Carol blinked a few times.
It... it seems that way, doesn't it?
Seeing Carol's expression, and thinking of her reckless, self-centered, yet highly principled and righteous personality, Qingshui immediately had an idea.
"Carol, I understand everything you said, and in fact, I deeply agree. But you know, I'm from Earth, and I have deep ties here. Not only do I bear the responsibility of the S.H.I.E.L.D. director, but I've also inherited thousands of years of tradition from the previous Sorcerer Supreme, with a mission to protect Earth. So there's no way I can abandon Earth to become a vigilante protecting universal peace."
"Well, that's a shame."
Carol shrugged.
"No, no, no, it's not a shame at all, Carol. Just because one isn't a universal vigilante doesn't mean they can't contribute to universal peace, does it? That's too narrow-minded!"
Qingshui said righteously:
"As you can see, I am a sorcerer and a scientist. For those of us who are rational, everything can be achieved with the smallest cost for the greatest benefit. To put it another way, we are skilled at using the power we possess to achieve the greatest effect. This applies equally to maintaining world peace and universal peace!"
"That... that makes some sense. So what do you have in mind?"
Looking at Carol's eyes, which were full of spirit, yet also direct and impetuous, Qingshui felt a sense of certainty and began:
"Look, there are many countries on Earth, and there are many nations in the universe. There are wars on Earth, and there are wars in the universe. But ever since I became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., I've been mediating interests, preventing wars and terrorist attacks, and maintaining peace.
Furthermore, Nick Fury and I established the Avengers, gathering people with special abilities and shared ideals from all over the world, responsible for handling unconventional matters.
So couldn't we also establish a universal version of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the universe to maintain universal peace? Or, we could directly use Earth's S.H.I.E.L.D. as the basic foundation and expand it throughout the entire universe.
Then, we could gather people from across the universe who recognize us and form a universal version of the Avengers, uniting everyone's strength. Wouldn't that be far more effective than one person running around the universe?"
"That makes sense, but the more I listen, the more I feel like Nick Fury was right—you want to build your own power and satisfy your ambition with this, don't you?"
Carol nodded at first, then suddenly realized, staring suspiciously at Qingshui.
"If I truly wanted to satisfy my ambition, would I need to use this method? My current power is far greater than Thanos's. As long as I'm willing, becoming a universal overlord like Thanos is not a particularly difficult thing at all. I truly am just doing this for peace and responsibility!
My becoming the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely forced. It's because after Nick Fury, I was the only one capable of being director. My becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, who inherited thousands of years of tradition on Earth, was also chosen by the previous Sorcerer Supreme and recognized by all sorcerers on Earth. My ability to become the High Priest of Asgard was also recognized by two generations of Asgardian god-kings.
Listen, Carol, I want to tell you something: with great power comes great responsibility. I didn't do those things to get into those positions; rather, I got into those positions because I did those things.
When you have the ability to bring hope, peace, and everything they desire to others, everyone will spontaneously trust you and push you into the right position.
Just like Napoleon and Washington, they are—"
"You want to be the Washington of the universe?"
"Is there something wrong with Washington?"
What Carol wanted to say was blocked by Qingshui's words.
As an American, could she say anything bad about Washington?
Without Washington, the founding father, there would be no American independence, and naturally, no American like her, Carol.
Carol looked at Qingshui and said seriously, "Then I'll be watching you, Watt. Even if I might not be your match, if you try to do anything evil, I will do everything in my power to stop you."
When Qingshui heard Carol's words, his eyes lit up:
"Good! So you agree?"
"Huh?"
Carol was stunned.
What?
How did I agree to anything?
"If you don't join, how will you supervise me? What if one day some enemy of mine spreads rumors everywhere? Will you believe them or not then? It's better if you come and see for yourself. You can also persuade that guy Fury, or even others you know in the universe. As long as their character and abilities are trustworthy, I welcome them all to join!"
Qingshui wasn't genuinely interested in being a savior. His goal in doing this was merely to expand his status and influence, and to gain more Fortune.
