Chapter 427 The Ambassadors of Konoha
Chapter 427 The Ambassadors of Konoha
In the months following the Five Shadows Summit.
With the implementation of the "Framework Agreement on the Community of Shared Destiny in the Ninja World" and its detailed rules, the originally strict border line has begun to loosen.
Vast amounts of funds, resources, and technology flowed like ocean currents among the five great ninja villages at an unprecedented speed.
As the hub of all this, the first delegations sent by Konoha to the other four major ninja villages have also arrived at their destinations one after another.
Considering the complexity of the environment and situation in each village, the Konoha leadership, after careful discussion and the implementation of a three-year term system, finally finalized the list of the first batch of ambassadors.
Before their departure, in the top-floor conference room of the Hokage Building branch, Nishikawa Tetsu gave clear instructions to the four Konoha ambassadors:
"You all represent the face of Konoha. When you arrive, don't skimp on the finance department's budget!"
Nishikawa Tetsuya braced his hands on the conference table, his gaze intense.
"The embassy's location must be within the core security zone designated in each village, and in the most prosperous and prominent area!"
"The area needs to be large, with not only office and reception areas, but also enough guest rooms to provide safe and comfortable accommodation and shelter for Konoha villagers who will be doing business or traveling in various villages in the future."
"You're allowed to buy the land and build your own structures. The Ministry of Finance will provide ample budget and give you the green light all the way!"
Nishikawa Tetsu's words reassured the four ambassadors.
They knew all too well how confident they were to have a wealthy and powerful village backing them up in a foreign land.
Meanwhile, to ensure the safety of the mission, each ambassador carried a specially made Flying Thunder God kunai by Minato Namikaze.
Konoha didn't hide this matter and openly reported it to the Kage of each village.
Although the village leaders felt uneasy, they knew that with Minato's mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, if someone secretly brought it to them without telling them, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves. It was better to agree openly and show the magnanimity of a large village.
……
Hidden Cloud Village.
The Fourth Raikage, A, stood at the window of the Raikage Building, looking at the enormous piece of land that Konoha had just bought. His thick fingers creaked as he gripped the windowsill.
"These bastards from Konoha are going too far!"
Ai roared through gritted teeth, "I rent a small building in Konoha's new district for 40 million taels a year! And they, on the other hand, bought a huge plot of land in prime real estate in our Hidden Cloud Village for only a tiny bit more than our annual rent?!"
Tsuchida, standing to the side, wiped his sweat with a wry smile: "Lord Raikage, there's nothing we can do about it. Konoha's current financial situation is truly... inhumane. Moreover, the price they paid for the land was calculated based on the highest market price currently in Kumogakure, which is completely compliant with procedures, and we have no reason to refuse."
"Compliance? They're just showing off their wealth, it's infuriating!" Ai said angrily, blowing his beard and glaring.
However, what shocked Ai and the other villagers even more was yet to come.
Kurenai Yuhi, the Konoha ambassador to Kumogakure and Kurenai Yuhi's father, started a bustling construction effort the day after purchasing the land.
Thanks to the cooperation agreements signed between Konoha and the various villages, Akatsuki Construction Group workers can now openly enter the villages to carry out construction work with their travel permits.
"Boom—!"
The civilians and ninjas of Kumogakure stared in disbelief as several large excavators bearing the Konoha Heavy Industries logo flattened the land into a level foundation in just half a day.
Immediately afterwards, the Earth Release and Water Release teams worked together with quick-drying cement to raise a massive building framework at a terrifying speed visible to the naked eye.
"Is this... is this the speed at which Konoha's infrastructure is built?"
The craftsmen of Kumogakure were deeply disheartened to see the Konoha workers skillfully using chakra and machinery to carry out construction.
They originally wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of building an embassy in Konoha to obstruct the construction process and make some extra money.
After all, construction in hard rocky terrain like Yunlei Gorge has always been their monopoly.
As a result, they watched helplessly as several taijutsu-type ninjas from the Akatsuki Construction Group carried more than a dozen heavy chakra conduction steel bars with one hand and easily drove them into the pre-drilled holes as if they were chopsticks.
Meanwhile, the water and wind ninjas responsible for mixing the quick-drying cement had honed their hand seals to the point of creating afterimages, and the cement slurry seemed to come alive as it automatically filled the gaps in the wall.
"Captain, look at that little wheeled cart they're using. It doesn't even use chakra, it just buzzes and shakes there, and all the bubbles in the walls are gone!" A young Cloud Village craftsman pointed at the construction site, his tone filled with disbelief.
The Cloud Hidden Craftsman Captain's face turned ashen. He swallowed back the prepared line he had prepared: "The geology of Cloud Thunder Gorge is special, so we must charge extra for construction."
What left the village leaders speechless was that these ambassadors from Konoha all chose to build their own houses.
The reason is simple: it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
These Konoha elites, who were used to living in modern apartments with air conditioning, flush toilets, and 24-hour hot water in the new Konoha district, were shocked when they arrived in other villages and saw what kind of dilapidated places they lived in.
Iwagakure is a stone cave, Kumogakure is a wooden house on the edge of a cliff, Sunagakure is an earthen building that leaks sand all year round, and Kirigakure is so damp that even the blankets can get moldy.
How can we tolerate this?!
Thus, with the added advantage of its infrastructure prowess, four Konoha embassies, each with a distinct style but modern interior facilities, were completed in the heart of the four major ninja villages in less than a month.
In Iwagakure, the ambassador, Yamanaka Inoichi, asked Akatsuki's designers to design the Konoha embassy in a style similar to a traditional fortress in the Land of Earth. However, the exterior walls were all made of special heat-insulating materials, and the interior not only had constant temperature air conditioning, but also introduced Konoha's latest air humidification system, making the Iwagakure high-ranking officials, who were used to living in dry caves, drool with envy.
He knew that the leaders of Iwagakure, especially Onoki, both coveted and were wary of Konoha's technology.
So, on the day the embassy was completed, Yamanaka Inoichi specially held a small housewarming party and invited Onoki, Kyoto and others.
"Lord Tsuchikage, please try this tea. This is the latest cold-resistant tea cultivated by our Konoha Research Institute. Combined with this automatic constant-temperature water dispenser, no matter how strong the wind and snow are outside, the tea temperature can be kept at the most suitable level."
Yamanaka Inoichi, dressed in a well-tailored suit and with a gentle smile, handed a cup of hot tea to Onoki.
Onoki took the teacup, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, he sharply scanned the embassy lobby.
In a corner of the hall, a brand-new Wood Leaf home appliance—an air purifier and humidifier combo—is quietly running.
The dry, pungent smell of rock dust was completely gone, replaced by a refreshing and invigorating atmosphere.
"Inoichi, you Konoha built the embassy so comfortably, are you planning to let your ninjas retire here?" Onoki's words carried a hint of probing.
"Lord Tsuchikage is too kind," Yamanaka Inoichi replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. "The embassy is not only the face of Konoha, but also serves the Konoha merchants and technicians who will travel to the Land of Earth in the future. Only by providing the best logistical support can they contribute to the infrastructure construction of Iwagakure with greater peace of mind, wouldn't you agree?"
Onoki gave a noncommittal snort and took a sip of tea.
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