As Long As You Can Do It

Perhaps because they argued so much Tenten, they developed a bit of affection for each other; when these two cunning old men looked at each other, they were even a little reluctant to part.

After all, it wasn't easy to find such a worthy opponent in the village in the past.

That sense of accomplishment is different.

Sparring with a master is like weightlifting; it can be addictive.

Of course, this assumes you're also an expert.

Being constantly humiliated by a noob won't get you hooked; it'll just drive you crazy.

As usual, everyone started with very friendly greetings, such as asking if they had eaten or slept well, and after that, they got down to business.

"Lord Tsuchikage, is it confirmed that the contract can be signed today?" Uchiha Shingen asked first.

"Of course." Ōnoki nodded, his expression serious and his mind highly focused.

He won't call Uchiha Shingen" brat" anymore.

This is a monster.

Before this negotiation, Ōnoki firmly believed that one day he would be on the same side as Leaf Village.

However, he was certain of one thing: Uchiha Shingen wouldn't be so kind as to support the development of Iwagakure. But he couldn't currently discern any drawbacks in it, whether Leaf Village was simply seeking some benefits or if it was all a conspiracy.

The only thing he was certain of was that he needed to control the scale.

They would never renege on their promises. The reason is simple: Iwagakure needs it. And, by their very nature, the people of the Land of Earth, compared to the Land of Lightning Land of Wind, also value contracts.

Of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth are the most law-abiding.

The Land of Water was in chaos, so there were no rules to follow. But once things were pacified, both Hidden Mist Village and Daimyo's Court started to follow rules.

Otherwise, why would they bother going to war? For most ninjas, war is the riskiest activity.

The fact that he liked to launch surprise attacks during wartime does not mean he disregarded the rules; these are two different things. Every time Ōnoki launched a surprise attack, he always sent a declaration of war. Perhaps the declaration wasn't sent on time, but he always sent it, and he followed all the proper procedures.

"Then let's finalize the agreement today." Uchiha Shingen took out the drafted agreement, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Ōnoki.

Ōnoki reached out and pressed down on the paper.

"Uchiha Shingen, you really didn't use any tricks, did you?" he asked.

"Lord Tsuchikage, I have communicated with Lord Kitsuchi on this matter several times recently, and I believe he has fully conveyed my thoughts."

"That's good. If this agreement can indeed ensure Iwagakure's rightful interests, I will do everything in my power to uphold it, even at the cost of the Tsuchikage's name." Ōnoki's expression was cold and stern. "If Leaf Village is only using this to harm Iwagakure, then there will never be peace between the two villages! I'm not saying this as a threat, but as a statement of fact, and this is not something I, the Tsuchikage, can control."

"Lord Tsuchikage, you can rest assured that Leaf Village will get what Leaf Village wants, Iwagakure will get what Iwagakure wants." Uchiha Shingen nodded solemnly. "Both sides will also have various measures in place to prevent force majeure and malicious breach of contract."

"How do you explain it? What is force majeure?"

"It's clearly stated in the agreement, Lord Tsuchikage. Please read the agreement first."

Ōnoki and Uchiha Shingen stared at each other for a long time before taking the agreement and reading it.

He opened the cover and the first thing he saw was a long table of contents, with the first line reading "Glossary of Terms".

What does "definition of a term" mean?

"This is to ensure that both parties have a consistent understanding of the agreement. We can verify this on-site, and if there are any differences in understanding, we will make modifications."

"Yes, it is indeed necessary." Ōnoki nodded and continued flipping through the pages.

The room was quiet, with only the occasional sound of Ōnoki turning pages.

It's called an agreement, but it's basically a book.

"How do we determine the extent of the retained task funds?" Ōnoki suddenly asked again. "We can't wait until it's all paid off before we can get it back, can we? Besides, as long as we haven't breached the contract, this money is ours. How can we ensure you don't misuse it?"

"A dedicated account will be set up, with both parties controlling it. Every transaction must be approved by both the Hokage and the Tsuchikage the money exchange can process the transaction. However, during the lockout period, the money exchange can use the funds for other investments. As the owner of the funds, Iwagakure will receive a portion of the profits. You can think of this as a principal-protected investment."

"What if we lose money?"

"With the money lender backing it, no one in this world can cheat both the Tsuchikage and the Hokage at the same time."

What about the ruling on the scale of the interception?

"According to a fixed percentage of the outstanding debt."

"Why do we have to pay extra if we pay it back early?"

"There's no way around it, Lord Tsuchikage. Although you've repaid the principal ahead of schedule, the investors have suffered interest losses. If others raise funds from Iwagakure through the association, the rules are the same: early repayment requires paying a fee to Iwagakure."

Ōnoki Uchiha Shingen instantly.

"You're pretty good," Ōnoki finally gave a curt "thank you," then continued reading the agreement.

Chapter Twenty: As Long As You Can Do It

Finally, Ōnoki finished reading the entire book.

He truly admired Uchiha Shingen for being able to create such a massive work.

How is a brain structured?

And to be honest, after reading the whole book, he felt dizzy.

It's too exhausting.

The format is also very strange.

I've never signed a contract like this before.

Agreements between ninja villages are always simple and straightforward in their terms.

The date of the formal ceasefire, the number of prisoners to be transferred, and the amount of reparations should all be clearly stated.

It'll only take a few sheets of paper at most.

There's a lot to discuss here, and it's not over yet. Even after both parties sign this agreement, they still have to sign a bunch of other things with the association, and then there's something else that all three parties have to sign together.

Good grief! This is so complicated!?

Ōnoki now understands why that association was able to do so well.

It's not just about relying on Leaf Village's military strength; their rules and regulations are indeed extremely detailed.

