Chapter 280: Chapter 280: Want It? Exchange Resources for It!
"This, can you give it to us... no, can you help us make it?"
Rasa knew Konoha’s intention. A trade! He just didn’t know what he needed to pay...
He cautiously probed. "Hokage, I wonder what our Sand Village needs to pay?"
"It won’t be anything that will make things difficult for your village," Tsunade answered.
As she spoke, she took out a piece of paper and handed it to Rasa. Rasa took it, and his expression became a little strange before he even looked at it.
Obviously, Konoha had prepared it long ago, just waiting for him to come over. However, if the other party’s puppet jutsu was really a completely different direction, even if he knew that Konoha had a demand in this regard... he still had to bite the bullet and give it.
Rasa looked down, and his eyes immediately narrowed, a little taken aback.
On it was written Konoha’s demand: the northeastern mines of the Land of Wind!
His first reaction was—Is Konoha crazy?
That was their Sand Village’s most important territory. It was not only the mines and property of the Land of Wind, but also the junction point between the Land of Wind and countries like the Land of Rain and the Land of Birds. It could be said that it was an important bridgehead between the Sand Village and them, equivalent to Kikyō Mountain of the Land of Fire.
How could Konoha have the audacity to make such a request?
Rasa’s mind went blank. He looked at the words on the paper and felt that Tsunade and her decision-making team must have had a lot to drink to dare to present this to him directly.
But, for a moment, Rasa really couldn’t refuse...
Tsunade said, "I know your concerns. It is precisely because it is your important base that I want it. This way, you can supervise us, and you can also help with the excavation."
Upon hearing this, Rasa was even more dumbfounded. Tsunade was even more shameless than he had imagined, to directly make such a request.
He was silent for a moment. "This is not a small matter. Before I’m sure your jutsu is worth this price, it’s hard for me to agree."
"Of course, I didn’t expect you to agree right now. As for your previous conditions, I can agree to the first one right now." Tsunade said, pausing slightly. "As for the second one, we can only say that we will help you find and ask. In fact, our Konoha has only signed a non-aggression treaty with her. We have not forcibly restricted her freedom."
Rasa was silent upon hearing this. If it were before he met Pakura, he would not have believed Tsunade’s words at all. But now, he believed it a little. Perhaps it was really Pakura who was unwilling to go back.
"It’s alright, please help me contact her. Whether it succeeds or not, the Sand Village is very grateful for Konoha’s help!" Rasa said, feeling helpless and sad in his heart.
If not for being forced, how could he possibly make such a request? But... he was the one who had forced Pakura away. At this moment, his heart was filled with regret.
"It’s a small matter." Tsunade shook her head. Then, she said, "Since you are interested in letting your children join our Konoha Ninja Academy to study, I’ll take you to have a look later. How about it?"
"If it’s possible, of course I’d like to visit!" Rasa answered immediately.
Tsunade said with a smile, "You are our Konoha’s sincere ally, naturally different from other ninja villages."
***
"Let the Sand Village’s children join our ninja academy? Kyohiko, what were you thinking? What if they learn our model..." Mitokado Homura was instinctively opposed.
He had always been in charge of the school, so he naturally attached the most importance to the ninja academy and education. When he first heard Kyohiko’s proposal, his first reaction was to refuse. After all, those kids were different from Temari. Temari’s mental state clearly showed that she had been hit hard by the Sand Village. If she was properly reformed, she might become a member of Konoha in the future.
Those children, however, came from the Sand Village. They had a stronger sense of belonging to the Sand Village from the beginning. No matter how much they were reformed, it would be useless. They would go back sooner or later, and in the future, they might become their enemies.
He absolutely did not agree to waste resources on such guys!
Kyohiko understood what the other meant. He also understood that Mitokado Homura had not experienced the magical thinking of international students from his previous life. Although ninja and ordinary people were not quite the same, they had some common ways of thinking. Of course, Kyohiko was not sure if this group of people would be as he thought...
Even if this group of people all went back, it would not be a loss for Konoha. With the Sand Village’s financial and military strength, they simply could not support an education system like the Konoha Ninja Academy. At most, they would be strengthened to a certain extent.
"As an ally of Konoha, it’s a good thing for them to be strengthened."
"Kyohiko, don’t try to deceive this old man. I don’t have that much energy to ponder. Just tell me what you’re thinking. If it’s appropriate, I’ll agree. Otherwise..." Mitokado Homura snorted coldly and held his head high. "This old man still has some face in Konoha!"
