Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

"Konoha's dignity and peace have never been won through compromise and concession!"

"It was earned through fighting!"

"It's not about sending your own people out to their deaths to beg for handouts from the enemy!"

He paused, then said, word by word:

"Today, I killed someone. If Kumogakure wants an explanation, fine, let them come find me. But if they want Konoha to hand over its own people, apologize, and pay compensation—dream on!"

"Well said!" a brisk female voice rang out.

Tsunade kicked open the office door, and her gaze towards Qingwu held something else in it.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had livid faces, but couldn't find the words to refute them.

Riza stared blankly at Qingwu, feeling as if something was blocking his chest, and his eyes slightly warmed.

The third generation leader slowly sat back down in his chair, appearing as if he had aged considerably in an instant.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Young man... you make it sound so easy, but can Konoha withstand a full-scale war with Kumogakure right now?"

"All-out war?" Qingwu, no longer a novice in the ninja world, sneered.

"Does the Hidden Cloud Village dare to wage a full-scale war? If they were confident, they wouldn't have sent a peace delegation; they would have sent a declaration of war directly."

Tsunade walked up to Qingwu and reached out to ruffle his hair: "Kid, not bad, you have the spirit of the Senju clan!"

Immediately, Tsunade turned around and said, "Old man, Kumogakure doesn't really want to start a war either. They're just testing us, trying to blackmail us."

Tsunade's arrival at this time clearly indicates that she had received the news and was worried that Qingwu would suffer a loss.

When he spoke, Koharu Utatane could only temporarily suppress her anger.

“Qingwu is right. If we act tough enough, they will back down on their own.”

Tsunade said, "The Fourth Raikage is radical, but he's not stupid. He won't launch a war he's not entirely confident of winning over a kidnapping operation that has already failed and is not in the right."

The Third Hokage looked at Tsunade with a complicated expression: "If you come back to be Hokage, I can step back and do some supporting work."

Despite their different styles, the third generation leader never doubted his disciple's political acumen!

"!!" Tsunade slapped her forehead: "Oh dear, Yugao's surgery just finished, and I forgot to tell her the precautions for changing her dressing."

As he spoke, he tried to take this opportunity to escape.

"stop!"

The Third Hokage gave a soft shout, glanced at the embarrassed Tsunade, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

a long time……

The Third Hokage looked at Qingwu: "Now that you've taken this responsibility, what are you planning to do?"

In fact, on the one hand, he was dissatisfied with the boy's disregard for the overall situation, and on the other hand, he was secretly pleased with the boy's sense of responsibility. But having a sense of responsibility alone is not enough.

This is a good opportunity to consider it.

"Peace talks continue."

Qingwu nodded to Tsunade and spoke:

"But we cannot let Yunyin hold the initiative."

"Isn't Yunyin demanding an explanation? Fine, we'll give them one!"

"We strongly protest the despicable act of the Cloud Village delegation members attempting to kidnap the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, and demand that Cloud Village issue a formal apology, compensate the Hyuga family for their emotional distress, and severely punish those responsible."

"As for the deaths of Troy and the other Yunren, they were killed in self-defense because they resisted arrest."

"We, Konoha, reserve the right to further investigate Kumogakure's responsibility for undermining the sincerity of peace talks and attempting to provoke war."

Koharu Utatane was stunned: "This... how could Kumogakure possibly accept this?"

These words completely reversed right and wrong, turning the tables and making the guest the host.

The third generation's expression was also extremely serious, and it sounded... somewhat reasonable.

Tsunade's eyes were filled with admiration; this kid had the potential to become Hokage!

Hyuga Hizashi wished he could shrink his head back into his neck. Listen to others, unlike himself, who immediately offered to hand him over to appease the anger of Kumogakure.

"Whether Yunyin accepts it or not is not important!" Qingwu said, "What's important is that we can't be put in the wrong."

The Third Hokage stared intently at Qingwu, as if he were truly getting to know this boy for the first time.

After a long silence, he slowly said, "What if the negotiations break down? What if the Cloud Village is truly willing to fight?"

"Then let's fight!" Qingwu declared resolutely. "I'm heading to the border soon anyway. If they dare to cross the border, I'll kill as many as they come!"

Tsunade couldn't help but give him a loving punch, saying, "You little brat, don't be so bloodthirsty."

Qingwu rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly, "What I mean is, if we kill them until they are terrified, the initiative in the negotiations will naturally fall into the hands of Konoha."

"Arrogant!" Koharu Utatane couldn't help but exclaim, "You think you can take on the entire Cloud Village by yourself?"

