In the annex, Shiraishi receives envoys from various countries here.
However, the envoys received were limited to envoys from big countries, as well as envoys from the neutral country Iron Country. As for the envoys from other small countries, they were handled by the government, and there was no need for him, the military minister, to come forward in person.
Seeing Shiraishi, the military leader of the Demon Country, finally come forward, the envoys of the Great Power and the Iron Country breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that their entanglement these days was of some use, and they finally forced each other to come out to meet.
But what comes with it is tremendous pressure.
Chiba Shiraishi, before the war in the Kingdom of Wind, could be said to be a ninja with little reputation. Even though he was defined as a dangerous S-class defected ninja by Konoha, due to a serious lack of data, the information collected by various countries was very limited.
In comparison, Uchiha Ruri and Hyuga Ayane, who have prominent family backgrounds, are more worthy of attention.
But with the end of the war in the Kingdom of Wind, the opponent became famous internationally.
The opponent is not only the leader of the Demon Country's military, but also the supreme military leader of the Demon Country. He is also a powerful ninja who is not weaker than the Five Kages.
They were just ordinary people. Although they knew that the other party would not use force and ignore the rules in this situation, they still felt great pressure when they sat down.
Facing ninjas, ordinary people are weaker in terms of momentum.
Even though they were in a high position and belonged to the powerful class, Shiraishi was not a ninja in the ordinary sense. Just sitting there made the atmosphere in the room dull.
After Shiraishi sat down, his face was neither happy nor sad, just like a poker face, without any emotion.
After a brief silence, Shiraishi glanced around at the envoys of the great powers and the envoys of the Iron Country who were also sitting in their own seats, and then slowly said: "I already understand the purpose of your visit. Therefore, after the military and the After unanimous consultation with the government, we decided to make some changes to the original conditions and completely abandon the market of small countries, which is very unreasonable for the arms trade of the Kingdom of Ghosts. And since this is the active request of each country, we must make concessions to the Kingdom of Ghosts , all countries must also show a certain degree of sincerity."
To put it simply, the Country of Ghosts can make concessions on the export of arms to small countries, but if countries want the Country of Ghosts to sign an arms agreement, they must also sacrifice some interests, compensate the Country of Ghosts, and conduct The so-called interest exchange.
"How does the Kingdom of Ghosts plan to change its conditions?"
An envoy's expression also remained unchanged, as if he had expected such a scene, and asked Baishi.
"We will transport arms to small countries that have not established ninja villages. For small countries that have established ninja villages, the Oni Kingdom will refuse arms transactions."
Bai Shi glanced at everyone, his eyes calm.
Although the military industry has shown its prowess, the military power to completely eliminate ninjas is still slightly insufficient in all aspects.
And many high-level officials in countries are not brainless idiots. Although the power of thermal weapons is very visual, it is still far inferior to ninjas in terms of versatility.
Therefore, the military power of ninjas remains the mainstream of the ninja world. It's just that some of them were replaced by the military industry.
This is also the reason why Shiraishi proposed this condition.
A small country with a ninja village has a certain ability to protect itself.
Even the Country of Grass, which is often a stumbling block among the great powers, has an official ninja organization like the Kusakure Village. The fact that it can stand firm among the great powers is enough to prove that this country is not without merit.
On the contrary, if there is no military power at all, then it can only be ravaged and controlled by big powers.
These small countries without ninja villages undoubtedly have a greater demand for arms from the Kingdom of Ghosts than those with ninja villages.
In doing so, the fierce conflict with the Iron Kingdom over the arms trade can be alleviated.
Although the military strength of the Iron Kingdom is far inferior to that of the Ghost Kingdom, the attitude of the neutral country is also one of the considerations.
There may be places in the future that need to be entrusted to the Iron Kingdom.
The ninja forces of the five traditional powers have already been greatly offended. If the neutral samurai group also turns to the five traditional powers, the country of ghosts will be truly isolated in the world.
The Kingdom of Iron only needs to maintain its original neutral attitude, which is what Shiraishi needs to do.
Eating alone will inevitably be targeted and suppressed by various countries.
Besides interests, there are also favors.
Sure enough, after Shiraishi gave this condition, envoys from several countries began to talk in whispers.
