Being stared at by Uchiha Madara with such indifferent eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt immense pressure.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he glanced at the Chibaku Tensei floating menacingly in mid-air, his heart cursing vehemently. He had never felt the chair he was sitting on to be so scalding.
Suddenly shivering, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that Uchiha Madara opposite him seemed to be getting impatient. He quickly tried to appease him:
"Um... Uchiha Madara, don't be rash, negotiations! Negotiations are meant to be discussed! Um... your demands are... the Scroll of Seals, money, grain, metals, and also land, right?"
Uchiha Madara nodded expressionlessly.
Cold sweat dripped down Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead:
"Uchiha Madara, the Scroll of Seals records all of our Konoha's forbidden knowledge. Although it's extremely important, giving it to you isn't too big of a deal!
However, those supplies, two billion ryo, six hundred thousand tons of grain, and two hundred thousand tons of copper and iron precious metals, our Konoha..."
Uchiha Madara's gaze began to turn cold and sharp.
Noticing the change in Uchiha Madara's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face changed drastically:
"Our Konoha, ugh, ugh, can still manage to scrape together a portion of it!"
Uchiha Madara's gaze remained cold and unchanged. Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly tried to salvage the situation:
"I will personally go and persuade the Daimyo of the Land of Fire later, ask him to also help provide another portion. By exhausting the entire strength of the Land of Fire, we should be able to gather enough of these supplies as compensation!"
"Should be?"
"It is certain! We will definitely be able to gather enough of these supplies as compensation!"
Uchiha Madara remained expressionless, appearing completely unperturbed, his tone indifferent:
"Fine, then the first two conditions are considered settled. Let's continue. There's still the most important one: ceding land as compensation! All the land north and west of the Qinglian Mountains will belong to my Land of Uzu!"
Uchiha Madara's words allowed no doubt, no objection; his resolve was exceedingly firm.
Uchiha Madara said that ceding land as compensation was the most important, and this was no exaggeration at all.
Sealing techniques he could snatch, supplies and such he could also seize, but land was something he absolutely had to obtain!
Because land represents the foundation of productivity! It represents the basis of all development!
The climate of the Land of Uzu was constantly overcast and rainy, unsuitable for crop production. If they could obtain such a large piece of land from the Land of Fire with a suitable climate, whether for cultivation or for production, it would be quite advantageous.
With fertile land as a foundation, the Land of Uzu could become self-sufficient, even producing for its own consumption.
After a period of development to strengthen its national power, it could completely shed its status as a small, weak nation. Even without Uchiha Madara, as long as there was a good leader, it would be enough to engage in equal dialogue with the Five Great Nations!
The importance of land was self-evident. Hiruzen Sarutobi, understanding this point, felt incredibly bitter. As the Third Hokage, he swallowed his pride, trying his best to state a fact in a calm tone:
"Uchiha Madara, I am the Hokage of Konoha. Regarding the military ninja forces of the Land of Fire, I can naturally represent them with full authority. However, ceding land is such an important matter that I cannot make the decision. Only the Daimyo of the Land of Fire can decide!"
Uchiha Madara nodded, expressing his understanding:
"Hmm... the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, huh... How about this: I'll go directly to the Daimyo's castle and seize the entire Daimyo family, including everyone related to the Daimyo by blood. That way, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you'll be the supreme leader of the Land of Fire, and you'll be able to make the decision then, won't you!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face instantly turned deathly pale, and he quickly tried to stop him:
"No no no no no... Uchiha Madara, you absolutely must not act impulsively!"
"Then what? After I seize the Daimyo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you won't just be second to one person and above tens of thousands in the Land of Fire, but directly above hundreds of millions! Isn't that good?"
"That would cause great chaos throughout the land!"
"I don't care about that. I only want these three conditions of compensation, especially the land north and west of the Qinglian Mountains, which I must obtain! If the Daimyo doesn't agree, I'll seize the Daimyo's entire family! If you don't agree, I'll destroy all of Konoha. Once the Land of Fire is finished, I'll directly send troops to occupy the land I want. It's troublesome, but also convenient!"
"Don't! Don't! Don't! Uchiha Madara, you need to calm down!"
After much persuasion, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally managed to restrain Uchiha Madara, who was about to make a move.
Finally managing to restrain him, Hiruzen Sarutobi was drenched in cold sweat.
He sat stiffly in his chair, looking at Uchiha Madara. He finally understood.
What negotiation! This bastard Uchiha Madara was completely unreasonable and just here to rob them by force!
Now, apart from agreeing to Uchiha Madara's terms, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no other way. Could he possibly watch Uchiha Madara destroy Konoha and seize the Daimyo, causing the entire Land of Fire to perish?
He could only agree to Uchiha Madara's demand for ceding land first.
As for the Daimyo... he would try his best to persuade him. If persuasion failed, he would resort to intimidation. If all else failed, he would use genjutsu. He had to make him agree to cede the land!
Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the end, still couldn't give up hope and wanted to see if he could negotiate for more lenient terms. With a heavy sigh, he, the dignified Hokage, spoke to Uchiha Madara in an almost pleading tone:
"Uchiha Madara, the Qinglian Mountains traverse the center of the Land of Fire.
The land north and west of the Qinglian Mountains constitutes almost half of the Land of Fire's territory. This is really too much. The Land of Fire will collapse. Look, how about all the land north of the Narita River be given to you?"
At this moment, an invisible map of the Land of Fire seemed to appear before Uchiha Madara and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
People in their positions had the entire map memorized in their hearts; they didn't need to take out an actual map to understand each other.
Uchiha Madara let out a cold sneer:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, are you joking? That little bit of land north of the Narita River isn't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth! Moreover, that piece of land is geographically narrow and doesn't border much of my Land of Uzu; it's very easy for the front and rear to lose contact. Most importantly, the climate of this land is not much different from that of the Land of Uzu. What use do I have for it!?"
As he finished speaking, Uchiha Madara roared, slamming one palm on the table. His other hand, without even bothering to form hand seals or even look, merely by feel, launched a Wind Style: Decapitating Air Current towards his left!
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