To put it bluntly, Earth was already within his grasp. His positions as S.H.I.E.L.D. director and Sorcerer Supreme, along with the Osborn Corporation and Watt Group, which were now world-class multinational companies, had already brought him a large amount of Fortune.
The remaining Fortune that could be acquired could basically be legitimately obtained by simply going with the flow and putting in the time.
In contrast, the countless planets inhabited by intelligent life throughout the universe represented an unprecedented, vast blue ocean!
This was something Qingshui couldn't help but be excited about.
Of course, to acquire this potentially enormous amount of Fortune, he would need power, influence, and talent, and he would inevitably come into conflict with the major forces in the universe.
As for power, that was what Qingshui lacked least at the moment.
With four Infinity Stones, plus the S+ class Destroyer armor, Qingshui wouldn't dare say he was invincible in this Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger universe, but on the surface, there should be no single combatant who could contend with him.
However, in terms of influence and talent, he might be lacking.
Although his influence on Earth was currently extremely vast, and he had recruited and befriended a considerable number of talented individuals of high quality, it was certainly not enough when looking at the entire universe.
While Carol might be single-minded, her combat prowess was significant. And with her superhero's compassionate heart, full of righteousness and responsibility, she could be a very useful tool if utilized well.
Coupled with the network of connections she had established over twenty years of operating in the universe, if she could be used for his own purposes, she would be a great asset.
Furthermore, there was also Asgard, which had been established in the universe for many years, possessed a certain reputation and status, and had considerable strength, making it a close ally that could be drawn into the same camp.
If all these conditions could be integrated, an excellent foundation would certainly be built.
Qingshui's short-term goal was to consolidate this power and then claim the unclaimed legacy left behind by Thanos's death.
...
...
Current Fortune Value: 35.94%
Naruto World.
Western Land of Fire, Sand Hidden army camp.
The data for the current Fortune Value progress on the panel flashed by. Qingshui composed himself and continued discussing the current situation of the Ninja World and the Sand Village's next moves with the Third Kazekage.
They had successfully met up with the Third Kazekage in the northwest, connecting the occupied western and northwestern territories of the Land of Fire into one continuous area, effectively carving out over a quarter of the Land of Fire's territory.
Ever since the Third Hokage's death and Orochimaru took over as the Fourth Hokage, Konoha's situation had barely managed to stabilize after Might Duy demonstrated the Eight Gates Formation and Orochimaru performed the Impure World Reincarnation.
Qingshui's current strength had not yet created a significant gap with Senju Hashirama, who had recovered nearly half of his power. Coupled with the strategic minds of Orochimaru and Tobirama Senju, and the assistance of generals like Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya, the Sand Village found it difficult to achieve major breakthroughs on the main battlefield. It could be said that both sides had re-entered a stalemate.
Given the current military strength and logistics of the Sand Village, occupying over a quarter of the vast Land of Fire was already nearing its limit.
If they could win and sustain the war by fighting, and if they could destroy Konoha, they would certainly continue fighting. However, if they couldn't sustain the war by fighting, the Sand Village's current trained personnel could only manage to defend such a large territory for now.
"Manage to defend" meant being able to withstand Konoha's counterattacks.
With the battle situation unlikely to change, after the two Sand Hidden armies converged, the Third Kazekage and Qingshui finally agreed to Konoha's request for peace talks and completed the negotiations.
Tobirama Senju and Orochimaru repeatedly pondered whether to give up that quarter of the territory.
To take it back? It was definitely impossible. The Sand Village would never be crazy enough to return it to Konoha, no matter the cost. But not taking it back wasn't an option either.
At the very least, they couldn't let the Sand Hidden army's camp be stationed just a mountain and a village away from Konoha, could they?
After much back-and-forth negotiation, Konoha eventually spent a huge sum, paying a large amount of gold, silver, and provisions to "buy back" a portion of the territory. At the same time, they used a forest area in the southwestern part of the Land of Fire to exchange for another portion of territory.