Although the condition proposed by Shiraishi was a bit beyond their expectations, it was not unacceptable.
A small country without a ninja village cannot pose a real threat even if it obtains the weapons and weapons of the Demon Country.
Ninjas are not only used for frontal combat, but also for assassinations and espionage. They can also be used to threaten the growth of small countries, but these things cannot be communicated openly.
As for the small country of Yunin Village that has lost the arms supply from the Demon Country, its military power cannot expand drastically, and it also cannot threaten the status of the big country, making them have a strong resistance to the big country.
"Of course, the arms and weapons sold to the small countries in Wuren Village will only be the first-generation standard weapons for the time being. New weapons will not be sold to these small countries for the time being."
Those first-generation standard weapons were originally weapons that were initially phased out by the Demon Kingdom’s military and are now rarely used.
Selling these obsolete weapons to the small country of Wu Ren Village can dispel the suspicion of various countries towards the Kingdom of Ghosts in a short period of time, and can also allow the Kingdom of Ghosts to maintain high financial returns.
"What kind of assistance does the Ghost Country need from us?"
one of the messengers asked.
The previous concessions were made by the Kingdom of Ghosts. As big countries, they cannot let the Kingdom of Ghosts suffer in vain, otherwise it will not be conducive to international balance.
"Reduce tariffs on the Kingdom of Ghosts. In addition, debt collectors and wandering witches from the Kingdom of Ghosts are allowed to legally enter the areas of major and neutral countries."
Shiraishi stated these requests without hesitation.
In the past, debt collectors and wandering shrine maidens from the Kingdom of Oni were unable to enter the Great Country, and entry into the Kingdom of Iron was also rare.
Every entry is subject to strict inspection and movement is severely restricted.
Many times, some debtors who avoid debt problems hide in the areas of the five major countries. It is difficult for debt collectors to go to collect debts because they will be restricted by the ninjas of the major countries.
After all, it is the base of other big countries. The Kingdom of Ghosts must also consider the issue of territorial sovereignty and dare not interfere too much.
"The first condition is acceptable, but the degree of tariff reduction needs to be discussed. As for the second clause..."
What are the natures of debt collectors and wandering witches? As the top leaders of the country, they naturally know what role these people play in the Kingdom of Ghosts.
"The Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce has accumulated a lot of unpaid debts, and many of those who owe money have hid in large countries, leaving debt collectors unable to successfully collect debts. I think this condition is very reasonable."
"In that case, there is no need to bring the Wandering Miko with us..."
"Wandering Miko is good at medical ninjutsu, and debt collectors are likely to conflict with debtors during the debt collection process. Wandering Miko can provide timely medical support to injured debt collectors. Or can you represent yourselves? Will the state bear the medical liability of our debt collectors?”
Shiraishi asked lightly.
"..."
Baishi's words left the envoys speechless.
Although I know that the reasons for putting debt collectors and wandering witches into their country must not be based on the above reasons.
Engaging in espionage work is the real purpose of the Ghost Country.
But the Kingdom of Ghosts only needs to bite this point, and it will be difficult for them to refute.
"My only conditions are these two. If you agree, we will immediately sign an arms restriction treaty for small countries. If that doesn't work, the Kingdom of Demons can only decide the future arms market of the ninja world in its own way."
"Can you give us some time to think about this matter?"
A messenger asked, and several other ninjas expressed the same meaning.
Tariff reduction is a necessary condition, but to legally bring in debt collectors and wandering witches from the Kingdom of Ghosts in their country, they need to think carefully and not make hasty decisions.
"Okay, is three days enough?"
Shiraishi thought about it and gave a time limit.
The envoys did not embarrass Baishi and nodded in agreement.
"In this case, let's negotiate again in three days."
Shiraishi also breathed a sigh of relief.
But this is just the beginning. There is still a lot of talk to be said about the extent to which tariffs will be reduced. However, such matters as tariff reductions do not require him, the military leader, to personally negotiate. Instead, they will be left to specialized personnel to negotiate with various countries.
"Besides, there is one more thing I haven't said yet."
Before everyone was about to leave, the messenger from the Kingdom of Wind suddenly spoke.