Although this is just a framework, Ōnoki is certain that under this structure, Leaf Village cannot falsify Iwagakure's accounts unless there is a mole within Iwagakure.

Ōnoki initially wanted to make some changes, but found that he couldn't bring himself to do so.

The rights and obligations of Iwagakure and Leaf Village are all clearly defined and fairly matched. If he changes Iwagakure's rules, Leaf Village's rules also have to be changed. In the end, no one benefits.

But if he doesn't change it, it makes him seem like a useless Tsuchikage.

Therefore, he offered his suggestions for revision.

"Overall, it's alright." Ōnoki, quite reservedly, picked up his teacup, tilted his head back, and gulped it down. Then he smacked his lips. "In my opinion, there are two places that need some revision."

"You said." Uchiha Shingen smiled.

"Let's change the name of the agreement. It's too long, with all this talk about comprehensive strategy and military cooperation. It sounds weird. We're a ninja village; we need to have the spirit of a ninja village."

"Oh? Change it to what?"

"An alliance is an alliance, why are you making such a fuss? Just write it as an alliance treaty, and that's it."

Ōnoki tapped the table with his fingers, giving him a look that said, "Why are you so stingy and inefficient?"

The Kitsuchi around him seemed to cast a gratified glance.

"There's still time. Renewing the contract every year is too troublesome; how can we see the results then? We'll do as I say! Five years at a time, with each renewal six months in advance."

"No problem." Uchiha Shingen nodded. "It's up to you."

He gestured to the little pigeon in charge of secretarial work in the guild to bring out another book, and then, accompanied by the secretaries from Iwagakure, they went to revise it together.

The atmosphere in the room relaxed.

Alright, from now on we're allies, no need to be so nervous.

"Lord Tsuchikage, will you be signing by hand or stamping it later?" Uchiha Shingen asked with a smile.

"Hmph!" Ōnoki took out a pen. "I always sign by hand, never with a seal."

"Please understand, I can only use the Lord Hokage's signature stamp here."

"It's alright, but you have to sign your own name."

"I'm not the Hokage."

"No, you have to sign. I won't sign unless you do."

"Alright, let's do it this way. How about we add an extra signature from the agent on the signature page?"

"Whatever! As long as you can sign it!"

"Alright, alright, I'll do as you say, I'll sign, I'll definitely sign." Uchiha Shingen sighed and called out to the busy clerk, "On the signature page, add a signature field for the Leaf Village representative."

"The 'seal across the seam' mentioned here is the same! If you don't have a seal, just write it by hand!"

"Sure, whatever you say goes."

A while later, both copies of the agreement were returned.

Both sides began to verify that the contents of the two agreements were consistent, which eliminated the need for Ōnoki and Uchiha Shingen to do it themselves.

They left their seats and went to the tea room to rest.

Ōnoki sat down in the chair, holding the teacup in his hand.

"Shingen, Deidara and Kurotsuchi told me about you. They've been taking care of you these past few days."

"This is the Lord Hokage's intention," Uchiha Shingen said with a smile.

This favor is neither here nor there; there's no need to fight for it.

"The Fourth Hokage, huh..." Ōnoki's somewhat stiff face softened into a smile. "He's quite humane."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have signed the contract so readily."

"Fifty-fifty," Ōnoki said, taking a sip of tea. "With a freak like you in the Uchiha Clan, the Hokage probably won't be able to do anything about it anytime soon. Let me ask you this: you said that we can only provide services to the Kaze and Raiku kingdoms because of the joint guarantee from our two villages and Hidden Mist Village. Are you trying to exclude Sand Village?"

"What you're saying is problematic. The association doesn't have a presence in the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning are old rivals. Isn't this a necessary security consideration?"

"So you're already on guard against the Sand Village resorting to desperate measures?"

"Who can I defend against? That's a matter for the higher-ups to consider."

If you're not Konoha High Command, then who is?

Furthermore, how can you, an Uchiha Clan, harbor such great malice towards Cloud Village?

Ōnoki stated that he was simply curious and had no objections.

He gleaned some insights from this negotiation.

Although the Leaf Village's White Ghost is young, he is shrewd and possesses both strength and status. Being targeted by someone like him would be a disaster even for the Kumogakure.

He had a premonition that being attacked by three villages for refusing to repay debts was the future of Cloud Village.

He genuinely had absolutely no objection to this.

The Kumogakure has developed too well, and its greedy and belligerent nature, along with the rampant Hawks, has put great pressure on the Iwagakure.

The reason he hasn't retired at his age is because he feels there isn't a suitable successor in the village to handle the pressure from Cloud Village.

Although Kumogakure has lost its Jinchūriki, it hasn't really lost its core strength, because they have mastered the method of creating Perfect Jinchuriki.

The Cloud Village has a history of capturing Tailed Beasts from other villages.

The attack on Sand Village, which triggered the Third Shinobi World War, was largely due to Cloud Village's desire to seize the One-Tail.

To put it simply, while the prospect of making money was one factor that convinced Ōnoki to sign the agreement with Leaf Village, the decisive factor was that he saw the possibility of Iwagakure and Leaf Village achieving true peace and joining forces to deal with Cloud Village and Sand Village.

Especially Cloud Village!

He was still willing to give it a try, given this possibility.

"I will announce this news immediately after the signing," Ōnoki said. "This is what Leaf Village wants most right now, isn't it? I'll cooperate with you this once, hoping that Leaf Village is truly committed to achieving peace with Iwagakure."

"That's for sure." Uchiha Shingen nodded, his attitude resolute. "If anyone tries to undermine the cooperative relationship between Leaf Village and Iwagakure, I'll be the first to kill him."

"Hmph, remember what you said. If you can do it, Iwagakure can also be an ally of the Uchiha Clan."