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[NTU] [ARC-20] Chapter : 278
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 17:53:39 +0000 UTC"So this is Konoha's Fifth Hokage?"
With Elder Genji’s reluctant approval, Kaguya Kitaro gathered the pro-war Kiri ninjas who supported him, assembling a force of 3,000 soldiers to launch an all-out assault on the Konoha forces led by Toshiro.
But the battle had barely begun when a towering giant of crimson chakra erupted in the center of the battlefield, tearing through Kiri ninja ranks like a force of nature.
A suffocating sense of helplessness gripped Kaguya Kitaro’s heart.
"Lord Kitaro, should we... continue the attack?"
His subordinates hesitated, their gazes flickering between the battlefield’s carnage and their commander’s darkened expression.
Kitaro gritted his teeth, unwilling to back down.
"For the honor of the Kiri ninja, for the future of our village, we must not—"
"Look out!"
A sudden cry cut him off.
Boom!
Before Kitaro could even register what was happening, something massive hurtled toward him. His world spun as a loyal subordinate tackled him to the ground, shielding him from the devastating impact.
Then, a deafening explosion shattered the air, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
"This should be the Kiri ninja's final stand, right?"
High above the battlefield, encased in the towering form of Susanoo, Toshiro flung the magatama from his spectral warrior’s hand, its trajectory arcing toward what seemed to be the enemy’s command position. His gaze swept across the seemingly endless tide of Kiri ninjas, impatience flickering in his expression.
These people pose no real threat to me.
However, he hadn't come here just to slaughter them. His true purpose was negotiation, and excessive bloodshed would only make that more difficult.
"Sage Art: Water Release—Tsunami!"
Standing firm within the ethereal armor of Susanoo, Toshiro ignored the desperate attacks from the Kiri ninjas surrounding him. With his four spectral arms forming seals in rapid succession, his chakra pulsed outward. The river behind him, as if responding to his command, surged violently.
Then, with an earth-shaking roar, the water broke free from its natural course, crashing forward like a tidal wave. Kiri ninjas were thrown off their feet, their balance lost as the battlefield turned into a swirling flood.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Kitaro, just moments ago brimming with ambition—dreaming of vanquishing Konoha’s forces, claiming the title of Mizukage, and leading the Kiri ninja to dominance—now found himself on his hands and knees, sputtering water as his dreams were drowned in reality.
Before Kitaro could fully recover from the devastating explosion attack, a torrential flood shattered his ambitions like fragile glass.
"Retreat… retreat!"
The grim reality finally sank in. Having barely escaped the clutches of death, Kitaro abandoned his defiance and ordered a full retreat. Without hesitation, he turned and led the surviving Kiri ninjas back toward Kirigakure, leaving behind a battlefield littered with stunned and demoralized warriors.
The Next Day – At the Gates of Kirigakure
"Ah! The Fifth Hokage himself? I've long heard of your name. Please, come in… come in!"
The typically shrouded Kirigakure was bathed in rare sunlight, its thick fog momentarily lifting to reveal its full splendor. The sight before the Konoha delegation was unlike anything they had seen—winding waterways encircled the village, low blue-gray buildings stood in neat formation, and the distinct architecture exuded an air of quiet resilience.
The Konoha ninjas following Toshiro widened their eyes, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings with curiosity and wariness.
Toshiro’s gaze settled on the Kiri ninja who had stepped forward to receive them. A flicker of recognition crossed his expression.
"You… weren’t you the one from yesterday?"
The man before him, standing as the official greeter, bore an all-too-familiar presence—the very same high-ranking Kiri ninja who had led the attack against him just a day prior.
"Ahahaha~"
"Yesterday was just a misunderstanding… a complete misunderstanding…"
Kitaro had been personally assigned by Elder Genji to welcome the Fifth Hokage and his entourage—a task that felt as unpleasant as swallowing a bitter pill. However, the moment he recalled the terrifying sight of the colossal Susanoo from the battlefield, he quickly buried his discomfort, forcing a polite smile as he approached Toshiro.
"Hokage-sama, thank you for your mercy yesterday!"
Toshiro’s lips twitched slightly, his eyes flashing with undisguised disdain at the empty pleasantries. However, rather than voicing his thoughts, he simply cast a knowing glance at Nara Shikaku beside him.
Handling political games and diplomatic exchanges was a job best left to his subordinates. As Hokage, he had far more pressing matters to attend to than engaging in small talk with those who had tried to kill him just a day ago.
Turning away from the exchange, he shifted his focus to another concern.
"Shizune, what’s the status of the Fourth Mizukage?"
Though Tsunade had not come in person to treat Yagura, she had deemed his condition serious enough to send her most trusted assistant, Shizune, to stabilize him.
"The Mizukage’s condition has stabilized. With sufficient rest and a few more treatments, he should make a full recovery. However..."
As she spoke, Shizune cast a wary glance at the surrounding Kiri ninjas, clearly concerned about the local medical facilities and whether unforeseen complications might arise once she fully took over Yagura’s treatment.
"It’s fine… As long as he doesn’t die while under Konoha’s care."
Toshiro wasn’t particularly worried. He had gone to great lengths to hide any indication that the Sharingan had been manipulating Yagura. Using Shisui’s eye technique, he had carefully altered the Mizukage’s memories, ensuring that even if he was handed back to the Kiri ninjas, there would be no risk of them uncovering the truth.
