"Ugh, calm down, calm down!"
Off to the side, Kakashi, sweating profusely, tugged on Sakura's arm and motioned for her to sit down.
"What did you just say?!"
"What kind of nonsense did Hiruzen even teach you?!"
Koharu Utatane grew even angrier.
If it weren't for her age and severely declining strength, she would've been ready to throw hands just like in the old days!
"The old man taught me: if someone pisses you off, go beat the crap out of them!"
(Far away in Konohagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi inexplicably sneezed.)
"That's enough!"
"This is a military unit, not some open-air market. If you want to argue, take it back to Konoha!"
Jiraiya stood up and slammed a hand down on the table.
Koharu, who had just been ready to lash out, choked back her words on the spot.
"Hmph. For Jiraiya's sake, I'll let you off this time."
Koharu snorted coldly at Sakura and sat back down.
"Don't think age gives you the right to boss people around. Who's letting who off isn't exactly clear!"
Sakura wasn't about to back down and shot back immediately.
"Did you not hear what I just said?!"
Jiraiya glared at both Sakura and Koharu, clearly displeased.
On one side stood a rising star of the new generation, basking in recent glory.
On the other, a stalwart of the older generation who had dedicated her life to Konohagakure.
A clash between new blood and old guard was inevitable, but Jiraiya hadn't expected it to break out in the very unit he led.
I'll give you that much face.
Sakura glanced at Jiraiya, then pursed her lips and fell silent. Koharu, too, backed off quietly.
"Alright, we're all comrades here. No need to act like this."
"I'll treat everyone to a meal when we get back to the village."
Seeing both Sakura and Koharu no longer butting heads, Jiraiya lightened the mood with a grin.
Thanks to him, the meeting finally concluded without further incident.
Afterward, the group prepared to head to the agreed-upon location to begin negotiations with Kumogakure.
And just in case, they brought a full thousand shinobi trailing right behind the diplomatic team.
There wasn't much choice. After all, Kumogakure had a history of pulling stunts like ambushing negotiators mid-talk—even sacrificing their own men in the process.
The Second Hokage himself had perished during such a negotiation.
That thousand-strong unit would follow the negotiation party at a calculated distance—neither too close nor too far—but very much in plain sight.
From afar, Sakura eyed the small makeshift huts constructed from Earth Release and couldn't help but feel a touch of curiosity about these so-called negotiations.
After all, whether in her previous life or this one, it was her first time witnessing something like this.
On Konoha's side, Koharu was the lead negotiator, accompanied by a man and woman acting as her aides.
Sakura and Jiraiya, meanwhile, were here to keep the peace and ensure things didn't go south if Kumogakure decided to flip the table again.
"What should I keep in mind during negotiations?"
Before they reached the site, Sakura turned to Jiraiya with curiosity.
"When two nations negotiate, it's a battle of words. Composure is key."
Before Jiraiya could respond, the male aide beside Koharu spoke up kindly.
He was from the Yamanaka clan—Yamanaka Ze. He'd heard a bit about Sakura, the famed friend of his clan's heiress.
"The most important thing is etiquette—politeness and courtesy," he continued.
"That's how we show the grace and magnanimity of a great nation."
"Besides, Miss Sakura isn't part of the negotiating team, so just watch from the sidelines."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully at Yamanaka Ze's words.
Huh. Who knew people in the shinobi world cared about composure?
Well then, let's see what this 'composure' actually looks like.
As the Konoha delegation entered the stone hut, the shinobi from Kumogakure were already waiting.
Uchiha Obito and Orochimaru weren't present—clearly uninterested or perhaps unsuited for such events.
Other than the ever-imposing Killer Bee and Darui acting as muscle, the negotiators were led by a man named Dodai and two others.
As Konoha took their seats, the expressions on the Kumogakure side remained calm, unchanged—but Sakura could faintly sense the tension in the air.
This wasn't about battle—just pure instinct.
So this is what a psychological chess match feels like?
What a fascinating experience.
Sakura watched the scene unfold with a sense of awe.
Let's see if it lives up to the legendary tongue-lashings of Zhuge Liang.
Inside the stone hut, a simple stone table—also crafted with Earth Release—stood between the two sides. Kumogakure sat on one side, Konoha on the other.
Sakura took her seat beside Jiraiya, directly across from Darui, who was lazily propping up his chin with one hand, chewing gum like he had nothing better to do.
"Dodai, it's been a long time."
Koharu looked across at Dodai and greeted him like an old friend.
"Yes, it's been quite a while."
Dodai replied calmly, his expression unreadable.
During the preparations, Zetsu had thoroughly researched Dodai's life and background.
The two had met at a peace summit following the Third Great Ninja War.
With a thousand years of experience, Zetsu was more than prepared to play the part and wouldn't easily slip up.
"Then let's begin."
Koharu gave a small nod, signaling the start of the talks—though she felt a vague sense of unease.
She couldn't put her finger on it, but something felt… off.
Still, with both Jiraiya and Sakura present, and a thousand shinobi just outside, she wasn't too worried about any traps.
Though she found Sakura irritating, the girl's strength was undeniable.
As soon as Koharu finished speaking, a member of the Kumogakure side stood up and declared loudly:
"We strongly protest!"
"The Land of Fire has completely ignored the well-being of the people of the shinobi world—blocking food exports, resulting in widespread famine and suffering in our nation!"
"The Land of Fire must take full responsibility for this war!"
Kumogakure immediately seized the moral high ground, accusing the Land of Fire.
Sakura rolled her eyes.
Pretty words? Anyone can say them.
"Protest my ass!"
"What the hell does our country's resources have to do with you in the Land of Lightning?!"
"We haven't even brought up the fact that you bastards in Kumogakure tried twice to abduct the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Hyuga princess!"
"You wanna talk protests? Get the hell outta here!"
Yamanaka Ze immediately fired back, his tone sharp and unforgiving, even swearing in the middle of such a formal setting.
???
Dude, seriously?
This is what you meant by grace and courtesy? By politeness?
"You got that right!"
"Since when do outsiders like you get to stick your noses into the Land of Fire's domestic affairs?!"
"A bunch of savages like you think you have a say in our resources?!"
"You should be grateful we're even willing to toss you a bone—show some damn gratitude, you bastards!"
Right after Ze finished, the other female member of Konoha's team spoke up without missing a beat—launching straight into a personal attack.
Her name was Kurama Asuna. She looked demure and delicate, like a quiet noble lady—but who would've thought she'd be such a firecracker?
"Hah?!"
"You people have no respect for civility!"
The Kumogakure negotiators glared with fury, completely fired up.
"No respect for civility?!"
"Civility my ass!"
Kurama Asuna slapped her hand on the stone table, face contorting in anger.
Damn stone table hurt like hell to slap—but even so, she shouted furiously:
"The Land of Fire's resources are not for you to control!"
"And you dare wage war over them!"
"Now that you've lost, you want peace talks?!"
"You think you can still get what you want through negotiations?!"
"What, you think the world just hands you everything?!"
Sakura watched as both sides hurled fierce arguments with sharp words and fiery momentum, and couldn't help twitching at the corners of her mouth.
Well... that was enlightening.
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