They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 268 Miroku's Independence, Uchiha's Departure, Konoha's Division

"It's not impossible for me to agree to Konoha's surrender... but that depends on your sincerity."

Under the current circumstances, it is clear that the three legendary ninja villages cannot stand idly by and watch Konoha be destroyed, thus allowing Kirigakure to grow stronger.

Therefore, it is undoubtedly impossible for Konoha to be destroyed in this battle.

So why not make use of Hozuki Shingetsu's waste resources and, taking advantage of this information gap, satisfy his personal desires after achieving the overall strategic goal? That's not too much to ask, is it?

After all, he never hid his longing for stamp collecting. In a single day, he could fully realize his past dream. Even Hozuki Shingetsu wouldn't easily dream of such a thing.

Now that he has such a great opportunity, he will naturally not treat his brothers unfairly.

"Sincerity?"

Tsunade was somewhat puzzled when she heard this, but looking at Hozuki Shingetsu's burning gaze, she immediately recalled the meaningful words he had spoken when they first met at Hozuki's house in Kirigakure several years ago, and instantly understood what he meant by "sincerity".

Normally, given Tsunade's personality, the moment she guessed this so-called sincerity, she would have immediately given Hozuki Shingetsu a taste of his own medicine with a powerful kick.

However, Tsunade is no longer the impulsive girl she once was. Although she still has a fiery temper, after Konoha's past actions against the Senju and her years of travels in the ninja world, she has gradually been able to control her temper.

So, despite Hozuki Shingetsu's teasing, she managed to calm herself down after taking a few deep breaths and continue the conversation.

"Konoha acknowledges defeat, and as a condition of defeat, Konoha will hand over the Book of Seals."

In Tsunade's view, the sincerity she expressed was considerable.

The Scroll of Seals is the essence of Konoha's heritage. All the ninjutsu that the successive Hokage considered too difficult or too dangerous to practice are recorded in the Scroll of Seals.

Any ninjutsu that bears these two labels is definitely not ordinary ninjutsu.

Among the more famous techniques are Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, Flying Thunder God Technique, Impure World Reincarnation, and Mutual Explosion Tags. These techniques were once the signature techniques of Konoha's strongest ninjas and were the foundation that made Konoha a formidable force in the ninja world.

Despite being a woman, Tsunade possesses nonetheless decisiveness and courage.

She knew that Konoha was in no condition to overcome this crisis, so she might as well just throw this thing away.

As for whether she is qualified to use the Scroll of Seals as a bargaining chip at this time... given her status as the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju and the current chaotic state of Konoha, she believes that as long as the other ninja villages are interested, she will have enough leverage to push this matter forward.

Deeply influenced by Hashirama Senju, she believed more in human creativity than in ninjutsu. Therefore, between the inheritance of ninjutsu and the ninja clan, she chose to preserve the ninja clan and give up ninjutsu.

She believed that given enough time, and as long as Konoha's true Will of Fire remained, and with this incident serving as a wake-up call, Konoha could completely rebuild and rise again in more than ten years.

To prevent being blackmailed by Hozuki Shingetsu, she also emphasized:

"This is the highest sincerity that Konoha can offer. Otherwise, no matter how humiliating it would be, we would have no choice but to use the Impure World Reincarnation technique to bring my two grandfathers and Uchiha Madara back from the Pure Land."

"Believe me, that situation is definitely not a good choice for you."

Unaware that Madara Uchiha had just been defeated by Shingetsu Hozuki, Tsunade was exaggerating Konoha's last resort.

For Konoha, which doesn't have White Zetsu, summoning a powerful figure like Hashirama Senju in his prime or Madara Uchiha would require sacrificing a Kage-level shinobi.

However, few people would be willing to make the decision to exchange the life of a Kage-level powerhouse for that of a deceased person whose existence is unknown, unless they are truly facing a life-or-death situation.

"These terms sound good... but unfortunately, I refuse."

Upon hearing Hozuki Shingetsu's words, Tsunade's expression immediately froze.

"Don't rush me. It's not impossible for me to agree to Konoha's surrender. As for what I want, it's not much, just one thing—money."

Hozuki Shingetsu chuckled as he looked at the uncertain expression on Tsunade's face. "A lot of money. As long as you pay enough, I'll agree and even act as the leader of the alliance to help you persuade other ninja villages."

money?

