"Where is Kinkaku's corpse?"
The Third Raikage stared at Minamikawa Yuu for a long time before suddenly speaking: "Hand him over."
"On what grounds?"
Minamikawa Yuu's face remained calm: "It seems to be my spoil of war."
"Kinkaku is our rogue Ninja; naturally, Kumogakure should be the one to deal with him."
The Third Raikage spoke as if it were only natural: "Furthermore, the basho fan and the amber purifying pot on his person are likewise the property of Kumogakure."
"By all rights and reason, Konoha should return them."
"And if I refuse?"
Minamikawa Yuu spoke indifferently, "What does the Raikage intend to do then?"
"Then we shall go to war again!"
The Third Raikage was blunt: "Given Konoha's current state, I wonder if it can withstand another great war."
"The same goes for you."
Minamikawa Yuu's expression was composed: "Konoha is not in a good place, but Kumogakure is not much better."
The Ninja World War had only just ended, and all parties were extremely exhausted.
While the Konoha side had indeed suffered heavy losses and needed time to recover and recuperate, the Kumogakure side was in the same position.
After all, they had just lost their Second Raikage and had experienced the rebellion of the Kinkaku Brothers.
Not counting the loss of other Ninjas, they had lost three top-tier powerhouses: the Second Raikage and the Kinkaku Brothers.
If Konoha was considered weak right now, Kumogakure was likewise in a period of extreme vulnerability.
"Your people rebelled, and we came to help you suppress the rebellion. Now that we've just succeeded, you want to turn your back on us immediately?"
Homura Mitokado and the others arrived and spoke up in rebuke: "Is this Kumogakure's way of treating guests?"
"Hospitality is for guests."
The Third Raikage was unceremonious: "I don't see you as guests, but rather as a bunch of bandits!"
"With Kumogakure's conduct, it's hard to say who the real bandits are."
Danzo Shimura spoke coldly: "You are quite famously barbaric in the Ninja World."
"What did you say?"
"Exactly what I said."
Danzo Shimura spoke: "There is one more thing."
"Since the rebellion of the Kinkaku Brothers has been settled, where is the corpse of our Second Hokage?"
Homura Mitokado and the others also spoke up: "That's right, hand over Lord Tobirama's corpse!"
When the Kinkaku Brothers rebelled, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju died in battle to cover their retreat, so his body naturally fell into the hands of the Kinkaku Brothers.
Now that the rebellion had been quelled, Senju Tobirama's corpse was nowhere to be seen.
Clearly, the body had fallen into the hands of Kumogakure.
"Return the two six paths tools, the basho fan and the amber purifying pot, along with Kinkaku's corpse, and I will return Senju Tobirama's corpse to you."
The Third Raikage spoke with a very tough attitude.
"Impossible!"
Before Minamikawa Yuu could speak, Homura Mitokado and the others flatly refused.
Kinkaku's corpse was one thing, but the value of the two six paths tools, the basho fan and the amber purifying pot, was too great. Since they were already in their hands, they would never give them up.
Especially the basho fan.
Just moments ago, they had witnessed its power; when used by Kinkaku, its might was no different from a Tailed Beast Ball.
Such power might not be very effective against agile powerhouses like Minamikawa Yuu and the Third Raikage, but on a battlefield, it was practically devastating.
This was a Ninja tool with true strategic value, capable of easily unleashing the power of a Tailed Beast Ball strike. No one would give it up easily.
"We are willing to exchange Kinkaku's corpse for Lord Tobirama's corpse."
Utatane Koharu spoke up: "What does the Lord Raikage think?"
"No."
The Third Raikage's stance was forceful: "The six paths tools are the property of our Hidden Cloud Village and must be returned!"
The situation had reached a stalemate.
Neither side was willing to back down, and both had things they absolutely had to recover.
Whether it was the six paths treasures or the corpses of the Kinkaku Brothers and Tobirama Senju, they were all extremely precious.
The body of a powerful Ninja is a treasure trove; if it falls into enemy hands, many secrets could be deciphered, and one might even gain insight into the Ninjutsu used during their lifetime.
For top-tier Ninjas like the Kinkaku Brothers and Tobirama Senju, their corpses were inherently extremely valuable.
Especially the corpse of Tobirama Senju.
For Konoha, as the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama's body had to be recovered for burial.
Otherwise, it would be a terrible blow to their reputation.
Furthermore, for students of Senju Tobirama like Homura Mitokado and Uchiha Kagami, it was their wish to bring their teacher's body back to Konoha for burial.
Both sides held items that the other was determined to get, so they could only begin negotiations.
Unsurprisingly, the initial results of the negotiations were not pleasant.
Both sides were at a deadlock over these items, with neither willing to yield.
"Lord Raikage."
Finally, Minamikawa Yuu spoke: "If we continue to delay like this, I'm afraid the seal on the Tailed Beast will become unstable."
Meeting the gazes of everyone present, he smiled and spoke softly: "The amber purifying pot—this item likely holds a different level of significance for Kumogakure."
