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Hearing the words "this old woman," Sasame's lips twitched slightly. He quickly took out the documents drafted by the Hokage's secretary team and threw them out. With his controlled strength, they landed precisely in front of the two.
"These are the alliance conditions," Sasame raised a hand. "Please take a look."
Chiyo and Rasa exchanged glances and opened the documents. In a short while, their faces were filled with complex expressions—anger, dread, helplessness. It was as if their faces were changing, hard to pin down.
"Hokage-sama," Chiyo took a deep breath. "Although our Hidden Sand Village was defeated, the conditions proposed by Konoha Village are simply too excessive."
"Excessive?" Sasame narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on the two. "If it were I who lost, would you show mercy?"
Chiyo's expression immediately stiffened. If this battle had been a victory for the Hidden Sand Village, Konoha Village's fate would likewise not have been too pleasant. Understanding was one thing. But truly agreeing to these three demands meant the Hidden Sand Village would have no future. And both she and Rasa would become criminals, scorned by future generations.
Chiyo's expression changed repeatedly. After a moment of silence, she asked, "The first two conditions are acceptable, but can the third condition be changed?"
"Granny Chiyo?!" Rasa subconsciously rose, his eyes fixed on her. She can agree to this? What would be left of the Hidden Sand Village if Gaara and the Puppet Jutsu were handed over?
"Shut up!" Chiyo glared at him, questioning, "You are already a prisoner. What else can you do?"
Rasa stood rooted to the spot. A moment later, his expression became crestfallen, and he returned to his seat, saying no more. Granny Chiyo had undoubtedly made the most correct choice. He actually understood it all, but an inevitable unwillingness lingered in his heart. Danzo! Rasa gritted his teeth, once again throwing the blame onto him. The Hidden Sand Village was doing perfectly fine; he just had to meddle! In his anger, he completely forgot his initial excitement and ambition upon seeing the sealing jutsu and the Dragon Vein ninjas.
"The Hidden Sand Village's environment is harsh, and it's already not affluent. Coupled with the Land of Wind's reduced aid in recent years, life has become even harder," Chiyo sighed, stating the Hidden Sand Village's outwardly strong but inwardly weak situation. Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, only Konoha Village, the Hidden Cloud Village, and the Hidden Stone Village truly lived up to their names. The other two were quite miserable. But now, the Hidden Mist Village was gradually improving thanks to Sasame. Only the Hidden Sand Village remained as it was. Even Sasame had no immediate solutions. After all, it was a desert. In his previous life, it took so much advanced technology to barely improve the environment. The ninja world was far from that.
"Hokage-sama, taking half of our mission volume will severely affect a large number of Hidden Sand ninjas," Chiyo continued. "Konoha Village does not lack money, and its mission volume is sufficient. I believe Hokage-sama could change the conditions to gain greater benefits." Her words were quite reasonable and even framed from Konoha's perspective. Sasame secretly sighed, She's truly an old hand. As long as the Hidden Sand Village's economy was preserved, their future hope remained. At least they wouldn't decline because of this.
"We have a lot of money," Sasame said, uttering a phrase that instantly drew hatred. Especially from Rasa, who was so angry he wanted to spit blood. To maintain the Hidden Sand Village's daily expenses, he, the Fourth Kazekage, a magnet-release ninja, was forced to pan for gold in the desert.
"I can even distribute missions to your Hidden Sand Village," Sasame said slowly. The ninja lifestyle was actually quite similar to an online game: taking missions and earning money. When not on missions, they ate, drank, and played. There was almost no difference from players. Given this, accepting the Heavenly Net wouldn't be difficult. They didn't need to know the underlying principles. They only needed to understand that they could take missions anytime, anywhere. As for chakra currency, it could also be exchanged for real money at a certain rate. Given the Hidden Sand Village's situation, they would definitely frantically contribute chakra to earn money. After all, they didn't lack ninjas.
"What did you say?!" Chiyo and Rasa thought they had misheard, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Sasame took out a Heavenly Net Login Device and explained its function. The two felt even more as if they were dreaming and that it was preposterous. Could such a good person exist in this world? Exchanging chakra for money? Isn't this just giving it away for free?
Sasame smiled. It seemed like a huge profit for the Hidden Sand Village, but in reality, it wasn't. Aside from gaining chakra, once ninjas became accustomed to the Heavenly Net's existence, a situation would arise: they would no longer obey the Hidden Sand Village's commands. Essentially, they would become Sasame's mercenaries. He believed that if he issued a mission to assassinate the Kazekage, there would definitely be Hidden Sand ninjas who would take the risk, provided the reward was generous enough.
Besides, there were more ways to play. For example, submitting ninjutsu, items, or information for rewards.
"We agree!" Rasa said impatiently. He no longer wanted to be a gold miner.
Chiyo frowned. She instinctively felt there was something fishy. But she had to admit, it was too tempting and could instantly solve the Hidden Sand Village's money problems. A moment later, Chiyo also agreed to this condition.