In addition, they also offered the Reaper Death Seal and all the Reaper Masks from the Uzumaki Clan Mask Temple.
After regaining some territory and securing a buffer zone, Konoha then sought to negotiate with Rain Hidden in the same manner.
Rain Hidden had also occupied a piece of territory belonging to the Land of Fire.
Even though Rain Hidden's main forces were engaged in attacking other smaller countries and fighting Cloud Hidden, they had still contributed to the attack on Konoha by sending over a thousand Rain Hidden ninjas.
Following behind Sand Hidden and cooperating, they also occupied a small base. Compared to what the Sand Village occupied, it was definitely not on the same scale, but it was still a considerable piece of territory.
However, Hanzo was unwilling to give up this part of the territory.
On the contrary, he wanted to exchange for more territory originally belonging to the Land of Fire from Sand Hidden.
Besides the Land of Rain, the Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, the Land of Gold, and several other countries, large and small, had already been conquered by Rain Hidden, along with nearly half of the Land of Waterfalls.
According to Hanzo's idea, he would exchange the inland sea area within the Land of Rain, which served as the starting point of the Grand Canal, with Sand Hidden.
They had no shortage of rivers and lakes; water was abundant. Such a large inland sea bordering the frontier could be exchanged with Sand Hidden, along with the large mountain near the border, giving Sand Hidden most of the inland sea. In return, they could occupy more fertile land originally belonging to the Land of Fire, making their current territory more tightly connected.
That way, if they could conquer the entire Land of Waterfalls, their territory, though still not comparable to the Five Great Ninja Villages, would be vast enough to be second only to them. Overall, it would be on the same scale as the Five Great Ninja Villages, possessing sufficient strategic depth and land resources.
(I've checked, there are many versions of the Ninja World map now, and it seems like all of them have some validity. The one below should be the most authoritative, from the official databook "Book of Soldiers," page 15.)
At that time, they would only need to capture the Seven-Tails, allowing Rain Hidden to have a Jinchuriki just like the Five Great Ninja Villages. Then, the Rain Village would truly become the sixth great ninja village alongside the Five Great Ninja Villages, Hanzo would become the First Rain Hidden, and the Land of Rain would also become a great nation.
What Qingshui and the Third Kazekage were discussing now was precisely this matter.
"Hanzo's conditions, that old geezer, it looks like he's confident we'll agree. The inland sea in the Land of Rain is connected to the Grand Canal, which is the economic lifeline of the country. If there's an opportunity, we should keep it in our own hands."
The Third Kazekage sat on a rattan chair, holding a cup of clear tea brewed with tea leaves he would have been too stingy to buy in the past. He looked at Qingshui, who was seated at the table reviewing documents, and chuckled.
Three or four years ago, he never would have imagined that one day he would be sitting in the Land of Fire's territory, leisurely drinking tea that only Daimyo and great nobles could afford.
That small canister of tea was worth the reward for five A-rank Missions.
The reward that an elite squad led by a Jonin had to risk their lives five times to earn—back when the Sand Village was dirt poor—even as the Third Kazekage, he wouldn't dare use it. He would only use that money for the village's development.
The previous Kazekage of the Sand Village had built their foundations and gradually developed the village by meticulously saving every penny.
"We can exchange, but Hanzo is asking for too much. Even as allies, the price is unreasonable. A one-to-one exchange of lakes and land is clearly unfair."
Qingshui tossed aside the letter sent by the Rain Hidden envoy.
"And we don't need to take 80% of the entire inland sea. Hanzo wants to keep 20% as a buffer, right? We'll just take 40%, and give him back the remaining 60%. 40% of the inland sea is already perfectly sufficient to ensure water supply and safety for the upstream shipping routes. Then, we can just give them a few cities near the Land of Rain's homeland and the Land of Grass."
"Doing that... won't Rain Hidden object?"
"What could they object to? Our willingness to exchange has already absolutely met their expectations. This entire inland sea, apart from fishing in the coastal areas, has no value to them whatsoever. As long as they retain a sufficient strategic buffer zone, it's pure profit for them."
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