Naruto: Starting from Eating the Gold Fruit

Chapter 84 Whirlpools, Tsuchiyu (Earthfall), Ceasefire on All Sides [6700]

After parting ways with the three little ones, Yua hummed a song as he arrived at Hashirama Senju's mansion and found Mito Uzumaki.

It's almost the end of the year, time to send New Year's greetings.

By the way, I also ask Mito Uzumaki to contact the Uzumaki clan. The war cannot continue. It must end next year. You can discuss the specific conditions yourselves. It must end! Otherwise, I will withdraw the aid I gave you!

Mito Uzumaki agreed with this.

People from the Uzumaki clan are dying every day now.

Don't assume that naval battles are safe just because everyone has ships; in fact, that's the most dangerous aspect.

If a boat capsizes and is hit by other boats that are moving recklessly, that person is instantly killed.

Therefore, in naval battles, if one person dies, the entire ship dies.

Of course, this applies to both the Uzumaki clan and Kirigakure.

Mito Uzumaki was dissatisfied with those in power within the Uzumaki clan. They were sitting comfortably in the rear of the Land of Whirlpools, while the work of risking their lives was done by the commoners and low-ranking ninjas of the Land of Whirlpools. Were they even human?

How can you be so heartless!

Those who died were all members of the Uzumaki clan!

However, there is one thing that Mito Uzumaki is very concerned about.

"But Yua... you've been secretly selling weapons to Kirigakure, which might give the Uzumaki clan a bad impression of you..."

Yuya waved his hand: "So what if they think of me? I don't care what they think of me. In my opinion, the Land of Whirlpools has a problem with how it handles its own position."

What I'm about to say might upset you, but it's the truth.

Among the largest countries in the entire ninja world, the Land of Whirlpools is adjacent to Konoha and is also the only country with the shortest distance between Kirigakure and Konoha on the sea trade route.

If the Land of Whirlpools continues as it has been...

Their end will surely be tragic.

You Ya originally wanted to say something like "overestimating one's abilities."

But after thinking about it, Mito Uzumaki was, after all, a member of the Uzumaki clan, so she decided against it.

Even in the original Naruto chronicles, the Uzumaki clan did not have good relations with any country other than Konoha.

In fact, even Konoha didn't send troops when the Land of Whirlpools was attacked, which led the Uzumaki clan members to prefer going to the Land of Rain rather than Konoha when they fled. (Nagato's parents: Who brought this up?)

While there may have been many reasons for Konoha's actions at the time, if we were to be honest, even if Konoha had been under Hiruzen Sarutobi's leadership, and had not provided military support to the Land of Whirlpools, or even just sent ships to evacuate the people, the Uzumaki clan would not have been reduced to just a few survivors. Karin and her mother would not have had to leave their homeland and be used as blood packs by the beasts of the Land of Grass.

It's impossible for you to say that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't consider this.

One of the most typical examples is...

Naruto's mother, Kushina, was brought to Konoha from the Land of Whirlpools.

Of course, it may also be related to the fact that Mito Uzumaki was too old at the time and was about to reach the end of her life.

In short, due to its geographical location and size, the Land of Whirlpools cannot follow the same path of large-scale development as Konoha.

It's just a tiny place, how much development can it possibly achieve?

But as I said before, the Land of Whirlpools cannot be destroyed.

The Land of Whirlpools is a buffer zone between Konoha and Kirigakure.

Yuya could not allow them to be captured by Kirigakure.

Mito Uzumaki was certainly aware of this, but the problem now was...

Those bastards from the Uzumaki clan wouldn't listen to her...

All they think about all day long is how to get more weapons, more big ships, and send more people to the sea to fight the Hidden Mist Village.

There was even a feeling that the Vortex Clan would gain great benefits if they won this war.

Mito Uzumaki was also dissatisfied, but what could she do?

After Hashirama Senju's death, she could not possibly leave Konoha. Her influence greatly diminished after Hashirama Senju's death. Why did the Uzumaki clan come every year before? Why haven't they come in recent years except when they need something from her?

Because Mito Uzumaki no longer has any influence over Konoha.

Even though she was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, she didn't have the power to determine the direction or course of Konoha, so not many people took her seriously.

Mito Uzumaki sighed helplessly. Her situation wasn't good either; although she also wanted to end the war, but...

She didn't know what to do.

Yuya looked up at Mito Uzumaki and asked, "Does Master's wife really want to end this war? I can help you."

Mito Uzumaki perked up: "Are you willing to abandon your aid to Kirigakure?"

