Multi-Party Dealings

Hiring unregistered Uchiha ninja as guards, with compensation paid according to standard mission rates; assassination missions were also available. The Uchiha Clan would determine the mission rank, and there were many other areas of cooperation as well, such as the Uchiha’s Exploding Tag business.

After reading it, Uchiha Fugaku felt that all of these partnerships could be accepted. Every one of them offered considerable benefits to the Uchiha. The only issue was that hiring Uchiha ninja to carry out missions would have to be kept hidden from the village.

Privately accepting missions was an enormous blow to Konoha’s mission system.

Ninja who wanted to earn compensation by completing missions had to go through the village as an intermediary. Even Ninja Clans were no exception. That was why current Ninja Clans only had their own family businesses and did not dare accept missions privately for payment. Even if they sent unregistered clan ninja out on missions, they would not accept compensation.

Otherwise, it would be turning back the wheel of history, returning Ninja Clans to the Warring States era, when nobles hired different Ninja Clans to fight one another.

"Clan Head, should we agree to the Yasunori Trading Company’s proposal?" Seeing Fugaku lost in thought for quite some time, Uchiha Tekka spoke up to ask.

Uchiha Fugaku thought for a while before saying, "Agree to it. But forget about mission compensation. Include it in the later Exploding Tag business instead."

The Yasunori Trading Company had also risen to prominence in the Land of Fire. Originally, they had merely been nobles confined to a single district, but they suddenly established contact with Sunagakure and secured the metal ore veins surveyed in the desert regions of the Land of Wind. Thus, the Yasunori Trading Company rapidly rose to power.

Now even the Daimyo attached great importance to the Yasunori Family’s influence and was somewhat envious of the ore veins the Yasunori Trading Company had surveyed in the Land of Wind.

On the surface, the Yasunori Trading Company was known to own six mines: two iron mines, two copper mines, one gold mine, and one silver mine. No one knew how many more they had kept hidden. For a single family to possess so many mines, even in the Land of Fire, made them a force not to be underestimated.

It was precisely because Fugaku had considered the Yasunori Family’s influence and reputation among the nobles that he had decided to deal with them. It was not quite placing a bet, merely making more external allies for the Uchiha Clan.

To some extent, if the nobles of the Land of Fire united, they could suppress even the Hokage. It was only after seeing the influence of the Uzumaki Company that Uchiha Fugaku resolved to build good relations with the nobles of the Land of Fire.

"Tekka, select three Jonin, five Chunin, and four Genin from the clan. Form three squads and send them to assist the Yasunori Family."

As soon as Uchiha Fugaku finished speaking, Uchiha Tekka froze for a moment before hurriedly asking, "Clan Head, do we really need as many as three Jonin?"

Almost all Uchiha Jonin possessed Three-Tomoe Sharingan. There were truly not many unregistered Three-Tomoe Uchiha, only around ten. The rest served in the Military Police Force and could not leave the village without authorization.

"Let the Yasunori Family see our sincerity. If the Yasunori Family sincerely wishes to befriend the Uchiha Clan, then they can naturally earn the Uchiha’s friendship."

Uchiha Fugaku explained that the Uchiha Clan’s situation was extremely dire. Aside from a few smaller clans on good terms with them, they had practically been isolated by Konoha.

If they did not break this deadlock, the Uchiha likely would not meet a good end.

At a clan meeting not long ago, the Radical Faction had already proposed using force to seize the position of Hokage. Those people were truly fools. Had he not promptly ended the meeting, the situation would likely have escalated further and reached the ears of the Konoha higher-ups by the next day.

"Do it this way. Once we establish friendly relations, there will certainly be deeper cooperation later. The Yasunori Family did not come to us of their own accord just to give the Uchiha money."

Uchiha Fugaku sighed. The only thing outsiders could covet was the Uchiha’s strength. The other party’s intentions were so obvious that if they did not show some sincerity, it would be difficult to build friendly relations.

"Yes, Clan Head."

After hearing this, Uchiha Tekka immediately agreed. Just then, Uchiha Itachi returned from school, so Uchiha Tekka rose and took his leave.

"Itachi, how was the Ninja Academy today?"

Facing Uchiha Fugaku’s question, Uchiha Itachi sat opposite him and said with a very serious little face, "Father, I plan to apply for early graduation."

Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly upon hearing this, then said, "Itachi, during peacetime, graduating early is not an easy matter."

Uchiha Itachi answered calmly, "I understand, Father. But as long as one is strong enough, there is still a chance to graduate early."

"If you have made up your mind, then go do it." Uchiha Fugaku thought that if Itachi graduated early, it could also raise the Uchiha Clan’s prestige. Perhaps it would be an opportunity to break their current predicament.

Aside from the genius ninja Kakashi, it seemed that no one had graduated just one year after enrolling.

After discussing graduation, Uchiha Itachi asked why Uchiha Tekka had come. However, the deal with the Yasunori Trading Company was of great importance, so Uchiha Fugaku did not tell Itachi and instead brushed it off as Military Police Force business.

Sunagakure

Rasa once again received Yasunori Sakai in the Kazekage’s Office Building. Although the Medical Talisman deal from several months ago had left Rasa somewhat displeased, the subsequent rounds of trade had allowed Sunagakure to gain some advantages. Thus, the bit of dissatisfaction Rasa had toward the Yasunori Trading Company had completely vanished.

