Chapter 253 Political Negotiations

Coincidentally, when Jiraiya and Tsunade arrived together, Hayama's table was also full of food, as if he had expected it.

Nara Shikaku knew that the matter was serious, so he had already dismissed the office staff on the second floor and turned the Hokage's office into a dining place. A square pear wood table was filled with delicious food; four hardwood chairs that were not very popular in the village; and four sets of wooden tableware were neatly laid out. He himself closed the door considerately, and did not dare to go far, just standing in the corridor waiting for orders.

Yeshan sat in the main seat, Uchiha Fugaku sat on the right, Tsunade and Jiraiya sat in the guest seats, all four of them were silent, and there was a faint smell of gunpowder in the air.

"I'm going to tell you a joke," Ye Shan said with a smile, "People say that life is nothing more than eating, drinking, defecating and urinating. No matter how successful you are, you still have to go through the cycle of reincarnation. Everyone has the same shit and urination, but eating and drinking vary from person to person. A while ago, a representative from the New Rain Country came to the village for a meeting. He was very surprised when he saw the food we were hosting, because he had always thought that the high and mighty people only had white flour buns for three meals a day, and after eating, they would carry golden hoes to work in the fields. Tell me, isn't that funny?"

Uchiha Fugaku forced a smile and agreed, "Country folks don't have much experience, so this is a big joke. Let's not talk about the distant past, just look at today's meal. Although it is made with great care, there are really few people in the Land of Fire who would appreciate it."

"Why?" Ye Shan asked.

"Those nobles claim to be noble, but they hate eating pork. Half of today's meal is pork, so naturally they won't eat it." Uchiha Fugaku explained with a smile.

"Why don't you eat pork?" Ye Shan was surprised. He really didn't know that the nobles had this taboo.

"Because they are as fat as pigs, they naturally won't eat their own kind." Uchiha Fugaku said maliciously.

Ye Shan suddenly realized and said, "This statement is one-sided. Many nobles are thin and have outstanding temperaments. It is obvious that they have received a good education."

The two of them were talking as if no one was around. Jiraiya just smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to pick up the conversation to improve the situation.

"Let's eat. Today's meals are all made by the chef himself. They taste good. You all should try them." Ye Shan said, raising his chopsticks.

Jiraiya touched his stomach. He had just finished his meal in the hospital and didn't feel hungry at the moment, but ninjas had huge appetites, so he could definitely eat more.

"Try this shrimp. It was just shipped from the Land of Waves. It's very delicious."

Ye Shan picked up a shrimp and put it in Tsunade's bowl and said with a smile, as if he didn't notice the frost on her face.

"You know, I don't like seafood." Tsunade said expressionlessly, with her hands on the table, without picking up the chopsticks, which made Uchiha Fugaku's heart sink.

"Then have some stir-fried pork. The chef's cooking is great, and it goes well with rice." Ye Shan pretended nothing had happened and continued to pick up a piece of stir-fried pork for Tsunade.

Tsunade hesitated for a moment, still without picking up her chopsticks. Her pretty face showed a hint of helplessness as she said, "Don't pick up any more food. You should understand that I'm not here to eat today. Let's throw away these formalities and get straight to the point."

Ye Shan's smile froze on his face. He slowly put down his chopsticks and answered the question irrelevantly: "I have thought about marrying you countless times. We can form a new family, have a child, and grow old together. But every time the words come to my lips, I stop. I am sorry for the past few years."

"My personality is not suitable for being a housewife, and I don't like to tie my good time to my children. I don't blame you, but I have already decided to live alone for the rest of my life." Tsunade said seriously. This was the first time she responded to Ye Shan directly. She had been ambiguous before.

Ye Shan smiled helplessly. He was a very smart man. Even though he had only been in love once in his past and present lives, he knew that they had come to the end of their relationship and it would be impolite to drag it on any longer.

"why?"

After thinking again and again, Ye Shan finally asked out loud. In the entire ninja world, he was the best in the world. It was no exaggeration to say that he was even better than a diamond bachelor. In terms of strength, not to mention the younger generation, even the older generation was not as good as him; in terms of status, he had already sat on the throne of Hokage, and a word from him could shake the ninja world; in terms of wealth, he had the support of the powerful Uchiha clan. He could not say that he was rich enough to rival a country, but he had more than enough to live a stable life. It was just that his appearance was a little worse, but it was acceptable. He had two eyes and one nose, but the angles were a little off.