You Ya laughed and shook his head: "Master's wife, you've always been very clever, why are you being so naive now?"

I sold weapons to Kirigakure simply because I wanted to clear out my inventory; those weapons were all sold at a discount.

If I don't sell to Kirigakure, the people of Kirigakure will use their own resources to produce weapons.

"It's a ninja village in the Land of Water, after all; it won't lack basic resources."

As soon as Yua said that, Mito Uzumaki understood that Kirigakure didn't need Yua's help at all, since it wasn't Yua providing assistance from both sides.

The only reason Kirigakure buys Yuya is because Yuya's price is lower than the price of ninja tools produced and sold in their own village.

If Yuya takes back these weapons, Kirigakure will use their own, and the situation will not change.

Mito Uzumaki then asked curiously, "How do you plan to... end this war?"

Yuya looked at Mito Uzumaki and fell silent. Mito Uzumaki looked puzzled and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

The atmosphere gradually became strange.

Mito Uzumaki was indeed as clever as Yua had said.

Even though Youya didn't say a word, she had already figured out the key point...

"You, you want to...you want to assassinate those elders of the Uzumaki clan?!" Uzumaki Mito looked at Yua in astonishment.

Yuya pursed his lips, adjusted his posture, and bowed his head to Mito Uzumaki: "This is the fastest way, the one with the least follow-up impact, and... the best way for Konoha."

The Land of Whirlpools isn't incapable of holding on, but for Yua, this war is actually unnecessary.

Even if you don't charge me a toll, I can still take you flying. It's not like you're lacking resources. As long as you hand over the rights to your military, public opinion, people's livelihood, infrastructure, and resources, it's not impossible for me to make your country rich.

All you ever think about is your pathetic toll fees. How much can you possibly earn from those toll fees?!

However, Yuya could not say that openly.

Because Konoha itself is still fighting, and Konoha is not at peace, there are many things that Yua cannot do.

To put it more bluntly, large-scale infrastructure projects require a large amount of human and material resources.

One ninja is worth at least several hundred people.

With such a large number of people trapped in the battlefield between Konoha and Kumogakure, large-scale infrastructure projects cannot commence.

Not to mention, what if other villages take the opportunity to attack once construction begins and manpower is mobilized?

Therefore, many things can only be done in peacetime. As long as the war continues, many things cannot be done.

Of course, although she wanted the Land of Whirlpools and the Hidden Mist Village to stop fighting, Mito Uzumaki was, after all, a person of the Land of Whirlpools and a member of the Uzumaki clan.

Although Yua could have sent Uchiha Kagami with the Anbu to assassinate the elders of the Uzumaki clan without informing Mito Uzumaki, Mito Uzumaki would definitely feel very resentful afterward.

It would be better to just be upfront from the beginning.

Yua bowed her head and apologized to Mito Uzumaki, saying, "This is the fastest way to resolve the war..."

After saying that, You Ya sighed helplessly and said, "If you, Master's wife, are unwilling, that's fine. I won't force you."

Mito Uzumaki's expression was uncertain; she truly hadn't expected Yua to present her with such a difficult choice.

but……

Just as You Ya said...

This method can indeed end the war in the shortest amount of time.

however……

She also has the surname Whirlpool...

Yua ultimately failed to obtain Mito Uzumaki's consent, and could only sigh helplessly before leaving the mansion.

In the 21st year of Konoha, the New Year's Eve celebrations were uneventful. Before Yua decided to shift his focus to cultural entertainment, the New Year was just an ordinary day for many people in Konoha.

At most, I'll eat a little better on this one day.

When technology advances and wireless signals become more widespread, and everyone has access to television entertainment, the New Year's Eve celebration will become truly lively.

Now...

Let's think about what to do in the new year.

After completing the year-end accounting, Yuya announced that everyone except the Shimura clan ninjas would receive a year-end bonus.

Meanwhile, the salaries and bonuses of the Shimura clan's ninjas were all deducted this month.

Isn't it a coincidence that the amount is exactly over five million?

The Shimura clan and the other families knew perfectly well that the golden shoes Yua had given them earlier were not an admission of weakness, but a clear message to the Shimura clan: "Giving you a gift is a courtesy, but I won't give you any more face in the future."

Everyone knows the principle of "courtesy first, then force."

Just when the Shimura clan thought Yua would treat them the same way he treated the Sarutobi clan, Yua did not summon the merchants, but instead wrote an open letter to Tobirama Senju.

What is an open letter?

It's a letter that will be published in the newspaper so that all the people of Konoha can see it.

