Fleeing from Konoha

"No, this condition is too harsh. The land sixty miles north of Kazami City can be used as a reference, but no troops from the Land of Demons are allowed near Kazami City."

Chiyo flatly rejected it.

Allowing the Land of Demons to station troops in Kazami City is like handing the keys to your own house to another country.

"Then the Land of Demons will retreat another twenty miles in exchange for the right to station troops in Kazami City."

Hakushi tested the limits of Chiyo’s resolve.

Chiyo firmly shook her head, indicating no.

This is a matter of principle; no matter how far back the Land of Demons retreats, it’s non-negotiable.

Chiyo’s resolute refusal made Hakushi fall silent, his gaze flickering as he began to recalculate.

After a long while, Hakushi spoke again, "Then how about the ninja of the Land of Demons abandoning all mission commissions, along with this condition?"

"No... what did you say?"

Chiyo was about to refuse but suddenly realized, staring wide-eyed at Hakushi’s calm face.

The ninja of the Land of Demons, abandoning all mission commissions?

Mission commissions are undoubtedly one of the important economic sources for ninja villages of all nations, but if it’s just for making money, it doesn’t need to go this far.

That means mission commissions have another important role—to demonstrate national power.

Unlike the chaos of the Warring States Era, the era of one nation, one village has established a more mature ninja village system.

The strength of ninjas is linked to the strength of the country.

The money obtained from mission commissions can not only be used to develop the village but also be used to evaluate the military strength of nations based on the fees obtained from commissions.

Although this evaluation is not entirely accurate, it has extremely high reference value.

For example, Konoha, as the biggest victor of the Third Ninja Realm War, still maintained its status as the last victor against three adversaries, which means the overall strength of Konoha Ninja is higher than that of other ninja villages.

When people encounter difficulties, their first response will definitely lean towards Konoha, and then consider other ninja villages.

And Konoha uses this to spread the prestige of the ninja village and the country, even affecting other countries.

Therefore, mission commissions can be both a source of income and an activity that showcases national military power.

If the Land of Demons gives up this right, it means that the ninja of the Land of Demons not only lose an important income source but also a major opportunity to expand national influence.

Even with Chiyo’s attitude, she couldn’t help but hesitate, feeling unsure about what sinister plan Hakushi was brewing in his heart.

What kind of calculation is he making in his heart that seems detrimental to the Land of Demons?

Not just Chiyo, even the Raikage, Mizukage, and Hokage beside her began to ponder Hakushi’s purpose.

Yet no matter how they speculated, they couldn’t understand why Hakushi was willing to abandon all mission commissions in exchange for the right to station troops in Kazami City.

However, if this is the case, it’s not impossible to support the Land of Demons a little.

This was the thought in the minds of the other Kages.

The Land of Demons abandoning all mission commissions means that the ninja employment market will still be divided by the Five Great Nations, and the Land of Demons won’t share this pie.

The prestige of the Five Great Nations won’t be greatly diminished.

At most, some insignificant interests will be earned by the Land of Demons.

As for the feelings of the Land of Wind, it’s not within the consideration of the other Kages.

Previously, to maintain balance, space was ceded for Hakushi and Chiyo to argue, while they watched the situation unfold.

However, after Hakushi proposed this condition, even Hiruzen, who had a serious rift with Hakushi, gradually leaned towards Hakushi’s side.

The rise of the Land of Demons would more or less encroach on the mission commission market of the Five Great Nations.

If the Land of Demons gives up this market segment, putting aside personal grudges, from the perspective of national considerations, it indeed made the Kages feel the Land of Demons’ sincerity.

Progressing and retreating strategically, not overly self-restraining, yet not excessively greedy, everything is perfectly balanced.

Chiyo was quite moved, but exchanging for the stationing rights in Kazami City made her somewhat distressed.

While Chiyo was considering, the Fourth Raikage stated, "If the Land of Demons can give up all mission commission activities in the future, then I, on behalf of Hidden Cloud, support the decision of the Land of Demons to request the stationing rights in Kazami City of the Land of Wind. After all, the Hidden Sand’s past records serve as a precedent, and the Land of Demons’ lack of a sense of security is justifiable."

The rise of the Land of Demons can no longer be stopped.

Each nation is thinking of damage control, especially the Five Great Nations.

The Land of Demons abandoning mission commission activities means that the important activity of showcasing national power of the Five Great Nations hasn’t been greatly impacted.

Even knowing that the Land of Demons has its own considerations, the Fourth Raikage was unwilling to miss such a good opportunity, so he immediately expressed support.

Seeing that the previously neutral Hidden Cloud immediately leaned towards the Land of Demons, plus the already supportive Konoha, Chiyo’s heart suddenly sank.

When she looked towards Yagura, she found that he too seemed quite interested, and the previous displeasure in the argument with Hakushi had disappeared.

This made Chiyo smile wryly even more.

Should it be said that the Land of Demons has immense courage, or should it be praised for its skillful balancing tactics?

Is this an attempt to pull in the other Kages to pressure the Land of Wind?

This situation is completely reversed now.