Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

"Oh?"

The words of denial that were on the tip of Admiral Mifune's tongue got stuck in his throat.

For some reason, this boy with orange hair seems to have a strange infectious power, a special charm that makes people unconsciously trust him!

"Do you have special ideas or goals... It seems you're not just a mercenary organization driven by money."

"Well, hahahahaha."

Yahiko scratched his head and gave an awkward smile: "No matter what you do or what goal you achieve, you need start-up capital, hahaha!"

"..."

Suddenly I feel like this guy isn't so reliable anymore.

Mifune's lips twitched slightly, but there was no other way at the moment. The meeting was tomorrow, and even if the Akatsuki organization was no good, it had to work out.

Damn it, I hope this mercenary organization you recommended is really as strong as you say, otherwise our Land of Iron will become a laughing stock in the entire ninja world!

"Alright... if you can do it, I can give you a reward of ten million taels!"

"Take the young master?!"

Yahiko's eyes lit up, and even the orange-haired boy behind him, who had been silent all along, stirred slightly, clearly surprised by the number.

In an era before the currency devaluation following World War III, ten million taels of silver was already incredibly valuable.

What? You're saying one Asuma costs 35 million taels?

Asuma is the son of the Third Hokage, an elite Jonin of Konoha, and one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire. With these titles, his black market price is naturally high.

And that was decades later. In this era, the black market would only offer half price of three thousand five hundred!

"Please rest assured, Admiral Mifune, we guarantee to complete the mission!"

"Alright... then you'll be in charge of security at the meeting."

"no problem!"

The sight of these passionate young men made Mifune a little uneasy, but when the Akatsuki group began to set up various warning lines, special chakra equipment, and small barriers, even someone as strict as him had to admire the professionalism of these young people.

As expected of a mercenary repeatedly hired by Onoki at high prices, he's certainly got some skills!

Next, we just have to wait for the meeting to start!

……

"Is this the Land of Iron?"

The Land of Iron has a rather unique environment. Because it is close to the north and near the ocean, snow falls here in three seasons of the year.

It's only autumn now, but the Land of Iron is already covered in silver, draped in a white coat.

Amidst the wind and snow, the Third Hokage adjusted their Hokage hats. Their clothing was thin, yet they did not feel cold.

While chakra energy cannot make one immune to heat or cold, it can greatly alleviate the effects of severe cold.

"When the First Generation Lord brought the Second Generation Lord here, it was with an absolute air of dominance. I never expected that I, the Third Generation Lord, would come here to surrender and pay reparations..."

A bitter, self-deprecating smile appeared on the Third Hokage's face. Compared to his two teachers, he had utterly disgraced the Hokage!

"Don't say that about the Third Hokage. Everything you've done has been for Konoha!"

Minato Namikaze couldn't help but speak up.

In his view, the Third Hokage had already lived up to the title of Hokage by sacrificing his own honor for the future of Konoha!

Hearing Minato Namikaze's words, the Third Hokage sighed softly, slowly exhaling a large puff of smoke, suppressing the melancholy and emotions in his heart.

"Let's go. I wonder if the one from Kirigakure has arrived yet."

"Yes, Third Generation-sama!"

Before long, the two arrived at the samurai's headquarters. Admiral Mifune personally came to greet them. After a few formal exchanges, the Third Hokage was invited into the meeting room.

There was no one else in the meeting room at this time. The Kirigakure faction had not yet arrived, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was not in a hurry. He silently sat down in his seat and waited quietly.

The losers arrive first, and the winners hold the chips; this is quite reasonable at present.

"You guys are really fast. You truly deserve to be called the Yellow Flash, the fastest ninja in the world."

About an hour later, accompanied by a slightly mocking remark, two figures slowly emerged from the passage.

Minato Namikaze's face darkened, while Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the two figures, one old and one young.

This was his first meeting with the Third Mizukage and Mizuki Yoru.

The aging Third Mizukage looked much older than himself, which was not surprising. At the first Five Kage Summit, the Third Mizukage had already participated as the bodyguard of the First Mizukage. In a sense, although the Third Mizukage was the same 'Third Generation' as himself, he was actually a figure from the same era as his teachers, Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju.

Compared to the frail and elderly Third Mizukage, Minazuki Yoru looks far too young.

