Chapter 158: I’ll Eat the Meat, You Can Have the Pot!

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: I’ll Eat the Meat, You Can Have the Pot!

Though it was already late at night, the Hokage's office remained brightly lit.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been stationed there constantly during this period.

Since Minato Namikaze was in the village, the intelligence transmitted by the messenger toad reached Sarutobi Hiruzen very quickly.

Even though more information had yet to arrive, the mere fact that Iwa had already deployed its forces was enough to catch Hiruzen's attention.

He immediately issued orders, dispatching an Anbu squad to the borders of the Land of Grass to alert the border defense forces and to inform Kusagakure to be on guard against a potential Iwa ambush.

Although Kusagakure had always played a balancing act among the great villages, and their recent ties with Iwa had become especially close, Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that Kusagakure would never allow Iwa to invade freely.

If they did, Kusagakure itself would cease to exist, which was a core interest of their village.

This situation was completely different from the Land of Rivers, which no longer had a shinobi village due to the loss of Amegakure.

Therefore, despite earlier warnings from Shūichi and Orochimaru, Hiruzen still believed that even if Iwa deployed its forces, crossing the Land of Grass wouldn't be easy for them, meaning there was still time to mobilize reinforcements.

This was why he had dared to divert troops to Kikyo Mountain multiple times before.

It was all a matter of strategic interests!

After issuing several more orders, Sarutobi Hiruzen smoked his pipe, his thoughts drifting toward the Land of Rain.

Aside from the Land of Grass, the Land of Rain was another point of concern for him.

Fortunately, Danzo was there.

With the Root division in place, it wouldn't be easy for Iwa to launch a surprise attack on the Fire Country's border through the Land of Rain.

Hiruzen's thoughts quickly shifted to the Cloud Ninjas.

Once Iwa went to war, Konoha's forces would be severely stretched, and the Cloud Ninjas would definitely be unable to resist taking action.

He stood up and walked to the map, his eyes scanning across it until they landed on Kikyo Mountain.

"The Sand Ninjas..."

Hiruzen's expression darkened.

He worried that the Cloud Ninjas might attack before the battle at Kikyo Mountain concluded, which would be extremely dangerous.

As for Shūichi Hoshita... After much deliberation, Hiruzen sighed, still unable to decide whether to recall him.

If Shūichi left, the Sand Ninjas would receive reinforcements, and the situation at Kikyo Mountain could change drastically.

"Shinnosuke, Minato hasn't left yet, has he?" Hiruzen asked.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke appeared immediately, "No, Minato is still here, worried that Shūichi might send more intelligence."

Hiruzen sighed, "They've worked hard."

"Have Minato send a message to Shūichi, asking him to propose peace talks with the Sand on my behalf. I will dispatch an official delegation to Sunagakure."

Shinnosuke was taken aback, "At this moment... According to Shūichi's previous intel, Iwa's quick deployment is partly due to the Sand. Sunagakure will likely demand unreasonable terms."

"If we can just hold on a little longer, once the battle at Kikyo Mountain is won, we can immediately reinforce the Land of Grass."

Hiruzen shook his head, "But the losses would be too great."

"And then there's the Cloud Ninjas. Their movements will only become more aggressive."

"To face attacks from four ninja villages simultaneously... just go!"

Shinnosuke sighed inwardly. Though he didn't fully agree with this strategy, he understood his father's difficult position and nodded before leaving.

He found Minato and carefully relayed Hiruzen's orders and considerations. Minato nodded seriously, "I'll have Mount Myoboku notify Shūichi immediately. With Shūichi's keen perception, this shouldn't be a difficult task for him."

Shinnosuke, however, smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid Shūichi won't act as the Third Hokage expects."

Minato paused for a moment, then reassured him, "Don't worry, Shūichi will handle such an important matter with care."

"Alright, I'll take care of it."

Shinnosuke nodded, watching Minato depart.

Minato went to a secluded location and immediately summoned Gamabunta, instructing him to deliver the message to Shūichi Hoshita.

After nodding in agreement, Gamabunta dispelled the summoning and returned to Mount Myoboku, where he immediately used reverse summoning.

Outside Sunagakure, Shūichi suddenly disappeared with a puff of smoke.

When he reappeared, he found himself in the vastly different landscape of Mount Myoboku.

Shūichi stood in Mount Myoboku for the first time, surveying his surroundings before turning to the massive Gamabunta in front of him. "Gamabunta, it seems Minato-sensei has some news."