In the letter, Yuya used flowery language to praise Shimura Danzo's spiritual strike and affirmed Shimura Danzo's achievements.

Therefore, Yuya requested that Danzo Shimura lead a large battalion of the Konoha ninja army.

In short, Yua is saying that Shimura Danzo did a great job this time, Second Hokage, look at how much he accomplished, shouldn't he be promoted or something?!

Before the other families could understand what was happening, the Shimura family did.

Since the letter was made public, then Shimura Danzo is now...

Wasn't it singled out?

There's nothing wrong with the letter itself.

The only problem is...

The entire text praises Danzo Shimura.

Even when requesting a promotion, he only mentioned the name of Danzo Shimura.

What about the others? Did Shimura Danzo lead the attack on Kumogakure alone?

No.

However, Youya only called his name.

It's obvious what they want to do.

But how will the Shimura family accept this?

They're praising you and even saying they want to promote Danzo Shimura. If you're targeting Yua with this, then it just doesn't make sense.

In fact, we should thank the Hyuga clan.

That old guy presented Youya with a difficult problem, trying to play a political game of marriage, forcing Youya to back down.

Because of this incident, Yua couldn't use it as an excuse to slap Hyuga back.

Inspired by this, Yuya also chose to retreat in order to advance and make a breakthrough at a single point when playing with the Shimura Clan.

Isn't Shimura Danzo capable of that?

Okay~

I'll put you in charge of a team on your own – a promotion!

There's no problem with that, right? You, Shimura, can't treat me badly just because I praised you and flattered you, can you?

That doesn't make sense, does it?

This move was disgusting, but Yuya felt very comfortable with it.

There's a downside to praising someone excessively: if the person you're praising has real talent, it might backfire and cause them to turn all their praise into something tangible.

Simply put, Yuya said that Shimura Danzo was too awesome, and such an awesome person should be able to directly command an army!

Then Danzo really took over, and after commanding the army, he really consolidated his position and achieved corresponding results, even doing better.

All the current adoration for Shimura Danzo is what he deserves, and his reputation in Konoha will reach an extremely terrifying level.

With the Shimura family pushing him from behind, Shimura Danzo could very well rise to power directly.

Doesn't it look wonderful?

Does it seem like Youya might mess this up?

Actually, no.

Putting aside the fact that Shimura Danzo's attack on the Hidden Cloud Village was not solely his achievement, he was merely the leader of the team, which included figures of considerable rank such as Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

Just considering the nature of this matter, Shimura Danzo would never have been able to give Yuya such praise.

If Shimura Danzo, who attacked Kumogakure, really led a team alone, you can imagine which team—Tobirama Senju's team or Danzo's team—would be more attractive to Kumogakure, and which team the newly appointed Third Raikage would choose as his primary target.

Once Yua's attempt to flatter him succeeds, let's set aside for now what about Danzo Shimura's ambition for the Hokage position.

Let's figure out how to survive the Third Raikage first.

Moreover, since Youya has decided to use excessive praise to kill, he certainly won't just do this one thing.

In mid-January of Konoha Year 21, after Yua wrote the open letter praising Danzo Shimura that was printed in the newspaper at the beginning of the month, Yua drafted and published another article entitled "On the Major Impact of Lord Danzo's Surprise Attack on Kumogakure".

Leaving aside the content of this article for now, the opening is quite interesting. It directly attributes all the decisions, decisions, objectives, routes, and surprise attacks in response to this attack to Shimura Danzo.

Yes, he made all the decisions by himself, so all the credit belongs to him alone.

The so-called analysis that followed was nothing more than a smokescreen, used to attract the villagers of Konoha to watch and discuss, and to praise Shimura Danzo to his detriment.

The key point is the opening paragraph, which directly attributes this matter to Danzo Shimura alone.

Therefore, while the Shimura family was still hesitating about whether they should come out to clarify the situation and then contact other families in the village to lower their stance and show that the credit for this incident belonged to everyone, Yua directly blocked their way out.

In late January of Konoha Year 21, the Hidden Cloud Village attacked the Konoha front. The Third Raikage went mad and led a group of crazy Hidden Cloud Village members in a desperate attempt to exchange their lives with Danzo Shimura.

Tobirama Senju's relentless efforts to stop them ultimately resulted in a casualty ratio of 800:1000.

Konoha lost over 800 ninjas. The Kumogakure lunatics had their clothes filled with explosive tags, their main goal was to kill them all, and they were determined to take Shimura Danzo with them.

Tobirama Senju has to admit defeat.

These people from Yunyin really don't value their own lives.