"Oh, what's the matter?"
Standing up, Baishi raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the envoy from the Kingdom of Wind.
The other party raised his head and looked at Shiraishi, and said: "About the fact that the Bear Country has become a tributary of the Ghost Country..."
"This is a private matter between the Ghost Country and the Bear Country. It is also the decision of the new daimyo of the Bear Country. It has nothing to do with a third country. We have no reason to explain to outsiders."
Shiraishi answered calmly.
"But……"
"Does the Kingdom of Wind intend to continue to cede land to the Kingdom of Ghosts? Although it is just a useless desert land, we will also uphold the principle of not rejecting anyone who comes."
The envoy from the Kingdom of Wind wanted to say something, but was blocked by Shiraishi's words, with a hint of warning in his eyes.
The envoy from the Kingdom of Wind suddenly turned blue and white, and finally sighed without saying anything.
The envoys from other countries also had different expressions and wanted to say something, but in the end, just like the envoys from the Kingdom of Wind, they had a very tacit understanding and did not make trouble with the Kingdom of Ghosts on this matter.
◎
Three days passed by in a flash.
The envoys from the Five Great Nations and the Iron Kingdom also brought the decisions of their respective Daming Palaces.
The issue of tariff concessions will be discussed based on the comprehensive national conditions of each country. This requires professionals from each country to sit down and discuss slowly, and no decision can be made in a short time.
As for the second condition proposed by the Kingdom of Ghosts, the famous governments of various countries agreed, but under the premise of agreement, they must also impose restrictions on debt collectors and wandering witches stationed in the country.
In order to prevent debt collectors from causing casualties during the debt collection process, various countries will dispatch specialized personnel to follow the debt collectors in the Kingdom of Ghosts for supervision. In addition, the maximum number of debt collectors stationed in the territory of the large country and the neutral country Iron Country is five. In the same way, the maximum number of accompanying wandering witches can only be five, for a total of ten, and they must also be supervised by the accompanying personnel.
As for the accompanying personnel of these supervisions, they must be ninjas and samurai from various countries.
Shiraishi also readily agreed to the restrictions on the number of people put forward by various Daming Prefectures and signed the agreement.
Next came the issue of tariff concessions. After Shiraishi asked the relevant government department personnel, he left the negotiation table. After all, he knows nothing about commercial issues, and he has no idea how much tariff reduction is appropriate. Besides, he didn't have much time to waste on such things.
The most important thing Shiraishi considers right now is to obtain the research information on reincarnation techniques from the Lietuo Kingdom and develop a complete reincarnation ninjutsu.
Various technologies need to be developed, but the power of ninjas also needs to go hand in hand and cannot fall behind.
"Huh... we have finally reached an agreement. After the tariff issue is resolved, we need to immediately restrict arms trade with small countries."
Shiraishi returned to the office, took a sip of tea and said.
"But if you do this, you may offend some small countries and affect the reputation of the ghost country, especially those small countries with ninja villages."
Ayane said standing aside.
"There is nothing we can do about it. Moreover, this is not the decision of the Kingdom of Ghosts. The other big countries, including the Kingdom of Iron, are also witnesses and will sign the agreement and make it public. Even if those small countries want to blame, they will also The other big countries hate the Iron Kingdom together."
Shiraishi didn't care at all.
On the contrary, in this matter, the Kingdom of Ghosts is on the forced side.
Although the other major powers and the Iron Country also compromised some of their interests with the Ghost Country, this compromise ultimately made Shiraishi feel uncomfortable.
"This is the disadvantage of living alone. But in this way, it will be difficult for them to dictate to the Kingdom of Ghosts on the issue of arms trade. Although the effect is much worse than expected."
Ayane smiled and said.
According to original expectations, efforts should be intensified to infiltrate various small countries, strive for harmonious diplomatic relations, and actively weaken the military power of the ninjas of big countries to pave the way for future wars.
However, the Kingdom of Ghosts is still unable to unify the voices of all small countries and reverse the will of big countries due to insufficient foundation. In addition, the great powers and the Iron Kingdom are highly consistent in their opinions on this matter, and strongly oppose the unrestricted arms trade of the Ghost Kingdom. Due to these reasons, the Kingdom of Ghosts can only endure it for the time being.