"Mr. Yasunori, what brings you here this time?"

Yasunori Sakai smiled and said, "Lord Kazekage, I came this time because of the Medical Talismans sold to your village last time. Clan head wishes to enter the Medical Talisman business, but after consulting some people, none of them were optimistic about its prospects. They believed Medical Talismans were not worth much, and that the key still lay with Medical-nin."

Upon hearing that, Rasa thought bitterly, That was exactly what we failed to notice, and that was how you swindled us out of so much money. Though he had let it go afterward, recalling it now still made Rasa angry.

Sunagakure was poor. Losing so much money all at once had nearly caused the Suna-nin higher-ups to confront him, if not for the initial success of his reforms.

Yasunori Sakai continued, "But the clan head was unwilling to accept that. So he spent a large sum to hire some Healers, Artisans, and people from the Uzumaki Company to jointly create a Medical Machine. After preliminary testing, it can already replace roughly seventy percent of a Medical-nin’s capabilities."

Rasa frowned slightly and asked, "A Medical Machine? What is that?"

Yasunori replied, "Lord Kazekage, why not summon a few patients and let me demonstrate it for you? I believe you will not regret it after seeing it. Also, Lord Kazekage, it would be best to call over several Medical-nin from your village."

Rasa stared at Yasunori for a while, but all he saw on his face was a calm smile. Android 18 was essentially controlling Yasunori Sakai’s thought processes through a chip. It was simply impossible for Rasa to read Yasunori Sakai’s thoughts from his face.

Afterward, Rasa had the Anbu bring people to the front of the Kazekage’s Office Building. They brought several injured people and Medical-nin, and even the retired Chiyo was summoned.

After arriving, Chiyo complained to Rasa, "Lord Kazekage, I have been retired for a long time. What exactly is so important that you had to make this old woman rush over?"

"Elder Chiyo, no one in Sunagakure understands Medical Ninjutsu better than you. I invited you here this time to assess it as well." Rasa then quietly explained the situation to Chiyo. Sunagakure did not have much funding, so they could not afford to be deceived again.

Once everyone had arrived, Yasunori had the guard ninja accompanying him take the Medical Machine out of a Sealing Scroll.

bang!

A machine two and a half meters long, two meters wide, and two meters tall appeared before everyone.

"An even larger-capacity Sealing Scroll…" Chiyo murmured. Sunagakure did not have many Sealing Scrolls of this level. Otherwise, transporting Supplies during wartime would not have been so difficult.

"Please have the injured lie here."

After arranging the injured patients, Yasunori had Sunagakure’s Medical-nin step forward and began explaining the Medical Machine’s functions.

"This Medical Machine can be called the Yasunori Trading Company’s greatest invention, because it is destined to save countless lives. This is its scanning function. Once pressed, it performs a full-body examination on the patient, like this."

"Look here. After scanning, the Medical Machine will identify the patient’s condition and provide a specific treatment plan. Next comes the key point: aside from operations requiring incisions and organ transplants, the Medical Machine can treat any other injury."

After saying that, Yasunori pressed the treatment button.

The people of Sunagakure then saw two Nano-Mechanical Arms extend from the Medical Machine and press against the patient’s wound. The next second, green light shone from the mechanical arms, and the wounds on the patient lying in the Medical Machine began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Treatment has already begun. According to the plan provided by the Medical Machine, it will be completely healed in three minutes."

Yasunori Sakai introduced it to the people of Sunagakure with a slightly excited expression, as if the Medical Machine he had brought out truly were the greatest invention in the Ninja World.

However, the Suna-nin beside him were genuinely captivated by the sight before them. Chiyo stared unblinkingly at the injured person’s wounds. As time passed, just one second after the three-minute mark, the Medical Machine’s mechanical arms retracted.

At the same time, the injured person’s wounds had fully healed. Aside from the newly grown flesh, there was almost no trace that he had ever been injured.

"Try it on a few more. May this old woman operate it herself?" Chiyo asked, her eyes slightly widened as she turned her head.

"Of course. However, the Medical Machine’s energy comes from Medical Talismans, and it also requires electricity to operate. Elder, simply repeat what I just did."

After Yasunori Sakai spoke, he stepped aside from the Medical Machine’s controls.

Chiyo then stepped forward and followed the previous procedure. Before the remaining two injured people lay down, she first examined them herself, then began the treatment.

The results were the same as before. In less than a few minutes, the treatment was quickly completed.

Not only that, Chiyo cut a wound into her own arm and lay down in the machine to experience it personally.

"An extraordinary machine. It truly seems capable of replacing Medical-nin."

After experiencing it herself, Chiyo had no choice but to speak honestly. Internal and external injuries were no problem, and it could even detect other minor ailments within the body. Though it could not perform certain delicate surgeries, ordinary Medical-nin could already be replaced by this Medical Machine.

When Rasa questioned her, Chiyo honestly gave her assessment.

This machine was extremely important to Sunagakure. If Sunagakure had possessed this Medical Machine during the Third Shinobi World War, then Konoha might have been the one to lose.

With Chiyo’s confirmation, Rasa also had his answer.

3

4 will have to wait a while, probably until one or two o’clock!