki Shori gripped his cup tightly. Looking at the serious expression across from him, he replied softly,
"The Land of Whirlpools and Konoha are allies, so of course we should teach you."
"But making a Rocket Launcher requires an extremely high level of skill in Sealing Jutsu. At present, I'm the only one in the Land of Whirlpools who can build one. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Lord Danzo."
A smile had already appeared on Danzo's face, but as he heard the rest, his expression darkened.
"Uzukage, have you considered the consequences of saying that?"
Uzumaki Shori met Danzo's gaze and replied,
"Konoha has many shinobi clans, and the Third Hokage is known as the Professor of Ninjutsu."
"Every generation produces geniuses. Lord Danzo, you can buy the Rocket Launchers we make. Whether you can copy them is up to you."
In Danzo's view, Konoha was the strongest village in the Ninja World. If they bought Rocket Launchers and tried to copy them, they would succeed for sure.
This was merely another way of doing things.
It was a way that would satisfy both sides.
"Uzukage, let's celebrate our successful cooperation."
Uzumaki Shori had complete faith in his +1 Sealing Jutsu skill. Konoha wouldn't be able to crack it, and they wouldn't bring this up again. They couldn't afford to lose face.
They shook hands and ended their conversation.
As he left the reception room, Uzumaki Shori looked up at the clouds drifting freely across the sky. Unlike them, he had one thing after another to deal with.
"Make a note of this: have the civilians of the Land of Whirlpools continue working at the Rocket Launcher Factory. The situation between the countries is tense, so we need to maintain enough firepower."
"Tell Uzumaki Jiro to keep producing Weasel Tanks. Recruit strong civilians and begin training them on the tanks ahead of time, so we can build at least a basic fighting force."
Uzumaki Shori walked along, giving instructions to the chunin responsible for taking notes beside him.
He spotted Tsunade sitting up ahead, enjoying the scenery and eating an ice cream.
She looked gloomy, and didn't seem to be in a good mood.
Uzumaki Shori dismissed his subordinate.
He walked over and sat beside Tsunade, then snatched her ice cream and took a bite.
When Tsunade noticed Uzumaki Shori sitting beside her and stealing her ice cream, she punched him.
Uzumaki Shori had no choice but to clutch his arm and beg for mercy.
"I thought you were in a good mood, so I wanted to tease you a little."
"So you were teasing me? Then I was teasing you with that punch."
Tsunade gritted her teeth as she spoke.
"Why are you in a bad mood? Tell me. Maybe I can help," Uzumaki Shori said.
When Tsunade explained why she was upset, it turned out to be Shimura Danzo.
At the Jonin Assembly, Tsunade had proposed establishing a medical corps.
Each squad would be assigned a medical ninja to reduce casualties.
Danzo had nothing to do with the proposal.
But he had rejected it at the Jonin Assembly, and the proposal had been dropped after that.
Seeing him here again today, anyone would have been angry.
The medical corps proposal would have required a lot of resources, and Konoha was already facing off against several countries.
The Third Hokage had a cautious temperament.
He lacked confidence in himself.
Even the slightest change could alter the course of a battle.
If they made no changes, they couldn't make a mistake.
It seemed the Third Hokage had told Danzo to do it, so he wouldn't have to damage his relationship with his student.
"Danzo's just awful. I'll find a chance to teach him a lesson later. Don't you think, Tsunade?" Uzumaki Shori said in agreement.
"You really do know how to say nice things to make me feel better."
Tsunade threw a flurry of punches at him.
"After a few punches, I feel a lot better."
"There's something else that's really upsetting."
"The battle between Konoha and Sunagakure is about to begin. I have to go back to Konoha, too."
Tsunade looked up at the sky as she spoke.
"Now that you mention it, I'm feeling down, too."
"Give it some time. I'll come to Konoha and ask for your hand in marriage." Uzumaki Shori spoke with earnest conviction.
Before you continue