"Of course I can't do it alone." Qingwu turned her head and smiled, a smile carrying a cold confidence:

"But Konoha isn't just me, and I'm not saying I'm going to wipe out Kumogakure by myself. I just want them to know that reaching out to Konoha will come at a bloody price."

Tsunade said casually, "Old man, why don't we take a gamble and let Kumogakure see the best of Konoha's younger generation?"

With her discerning eye, she could naturally see that Cloud Village was all bark and no bite, and... as long as one doesn't become Hokage, one won't experience such immense pressure from being in their shoes.

The third generation leader fell silent once again.

The pipe had already gone out, and he had forgotten to light it.

Hyuga Hizashi was incredibly nervous, knowing full well that the moment that followed would determine his fate. It seemed as if only his heavy breathing and suppressed heartbeat could be heard in the office.

Finally, the Third Hokage let out a long breath, as if he had made up his mind.

“Alright!” he said. “Qingwu, I’m giving you this chance.”

"Hiruzen—" Koharu Utatane was about to say something more when Tsunade glared at her fiercely.

As I said before, since she's not the Hokage, she has fewer concerns.

The third generation leader waved his hand and looked at Qingwu, "I will have Yan revise the peace negotiation plan and negotiate in the direction you suggested, but—"

His gaze was sharp: "If your so-called toughness leads to a complete breakdown in peace talks and the Cloud Hidden Army pressing in... you will bear the responsibility."

Qingwu shrugged indifferently. If Yunyin dared to launch a full-scale war, he would go to Takigakure to replenish all his troops, and then...

A highly mobile force that can be formed by a single person will surely make the Hidden Cloud Village "unable to resist".

The third generation leader stared at Qingwu and said solemnly:

"If the situation gets out of control, I will take necessary measures, including... making some compromises that you don't want to see. At that time, you can't object!"

“Okay!” Qingwu nodded: “But if I succeed, not only will Konoha not have to apologize or make sacrifices, but it can also make Kumogakure bow down and help Konoha regain the initiative, right?”

This "big job" involving the conflict between the two countries couldn't be done for nothing, so Qingwu seized the opportunity to demand benefits.

"Then you are a hero of Konoha, a meritorious contributor to Konoha!" the Third Hokage said.

Qingwu curled her lip, "Come on, your titles and such are too vague."

As if seeing through Qingwu's thoughts, the Third Hokage slowly said, "Legitimize the ownership of the Forest of Death to you and write it into the Konoha Laws."

"Hmm?" Qingwu looked up at the Third Generation.

"In other words, the Death Forest, which is 20 kilometers in diameter, belongs to you. Without my permission, Danzo's roots are not allowed to set foot inside under the pretext of exploration."

"Really?" Qingwu was somewhat skeptical. After all, it was such a large piece of land, and the third generation had only allowed him to use it, but had not legalized it.

"I keep my word. Once the Death Forest is yours, any further violations by the Roots will be considered an invasion, and you have the right to deal with it as you see fit!"

"..." Qingwu was momentarily stunned.

The promise made by the third generation is undeniably weighty.

This is to completely sever Danzo's reach into the territory, and he personally endorses it.

……

Chapter 191 So you were actually concerned about me?

As for the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He had been thinking about this promise for a long time.

It's against the rules to let a Jonin from a village occupy such a large area.

However, on the one hand, Qingwu has already been completely branded with the Hokage lineage, so he wouldn't betray them.

On the other hand, Danzo repeatedly sent Root to harass them.

Rather than repeating the massacre of the roots that happened a few days ago, it would be better to permanently sever the roots before provoking Qingwu again.

Moreover... Naruto, the child of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, also lives there.

The ownership of the Forest of Death will also completely bind Qingwu to Konoha. This can be considered an investment, and also... compensation.

Qingwu was naturally unaware that the Third Generation had already considered every aspect of the matter.

However, the Third Hokage's promise was naturally very attractive to him.

"Deal!" Qingwu stretched out his hand, as if afraid that the third generation would change his mind.

The Third Hokage paused for a moment, looking at the outstretched hand.

He then revealed a smile he hadn't shown in days, slowly stood up, and extended his aged but strong hand to firmly grasp Qingwu's hand.

'This kid seems to have returned to that state of no barriers,' the Third Hokage thought to himself.

Then I felt a little sad... It seems that this kid is happiest when he is given benefits.

'well……'

With a deep sigh, the Third Hokage said, "I'll give you three months. I want to see the results in three months."

With the Lunar New Year approaching, it's highly unlikely that the Hidden Cloud Village will declare war immediately.

If Qingwu can make Yunyin submit after the New Year, the war with Yunyin is expected to end in the first half of next year.

At that time, we can focus on dealing with Iwagakure.