"It's just a temporary compromise. Who knows what kind of obstacles they will cause us in the future. After all, the envoys from other countries haven't caused any problems recently, right?"
Because he had to deal with the envoys from the big countries and the Iron Kingdom, Shiraishi did not have time to take care of the envoys from the small countries. The safety of the envoys from the small countries was left to Ayane to manage. This is also the job of the security team where Ayane belongs.
To prevent the farce between Kumogakure and the Hyuga clan from happening again, it is necessary to closely monitor the envoys from various countries at this time.
"Although some envoys from small countries are a little restless, under the supervision of the security team, they are generally under control. I have sent people to warn those envoys from small countries who have ideas. If you don't listen to the advice, I will have no choice but to Take extreme measures to make them obedient and there will be no problems."
Ayane thought for a while and said.
Shiraishi nodded. He could understand the difficulties of life in these small countries.
In the battle between big countries, the first ones to be affected will definitely not be the big countries, but the small surrounding countries with weak military strength.
The outbreak of several ninja wars also proves the authenticity of this point.
It is precisely because of this that there are not a few small countries today that are eager for strong military power.
They do not want their country's lifeline to depend entirely on a big country, but want their country's absolute independence in sovereignty and territory.
Once big countries find ways to interfere in the internal affairs of small countries, it means disaster will come.
However, it is difficult for small countries to survive, and the situation of the Ghost Country, which has just become the sixth largest country, is not much better.
After the Kingdom of Thunder gets what it wants, it is no longer possible to use them to unite and become a shield for the Kingdom of Ghosts.
The Kingdom of Earth remains silent on the international situation, and the Kingdom of Water is in a corner. The two great kingdoms of Fire and Wind unite and begin to be hostile to the Kingdom of Ghosts. The Kingdom of Thunder, which is the leader of the five major kingdoms, is also secretly gathering strength, and the spearhead is unknown. Which country will point to the next moment?
Whether he will continue to suppress the Fire Country or target the Ghost Country, Shiraishi also doesn’t know.
Therefore, even if Shiraishi knows the situation of these small countries, he must first consider the position of his own country before talking about others.
Behind the seeming prosperity, there are also crises step by step. If you are not careful, all your previous efforts will be wasted.
Now is not the time to pity these small countries.
The Kingdom of Demons must focus on developing itself and prepare for the future war that will determine the Ninja World.
"Next, I'm going to the laboratory to develop new techniques. I don't have time to pay attention to external matters. Those envoys will still be left to you to supervise and make sure there are no mistakes."
Shiraishi packed up the documents on his desk, organized them, and put them aside, planning to go to the laboratory to conduct research on reincarnation.
"Don't worry, with Byakugan here, they won't have a chance to cause trouble."
Ayane answered confidently.
After hearing Ayane's assurance, Shiraishi quickly walked out of the office and headed to the laboratory.
◎
Konoha, Hokage Building.
In the office, Hiruzen obtained the documents sent from the Daiming Mansion of the Land of Fire, and achieved results in the arms trade with the Kingdom of Ghosts, successfully limiting the arms trade issues between the Kingdom of Ghosts and small countries.
The future arms trade partners of the Kingdom of Ghosts can only be large countries, neutral countries, and small countries such as Wu Ren Village.
As for the countries that have their own ninja villages, such as the country of rain, the country of grass, the country of soup, etc., the country of ghosts will not conduct arms trade with these countries.
Although it was not possible to completely restrict the pace of the Kingdom of Ghosts, it was not easy to achieve this result.
Countries have also made concessions to this end, such as reducing tariffs. This point has little to do with Konoha. It is an issue that the Daming Palace needs to consider, so Hiruzen passed it by when he looked at it.
As for the second condition proposed by the Kingdom of Oni, allowing the debt collectors and wandering shrine maidens from the Kingdom of Oni to legally enter the border between the great country and the neutral country, Iron Country, is related to Konoha.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire hopes that Konoha Ninja Village will dispatch appropriate personnel to supervise these debt collectors and wandering witches who have legally entered the country, so as to prevent these spies from the Country of Ghost from stealing important information in the Country of Fire, and can promptly Stop loss.