"Elder Mitokado, if you were a poor kid from another place who came to Konoha and got the opportunity to study here, would you want to go back after you’ve learned something?" Kyohiko gave an example. Then, he paused and said, "If you stay in Konoha, you may become stronger and more powerful. If you go back, your strength may stop here, but maybe you can make your hometown better."
Mitokado Homura was stunned for a moment, then fell into deep thought. He couldn’t give an answer for a while. This question was actually a choice between "public and private," "individual and village." It sounded easy to choose, but in fact, it was very complicated.
Because... the human heart was unpredictable! If everyone had the spirit of dedication to the village, there wouldn’t be so many rogue-nin. There were too few selfless ninja. And, Mitokado Homura knew that Kyohiko also had a "reformation" plan, intending to have these people all learn the "Will of Fire."
He vaguely understood Kyohiko’s meaning. To use this kind of thinking, plus Konoha’s advanced, powerful, and richer resources to keep these ninja who came to study. Even... to form a virtuous cycle in the future.
Even the ninja who returned to the Sand Village might, to some extent, have their thinking synchronized with and lean towards Konoha. Those who could truly see through all this and give a counterattack would ultimately be a minority.
When he thought of this, he couldn’t help but nod. "If that’s the case, it’s indeed possible to let them visit. But aren’t you afraid that Rasa will see through our thoughts?"
"He has no choice." A brilliant smile appeared on Kyohiko’s face. "Unless he is willing to watch Temari become a ninja of our Konoha, and even Shukaku might identify more with Konoha in the future."
"A person like Rasa can only see what’s in front of him. Or rather, the current situation of the Sand Village only allows him to look at the immediate benefits."
Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement. He couldn’t help but look at Kyohiko with admiration and praise. "I don’t even know how your brain is wired. Why can you always think of these angles that are difficult for ordinary people to think of?"
"Maybe I just think a lot." Kyohiko smiled slightly. Then, he stood up. "If you agree, I’ll reply to Hokage-sama."
"No problem." Mitokado Homura nodded.
He was speaking when he suddenly paused. "Oh, right, there’s something..." Mitokado Homura hesitated for a moment. "I still want to hear your opinion."
"What is it?"
"It’s about Asuma..." Mitokado Homura explained the situation.
In Asuma’s imagination, the Guardian Shinobi should protect the daimyō and the common people. But when he arrived at the capital, he found that was not the case. The Guardian Shinobi mostly protected the daimyō, nobles, and wealthy merchants. The poor common people basically had a hard time getting the help of the Guardian Shinobi. Although they also got indirect benefits, it was not what he wanted.
He sighed. "What do you think..."
"Did he ask for help?" Kyohiko asked in return.
Mitokado Homura shook his head. "No."
"Then don’t worry about him. Elder Mitokado, things that are easily obtained are always not cherished. It’s good for him to venture out on his own." Kyohiko didn’t care. Asuma was now fourteen, a bit older than him. He was no longer a child. If he really wanted to come back, he would naturally speak up.
Mitokado Homura sighed and didn’t insist. He also understood Kyohiko’s reasoning. It was just that he and Sarutobi Hiruzen were very close. Seeing Asuma suffer, he couldn’t help but feel a little soft-hearted and unable to look at it impartially.
***
Not long after, Rasa brought Baki and the others to the front of the school. The Konoha Ninja Academy had not been expanded for the time being. But in fact, many courses were no longer held inside the school, so they were not afraid of them seeing too much at once.
However, even so, in the eyes of these people from the Sand Village, the scale of the ninja academy here was still astonishingly large. Compared to the one in the Sand Village, Konoha’s ninja academy looked too luxurious. There were also various training facilities inside. Through the wall, they saw children running in a long line.
At the same time, outside, Baki immediately heard a sound and instantly looked towards the source. Then he saw a strange team wearing green jumpsuits running past. Looking at these people, Baki’s face was bewildered.
Should he say... as expected of Konoha? The ninja were already so idle that they had time to play at performance art. He was dumbfounded in his heart.
But Rasa observed carefully, and his expression suddenly changed. This person...
Back then, regarding the matter of a large number of Grass ninja being dealt with in one move, all the ninja villages had actively gathered intelligence, hoping to understand how Konoha did it. Since Konoha did not hide it, they easily obtained a lot of intelligence.
There were basically no features like appearance. But the other party had a common characteristic that everyone remembered—wearing a green jumpsuit!
