Fleeing from Konoha

The Five Kage Summit has reached its third day.

At nine o’clock on the third morning, the third session formally began.

After all participants were seated, Hakushi was the first to address Chiyo, who was sitting in the Hidden Sand’s seat: "After a day of deliberation, regarding the conditions I proposed yesterday, could the acting Kazekage now tell me the result of your discussions within the Land of Wind?"

Hakushi got straight to the point without any preamble.

The land located eighty miles north of Kazami City in the northwestern region of the Land of Wind, along with the military stationing rights in Kazami City, is what the Land of Demons deserves from its victory in the Land of Wind war.

On this issue, Hakushi’s attitude has been firm, with no further concessions.

This, Chiyo surely understands as well.

Chiyo replied, "Yesterday, I communicated with the Daimyo remotely. Although due to the communication equipment, the meeting was only half an hour long, he has given me a definite result. Before proceeding, I would like to ask again: the Land of Demons is requesting the land eighty miles north of Kazami City in the northwest region, along with the stationed military rights in Kazami City, correct?"

"Correct. Regarding this, the Land of Demons will forgo all activities related to mission commissions and will avoid competition conflicts in ninja business with the Hidden Sand."

The Five Great Nations’ Ninja Villages process mission commissions, and to a certain extent, this is a competition regarding the quality of ninjas.

In times of peace, the country receiving the most tasks and with the highest overall task level signifies its strength and prosperity.

From this perspective, Konoha currently leads the other Ninja Villages.

And the contender most likely to surpass Konoha is the Hidden Cloud, known for its strength and decisive actions.

The withdrawal of the Land of Demons from this competition is also a strategy to win over other countries, thereby forcing the Land of Wind to compromise on compensation conditions.

The result is satisfactory to Hakushi.

The Fourth Raikage has shifted from a neutral to a supportive stance, and both Yagura and Hokage Hiruzen show signs of interest on their faces, surely the Land of Wind cannot ignore this.

Chiyo nodded and said, "The Land of Demons forsaking all commission-related activities indeed shows courage. However, you must understand that demanding military stationing rights in another country’s major cities, in strict terms, infringes on a nation’s sovereignty."

"So, is the Land of Wind planning not to agree and primarily opting for rejection?"

Hakushi raised an eyebrow.

Chiyo shook her head and replied, "No, we just want to impose some limitations on the condition of military stationing rights."

Hakushi contemplated, then stared at Chiyo for a while before speaking, "Let’s hear it."

"Permanently stationing the Land of Demons’ troops in Kazami City is impossible. Your side proposed this condition, if I remember correctly, due to prior rudeness from the Hidden Sand, prompting you to prepare for a trust crisis. Therefore, we can only allow the Land of Demons to station troops in Kazami City for a ten-year term, and the ninja stationed there cannot exceed five hundred."

A ten-year term of military stationing rights with the stationed ninja quantity capped at five hundred.

It’s apparent that these two conditions preserve a certain level of alertness for the Land of Demons, while remaining within the acceptable range for the Land of Wind.

"I will retreat forty more miles from the requested land, granting the area one hundred and twenty miles north of Kazami City to the Land of Demons. However, I want to extend the military stationing rights from ten years to fifteen years."

After listening to Chiyo’s narration, Hakushi pondered briefly and promptly expressed his thoughts, proposing to extend the military stationing rights in Kazami City.

"No, at most two years."

Chiyo furrowed her brow.

"Four years."

Hakushi stated another figure.

Chiyo remained silent.

Hakushi sighed, earnestly locking eyes with Chiyo, speaking solemnly: "A minimum of three years, no less."

Upon hearing this, Chiyo slightly relented, hesitated, then nodded in agreement with Hakushi’s proposal, extending the ten-year term of military stationing rights to thirteen years, while the Land of Wind will cede forty fewer miles of land to the Land of Demons.

Regarding the entire northwestern region of the Land of Wind, forty miles of land doesn’t change much. However, recovering some land is beneficial for the Land of Wind.

Nonetheless, Chiyo has decided to reserve an elite Hidden Sand force in Kazami City to strictly guard and monitor the stationed troops from the Land of Demons, preventing a recurrence of such lapses.

As for the situation after thirteen years, Chiyo feels her body probably won’t endure till then, entrusting the future of the Hidden Sand to its young people.

With the Land of Demons, one shouldn’t relax vigilance even for a moment.

Witnessing Hakushi and Chiyo’s concessions, averting a larger conflict between the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind, Mifune, as the neutral party, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Overall, it’s a relatively peaceful outcome.

Following the Five Kage Summit, perceptions of the Land of Demons by various nations will likely undergo some changes.

Nations with formidable strength will always earn respect from others at any time.

However, it also means that the Land of Demons can no longer maintain a neutral status like the Land of Iron. Other countries will not permit the Land of Demons to continue as a neutral country.

If a new Ninja Realm war erupts in the future, the Land of Demons, as a military powerhouse, will hardly avoid entanglement in the war.