But Konoha can't play like that.

Why is Konoha fighting so fiercely against Kumogakure?

Why not just retreat?!

All of Konoha's troops withdrew from the Land of Iron and returned to the border of the Land of Fire.

The Third Raikage's reckless attack was successful, forcing Konoha back to its own country.

The Third Raikage's fame spread throughout Kumogakure in no time.

When the news reached Konoha Village, Yuya smiled slightly, knowing this would happen.

So when news reached the village that the ninjas of Kumogakure had risked their lives to kill Shimura Danzo, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of ninjas on the front lines, all the previous propaganda turned into a boomerang.

Although Yua knew that the Third Raikage was taking such a desperate gamble because the Hidden Cloud Village was in a state of internal chaos, having just experienced internal strife and been ambushed by Danzo Shimura, he desperately needed an event that could boost morale and unite everyone in the Hidden Cloud Village to stabilize the village and solidify his position as the Third Raikage.

Therefore, this desperate war is definitely going to happen.

But the villagers of Konoha didn't know that.

All they knew was that because Danzo Shimura attacked Kumogakure, the madmen of Kumogakure fought Konoha to the death, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Konoha ninja.

God knows if any of their family members are among them.

Suddenly, there were many more discussions about Danzo in Konoha.

However, due to Yua's previous publicity, it can now be said that Danzo's merits and demerits cancel each other out.

But that's enough for Yuya.

We publicized your deeds so much, and this is all you got in return? It's really laughable.

The best way to counter this "praise to death" tactic is to accept the praise and then do even better.

A slightly less effective approach is to immediately and publicly state that you are not that outstanding, and that people should not have overly high expectations, thus reducing the hype.

The worst option is to ignore it and let public opinion fester.

The Shimura family doesn't want to reduce the hype.

While he was still hesitating, Yuya put Shimura Danzo on the fire to roast.

In the end, for some unknown reason, the Hidden Cloud Village went mad and fought a desperate battle, their motto still being to kill Shimura Danzo.

This is going to be a disaster. Konoha doesn't need to fight this tough battle head-on, so they strategically retreated.

But the villagers of Konoha don't care about any of that. If you retreat, then Konoha will lose this battle.

They are the two poles. Shimura Danzo's sneak attack succeeded, and that meant victory.

Now that the main force of Konoha has retreated, that means they have lost.

Praise that is too much will backfire.

Where have these families, who came from the war years, ever seen such methods?

They gained a much better understanding of Youya in a short time.

In a casual conversation, Yua told Nara Shika that he got his inspiration from the Hyuga clan's desire to humiliate him, but his inability to retaliate. The Hyuga clan members were stunned.

Why didn't we think of this idea?

Other clans also glared angrily at the Hyuga clan, thinking, "Look what you've done!"

You Ya chuckled to himself, watching the spectacle unfold.

If you, Hyuga, like to disgust me, then I'll disgust you back—let's see who's more disgusting.

……

In early February of the 21st year of Konoha, Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure clashed again in a naval battle. Kirigakure lost five large ships, while Uzushiogakure lost three. Uzushiogakure suffered the deaths of over 300 ninjas, and Kirigakure suffered the deaths of over 100 ninjas.

When the news reached Konoha, the villagers didn't seem to care much, but Mito Uzumaki couldn't sit still.

In mid-month of the same year, Mito Uzumaki made a public statement in the Konoha Ninja News, saying that the Land of Whirlpools could no longer continue fighting with the Hidden Mist Village.

He publicly berated the elders of the Land of Whirlpools, stating that most of the ninjas who died in the Land of Whirlpools were of commoner origin.

Few of the nobles of the Uzumaki clan died.

If the elders of the Uzumaki clan want to continue fighting, they should send their children to the battlefield to fight those people from Kirigakure.

This article caused a huge uproar upon its publication—referring to the country of Whirlpools.

Although Mito Uzumaki didn't have much influence in Konoha, she still had some influence in the Land of Whirlpools.

After all, she married the God of Shinobi, who established the Land of Whirlpools and was considered a god-like figure to the Land of Whirlpools.

Now the god's wife has spoken out publicly, and what she said does make sense.

You have always disagreed with ending the war, but why haven't your children gone to the battlefield?!

We're the ones risking our lives, but you haven't given us a share of the toll fees!

At the end of February, Yuya stepped forward and invited the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure to Konoha for a meeting.

The Third Mizukage decided to give Yua this face (mainly because the annual transaction volume of several hundred million yen was indeed worth it) and came to Konoha.