Could it be? The person leading the group was the Jonin who had killed the leader of the Hidden Grass Village and half of its elites back then? If so, what was Konoha trying to do now? Were they trying to mass-train ninja who could perform that kind of ninjutsu?
Rasa swallowed. If there was a group of ninja who could use that kind of ninjutsu, he didn’t even dare to imagine who would dare to be an enemy of Konoha on the battlefield in the future. Even the Hidden Stone Village probably didn’t have that many masters who could resist, right?
"Kazekage?"
"Ah? Oh, sorry, I, I was distracted." Rasa realized his gaffe and quickly apologized for his behavior.
"It’s alright. The clothes of that group of people are indeed quite eye-catching." Tsunade smiled meaningfully.
Might Dai leading people past here was, of course, not a "coincidence," but a route they had deliberately designed. This time, at the meeting between Konoha and the Sand, she was going to show off her muscles hard, to make the Sand Village realize the huge gap between themselves and Konoha. Otherwise, the Sand Village of the future might still waver and cause them trouble in the war.
Rasa understood that the other party already knew roughly what he was thinking, but he did not lose his composure too much. "Indeed, but, it should be more suitable for sports."
"Hahahaha, let’s go." Tsunade brushed it off with a single sentence and did not delve into it.
It was Baki and the others who were bewildered, wondering why the Hokage and Kazekage were mentioning the green jumpsuits. Was it because of that team just now?
Entering the school, Rasa took a tour. Konoha did not hide anything. If he wanted to listen to the classes, they let him listen. Except for the ideology teachers who were all sick today, the rest were all on duty.
The more Rasa listened, the more shocked he became. The Genin of Konoha had to learn too much in terms of theory. Although it didn’t seem to have much of an effect at this stage, once they reached Chūnin and above, this knowledge would play a huge role. And, with a larger number, the chances of producing elites would also be higher.
In comparison, their Sand Village’s model was more of a free-range and elite-scouting approach. The educational gap between the two villages, reflected in the ninja community, was... the Sand Village had more Chūnin and Genin. Konoha, at Chūnin and above, was significantly more numerous than other ninja villages.
He glanced at the children, his heart very complicated. How many of these children, in such an environment, could hold on to their original intentions and not be influenced by Konoha’s prosperity and power? But at this point, he had no way back.
"Kazekage, you should also have someone who is good at puppet jutsu present, right?" Tsunade scanned the crowd.
Rasa was silent, then nodded. "Yes, Rina."
A child stood out. It was a girl.
Rasa introduced. "This child is called Rina. She is the best at puppet manipulation among these children."
"Just right, I also have a child on my side." Tsunade smiled. Then, she led the way forward.
Not long after, they went out through the back door of the ninja academy and arrived at a not-so-large park.
Tsunade clapped her hands. "Hokage-sama!"
A figure flickered over. It was a not-so-old child. But his body flicker technique was quite amazing among his peers.
Rasa observed secretly. Was this the "puppeteer" of Konoha?
"Yamato, spar with her. Be careful to hold back."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Yamato walked forward and looked at the girl in front of him.
Rina took out a sealing scroll, then her hands formed a seal, and she quickly released the puppet inside. A puppet in the image of a giant insect!
At the same time, Yamato also took out his own puppet.
Baki and the others stared intently at Yamato—at this moment, they already realized what Konoha wanted to do. To use puppet jutsu to defeat their puppet jutsu!
They were very angry. Puppet jutsu was created by the Second Kazekage of the Sand Village. Konoha...
But the next second, their eyes widened. Because what Yamato took out was not a puppet, but a wooden arm.
This?
They looked at each other, not understanding for a moment. Limb modification?
"Please guide me!" Yamato formed a seal of opposition.
Rina didn’t know what was going on, but she still learned to form a seal. The next second... she controlled the puppet and instantly pounced on Yamato.
But, in an instant, Yamato threw a punch.
Boom!
Chakra, along with the chakra lines, spread to the flesh outside, and then through the puppet limb, formed a special change. His fist directly extended, sending the giant insect puppet flying with one punch.
It was a plain, unadorned blow. But Rina was at a loss. Because no matter how her fingers manipulated the chakra threads, her puppet did not move. This one punch had destroyed the internal structure of her puppet!
An astonished look was hard to hide on Rasa’s face. He had thought that Konoha’s puppets might be very strong, perhaps with very exquisite techniques, or in some special way. But he had not expected at all... none of the things he had imagined!
It was just a plain attack, brute force wins the day.