After over a month of negotiations, the strategic cooperation agreement between Konoha and Sunagakure was finally settled.
The specific plan involved joint investment from both Konoha and Sunagakure to construct a railway line starting from Sunagakure village all the way to Konoha.
The trains themselves would belong to Konoha, while Sunagakure would lease their usage rights from Konoha.
As for the opinions of River Country and their respective nations along the route? What could they possibly say in opposition to a combined effort by Konoha and Sunagakure?
The Daimyos of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind hadn't even dared to utter a word of objection, immediately agreeing without hesitation. It wasn't just about the tangible benefits this partnership would bring to both nations—the tax revenue alone from merchants was enough to make those two Daimyos grin like fools.
The Daimyo of River Country had recently been waking up laughing from his dreams—when such a massive windfall fell right into his lap, why would he have any reason to refuse?
Across the Naruto world, Daimyos all insisted they knew nothing but feasting, drinking, and merrymaking—but when it came to money? More was always better.
As for the projected timeline, construction was scheduled to begin next month.
The specific procedures included first laying down tracks from Sunagakure's side, while Konoha focused on building a flat road surface first. Meanwhile, River Country would hire both parties to carry out the roadworks.
In simpler terms, it meant paying dues to both sides for safe passage.
This way, once the track laid by the Land of Wind across their desert reached River Country, it would seamlessly connect and continue straight into the Land of Fire.
The entire project was estimated to take four years, covering a total distance exceeding 3,000 kilometers.
Considering that a certain transmigrated individual's previous life had seen a 9,288-kilometer-long "first railway" taking thirteen years to complete—with 170,000 workers mobilized—wouldn't adjusting things to balance it out be perfectly reasonable? Even though ninjas had superior physical strength, their numbers were limited after all.
Inside Shen's room at the Sunagakure guesthouse...
"What did you just say? You're telling me the truth, old man?"
"Of course I am! The Third Kazekage learned about this news not long ago himself. Given our current relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure, he definitely wouldn't lie about something like this."
Tao, startled by the intelligence just revealed by Kazushi, reacted with visible shock.
Now this was finally the case of searching high and low without luck—though whether acquiring this information would actually cost much effort depended entirely on how many forces currently held onto it.
"Wahahaha!" Looking up toward the sky and laughing maniacally, Shen felt a rush of satisfaction knowing he'd soon finish this damn S-rank Mission. "I finally got news about that stupid Sword of Kusanagi!!!"
Upon seeing the other's current reaction, Kazushi instantly regretted sharing his knowledge.
He originally wanted to show off a bit in front of this punk kid, hoping it might earn him some respect in the future. He never expected this guy to burst into arrogant laughter like the sword was already in his pocket.
"You old geezer, aren't you happy knowing I'll be heading back soon?"
"What the hell are you smirking at?! You think with that stupid attitude you're gonna become Hokage? Not a chance in hell!"
Watching the cheeky grin forming on the boy's face again as he spoke such nonsense, Kazushi became furious beyond control.
He felt that if this brat still acted like this several years later, forget becoming Hokage—he might get expelled from Konoha earlier through a citizen petition instead.
Shen grinned as he laid out his plan, "With those higher-ups taken care of, how could you not become Hokage? Bribe them, keep evidence for leverage, and if they still refuse to listen, just replace them with people who'll obey us!"
He continued while shifting his gaze sideways, his expression dripping with contempt, "If Ichika's Will of Fire can remain popular in the village all these years, why wouldn't our Uchiha clan achieve the same?"
Kazushi listened and realized it actually made sense, "That makes sense. Then what should our policy be? Nothing is more popular within Konoha than the Will of Fire, right?"
"Prosperity! Democracy! Civility! Harmony! Freedom! Equality! Justice! Rule of Law! Patriotism! Dedication! Honesty! Kindness!"
"This... this..."
The twenty-four-word mantra that suddenly spewed from Shen's mouth left Kazushi completely stunned.
It took him a moment to realize how convincing it had sounded at first — until the full weight of those words hit him.
Seeing the old man lower his head like he was pondering the meaning of life or something, Shen waved goodbye, "Old man, you can think about it yourself. I'm going to tell Snake Uncle and the others about this."
Having said that, he set off to find his playmates.
As he walked along, he felt something seemed missing. After carefully searching through his memories, he suddenly realized with an epiphany, "It's the Young Pioneers' red scarf! Without it, there's no authentic feeling at all!"
Quickly pulling out a small red necktie from a scroll, Shen carefully tied it around his neck. Immediately, he felt the scarf hanging from his chest glowing with newfound brilliance.
(Note: This is a parody joke, dear readers please go easy on me.)
Not long after, inside a familiar room at Sunagakure guesthouse.