"It would be a great pity if it were lost for good."
As his voice fell, everyone from Kumogakure, including the Third Raikage, changed expression.
In the eyes of Danzo Shimura and the others, among the six paths tools held by the Kinkaku Brothers, the basho fan was naturally the most precious due to its strategic value.
But in reality, for Kumogakure, the most precious item was none other than the amber purifying pot they had overlooked.
Because they needed this tool to seal their Tailed Beast.
Among the Five Great Nations, aside from Konoha—which had a complete heritage of Sealing Techniques due to its close relationship with the Uzumaki Clan—the level of Sealing Techniques in the other four nations was mostly mediocre.
The sealing of Shukaku in the Sand Village was quite poor, and the successive Ichibi Jinchuriki had suffered considerably.
In this regard, while Kumogakure was slightly better, they weren't ahead by much.
However, they had external tools to compensate.
The amber purifying pot, this six paths tool, contained powerful sealing power; if used correctly, it also possessed extremely strong suppressive power against Tailed Beasts.
The Hidden Cloud Village had always used this six paths tool to seal the Eight-Tails since the past.
For them, they could do without other things, but this tool used for sealing the Tailed Beast could not be lost.
"You actually know!"
The Third Raikage stood up abruptly, his gaze toward Minamikawa Yuu filled with astonishment.
"There are no secrets in this world that stay hidden forever."
Minamikawa Yuu spoke softly: "As long as one is willing to explore, many things can be known, can't they?"
"Lord Raikage, I think we can have a proper talk now."
"Hmph!"
The Third Raikage snorted coldly and smashed the wooden table in front of him with one hand.
But in the end, he didn't say anything more, which was a tacit acceptance of Minamikawa Yuu's words.
Thus, the next round of negotiations began shortly.
Compared to before, this round of negotiations was undoubtedly much smoother.
Both sides now knew the other's bottom line and true objectives, so the pace of the negotiation was much faster.
Soon, they reached a basic consensus.
Kumogakure could forgo the basho fan, but the amber purifying pot had to be returned.
However, on the specific details, there was still considerable dispute between the two sides.
"Senju Tobirama's corpse is one thing, but Ginkaku was a Ninja of our Kumogakure. His corpse contains our village's secrets; why should it be given to you as well!"
The Kumogakure representatives questioned.
"Given the value of the amber purifying pot's ability to seal Tailed Beasts, do you think a single corpse is enough?"
The Konoha side also had sufficient reason: "As for Ginkaku, he was indeed a Kumogakure Ninja, but he also carries the Nine-Tailed's Chakra."
"The Nine-Tailed is Konoha's Tailed Beast; this power cannot be allowed to be pried into by outsiders!"
"If you want the amber purifying pot back, the corpses of Lord Tobirama and Ginkaku must be handed over to us!"
The two sides negotiated the specific details for a long time before finally reaching an agreement.
Konoha would return the amber purifying pot, while Kumogakure would hand over the corpses of Senju Tobirama and Ginkaku to Konoha.
Of course, as corresponding compensation, Konoha also provided a sum of funds as an extra bargaining chip.
Once the deal was reached, both sides breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yuu, are we going to take action?"
Inside the Konoha camp, Danzo Shimura looked toward the Kumogakure camp ahead, his face cold: "While they are off guard now, the possibility of success should be quite high."
"The amber purifying pot can seal Tailed Beasts; it's too important. If possible, it's better to find a way to take it back."
Hearing his words, the others all turned their gazes toward Minamikawa Yuu.
"There's no need for that."
Meeting the gazes of everyone present, Minamikawa Yuu shook his head: "We just signed a ceasefire treaty; if we turn around and tear it up, how will others view us if word gets out?"
"Moreover, we might not necessarily succeed."
He looked into the distance, the image of the Third Raikage coming to mind.
The opponent was definitely not an easy character to deal with.
Even for the current Minamikawa Yuu, while he was confident he wouldn't lose, facing him would still be quite a headache.
Even if he could defeat him, it would be impossible to seize the amber purifying pot from the midst of the Kumogakure army.
Besides, while this item was extremely precious to Kumogakure, it wasn't so for Konoha.
After all, given Konoha's excellent relationship with the Uzumaki Clan, their reserve of Sealing Techniques was entirely sufficient.
"What was the result of the previous invitation to the Uzumaki Clan?"
He looked at Homura Mitokado in front of him and continued to inquire.
Among the group, Homura Mitokado was in charge of the diplomatic department; whether it was the previous negotiations with Kumogakure or the invitation to the Uzumaki Clan, he was the one responsible.
"It was rejected."
Under Minamikawa Yuu's gaze, Homura Mitokado shook his head and spoke: "They don't seem to have any intention of relocating to Konoha."
Some time ago, Minamikawa Yuu had someone send a message to the current Uzumaki Patriarch, inviting them to join Konoha and become a part of the village.
Now it seemed they had been rejected.
However, that was hardly surprising.
The Uzumaki Clan lived in isolation overseas; they lived well on their own, so why would they need to join Konoha?