The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 348 Intentions and Negotiations

But now it seems that Takigakure Village has become somewhat different.

Even if it's just the beginning.

But Tsuchida could sense that the flourishing development of Takigakure was either due to that young man knowing how to manage a ninja village, or there were other people assisting him behind the scenes.

'Phew... No matter which one it is, we still need to be more vigilant...'

Looking at the spacious government hall that was now right in front of them.

Tu Tai gently exhaled a breath of stale air, silently reflecting on his inner thoughts.

When Tu Tai arrived at the government hall with his subordinates.

Three figures were already seated in the main seat and on the right.

It was Menma, Shibuki, and Karin.

When Tsuchida saw the three of them, especially when he saw Menma sitting arrogantly in the main seat while Shibuki was sitting in the lower seat, his eyes narrowed.

With a slightly quickened pace, after arriving at a slightly forward position, Tu Tai bowed slightly in greeting.

"In Kumogakure, Tsuchida greets Lord Menma and Lord Shibuki."

Since they were the victors after all, it was impossible to address them directly as "Sir," but it was still necessary to use the respectful term "Your Excellency."

In the past, even during periods when the five major powers fought to the death, they were still at odds with each other.

In necessary situations, one should always maintain basic respect for ninjas from other countries who are highly respected, or even those who are among the Five Kage.

This is also a way for the five major powers to safeguard their respective interests.

Don't think this is something insignificant.

"Hehe, Tutai Sang, you're too kind. Please have a seat."

Mianma smiled lightly, waved his right hand gently, and said in a calm tone.

"Yes."

Tsuchida, with a smile on his face, took his seat directly in the main seat on the far left, followed by two Cloud Ninja.

Upon seeing these two Cloud Ninja.

His face was numb, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Not for any other reason.

Menma knew these two Cloud Ninja to some extent because of their identities, but not based on memories from this life, but from his previous life.

The person on the left is a mature woman with short blonde hair. Her ample bosom is almost bursting out. If I'm not mistaken, this Cloud Ninja should be Samui, one of the Fourth Raikage's trusted subordinates and secretaries who is responsible for the Fourth Raikage's daily work.

The other one, also with short blond hair, was a male Cloud Ninja.

It was the same Hii who accompanied the Fourth Raikage to the Five Kage Summit in the original story, a Cloud Ninja who was also outstanding in sensory techniques.

It can be said that the three envoys sent by the Hidden Cloud Village this time are all elites of the Hidden Cloud Village.

If I really harden my heart and disregard the rules, I might end up taking them all in one fell swoop.

It would definitely cause the Fourth Raikage a lot of heartache for a while, but this nonsensical thought only flashed through Menma's mind before he deliberately dismissed it.

This isn't some particularly threatening or valuable Cloud Ninja.

Menma had very little desire to fight. If Killer Bee were here, Menma might have been more inclined to fight.

He was, after all, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

After taking his seat on the earthen platform, Menma greeted everyone with a smile. Although he had little social experience in his previous life, as someone who could be considered one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Internet age, he had seen many things, even if he hadn't experienced them personally.

With the intentions of the Cloud Ninja already certain.

Menma was able to face Tsuchida and his group in the most relaxed manner, without having to take the initiative to speak.

They are the dominant party.

Tsuchikage himself didn't think that others would be unaware of his side's intentions. Arriving at this time was basically an open visit. Before setting off, Tsuchikage had already negotiated with his Raikage. Even if the price to be paid was a little higher, it didn't matter, as long as all the Cloud Ninja, led by Mokujin, could be redeemed.

At first, Tu Tai thought that although there were difficulties, the problems shouldn't be too big.

After all, Tutai was unaware of Menma's true intentions.

Furthermore, it was assumed that with Yugito involved, the Two-Tails would still be slightly biased towards them. In addition, considering the current state of the ninja world, Menma and Shibuki were both young people within the known range.

Tu Tai believes the feasibility is quite high.

But even at this first meeting, Tsuchida could clearly sense that the red-haired boy in front of him was probably not as easy to fool as he had imagined. The most crucial thing was that he misjudged the relationship between Menma and Shibuki, which completely messed up Tsuchida's initial plan. Menma had a very high status in Takigakure, which was completely different from Menma becoming the leader of Takigakure.

The constant back-and-forth polite conversation is nothing more than empty formalities.

A bitter smile involuntarily surfaced in Tu Tai's heart.

He truly hadn't expected this young man to be so talkative, and most importantly, so composed. He didn't even seem inclined to ask any questions.

