Chapter 74: Negotiation
Sara fell into a strange silence, while Mei nearly burst out laughing.
"Making a contract with people? Are you serious?"
"I'm serious."
Kakashi nodded.
"I have a way to break through the limits of space-time and summon you to the past, but you have to agree to one condition."
"What condition?"
"Don't ever do anything that stakes your own life as a bet again."
"Fine."
Mei agreed, and Sara had no objections. The three of them reached a preliminary consensus, so simply that Kakashi could hardly believe it was real.
After thinking it over, he realized the scroll was something he had redeemed from the system, so there shouldn't be any problems.
This time, he had truly overthought it. Mei and Sara just didn't want him to leave forever. As long as they could see him, the form didn't really matter.
He was pulling his punches more and more in the fight against the Sand-nin. Kakashi was desperately trying to conserve chakra. He had thought that with the massive boost from the Ryūmyaku chakra, he could be a bit more liberal with his ninjutsu, but he never expected to find himself in such a tight spot due to various circumstances.
These guys weren't strong, and fighting them was boring. The silver-haired young man used an Earth-Style Wall to completely surround the three of them, then leaped onto the wall, his gaze fixed on the collapsed tunnel entrance, waiting for his shadow clone to return.
The lightning clone's time was running out.
It wouldn't be easy for the Kazekage to break through such a thick layer of earth to reach the Ryūmyaku entrance; he would need the help of Earth Release ninja. Once the lightning clone disappeared, he would probably come to the main hall.
It would be a bit tricky if the shadow clone didn't make it back by then.
Mei didn't know what Kakashi was planning. Although her goal had been achieved, she still felt that Kakashi was being a bit too clever.
"Kakashi."
"What is it now?"
"Can you use the Reverse Summoning Technique?"
"No."
"What a pity."
Mei stretched, her slender neck and curvaceous figure bending into a sexy arc. The gesture made Kakashi wonder if he was really on a battlefield...
It was like that famous mobile game, where fighting a war felt like visiting a brothel.
Compared to the budding Mei-lily he had first met, this version of her was indeed more in line with his aesthetic tastes.
But some things could be admitted, and some things must never be.
Without letting his gaze linger on the Mizukage for a second, Kakashi blocked another wave of attacks from the Sand-nin.
This battle, which had turned into a tower defense game, was mind-numbingly dull. After another 15 minutes, the silver-haired young man's shadow clone finally arrived. He caught the scroll it tossed him.
The shadow clone vanished in a puff of smoke.
Unsealing the scroll, a surge of Ryūmyaku energy rushed from his palm into his body. The feeling of being filled with chakra was incredibly satisfying for Kakashi.
Being able to use ninjutsu without restraint was what being a ninja was all about.
Kakashi's definition of a ninja was even more extreme than Orochimaru's. For the foreseeable future, he wouldn't be in the predicament of running out of chakra.
The scroll contained nearly 60 Mega-Joules of Ryūmyaku energy, enough for him to use more than four times over.
[Summoning Scroll, confirm exchange.]
[Exchange Complete]
The scroll that suddenly appeared in the young man's hand was something Mei was used to, but Sara had rarely seen it.
"My lord, is that a Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
"Something like that. Sign it."
He took out a kunai, cut their fingers, and had them write their names on the summoning scroll in turn. Finally, Kakashi wrote his own name. An inexplicable connection flashed between the three of them and then vanished.
The contract was formed.
A great weight was lifted from his heart. Now, all he had to do was "convince" the Kazekage, and then he could return to the past through the Ryūmyaku.
So far, neither Sara nor Mei had a single scratch on them, not even a speck of dust. It was a testament to how astonishingly effective the Earth-Style Wall's defense was.
A few more minutes passed, and the lightning clone disappeared. Its battle memories flowed into his mind, giving Kakashi a preliminary assessment of the Fourth Kazekage's strength.
In the desert, he wasn't weak. One could say he was very strong, but now he was not necessarily Kakashi's match. As long as Rasa couldn't solve the issue of the Ryūmyaku-enhanced lightning's demagnetizing properties, Kakashi was his natural enemy.
The surrounding ninja were likely the core strength of the Sand. He hadn't used lethal force. The more he provoked these ninja, the more likely they were to kill the civilians here.
The Land of Water and the Land of Wind were far apart and not exactly hostile nations. This could be seen from the restrained attacks of these Sand-nin.
Of course, the fact that the Mizukage herself was present also played a role.
In short, when the Fourth Kazekage appeared, the surrounding ninja all retreated, clearing a space. They had expected to see a world-shaking duel between the Mizukage and the Kazekage.
But what happened next left them gaping.
The young man who had been protecting the Mizukage and the Queen of Rōran was the one the Fourth Kazekage was wary of.
"Lord Kazekage, it's been a while. Did my clone treat you well?"
"Which country's ninja are you?"
Rasa had his doubts before he arrived. It wasn't unheard of for powerful ninja to come from small villages, but a Lightning Release user of this proficiency was definitely not something an ordinary small country could produce.
"The Cloud Village."
"The Cloud Village?"
The Kazekage thought it over. Indeed, only the Land of Lightning's Cloud Village could produce such a powerful Lightning Release user. And with the precedent of the Third Raikage, it was convincing.
Then this would involve their relationship with the Cloud. They had interfered with the Ryūmyaku once before. Could it be that they wanted to snatch it away again this time?
"Does the Cloud Village really think there's no one left in the Sand?"
"No, it's just that I have a good relationship with Lady Mizukage and the Queen of Rōran. I'm here to pick them up this time. Mm, Lord Raikage knows about it too."
He told a grand, international lie. Kakashi's face was expressionless, his gaze steady and unwavering. Even if the Raikage were here in person, he would probably believe it to some extent.
"The ownership of the Ryūmyaku is a matter for the entire shinobi world. I believe it can be given to all countries for research. After all, it has the ability to self-propagate. A nearly depleted Ryūmyaku like this won't bring much change to the Sand. It would be better to let you manage this place, cultivate the land well, and wait for the Ryūmyaku to grow strong before harvesting it. It's not too late."
"..."
Sara, who was about to interject, was silenced by a sharp look from Kakashi. Remembering that she had already given up her position as Queen of Rōran, she hung her head low.
While the Fourth Kazekage was contemplating, the silver-haired young man went to Sara's side and comforted her softly.
"You don't have to blame yourself too much. You already told the Sand you would give up the Ryūmyaku. It's not realistic to go to war with the Sand over it. From now on, you and Mei will go back to the Land of Water."
"My lord... thank you."
"I thought you were going to apologize. It seems you really don't have much attachment to this place."
After comforting the exhausted queen, Rasa across from them came to a decision.
"The Queen of Rōran and we have a prior agreement. This matter can end here. The Sand will take over Rōran. As for the Ryūmyaku, it belongs solely to the Sand. The Cloud has no right to interfere."
"Lord Kazekage, you can save those words for Lord Raikage."
Kakashi wasn't lying this time. The Raikage would definitely have designs on the Ryūmyaku. Even if that didn't work, by the time Mei and Sara returned to the Land of Water, the mountains would be high and the emperor far away. What could Rasa do even if he found out he had been deceived?
"However, the matter of you attacking the previous Kazekage must be settled."
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