"So that’s the Fifth Hokage? He certainly radiates power..."
From the Mizukage Building in the distance, Elder Genji squinted through his aged, wrinkled eyelids, struggling to get a clear look at Toshiro as he led the Konoha delegation through the Kirigakure gates.
His vision was no longer as sharp as it once was, and all he could make out was a vague silhouette. Yet, despite that, the sheer presence of the man—his aura, like the brilliance of the rising sun—was impossible to ignore.
"I never imagined... that the Uchiha clan would produce a Hokage."
Shaking his head, Elder Genji—an old relic of a past era—recalled the deep-seated feud between Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara.
He had long believed that the Uchiha would either be fully assimilated into Konoha or eradicated altogether. The idea that one of their own had ascended to the village’s highest position was nothing short of astonishing.
"Come, let’s go welcome our esteemed guests from afar."
Casting a glance at the surrounding Kiri ninja elders—whose faces were clouded with complex emotions—Elder Genji took the lead, making his way down from the Mizukage Building to personally greet Toshiro and his entourage.
Following a formal exchange of pleasantries, Toshiro and the Konoha delegation were escorted to accommodations prepared by the Kiri ninjas.
Two days later.
"Hokage-sama, about the Kiri ninjas..."
Holding a stack of documents, Shikaku let out a quiet sigh before handing them to Toshiro. The negotiations over the past two days had been anything but smooth, and the frustration in his expression made that all too clear.
Toshiro had little interest in negotiating and left the entire process to Shikaku and a few other Konoha Jonin.
"So, does this mean the Kiri ninja have no intention of agreeing to a peace settlement?"
Having spent the past few days confined to the inn, Toshiro glanced over the documents in his hands before shifting his attention to Shikaku.
"It's not that they refuse to sign the agreement…" Shikaku replied, rubbing the dark circles under his tired eyes. "The problem is, they’re completely broke. They don’t have the funds to compensate Konoha for its losses."
Toshiro raised an eyebrow as Shikaku let out a weary sigh.
"To prove their sincerity, they even gave us access to their financial records."
With clear exhaustion in his voice, Shikaku continued, "We've thoroughly examined the numbers. Kiri truly can't afford to pay."
Toshiro exhaled sharply. He had known that Obito had left a mess in his wake, but he hadn’t expected it to be this severe.
A village as vast and formidable as Kirigakure—completely drained of resources—and not a single Kiri ninja had realized it until now?
"That bastard really did a number on them," Toshiro muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Toshiro tapped his chin thoughtfully. Kiri was completely out of money—aside from their shinobi, they had little else of value.
"If they can't pay in ryo, they can pay in manpower."
A plan began to take shape in his mind.
"Have them dispatch Kiri ninja to deal with the pirates at sea. We'll outsource some of Konoha’s high-risk missions to them, allowing them to work off their debt through service."
Shikaku raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Toshiro continued.
"If that alone isn’t enough, we’ll have them sign a long-term loan agreement with high interest."
Shikaku’s expression shifted to one of mild surprise.
"A loan agreement?" he repeated, skeptical. "Wouldn't that just help the Kiri ninja recover faster?"
The idea of using their manpower to handle dangerous missions made sense. But lending them money—essentially aiding their economic recovery—seemed counterintuitive. Wouldn't that only help them regain their strength sooner?
Toshiro smirked, sensing Shikaku's hesitation.
"Shikaku, a loan is just an advance on future earnings—it’s another way of framing reparations." His eyes gleamed with amusement. "And phrased this way, Kiri will be much more willing to accept it."
"If you're worried that these loans will allow Kiri to recover too quickly, we can impose restrictions on their usage and oversee how they’re allocated."
Toshiro leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips. While he hadn’t personally witnessed how economic aid was used to control and influence nations in his previous life, he understood the concept well enough.
It was no different from how the Hokage controlled Konoha’s financial resources—funding various clans and, in turn, shaping their political leanings.
As for the Kiri recovering faster? That didn’t concern him in the slightest. His own strength was more than enough to handle any threat they might pose.
Besides, loans were a double-edged sword—borrowing felt great, but paying them back? That was a different story.
"And when the time comes, Kiri will have to repay the principal... with interest. If they fail to do so, well..." His smirk deepened. "I doubt they’d enjoy me showing up to collect the debt in a Susanoo."
Shikaku and the other Konoha Jonin exchanged uneasy glances.
"Moreover," Toshiro continued, his tone turning pragmatic, "even if we negotiate compensation terms, the Kiri’s economy is already in shambles. If their situation worsens, internal instability will follow—and that’s not in Konoha’s best interest."
A collapsing Kiri would only breed more chaos. Instead of demanding immediate reparations, why not restructure the terms? Change the name, extend the repayment period, and in the long run, Konoha would gain far more than it ever could through a one-time settlement.
"Why take a lump sum when we can secure a long-term return?"
Shikaku, after running a mental simulation of the plan’s feasibility, finally let out a sigh of resignation.
"This... might actually work."
He glanced around at the other Jonin, reading the same mixture of astonishment and reluctant agreement in their expressions.
Never in his life had he expected Hokage-sama to propose such a... counterintuitive solution.
Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The only difference was that Konoha would be getting its due a little later than expected.