Afterwards, Yua invited the ruler of the Land of Whirlpools.

Under Yua's mediation, the two sides reached an agreement in early March of the 21st year of Konoha. The Land of Whirlpools paid Kirigakure 100 million ryo in war reparations, and the toll fee was changed from a proportional fee to a fee of 100,000 ryo per large ship.

The two sides ceased hostilities and restored peace.

The Third Mizukage won the war and gained prestige in Kirigakure, allowing him to focus on resolving the situation there.

When the final results were announced, many villagers in Konoha "suddenly" discovered...

Previously it was Sunagakure and Hot Spring Village, now it's Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure...

Under Yua's mediation, both pairs ceased their acts of war.

Could it be...?

And indeed, that's exactly what they thought.

In April of the 21st year of Konoha, Yuya invited the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and the leader of Takigakure to Konoha for friendly negotiations.

The Third Tsuchikage came to show respect, but the Hidden Takigakure village did not.

Onoki was furious, but Yua said it was nothing, a small matter.

Then he took out 100 million taels and sent people to the Land of Grass to find the leader of the Grass Village.

The temptation of 100 million ryo was too great for the leader of Kusagakure to resist, so he launched a surprise attack on Takigakure.

Under pressure from both fronts, the Land of Waterfall had no choice but to send envoys to Konoha and Onoki for peace talks.

Later, the two sides reached a settlement. The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, did not back down, and the country of Takigakure changed the toll to 50 ryo per trip.

The country of Takigakure withdrew quite a bit from this condition, but it also signed a memorandum with Yua, stipulating that Yua would need to invest in building a steel plant in the country of Takigakure after the war ended.

You Ya, of course, did not refuse.

Investing in a factory to produce goods using the resources of the Land of Waterfalls is such a great opportunity; anyone who refuses would be a fool.

Suddenly, only Konoha and Kumogakure were still arguing in the entire ninja world; all other conflicts ceased...

It was from this time that Yua began to attract the attention of Konoha and even all the countries in the ninja world.

They discovered that when Youya brought the leaders of the two villages together, they suddenly became unwilling to fight anymore.

After Yua resolved several conflicts, she earned titles such as "Messenger of Peace," "Son of the Sun Bringing Warmth," and "Spokesperson for the Goddess of Peace."

Yu Ya neither confirmed nor denied this, saying that nicknames are something you get used to.

The war between the Land of Whirlpools and the Hidden Mist Village was resolved thanks to Mito Uzumaki.

Because after delivering that speech, Mito Uzumaki changed Yua's earlier proposal to her own, indicating that if necessary, she would arrange for someone to assassinate the leader of the Uzumaki clan.

This forced the other side to come to Konoha and Kirigakure for peace talks.

Yes, Mito Uzumaki's actions were meant to show that Yua had never suggested assassinating the elders of the Land of Whirlpools; it was all my, Mito Uzumaki's, suggestion.

You Ya could only feel grateful in his heart.

Mito Uzumaki smiled with relief after confirming that the war had truly ended.

It's just some bad reputation, she doesn't care.

Many years later, many historians believe that Mito Uzumaki, who proposed the sinister assassination, did not come up with the idea on his own; someone must have been giving him advice behind the scenes.

Although various clues suggest that it was the work of the Third Hokage, Kin-Gen Yua, who was one of the greatest Hokage in Konoha, second only to Hashirama Senju, who changed the ninja world.

However, as soon as this argument was put forward, the ancestors of the scholar who put forward this argument were all insulted.

How could our Third Hokage, the white moonlight of everyone in the ninja world, the defender of peace, possibly be such a dark and despicable person?!

You must have made a mistake!

Scholars argued their case logically and presented a wealth of evidence to prove that Mito Uzumaki was not the type to engage in scheming and that someone must have been guiding her.

After much discussion, a consensus was reached.

It must have been Tobirama Senju, who was still on the front lines at the time, who came back and gave Mito Uzumaki this advice.

What?! You're saying Tobirama Senju was on the front lines, how could he possibly get back to the rear?!

How about a combination of clone technique and Flying Thunder God technique?

Yes, it must be the Second Hokage, it absolutely cannot be our sunny and gentle Yua-sama.

This chapter has 6700 words. I'm too lazy to break it into chapters, so I'll leave it at that. I thought I could finish writing about the war today, but it seems I'll have to wait until tomorrow. [I'm out of drafts because I didn't have time to write while I was at the factory. From now on, I'll probably only be able to update twice a day. I'll try my best to update three times a day, I'll try my best.]

(End of this chapter)