Although they came on their own initiative, which meant they had already lost the most crucial initiative, it would be better to try to gain as much as possible in these details. But given the current situation, if our side didn't say something, it would be difficult to succeed.

It's estimated that the dough will definitely keep going indefinitely.

'After all, we need their help.'

Tu Tai sighed softly to himself.

I adjusted my mindset, reorganized my thoughts, and seized a clever break in the conversation.

"Ahem, actually, we are here today on the orders of Lord Raikage, to negotiate some minor issues with your village. The previous friction was due to some misunderstandings. We have come in good faith, hoping to clear up the misunderstandings between the two villages and restore our previous friendship."

Tu Tai also coughed lightly, and with a solemn expression, looked at Menma, who was sitting in the main seat, and asked in a deep voice.

Diplomatic talks are about speaking to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghostly way.

Especially when it involves a military clash between two major ninja villages, making up stories is an essential skill.

Didn't you hear the wording of the earthen platform?

Throughout the entire process, they avoided mentioning deaths, injuries, or issues of hatred, consistently downplaying the conflict between them.

Negotiation of minor issues? So-called friction? Or misunderstandings?

Even if everyone knows the truth, this is the proper way to conduct negotiations.

Is it a misunderstanding?

Listening to what Tu Tai said.

A hint of a half-smile flickered in Mianma's eyes.

Tsuchitai's skill in blatantly lying is truly maxed out. No, it should be said that he has been able to survive in the ninja world for decades and become the strategist of a major ninja village. This is just basic skill.

Even though this is something everyone knows.

But it just can't be brought up in public.

As long as both sides can reach an agreement, a misunderstanding is just a misunderstanding. That's how practical and direct the interactions between nations and ninja villages are.

"Since it's a misunderstanding and you're showing sincerity, why don't you, Tsuchita-san, first tell us about your sincerity? I think Tsuchita-san, the Raikage must have considered everything carefully before coming here, right?"

With his hands crossed on the table, Mianma said with a smile.

The main intention will not change.

However, the details still need to be carefully considered.

Yugito was not to be released, but the captured ordinary Cloud Ninjas could be negotiated. There were nearly a hundred of them, including several Jonin. For a ninja village, that was a significant amount of human resources.

They're wasting their own resources by imprisoning them in their own ninja village.

However, if the Hidden Cloud Village doesn't offer them satisfactory conditions, then these one hundred Cloud Ninja won't be able to return.

I'd rather waste resources and keep it locked up.

As for killing the prisoners...

cough cough.

This is something we still can't do. Killing hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of enemies on the battlefield is fine, but killing prisoners of war after the war is a completely different matter.

Menma doesn't want to exist as the biggest villain in the entire ninja world; he's not as carefree as Runtu or Madara.

They have that kind of ability!

Of course, even if Menma now possessed power comparable to Madara or even Kaguya Otsutsuki, Menma would not do such a thing.

He wants to rebuild a world with a new order, not the empty 'dreamlike peaceful world' of Madara, nor the terrorism-like world of Kaguya.

Therefore, maintaining a good personal image is still relatively important.

"Ahem, that's only natural. As long as your side is willing to turn hostility into friendship with our Hidden Cloud Village and forgive our Hidden Cloud Village comrades who have made some minor mistakes, I can promise on behalf of our Raikage that the Hidden Cloud Village will always be your village's most steadfast friend, and is willing to cooperate with your side in some areas."

Tu Tai smiled slightly, his expression clearly showing great sincerity.

'Friends? Collaborators?'

Listening to Tu Tai's utter nonsense, which was practically no different from farting, Menma appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly he was already scoffing at it.

Even Shibuki, who was positioned on one side, showed a slightly strange expression.

The war has escalated to this point, how can we still call ourselves staunch friends? How can we cooperate? Isn't that a huge joke?

It's important to understand that after this battle, Kumogakure was completely devastated. Even though the subsequent losses were Iwagakure's fault, the root cause was that Takigakure had given Kumogakure a severe beating, which gave Iwagakure such a good opportunity.

How did it end up in the mouth of this Tutai Sang?

Was it really just a small misunderstanding between their two ninja villages?

So, were all the Cloud Ninjas killed and captured by our own village fake?

However, precisely because of this, Shibuki's fear of the earthen platform grew even stronger.

To be able to say such things so casually amidst such intense hatred is something few people can do.

Didn't you see how serious and indifferent the expressions of the other two Cloud Ninja in the back were? That was probably the result of their intense restraint.

"It is only natural to restore friendship. We are all peace-loving people, so please rest assured, Mr. Tsuchida. Please also convey to the Raikage that our Takigakure is very willing to maintain a cooperative relationship with Kumogakure."