"Not suitable."

If you say something inappropriate, I will become a hot sheep...

Ye Shan sighed, frustration revealed on his face, and he unconsciously took out a cigarette, lit it and smoked it hard. Suddenly the office was filled with smoke.

"It's about reform, right? Otherwise you have no reason to refuse anyway." Ye Shan asked with narrowed eyes.

"almost."

"Forget it, let's not talk about this for now. It's not appropriate to discuss private matters in the Hokage's office." Ye Shan said, "You two are rare guests, especially Jiraiya, who has not been seen for many years. You came here together today. Is it because of Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya looked straight ahead, and replied, "Hokage, we are here for Orochimaru's matter."

"Come to ask for mercy?"

"That's right! Orochimaru is an unforgivable criminal, but he is still the pillar ninja of the village. If we deal with him hastily, it will undoubtedly make his relatives sad and his enemies happy. I beg the Hokage to raise his hand and reduce his punishment."

Ye Shan smoked a cigarette, leaning against the hard backrest, his eyes still half-closed, and said, "You are not the first wave of people to beg for mercy, and you are definitely not the last wave. From this morning till now, I have done almost nothing else but dealing with people who beg for mercy."

"If it was an ordinary jonin who came to beg for mercy, I would have kicked him out without thinking, and even cursed him a few times. But you two are different. One is the famous toad sage Jiraiya, and the other is the princess of Konoha. No matter from which aspect, you are very important. So I specially prepared a table of food to entertain you. Don't be ungrateful. Go out and ask around. How many ninjas have eaten at my place?"

"As the saying goes, the martial arts world is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social skills! What are human relationships and social skills? It's nothing more than eating and drinking to solve problems! We are all companions who share the same pot, so it is reasonable to have a friendly conversation."

Ye Shan kept talking, holding a cigarette in his left hand and eating with chopsticks in his right hand. He said as he ate, "I sat here and met many ninjas. They all came to ask for mercy. It reminded me of what happened a few years ago."

"In the 42nd year of Konoha, the first snow of that winter came earlier than usual. I remember it very clearly. At that time, Hatake Sakumo made a trivial mistake, but it became an unforgivable crime under the instigation of some people. But at that time, who stepped into this office and said a word of pleading for him?"

Ye Shan's mouth was filled with stir-fried pork, and his lips were red from the spiciness. He didn't care at all and continued to eat with big mouthfuls, with beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. "At that time, I was insignificant and tried to enter the Hokage's office to plead for mercy several times, but I couldn't even get past the guards. I had no choice but to walk back on the snow. The biting cold wind poured into my blood, and I warned myself in my heart that I must remember today's humiliation, and sooner or later I will get it back with interest!"

Tsunade closed her eyes with no expression on her face, while Jiraiya clenched his fists and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"Hatake Sakumo was the head of the Anbu at the time, and he was also the leader of the civilian ninjas. He was a very powerful person, but even so, how many people would plead for him?"

Ye Shan threw away the cigarette butt, picked up the teacup and drank it all, then put it heavily on the table, and his tone became cold: "You watched Hatake Sakumo being forced into a desperate situation that day, so you must be mentally prepared to encounter the same thing yourself!"

Jiraiya could no longer sit still, he stood up, bowed, and said sincerely: "Hokage-sama! Please allow me to say a few words."

Ye Shan helped him sit down and said, "You are a great contributor to the village. Just say whatever you want to say. I, the Hokage, am not so stingy as to not allow people to speak."

Jiraiya's face was full of solemnity. He considered carefully and said slowly: "I was wrong in the past. I apologize on behalf of the previous generation! I witnessed the whole thing of Hatake Sakumo, but please believe me, I really tried my best to beg for mercy!"

"Sarutobi-sensei's original intention was to suppress Hatake Sakumo's power. No one could have imagined that he would go that far. The power struggle in the village was far less brutal than you thought. It was more of a smooth transition."

Ye Shan listened carefully until the other party had nothing to say, then he said: "Since I succeeded the Hokage, I have had the idea of ​​revenge for Hatake Sakumo, but the village was in a period of war, so I gave up. Now that I bring up the past, I definitely don't have the intention of settling scores, I am just making a comparison."