Upon hearing this, Tsunade felt a sense of relief. Compared to money, the Book of Seals was a true priceless treasure, something that no amount of money could buy.

In her view, abandoning the sealed book to pursue money, which reeks of greed, was incredibly short-sighted. Besides, even if they couldn't repay the money, they could always seek help from the Land of Fire...

"We don't need much money. Add to that the preparations our various ninja villages made for this war, the expenses incurred during the journey, the compensation for the wounded ninjas, and the various construction activities delayed by the war... let's just say around two hundred billion!"

With a smile on his face, Hozuki Shingetsu uttered some shocking words.

"How many?"

When Tsunade first heard the number, she thought she had misheard. But when she saw the affirmative smile on Hozuki Shingetsu's face, she could no longer sit still and immediately wanted to leave.

Two hundred billion? What a joke! Konoha's average annual military expenditure was less than three hundred billion before. Even the Land of Fire couldn't possibly come up with the military expenditure for the past six or seven years, let alone Konoha.

If you ransacked the homes of all the wealthy and powerful people in the Land of Fire and Konoha, you might be able to reach that number, but how could that be possible?

After years of expansion and war, Konoha now probably only has 3 billion yen left in its accounts. Even if it sells everything it owns, it can probably only raise 30 billion yen.

This amount of money seems like a lot, enough to exchange for 1000 Asma heads, but compared to 2000 billion, it's still a drop in the bucket.

"Don't rush off... Everything is negotiable. If you can't pay, you can pay with goods!"

Seeing that Tsunade was about to leave, Hozuki Shingetsu quickly got up and raised Erkang's hand to stop her.

"The Book of Sealing, being the essence of Konoha, can be valued at 100 billion. If the various Konoha clans pool their resources and sell some items, we can probably get 40-50 billion. As for the remaining money… let's exchange it for the daughters or women of the various clans!"

"Women from large ninja clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha can be valued at 100 million, while women from medium-sized ninja clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho and Inuzuka clans can be valued at 50 million, and women from smaller ninja clans can be valued at 30 million."

"If you calculate it this way, you only need to use a few hundred female ninjas and the Book of Sealing to exchange for Konoha's freedom. That's an absolute bargain."

Hozuki Munemyo looked at Tsunade, whose face was contorted with rage, and uttered such bloodthirsty words with a smile.

If such a treaty were to be signed, it could be called the ninja world's version of the "Jingkang Incident." So, let alone whether the members of each ninja clan would agree to hand over their sisters, any Konoha ninja with a shred of courage would probably not agree to this.

Of course, Hozuki Shingetsu's request wasn't just to recreate a famous scene from his previous life; it was more about provoking Tsunade, raising the price, and paving the way for the next round of haggling.

However, if Tsunade, or rather Konoha, were to lose her mind and actually agree to this condition, Hozuki Shingetsu would be laughing all the way to the bank.

Putting aside the fact that such a large amount of reparations could greatly promote the development of Kirigakure, just the fact that so many female ninja clan members could easily cultivate a large number of bloodline ninja clans for Kirigakure.

If we add to that group of ninja gladiators currently on the Eastern Continent, continuously increasing the number of bloodline limit ninjas in Kirigakure, then Kirigakure's number of bloodline limit ninjas is estimated to officially surpass Konoha in the near future, becoming the number one in the ninja world.

"wishful thinking!"

As expected, upon hearing such an impolite request, Tsunade instantly flew into a rage, unable to contain her anger any longer. She raised her right foot high and smashed the chair Hozuki Shingetsu was sitting on to pieces with a single, powerful kick.

boom!

The intense fighting quickly attracted the attention of the nearby ANBU officers on duty, but before they could enter the open-air tent to check the situation, they were stopped by Hozuki Shingetsu's voice.

"Are you sure you want to fight me?"

Despite currently only maintaining the strength of a Jonin, Hozuki Shingetsu remained completely calm, calmly putting his right thumb into his mouth and taking a big bite.

Tick ​​tock!

Seeing the blood flowing down Hozuki Shingetsu's thumb, Tsunade's anger vanished, and she staggered back a few steps.

