Chapter 240 Fully Open
Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was the 62nd year of Konoha.
The arrival of this time also proves that the plot of Shippuden in the original work is about to begin.
It was also in this year that the five major countries received a piece of news almost at the same time that a major country had risen again in the ninja world - the Kingdom of Gold.
This is a great country composed of the Land of Hot Springs, the Land of Water Taki, the Land of Grass, the Land of Snow, the Land of Iron, etc.
The five small ninja villages merged into the Kitaji Village and officially faced the five major countries.
Previously, the Kingdom of Gold had always been in a state of isolation, and the rest of the ninja world had only a vague understanding of the situations in small countries like the Kingdom of Hot Spring.
Most people only know that the ninja village where the Land of Rice is located is home to a formidable force, but the Raikage has already tested it at the cost of blood, so the other ninja villages can only take it slowly.
Now, before they could take any further action, the North gave them a big surprise.
The Kingdom of Gold officially opened up its trade and diplomacy to the outside world, and from today on, the mysterious veil of the North was revealed.
Merchants who used to be sneaky no longer need to hide their identities, and ninjas entering the Kingdom of Gold no longer need to be strictly checked...
This move is no less important than China's joining the WTO in the past, and its significance is far-reaching.
"Humph! Such a big tone! Do you really think that you can be on equal footing with us just by uniting a bunch of scattered sands?"
In Konoha, in the Hokage's office, Danzo angrily slammed a newspaper on the desk, his only remaining eye emitting a cold light.
Also present were Mitokado En, Utane Koharu, and the smoking Sandaime.
"I knew that the items that came from the north were not simple. Those technologies are simply not something that a small country can develop!"
Mizuto Menyan spoke in a low voice, and he was naturally referring to the cars and electric scooters in the north.
Although these are not considered strategic materials for the current roads in the ninja world, cars are still very useful in places like the Land of Fire, which has large plains.
Moreover, there are ninjas who can cut through mountains and build bridges across rivers, so there is no such thing as an impassable situation.
Just imagine, other countries have it, but they, who claim to be the strongest ninja village in the ninja world, do not have such a convenient tool. If a war breaks out, won’t they be controlled by others?
This is the suffocating feeling of being strangled by other countries. These products of the North are no less than completing the Second Industrial Revolution ahead of schedule!
"Their rise is unstoppable, at least not by Konoha alone, unless..."
The chief seat, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stared at the newspaper in front of him with a frown, and tapped the table with his pipe neither lightly nor heavily.
The others were attracted by his actions and stared at him closely, waiting for the words he would say.
"Unless we start a Ninja World War! Join forces with the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth to attack us from all sides. They have just risen and their foundation cannot compare to us, the old powers!"
Danzo's eyes lit up when he heard this. Why didn't he think of this? This is what he is best at!
"Then what are you waiting for? Are you going to watch helplessly as another threat appears around us?"
There is indeed nothing wrong with what he said, and the fact is just as the two said, the Kingdom of Gold has not yet established a firm foothold, and even if the other side has strong men who can compete with the Kage, the elite jonin and chunin ninjas are definitely not as good as them.
As long as they can convince the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Iwa Village, it is entirely possible for the three parties to work together to defeat the other side and return to their original form.
"Ah...it's only been a little over ten years since the Third Ninja World War, and the major ninja villages have not yet recovered. The same is true for our Konoha. Isn't it a bit hasty to start a war now?"
Utane Koharu spoke at the right time, pouring a bucket of cold water on Danzo who was already getting excited.
"Even if we agree to go to war, I guess we can only persuade the Hidden Cloud Village. After all, their Kage has suffered losses at the hands of the other side before..."
Utane Koharu didn't finish the rest of the words, but everyone knew that it would be difficult to shake the country of earth. Ohnoki killed the Third Raikage, so it would be unlikely for the two sides to unite.
Even if all three parties agree to launch a war against the Kingdom of Gold, what is the reason? Who will be the leader? You can't just find a random reason to start a war, right?
After all, the Kingdom of Gold has only now been fully opened up, and has not infringed on their interests.
"This is not okay, and that is not okay. Are we really going to watch this tiny country ride on our heads?"
Danzo slammed the table angrily again. If it wasn’t for the Sandaime sitting opposite him, he would have wanted to overturn the table.
The few of them did not respond to Danzo's words, but instead lowered their heads in deep thought.
"The new generation has not yet fully grown up. We were baptized by war when we were young, and so was Kakashi's generation. In the decades that I have been in office, we have already experienced two Ninja World Wars. If it is not absolutely necessary, I do not want another war to happen..."
The Sandaime exhaled a heavy puff of smoke and glanced around.
Everyone met his somewhat tired gaze and also felt a little emotional. He knew that it was really not easy for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He is already at the age of retirement, but he is still working diligently to worry about the village, worrying about the future of three or four generations. Moreover, he is old and no longer has the ambition he had in the past...
"You are being too soft-hearted! As the head of a village, this is not something you should be thinking about. For the better future of the village, what is this little sacrifice?"
At this time, the only one who is still ambitious is probably the old bachelor Danzo.
He felt that with his mental outlook and high spirits, he could fight for Konoha for another 20 years.
"If you feel you are not qualified for this job, you can let me do it. I will definitely do it better than you!"
Danzo was not at all willing to admit his age, and everyone present knew what he was thinking, so they simply stopped pretending. However, no one stood up to refute him.
"Danzo! We are talking about other countries' affairs now, don't interrupt me!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't give the other party any leniency and simply slammed his pipe on the conference table and spoke bluntly.
"Humph!"
After being criticized harshly, Danzo snorted coldly and sat down again.
Although he always wanted to seize the opportunity to bring down Sarutobi Hiruzen, the current situation was indeed not appropriate.
"What Konoha needs right now is stability! And the Kingdom of Gold hasn't threatened us yet, so we can test their capabilities first!"
After a moment of silence, the Sandaime broke the silence. After hearing this, everyone nodded slightly, except for Danzo who still had a sour face.
"Since they are open, Danzo can send more spies over..."
"You don't need to teach me how to do anything!"
Mitomon En was interrupted by Danzo before he could finish his words. Needless to say, he would take the initiative to do these tasks.
"We can't stop trading with the Kingdom of Gold. Since some of their technologies are useful, we should find a way to use them..."
Several people talked in the conference room for a whole day, and finally decided to play it safe and gradually find out the details of Beidi Village.
"By the way, I plan to host the Chunin Exam next year in conjunction with the Sand Village. Should we invite the Kitaji Village as well?"