His handsome, youthful face still retained a hint of boyish naiveté, but his exposed, amber-like eyes were full of confidence, composure, and undisguised ambition!

Without a doubt, this is someone who surpasses his three disciples, surpasses Minato Namikaze beside him, possesses his own thoughts, and has unwavering faith in the path he has chosen and will continue to walk it!

For some reason, the moment Hiruzen Sarutobi saw this boy, a figure involuntarily flashed through his mind.

That was the First Hokage's strongest enemy, Konoha's greatest taboo.

Uchiha Madara!

Just as the Third Hokage was sizing up the old man and the young man, Mizuki Yoru and the Third Hokage were also seated by a samurai.

"As people get older, their backs and legs become weaker." The Third Mizukage's gaze lingered briefly on Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze, and he said with a faint smile, "I've kept the Hokage waiting."

"We all came here for peace, so this waiting is nothing."

"It's hard to say."

Night's voice picked up where 'Shadow' left off, calmly saying amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding samurai, "If the compensation you offer is not satisfactory, then we can only wait for peace to arrive again. By the way, we encountered several Iwa ninjas on the way here, and they were quite enthusiastic."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled and nodded: "Of course, that's why we've gathered here, isn't it?"

No wonder he was the Third Hokage, who could watch the son of a hero live like a pig or a dog for more than ten years without doing anything. He really has some depth.

Ye didn't expect to gain much advantage over these veteran artists with her words, and her eyes fell on Mifune beside her.

Mifune understood immediately and took his seat, saying, "Alright, now that both Kage are here, the meeting can begin. As the initiator of this meeting, please state your requirements, Mizukage."

"The Land of Water is an isolated island nation with scarce resources. Coupled with this war, Konoha has inflicted enormous damage on Kirigakure..."

The Third Mizukage described the pitiful state of Kirigakure while taking out a scroll from his robes and placing it on the table: "This is a compensation plan that Kirigakure has prepared in advance based on the village's losses. Please take a look, Hokage."

The scroll was passed to Hiruzen Sarutobi by the samurai. The scroll was opened, and with just one glance, Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils shrank sharply.

The entire compensation agreement can be divided into three parts, namely:

First: Surrender and apologize!

Second: Compensation!

Third: Diplomatic reform!

The content includes that Konoha needs to inform the entire ninja world of its defeat and surrender to Kirigakure, and apologize to all Kirigakure ninjas killed by the Tailed Beast Ball on the Kirigakure battlefield;

The demand is for compensation of 200 million ryo, the common currency of the ninja world, and for Konoha to offer bloodlines of ninja from clans such as Sharingan, Byakugan, and Senju to make up for the large number of Kirigakure ninja killed in battle. Furthermore, Konoha is required to withdraw its arrest warrants for Kirigakure ninja, including Byakugan assassin Ao…

In return for the compensation paid by Konoha.

The peace-loving Hidden Mist Village is willing to open its closed gates to the Blood Mist Country, open its ports, trade with Konoha, allow merchants from the Land of Fire to trade in the Land of Water, lower tax rates, and allow regular exchanges between young ninjas, etc.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi read the scroll, his hands trembled and veins throbbed.

This is no peace agreement; it's blatant robbery!

Chapter 95 Mizuki Yoru: I'm going to bleed Konoha dry!

The compensation terms demanded by Kirigakure were so outrageous and demanding that they were practically ruthlessly exploiting Konoha. Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never agree to them.

His willingness to acknowledge Konoha's defeat, surrender to Kirigakure, and even make war reparations was to alleviate pressure so that he could devote all his energy to the battlefield against Iwagakure and reduce Konoha's losses.

It's better now.

If we agree to the conditions on this scroll, we won't have to fight a war, because we've already given away our entire fortune!

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression, Minato Namikaze also looked curious and gazed at the scroll.

With just one glance, he nearly overturned the entire peace negotiation table.

"impossible!"

Minato Namikaze growled, "You have no intention of negotiating at all, and we will never agree to these conditions!"

"Look, he's in a hurry."

Ye smiled calmly: "So-called negotiation is actually just bargaining. I make a price, you make a price, we add or subtract, and the negotiation is done."

"Now that we've made our offer, it's up to you to counter-offer."