Everyone from Team One had changed their tastes and was now enjoying a barbecue buffet.
Why a buffet? Because our little genius was stuck flipping steaks with a pair of tongs.
"I must say, you're being too much! My Fire Nature Chakra Mode wasn't meant to serve as a fire source!" Chef Shen expressed his strong dissatisfaction at having fallen so low as to cook for others.
"What can we do? Who told us we've been having hot pot every day lately, using up all our Fire Nature chakra scrolls? Besides, I don't have time to master your stupid mode anyway," Orochimaru fired back with one arrow to Shen's heart.
"And who told you we're the only ones on Team One who can use that ridiculous mode? If you won't operate the grill, who will?" Rope Tree took this opportunity to fire another arrow.
Struck twice in the heart, Chef Shen clasped his chest in pain. He looked up at his best friend, silently pleading for him not to say anything.
"Hmm, the steak you grilled is really delicious," Little Iceberg shot out the third arrow while ignoring his facial expressions.
"Urgh... Heart pierced again." After saying this, Chef Shen immediately went on strike.
Just when he was about to take off his chef's robe, a piece of freshly cut steak caught his attention.
Nayou coldly said, "Open your mouth."
"Mm..." Shen obediently opened his mouth and swallowed it. Suddenly he realized something was wrong, "Wait, didn't we come here to discuss missions? How did things turn out like this?"
"Weren't you the one who said let's eat while discussing?" x3
Completely ignoring this matter, Shen immediately returned to work diligently, his focused expression making it seem as though nothing had happened earlier.
The three of them were deeply frustrated by his indifferent demeanor. His completely understated expressions and actions were practically unmatched in Konoha.
"Cough... Then, regarding the news about the Sword of Kusanagi at the border of the Land of Fire, what do you all think?" Shen skillfully shifted the topic to the mission with a calm tone.
"Of course we should head out immediately. This is an S-rank Mission!" Nawaki, always eager to earn some cash, quickly chimed in with a suggestion.
Seeing that someone had beaten him to speaking first, Nayou immediately followed up with her suggestion: "Yes, we must set off right away. If we go too late, it might be taken by others."
"That works. Anyway, building such a long railway track at the Factory won't be completed anytime soon," Orochimaru didn't object.
Shen, the Shadow Emperor, seeing his opportunity coming, took off his chef's robe and faced the three as he delivered his famous line: "Then let's set off at once! I've made my point—who supports me? And who dares oppose?"
"I disagree!" x3
Shen, the actor whose face stiffened, never expected the three to unanimously oppose him. Not knowing how to continue acting, he awkwardly froze on the spot.
Nayou offered a much simpler reason: "We should finish our meal before heading out."
Nawaki, who always bickered with him, and Orochimaru, silently sawing his steak with a table knife, both nodded in agreement.
"Well then..." Shen, unable to pick up the act, dryly spoke just this sentence.
Afterward, he took out a shinobi world map from his Magic Pouch. Pointing at the location marked with circles, he seriously revealed information: "It's here. The north side of the Land of Fire. There aren't any ninja villages around here. So, this information must have come from the locals around here."
"Won't this be a trap? This intelligence from Kazekage seems suspicious." Orochimaru, who was always suspicious, was the first to question the reliability of this intelligence.
Shen quickly provided an explanation: "If it's a trap, it can only be an issue with the source of the information. With our two villages currently being cooperative partners, Kazekage wouldn't have any reason to lie to us."
After calmly thinking, Nayou questioned the purpose of the information source: "Information leaked by civilians? Their purpose might be wanting to attract attention from ninja. But why would they do that?"
Me, Nawaki Sir? Traps don't scare me one bit! If we don't check it out, when will we ever complete this mission?
He declared that he feared neither Heaven nor Earth.
Shen inwardly mused that if this airhead got blown up by an Explosive Tag, it would serve him right.
With such a reckless personality, even if not reduced to ashes by an Explosive Tag, there'd definitely be plenty of other 'tragic' ways for him to die.
Orochimaru always wanted to finish the mission quickly and return to the village to continue his research. After chewing his steak, he announced to the three: "Then Team One will depart tomorrow. As for supplies... never mind, we won't need any more."
Shen tapped his Magic Pouch and nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Mr. Orochimaru." Nayou reluctantly accepted reality.
Excited, Nawaki directly put his hands on his waist and looked up: "Haha! My allowance is all squared away now, folks—this is Sir Nawaki speaking!"
All three were utterly stunned by what they saw. So all this time, this guy had just been charging forward recklessly for some pocket money.
Under the gaze of three pairs of strange eyes, he scratched his head and asked, "What's up with you lot?"
"Nawaki, are you out of your mind?" ×3
Nawaki totally shut down under the simultaneous disdain from all three.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>