Gamabunta nodded. "According to Minato, the Third Hokage wants you to propose peace talks with the Fourth Kazekage."

Shūichi chuckled. "I understand. Why not summon Minato-sensei here as well?"

"Uh... sure, I can do that."

With that, Gamabunta pressed his forelimbs together and performed the Reverse Summoning Technique. In an instant, Minato Namikaze appeared next to Shūichi.

"Shūichi!" Minato turned, smiling at his student, then held his hand up to gesture. "You've grown quite a bit taller!"

Shūichi laughed happily. "Minato-sensei, it's been almost six months since we last saw each other."

"Yes, it has," Minato nodded in agreement, a hint of emotion in his voice. "You've worked hard."

This was her true objective.

It was also part of Rasa's plan.

Once the arguments had mostly subsided, Rasa firmly declared, "I've decided to negotiate peace with Konoha."

"Chiyo, you will negotiate with Shūichi Hoshita."

"Our terms are the return of the One-Tails, part of the Land of Rivers, and our comrades at Kikyo Castle."

Chiyo nodded immediately. "Understood!"

Without wasting any time, she got up and left the room, heading straight outside the village.

...

"You got here pretty quickly..." Shūichi smiled as he stood at his base.

A short while later, Chiyo appeared in his line of sight and entered the base.

"Shūichi Hoshita, you know why I'm here," Chiyo began bluntly. "So, what are Konoha's terms for peace and an alliance?"

Shūichi shook his head. "It's not that Konoha wants an alliance. I've simply offered you the chance for one."

"If you don't agree, it's no concern of mine. Konoha won't lose this war—at most, we'll suffer more casualties."

"But the other villages will lose even more because I have a strong sense of revenge."

Chiyo frowned. This kid was far more difficult to deal with than she had anticipated.

Shūichi continued, "The choice before Sunagakure is simple. Cooperate with Konoha, and maintain the appearance of a standoff at Kikyo Mountain."

"As soon as we engage Iwa on the Fire Nation's border, you'll move your forces north."

"The troops at Kikyo Mountain will head north to cut off Iwa's retreat, while your main force moves into the Land of Birds."

"Tell me, do you think Kumo will also attack Iwa at that point?"

Chiyo frowned again but reluctantly nodded. "But the effort we put in doesn't match the benefits. Our village's shinobi won't accept such an outcome easily."

Having lost the upper hand, Chiyo had no choice but to make a strong demand. "We can support Konoha's military actions and form an alliance, but Konoha must return the benefits of the Land of Rivers that rightfully belong to Sunagakure."

"And secondly, the One-Tails must be returned!"

Shūichi shook his head. "Returning the Land of Rivers is out of the question. That was the price you paid for attacking Konoha!"

"As for the One-Tails... it can be returned to you."

Chiyo was stunned and stared at Shūichi, completely taken aback. She even wondered if he had lost his mind.

But Shūichi continued, "There's no problem returning the One-Tails, but not immediately. You'll have to wait three years."

Chiyo's eyes narrowed. In an instant, she saw through Shūichi's intentions.

He planned to stall for time and renege later!

Shūichi smiled. "Rest assured, I won't go back on my word. I'm well aware that extracting a tailed beast would be fatal. But don't forget, I'm also a medical ninja."

His approach was calculated—telling people what they wanted to hear.

Why fight to the death with Sunagakure and Iwa when he could pit them against each other instead?

After splitting the One-Tails, if Madara Uchiha came looking for trouble later, let him deal with Sunagakure's Jinchuriki first!

Shūichi would take the power, but leave the consequences to them!

Still in shock at Shūichi's unexpected moves, Chiyo finally spoke after a moment of contemplation. "I'll report everything you said to the Kazekage as it is."

With that, she turned to leave.

Shūichi added with a smile, "To show my sincerity, I'll remove the curse mark."

He raised a single hand, and Chiyo immediately felt the chakra inside her dissipate.

She paused for a moment, then quickly disappeared.

Shūichi quietly watched her leave, thinking: Go fight Iwa with all you've got!

And perhaps... he could use Sunagakure to eliminate Kusagakure as well?

If Kusagakure allowed Iwa to march through, there would be no need for such an unruly subordinate to exist.

Destroy Kusagakure and divide the spoils of the Land of Grass.

Of course, this would leave Konoha with no buffer between it and Iwa's forces.

So, why not install a more obedient regime in Kusagakure instead?

One sinister idea after another began to take root in Shūichi Hoshita's mind.

(End of Chapter)

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