Grind is My Ninja Way

Time flowed like water, passing quietly.

Before anyone realized it, a week had gone by.

This morning, as Seimei stepped out of his house, he heard voices in the distance. The voices belonged to two people, sounding young and inexperienced—clearly not very old.

One of them said, "Hey, have you heard about it?"

"Heard about what?" replied the other.

"The negotiations between the village and Kirigakure," the first person said in a hushed tone.

"Oh, that? I just heard from Dashun and the others that the negotiations haven't even started yet," the second person responded.

The questioner shook his head and said mysteriously, "Who said they haven't started? I heard from a Jonin that the negotiations have been ongoing for a while now. We just didn't know about it."

"Is that so?"

The second person didn't seem upset at being contradicted. Instead, they muttered, "I'm not entirely sure."

"Anyway, it doesn't have much to do with us. These big decisions are for the Jonin to handle. It's not something we Genin need to worry about."

"True," the questioner agreed, then added, "Let's go eat. We've got patrol duty later."

Gradually, their voices faded into the distance, out of Seimei's earshot.

However, their conversation had given him valuable information about the progress of the negotiations.

As the questioner had mentioned, the negotiations had indeed started long ago. The information, however, had been confined to the village leadership and Jonin, leaving those below in the dark.

Now that even the Genin were catching wind of it, it was a sign that the negotiations were progressing well and possibly nearing their conclusion.

Otherwise, the village wouldn't have deliberately leaked the information to prepare the lower-ranked ninja psychologically.

Yes, Seimei believed the information had been intentionally leaked by the village.

After all, Jonin were well aware of what they could and couldn't disclose. If secrecy were paramount, nothing would have been revealed, and the past few days would have been calm instead of abuzz with rumors.

From this, it wasn't hard to deduce that the negotiations with Kirigakure were likely proceeding smoothly.

Thoughts flashing through his mind, Seimei first headed to the mess hall to fill his stomach before making his way to the meeting room.

However, the moment he stepped into the room, he noticed something was off about the atmosphere.

According to his earlier analysis, if the negotiations were progressing well, the mood here should have been more relaxed.

Yet, Seimei could clearly sense a tense and oppressive air.

Without questioning anyone about what had happened, he found his seat and sat down.

Then, he noticed the documents placed on the table.

Just as he suspected, each Jonin in the room had a document in front of them.

It was evident from their reactions that these documents were what had caused the heavy mood, as the tension and killing intent seemed to radiate from them after reading.

Curious, Seimei opened his document.

What he saw wasn't something infuriating but a battle plan.

The report explicitly stated that they must reclaim the last two strongholds by the end of the day.

Kirigakure had taken four strongholds during their invasion of the Land of Fire, using them as footholds within the territory.

Previously, at the Black Stone stronghold, Seimei had joined forces with Sano Nobuhisa to capture the Flying Fish Town stronghold.

Ten days ago, he and other Jonin had recaptured Yuzusaka Port.

Now, Kirigakure had only two strongholds left, situated at opposite ends of the central Konoha defense line.

While the distance wasn't vast, it wasn't exactly close either.

To capture both strongholds within a single day, they would have to split their forces.

This would undoubtedly increase the risks for both the ninja involved and their subordinates.

Seimei couldn't understand why Nara Kiko had drafted such an aggressive plan.

Given the current situation, they could hold their ground and slowly wear down the two Kirigakure strongholds without risking unnecessary casualties.

Scanning the faces of those in the meeting room, Seimei noticed that he wasn't the only one with doubts.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for Nara Kiko to provide an explanation.

Tap, tap, tap…

Speak of the devil—Nara Kiko entered the room.

Accompanied by a series of heavy footsteps, Nara Keiko pushed open the door to the conference room and entered, flanked by two guards.

Immediately, the entire room grew restless.

His gaze quickly swept across everyone's faces.

Before anyone could ask a question, he began speaking: "I know you all have many questions, but please let me finish before you start asking them."

Upon hearing this, the room temporarily fell silent.

Seeing this, Nara Keiko nodded slightly and continued, "First, as you may have already guessed, the negotiations between the village and Kirigakure have gone relatively smoothly."

No one responded to this statement.

It was clear that this news had not come as a surprise.

If Seimei could deduce this, it was only natural that others could as well.

The related news was already spreading like wildfire through Yuzuhama Port. Anyone with even a little sense could piece together the general situation.

But this raised a crucial question: if the negotiations were going well, why was it necessary to suddenly attack those two Kirigakure outposts? Wouldn't it be better to wait until the peace treaty was signed and have them leave on their own? This approach would undoubtedly save many lives.

As for the possibility of them refusing to leave?

That was simply out of the question.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, as soft as he might sometimes seem, would not compromise on this matter.

Thus, these two outposts were clearly not the focus of the negotiations.

"If they're not the focus, then why did the village leadership act against these two outposts so urgently?"

Seimei was puzzled.

"Unless..."

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him.

At that moment, he heard Nara Keiko continue, "Although the negotiations have been smooth, it seems Kirigakure harbors some unrealistic ambitions about the situation. They want to bring the Land of Waves under the control of the Land of Water."

This bombshell sent the conference room into chaos.

"What?"

"That's impossible!"

"Absolutely unacceptable!"

The reactions of the assembled Konoha jōnin were unanimously intense.

Even those jōnin who weren't particularly politically savvy retained a basic sensitivity to such matters.

The Land of Waves was far too close to Konoha. Allowing it to fall under the Land of Water's control would be akin to planting a landmine at Konoha's doorstep.

This was utterly unacceptable for Konoha.

As a result, the room was filled with outrage.

Seeing this, Nara Keiko raised his hand to signal for quiet.

It took a while, but eventually, the room fell silent again, though the tension in the air was palpable.

Ignoring the heavy atmosphere, Nara Keiko continued, "The Third Hokage feels the same way. That is why we need to demonstrate our strength and make Kirigakure see reason."

Upon hearing this, Seimei silently thought, As expected.

Earlier, when he noticed that Konoha was targeting these relatively unimportant outposts, he had suspected it might be an example of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey."

Now, it was confirmed.

The insistence on completing the operation within a day was both to deny Kirigakure time to react and to showcase Konoha's strength.

Look at this—we can eliminate two of your outposts in a single day. What leverage do you have left to negotiate with us?

This was a clear move to pressure Kirigakure into concessions at the negotiating table.

The so-called strategy of "using battle to facilitate negotiations" was precisely this.

Nara Keiko's subsequent remarks didn't register with Seimei. He had already grasped the key point.

As for the rest, it was merely peripheral detail.

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Fairy Tail: My Contract System Starts with Erza

Roger never expected to wake up in the world of Fairy Tail. But with him came a mysterious system—one that lets him forge magical contracts with others and share in their powers.

His first contract is with Erza Scarlet, unlocking both Requip and Enchantment Magic. From there, every battle, every ally, and every contract brings him closer to becoming a legend. Magical tools drop from fallen enemies, ranging from bizarre to game-changing—like a pipe that forces the truth from liars, or a crystal ball that blurts out everyone's secrets.

With each contract, his partners grow stronger—and so does he. Lucy unlocks her Star Dress early, turning into a one-woman army. Mirajane consumes endless demonic power to fight gods themselves. Natsu wields both Dragon Slayer flames and God Slayer magic. And Erza… becomes the true Sword Saint of Fairy Tail.

While the guild sees Roger as a comrade, the Magic Council knows him as something far greater—the rising All-Magic King, the hidden hand guiding Fairy Tail's destiny.

A tale of contracts, bonds, and power begins here—starting with Erza.

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