Minato Namikaze choked on Mizuki Yoru's words, but it's no wonder he was so agitated; the conditions proposed by Kirigakure were simply too harsh.

Instead of offering compensation and an apology, they actually want to collect all of Konoha's bloodline limits. Konoha will never allow such behavior!

"We can accept the surrender and apology clauses, and we also gladly accept the diplomatic reforms, cooperation and trade, etc. Mutual benefit and win-win results, peaceful development, are the results we are happy to see."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, said in a deep voice, "However, I hope that the amount of compensation can be changed."

“Minato Namikaze has visited Kirigakure many times. He knows very well what our current situation is like. I think you, Hokage, should also know about our situation.”

The Third Mizukage spoke slowly, "To put it bluntly, Kirigakure is now terminally ill. If we can't get medicine to heal our injuries, we won't mind taking someone down with us to hell."

"So, even if you, Hokage, have any objections to the compensation, please don't speak recklessly, okay?"

"..."

The Third Hokage's face twitched, and he forced a smile: "Of course, I will consider the actual situation on both sides."

"Let's talk about the money first... Lord Mizukage, two hundred million ryo is really too much. Such a huge sum of cash, let alone Konoha, even if all five great ninja villages took out the money from their treasuries at the same time, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to raise two hundred million ryo in cash."

"So I was wondering if the amount could be reduced a little... fifty million taels, how about that?"

"Secondly, we can withdraw all arrest warrants for individuals associated with Kirigakure, including 'White-Eyed Killer. Blue'."

"But regarding the provision of bloodline..."

Ninjas from bloodline clans are often the elite of their villages, the backbone of the village. It is precisely because of these bloodline clans and the bloodline power that other ninja villages do not have that Konoha has been able to stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world and defeat the invaders time and time again in countless wars.

For example, the Uchiha clan.

Even though the Konoha leadership now deeply dislikes the Uchiha clan due to the influence of the Second Hokage, they still have to admit that without the Uchiha, there would be no Konoha as it is today!

The same applies to other families.

The Sarutobi clan, the Senju clan, the Hyuga clan, the Shimura clan, and so on.

Bloodline limits are the cornerstone of every ninja village, and protecting the village's bloodline limits from being leaked is a consensus among all ninja villages.

Because everyone knows that once these things are leaked, it's tantamount to giving up one's weapons and exposing one's weaknesses!

"Lord Mizukage, as the Kage of Kirigakure, you should be aware of how much ninja clans value their bloodlines. Large clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga strictly forbid the leakage of their bloodlines, let alone spreading them to other villages."

"Prohibit intermarriage with other ethnic groups, collect all body parts left outside the country, and dispose of corpses in a unified manner, etc."

Hiruzen Sarutobi organized his thoughts, making sure his words wouldn't provoke too much resistance from the Hidden Mist faction: "These things, even as the Hokage, I can't control, so..."

"Since you can't control those bloodline families, why not just send these stubborn, unruly guys over here?"

Mizuki Yoru sneered, "Anyway, these bloodlines have already leaked out, haven't they?"

"Uchiha, Senju, that monster on Mount Higashimatsu who simultaneously wields the Mangekyou Sharingan and Wood Release, didn't Minato Namikaze tell you, Hokage?"

"Or is it that the monster was created by your Konoha through dark human experiments, but escaped from some laboratory due to some operational errors?"

As if she had just realized something, Mizuki Yoru exclaimed in sudden realization, "Wait, could it really be what I was thinking? After all, I've never heard of that guy before. He possesses such terrifying power, yet he suddenly appears. It really is like he was released from a laboratory!"

"Moreover, the moment that guy appeared on Mount Higashimatsu, he started chasing after your Konoha people and completely ignored me..."

"So, Lord Hokage, you wouldn't be saying you can't control the ninja clans in the village, but secretly you've already skinned and dismembered them, and even thoroughly studied their cells, would you?"

It seems like something incredible has been exposed!

Upon hearing this, not only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze broke their guard in a panic, but even the Iron Country samurai who were acting as guards showed expressions of shock and curiosity, all turning their gazes toward the Konoha duo.

Kaleidoscope and Wood Release.

What is that? That is the ultimate power that pacified the Warring States period and created Konoha!