After reading the entire contents of the document, Hiruzen thought for a moment and said to the air around him: "Let Shikaku and Kakashi come over."
Not long after, Jonin squad leader Shikaku Nara and ANBU chief Kakashi Hatake arrived as scheduled.
The two of them walked up to Hiruzen and looked at each other. Shikaku was the first to speak: "Hokage-sama, what's the matter with you coming to us?"
Hiruzen pushed the document in his hand in front of the two of them and let them look at it.
"You all should take a look at this document."
Shikaku and Kakashi lowered their heads slightly and scanned the document handed over by Hiruzen together.
Soon, the contents of the document were memorized by Shikaku and Kakashi. Both of them looked calm and showed no obvious emotions.
"As for the personnel who supervise the debt collectors and wandering witches in the Kingdom of Ghosts, which department do you think is more appropriate?"
Hiruzen waited for the two of them to finish reading and immediately asked this question, hoping to hear their opinions.
"Transfer from among the ninja clan."
Shikaku glanced at Kakashi and then spoke.
As the jounin squad leader, Shikaku also heard a little bit about the ANBU's investigation of internal spies.
It's not that they don't trust ANBU, it's that there is a problem with ANBU now, and no one knows if there are any spies inside. At this time, if by chance a spy from the Kingdom of Demons is selected from the ANBU and happens to hit it off with the debt collector and wandering miko, it will easily deceive the sight of Konoha and the Daimyo Palace of the Land of Fire.
In addition, civilian ninjas also have certain risks.
If you want to avoid all risk minefields, you can only choose supervisors from the ninja clan of Konoha.
Kakashi had no objection to this, nodded and said: "I agree with Shikaku, the internal purge of ANBU will take several months to be completely dealt with, and there is no way to come up with innocent members to supervise in a short time. Debt collectors and wandering witches from the Kingdom of Ghosts. Selecting supervisors from the ninja clan can ensure the greatest possible security of intelligence."
Given the many problems faced by ANBU today, Kakashi gave the most pertinent advice.
"Since you said so, let's select suitable supervisors from within each ninja clan."
Hiruzen also leaned towards Shikaku's view, nodded and said.
Shikaku continued: "In order to better monitor this group of guests from the Kingdom of Demons, I suggest selecting supervisors from the Hyuga clan, the Inuzuka clan, the Aburame clan and the Yamanaka clan. These families are very important in intelligence collection. He has good abilities in surveillance, tracking and perception."
"I'll leave this matter to you, Shikaku. You must convince these ninja clan leaders."
Hiruzen didn't think much about it and decided to let Shikaku handle the matter.
"Yes, I will complete this task, Hokage-sama."
Shikaku nodded solemnly.
It is not a problem to convince Aburozuka and the three clans in the mountains. He has a very close personal relationship with the clan leaders of these three ninja clans, and the number of supervisors assigned to each family is only two or three on average. They must be used as The clan leaders will not be stingy in this regard.
The only difficulty is convincing the Hyuga clan.
After the demise of the Uchiha clan in Konoha, the Hyuga clan is undoubtedly the most powerful clan in Konoha, and has the deepest foundation among the major ninja clans.
The most important thing is that he has a normal relationship with the current leader of the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hizashi, which is limited to the extent of saying hello when they meet each other. Other than that, there is no more in-depth communication.
"The Hyuga clan?"
Kakashi said at this time.
"What, Kakashi, do you have another proposal?"
Shikaku asked curiously.
"No, I just want to say that the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan is very good at surveillance. I believe there is no one more suitable for this job than the Hyuga clan. If the Hyuga clan agrees, this task can be said to be foolproof."
"Yes, but convincing them is not an easy task. I can only do my best."
Having said that, Shikaku's face is full of confidence, which shows that he has great confidence in convincing the Hyuga clan.
Seeing the confidence on Shikaku's face, Kakashi also smiled and said:
"Then I wish you good luck. There are still many important things to deal with in the ANBU. If there is nothing else, I will leave first, Hokage-sama."
"Excuse me, Kakashi, the Anbu matter needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."
"yes."
Kakashi nodded, turned and left.
