Negotiations

Sakura pointed at the approaching Kairyū: " Hongshi-kun! These three are very strong, my Chakra is already..."

Hongshi stood up with a smile, "It's alright, let me do it."

However, Kairyū and his companions paid no attention to Hongshi's approach.

Using the light from the lightning, Rock Lee stared at the four people. " Sakura, look at their white haori (traditional ninja robes). What kind of ninja attire is that?"

"I've never seen anything like it before. You know what, it's quite beautiful."

Hongshi stood in front of Kairyū, his eyes shining. "You... oh my~ this little boy is so cute, come on, let uncle lick him."

Sakura: "Σ() Hongshi, what's wrong with you?!"

Rock Lee: "You beast! Take your tongue back!"

Kairyū drew his katana from his waist and pressed it against Hongshi's forehead. "Big brother, you're a pervert! Ranmaru is mine!"

Ranmaru was so angry that tears streamed down his face. " Raiga, help... help me! This guy is going to eat me!"

Raiga knelt on the ground. " Ranmaru, I'm useless, I can't beat them!"

Sakura finally snapped out of her daze, "Big... Big Brother? Hongshi, you two know each other?"

Hongshi coughed twice. "Ahem, this guy is Kairyū, a subordinate I took in the Land of Spring. Those are his apprentices... what were their names again?"

Kairyū sighed, "You don't even remember the names you chose yourself? Their names are... um...?"

Lord God: "(╯°Д°)╯ Ugh, you don't remember either!"

Sakura couldn't bear to see them looking so dumbfounded, so she went to Kairyū's side and picked Ranmaru up. " Kairyū, tell me what happened."

It was still raining at that moment, but after Kairyū appeared, an invisible force forced the rain back.

Kairyū sheathed his sword. "We are samurai commissioned by the daimyo of the Land of Rivers to quell the chaos in the Land of Rivers."

Kyōai and Kendon, escorting Raiga Kurosuki, also approached. "Speaking of which, are you sure your companion can handle over forty people by himself?"

Sakura laughed and said, "It's alright, I'm fine with it."

" Naruto-kun is very strong!"

The next morning

The weather cleared up, and sunlight shone on the mining area, making the gold mine reflect an alluring light.

The battle in the mining area was completely over. All the guards on the flat ground were tied up with ropes and had a black substance stuffed in their mouths.

They appeared to be in extreme pain, tears and snot streaming down their faces, their legs thrashing about. "Waaah!"

Some people even rolled their eyes back and fell into a coma.

Rock Lee, standing nearby, kept doing push-ups. "This is the taste of youth. Only by experiencing this taste can you know what it means to be truly alive."

Meanwhile, in the room where Raiga Kurosuki was originally, four members of Kairyū's group, Rokusuke members of Rokusuke's group, and three members of Sakura's group were negotiating how to deal with Raiga Kurosuki.

Sakura was the spokesperson for Konoha, while Kairyū were the spokespeople for Kyōai Shunsui, and Rokusuke, the most familiar person to everyone, was the Rokusuke for the miners.

The one presiding over the negotiations was the sinister Kendon, Kendon held a black cylinder in his hand and began to preside over the proceedings.

"Hello, hello, can you hear me? Test, one, two, three, test, one, two, three..."

Kairyū: "Yes, host, we are ready to begin."

Hongshi: "Hehehe, well, we're ready too, let's begin."

Rokusuke: "What's the situation now?"

Sakura: " Hongshi, why are you getting involved with them?!"

Hongshi stroked his beard. "First of all, please call me Master Mutaito."

Kendon had blue hair and yellow eyes. His voice was high-pitched and fluctuated in pitch, making it very unpleasant to listen to, like being submerged in viscous liquid. "Alright, then let's hear from Konoha first."

Sakura took a sip of water. "Clearing out the Kurosuki Clan at the Katabami Gold Mine and rescuing Karashi and the miners was a request made by Uncle Rokusuke on behalf of all the miners, and the mission is now complete. However, since Raiga Kurosuki and his henchmen have been sealed by Naruto's Sealing Jutsu and are unable to resist, the mission is considered complete. Out of humanitarian considerations, they cannot be killed. Therefore, I leave the decision of how to deal with them to the person who made the request, Uncle Rokusuke."

Kendon: "Hehehe, Konoha's meaning is not to kill, but to lock them up."

Sakura: "Hey! I said let Rokusuke decide, but I didn't say lock him up. What's wrong with you, host?"

Kendon ignored him. "Next, let's invite Uncle Rokusuke to speak!"

Rokusuke on the table and stood up. " Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru must die! They buried so many miners alive, and the others are no different. Their hands are stained with sin; they must be imprisoned!"

Kendon raised his right hand. "Hehehe, Rokusuke said to kill them all and chop them to pieces."

Tōhachi: "What? You want to throw silver? Let me do it!"

Kyōai pressed down on Tōhachi: "Get out of here and stay put!"

"Boring"

Kyōai sighed, "Sorry, my companions are a bit dim-witted."

Sakura laughed and said, "It's okay, everyone on my side is an idiot too."

Hongshi: "Zzzz"

Naruto: "Zzzzz"

Kairyū: "Zzzzz"

Kyōai took out a map of the Land of Rivers: " Rokusuke, Sakura, don't be in a hurry, listen to me slowly. The places I marked on this map are all places where foreign missing-nin or certain evil organizations are active."

The map was covered with markings of various colors.

Sakura asked, "What does this mean?"