"You haven't even overcome hemophobia, how can you fight me?"

Seeing Tsunade's unsteady stance, Hozuki Shingetsu raised his right hand and continued forward, pressing closer to Tsunade step by step.

Looking at the trembling Tsunade, Hozuki Shingetsu suddenly remembered a fanfiction he had once read. It was about how, taking advantage of Tsunade's hemophobia, he forced himself on her, and in the end, Tsunade, under intense emotional turmoil, actually overcame her hemophobia by using plum blossoms.

This plot point really shocked him when he first saw it, but now it seems like he has this opportunity right in front of him to test whether it can be successful...

"Konoha would never agree to such a condition."

As Hozuki Shingetsu approached her, Tsunade's eyes widened as she struggled to overcome her fear of blood.

"If you insist on doing this, then Konoha would rather all of its people die in battle than do such a thing."

"How about we pay 50 billion in compensation, plus the Scroll of Seals, and grant the Uchiha clan independence?"

He naturally knew that no one except the descendants of the useless Zhao Er would sign such a treaty, so when Hozuki Shingetsu saw that the atmosphere was about right, he finally stated his bottom line.

"The Uchiha clan declared independence?"

The moment Tsunade heard this condition, she frowned. She was about to object, but then she stopped herself, as if she had thought of something.

Since Fugaku Uchiha died alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi in the Land of Vegetables, and the Eighth Hokage Uchiha became the new clan head, the Uchiha clan's attitude towards Konoha has undergone a complete 180-degree change.

From the perspective of the Uchiha clan, whether Fugaku Uchiha died voluntarily in the Land of Vegetables is something that remains to be verified.

After all, everyone knows about the feud between Fugaku Uchiha and Danzo Shimura. If people can believe that Hiruzen Sarutobi stayed behind to block the enemy for the sake of Konoha, then the claim that Fugaku Uchiha stayed behind to block the enemy in order to give Danzo Shimura enough time to escape is simply an insult to everyone's intelligence.

Especially after Shimura Danzo's Mangekyou Sharingan was officially revealed not long ago, it aroused even more suspicion among the Uchiha clan towards Konoha, who suspected that Shimura Danzo coveted the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan and secretly killed Uchiha Fugaku.

This is why the situation in Konoha has become so critical that the Uchiha clan has no choice but to put aside their suspicions and join Konoha in turning their swords outwards.

However, it would be fine if Konoha couldn't exist after this war. But if it could still exist, the Uchiha clan would definitely become a major threat to Konoha.

Even now, with the deaths of Shimura Danzo, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Hyuga Hiashi, and Jiraiya losing an arm, the Konoha Hokage lineage has suffered a significant loss of strength, yet the Uchiha clan is already showing signs of disobeying.

Although Tsunade was very reluctant to admit it, the Uchiha clan now seemed to have embarked on a path of mutual loathing with Konoha, thanks to the actions of the two successive Hokage.

"How about it? If you agree to this condition, I will persuade the other ninja villages to agree to Konoha's surrender."

Under Hozuki Shingetsu's persistent questioning, Tsunade lowered her eyes and silently nodded.

For Konoha, which has recently lost several powerful members, this might be the best outcome. Even without the Uchiha clan, as long as the others remain, with unity and solidarity, Konoha will eventually return to its former glory.

"However, with such a large order, it would be reasonable for you to pay some deposit, wouldn't it?"

"I've heard this is a necklace left behind by Hashirama Senju. I'm quite interested in that 'God of Shinobi' who pacified the chaotic world. I just wonder if I'll ever have the chance to play with it?"

Hozuki Shingetsu reached out and touched a spot three inches below Tsunade's neck, where a jade-green teardrop necklace was deeply embedded.

After noticing Hozuki Shingetsu's actions, Tsunade trembled slightly, then lowered her head and remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Upon seeing this, Hozuki Shingetsu immediately understood its meaning and smiled as he cast a soundproof barrier.

-

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Konoha Alliance camp, while Hozuki Shingetsu was enjoying the bliss of having two women in one day, a notice quickly spread throughout the entire ninja world.

Under the leadership of Kakashi Hatake, the Konoha Miroku sect officially left Konoha and established the Hōnin Village in the Land of Waves!

(End of this chapter)