"You all say that Orochimaru is a great warrior, but Hatake Sakumo is no worse; you all say that Orochimaru is famous, but the name of Konoha White Fang is still popular today; you say that Orochimaru is the pillar ninja of the village, but isn't Hatake Sakumo the same?"

"Overall, Orochimaru's contribution is about the same as Hatake Sakumo's; but when it comes to sin, ten Hatake Sakumo tied together are not as good as Orochimaru!"

"The person with the lesser guilt died, and the person with the heavier guilt lives. I have given you enough face, what else do you want?"

For some reason, Jiraiya knew that Hayama was making excuses, yet he couldn't think of any rebuttal.

Uchiha Fugaku added: "Orochimaru will not die. In the days to come, he will contribute to the village in another way. It can be regarded as the best use of his talents."

Tsunade opened her eyes and stared at Hayama who was sitting opposite her. They used to talk about everything, but now they were speechless: "I think Hokage-sama has misunderstood. My intention was to reduce the punishment for Orochimaru. I definitely did not intend to give up."

Ye Shan said bluntly: "It is the greatest blessing for the damned to be alive. Compared with the seemingly merciful Sarutobi Hiruzen, my punishment is not too light."

Tsunade didn't want to waste time beating around the bush, so she said, "I have no objection to stripping him of all his positions and titles. Sealing his chakra for five years is fine, but confining him for life is not. Orochimaru is a proud man, he will never live in disgrace. It would be more satisfying to kill him with a single blow than to do this."

Ye Shan sneered: "Then he can choose to die! Konohagakure will function the same without anyone, so don't think too highly of yourself!"

"We are sitting here calmly to solve the problem, not to listen to your harsh words. I hope Lord Hokage can restrain himself." Tsunade remained unmoved and said calmly.

"I'm already restraining myself!" Ye Shan narrowed his eyes, his whole body filled with murderous aura: "Orochimaru's crime is that he will die no matter where he is. Ask yourselves, have I gone too far?"

"It's not too much, but Orochimaru can't just quit the Konoha stage. This is also reality!"

"Why?"

Tsunade raised her eyes and said firmly: "Just because Orochimaru is the disciple of the Third Hokage, and because Orochimaru has enough students and old officials!"

"Don't you want reform? The village currently needs a stable political environment. As long as you reduce the punishment of Orochimaru, we can give you a comfortable environment!"

Ye Shan was silent for a while, and then he said with difficulty: "I thought the division between the old party and the new party in the village was just a rumor, but I didn't expect that the biggest mastermind behind it was you! Do you know what you are doing!?"

Tsunade seemed to be fine, sitting there calmly and whispering, "Gamblers in casinos will bet everything without hesitation, this is what my grandfather taught me; politicians in politics often think twice before acting, and never do anything they are not sure of, this is also what my grandfather taught me!"

"The Leaf Village is a carriage, the Hokage is the coachman holding the whip, and the thousands of people sitting in the carriage are the masters of the carriage! The coachman can decide the speed of the carriage within a narrow range, but he must not overstep his authority and change the direction at will!"

"Grandfather and second grandfather have set the direction for Konohagakure for the next hundred years. Their successors can only move forward in this direction without hesitation. Heretics are not allowed to appear!"

"Hahaha"

Ye Shan laughed, and laughed very impudently: "So you started a factional dispute? You totally disregard the future of the village?"

"The village? Lord Hokage seems to have made a mistake. The reform is just your wishful thinking. More than half of the ninjas are against it."

Ye Shan stopped laughing and said slowly, "The defenders of the old era and the embracers of the new era are naturally incompatible. If you want to keep Orochimaru, you must offer a bargaining chip that will make me excited. Otherwise, it will be meaningless to just talk."

Tsunade praised: "This is the Baiyunye Mountain I am familiar with, this is the familiar political negotiation."

"Remove Orochimaru's punishment of lifelong confinement and allow him to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence. This is what we are asking for."

"We allow you to reform as you please for one year. This is our bargaining chip."

Ye Shan put down the half-held teacup and said, "So you want to get something for nothing? There is no such thing in the world. I don't agree!"

"Then what do you want?"

"The reform of the New Rain Country requires money, you guys give it as you see fit."

"I'll give you half of the minerals left by the Thousand Hands Clan. It's enough for the peasants of the Rain Country to dig for fifty years!"

"The people of New Rain Country need food. Give it to them as you see fit."

"I'll give you all the granaries left by the Senju clan, but they're quite moldy."

"Can!"