Kyōai still didn't seem inclined to get to the point. "To be honest, we're ninjas from the Nuclear Ninja Village in the Land of Spring."

When Rokusuke was working before, he had heard rumors about the Land of Spring: "Is that the Land of Spring of Spring overseas, which used to be covered in ice and snow but now has a spring-like climate all year round?"

Kyōai pointed to the bottom of the map. "That's right, the Land of Spring is now preparing to open to the outside world, and the flying ninja tools that Konoha possesses are produced by us."

Sakura recalled that back in Otogakure, Hongshi and the others had indeed used ninja tools that allowed them to fly, and the results were excellent.

Kyōai continued, "However, beyond the territory of the Land of Spring, there is only the sea, making transportation inconvenient. Currently, we can only use ships for transport. Therefore, we hope to reach an agreement with the Land of Rivers to establish a port. The condition of the daimyo of the Land of Rivers is that all evil organizations within its territory be eradicated, and that our Nuclear Ninja Village establishes a new ninja village after the eradication of this area. This is the letter of authorization."

Kyōai took out a sealed scroll personally written by a daimyo. Sakura had seen scrolls of this level before in her Ninja Academy textbooks. "This Sealing Jutsu, it's definitely it."

The scroll's contents indeed state that the price for sharing territory is the cost, demonstrating just how dire the situation in the Land of Rivers has become.

Sakura and Rokusuke then realized what Kyōai was trying to say, "I see."

Kyōai pointed to the markings on the map. "The Fifth Elder of the Nuclear Ninja Village recently conducted reconnaissance here and marked all the evil forces, large and small, within the Land of Rivers. They were divided into three levels, with red, yellow, and blue marking the three levels of danger. There are two red threats, five yellow threats, and seven blue threats. The Kurosuki Clan only belongs to the yellow category."

Sakura roughly understood Kairyū's intentions. "I see, so you want to absorb the Kurosuki Clan as a force for subjugation?"

Kyōai nodded. "That's right, so we don't want you to kill Raiga. Although he's a bastard, we still need people."

Sakura thought for a moment, "If that's the case, we won't be able to explain it to the Lord Hokage, after all, it's our mission..."

Kyōai continued, "In that case, I will return to Konoha with you to meet the Lord Hokage and propose an alliance, because our strength alone is still insufficient."

Sakura looked at Naruto: "In that case, Naruto and Rock Lee should stay here for now, just in case anything unexpected happens."

Rokusuke then spoke up, looking at Kyōai: "What! Raiga killed so many people, and you're actually going to let him go! I don't agree, and these miners don't agree either!"

Raiga Kurosuki sat beside Kyōai and Kairyū, barely daring to breathe, showing none of the imposing aura of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Tōhachi Ba grinned, revealing two sharp canine teeth. "Hahaha, Kyōai, do you want to kill me? Can I do it?"

Kendon rubbed his hands together, "Hehehe, I also need test subjects for my newly developed poison."

Kyōai covered her head. "Ugh, you two are really something else. Uncle Rokusuke, we're planning to build a dock and a ninja village, and we're in dire need of manpower, but I can assure you that they will become your protective force in the future."

Rokusuke still disagreed. "No! I refuse. The Kurosuki Clan has been committing evil for a long time. How can they possibly change for the better so soon? Besides, you think you can save them with just a guarantee? Not only can I not accept that, but even the miners outside can't understand it."

Looking at the furious Rokusuke, Kyōai wasn't angry at all; instead, she felt a sense of admiration. "Uncle Rokusuke, you're quite something, daring to talk to us like that."

Rokusuke naturally knew Kairyū's strength, but he felt no fear whatsoever. "This concerns the lives of our brothers. If you resort to force, how are you any different from them!"

Kyōai scratched her head. "Uncle Rokusuke, don't be angry yet. Sit down and listen to my next proposal before you make a decision."

Sakura smiled and said, "It's alright, Uncle Rokusuke. Everyone's saved now, don't get so worked up."

Kyōai continued, " The Kurosuki Clan are just ordinary people. Without the leadership of Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru, even you miners could easily defeat them. But you must understand, even if we wipe out the entire Kurosuki Clan today, another Kurosuki will come. This is Gold Mine Mountain, and many people are eyeing it."

Rokusuke then realized the gravity of the situation. "Could it be that our comrades died in vain?!"

Seeing that Rokusuke had finally been persuaded and was finally getting to the point, Kyōai said, "So my proposal is that from now on, this will be our headquarters."

"Headquarters? Doesn't that put us in even greater danger?"

Sakura had witnessed the strength of Kyōai and the others, especially Kairyū, who was definitely no less powerful than Kakashi: "Uncle Rokusuke, you can rest assured, these people are extremely strong."

"Hehehe, now you're officially the first inhabitants of the Land of Rivers's ninja village. You can't even imagine the treatment you'll receive."

Rokusuke silence, Rokusuke said, "I need to ask everyone's opinion on this matter."

"Okay, we'll wait for you."

Rokusuke, Nanasuki, and Kyūsha Che left and headed to where the miners were resting.

Sakura sighed, "Ah, war is a constant companion in every era."

Kyōai, however, had a different view on war. "War is nothing more than the exploitation of the weak by the strong and the struggle for interests among the strong. The weak can only survive and grow into the strong by supporting each other. I believe Rokusuke understands this principle."

Sakura looked at Kyōai: "Your Captain Kairyū is Hongshi-kun's underling, what's going on between them?"

Kyōai: "This all started when Boss Hongshi and the others escorted Princess Koyuki back to the Land of Spring..."