"By the way, let Kankuro and Temari stay as well, so Gaara won't be lonely," Sasame thought for a moment and added another condition. Ninja squads were always made up of three people. Gaara was alone, so he needed two more. Having Kankuro and Temari stay was perfectly reasonable.
Chiyo and Rasa's faces immediately stiffened. Especially the latter's. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were not only the cream of the crop among the Hidden Sand Village's younger generation but also his children. Now, all of them staying in Konoha meant they were essentially hostages. But he didn't dare to refuse, lest he himself be kept behind. Then, his whole family would truly be "neatly arranged."
[Due to your actions, the fates of Chiyo, Rasa, Gaara, Shukaku, Kankuro, and Temari have changed. You have gained a total of four hundred twenty points of Destiny Value.]
Not bad, more than expected. Sasame was quite satisfied. And with a few more maneuvers in the future, they could continue to contribute Destiny Value. That was great.
The two parties signed the alliance, signifying that Konoha Village and the Hidden Sand Village were allies from this day forward. Although it was an unequal alliance.
"Kurenai-san, announce the news," Sasame opened the door and casually handed the alliance agreement to Kurenai Yuhi. The agreement did not mention the Heavenly Net. But he had added another condition: in addition to the Puppet Jutsu, various secret techniques must also be handed over to Konoha Village. For a ninja village, nothing was more important than its ninjas and ninjutsu. Now, the Hidden Sand Village had virtually its entire foundation emptied.
Kurenai Yuhi glanced at the alliance agreement, her eyes immediately lighting up. A Tailed Beast plus all their ninjutsu was definitely the greatest achievement since Konoha Village's founding. She nodded and immediately returned to her office to notify the Anbu, spreading the news throughout the entire village.
The Sarutobi clan compound.
"Old man," Asuma Sarutobi handed a public announcement to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "This just happened." Smoke curled upwards. Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, his face complex. Previously, some said that Sasame's rise to Hokage was due to Tsunade. But now, no one would have any objections. Sasame would also become the Hokage second only to Hashirama Senju. In one night, he surpassed decades of his own management. Hiruzen Sarutobi now deeply understood the importance of strength.
"Tsunade was right; she chose a good student," his voice carried a hint of regret. If not for Tsunade, Sasame might have fallen into his hands. Then he could have made even greater contributions to Konoha. Although he wasn't doing badly now.
"Asuma, go and remind the other clan members not to have any selfish intentions from now on," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a serious expression. "Sasame is the Hokage; his words must be obeyed."
"Old man, don't worry. Who would dare to disobey now?" Asuma Sarutobi sighed emotionally. "Even Kurenai, after becoming the Hokage's secretary, completely stopped paying attention to me."
"Kurenai, just give up," Hiruzen Sarutobi advised. "There are many good girls in Konoha; she's not the only one."
"I understand," Asuma Sarutobi stroked his sideburns, sighing softly. In terms of looks, he truly couldn't compare to Sasame. Kurenai Yuhi, he could only watch her drift away. And there was nothing he could do. He might even have to rely on Kurenai Yuhi's help in the future.
A hotel not far from the Anbu. The temporary residence of the Hidden Sand Village's envoy. Apart from Gaara, Baki, and Rasa, the other ninjas had been released. This included Kankuro and Temari. The siblings were currently sitting on the rooftop.
"I wonder if Granny Chiyo can save Gaara and Kazekage-sama," Kankuro no longer had his previous arrogance, looking quite dejected.
"It'll be difficult," Temari, wearing a bare-shouldered fishnet top, her face full of worry.
"If they can't be saved, the Hidden Sand Village..." Kankuro trailed off, unsure how to continue.
"The Hidden Sand Village might become a subordinate of Konoha Village," Temari spoke the cruel truth.
"I will never allow it!" Kankuro's expression changed, saying unwillingly.
"Keep your voice down," Temari sighed. "Don't let Konoha's people hear, lest it cause misunderstandings."
Kankuro fell silent. Even Temari, who always had a straightforward personality, had become so cautious. It had to be said, the vanquished had no dignity. Just then, an Anbu ninja appeared near the notice board. After posting a notice, he quickly left.
Kankuro and Temari exchanged glances and quickly jumped downstairs. The two swiftly arrived in front of the notice board. As expected, it was the result of the alliance. But the conditions left them stunned, their faces filled with horror.
"Stay in Konoha?" Kankuro instinctively clutched the notice board, barely preventing himself from falling.
"..." Temari barely managed to remain calm, but her lips trembled uncontrollably. They naturally knew very well what staying in Konoha meant. It wasn't just being away from home; more importantly, it meant becoming hostages. It was possible they might never return. Thinking of such a result, how could she accept it? But did they have a choice? Ninjas were like this; for their village, even sacrificing their lives was fine. The Hidden Sand Village once had a Scorch Release ninja named Pakura. She was powerful, but ultimately died at the hands of her own people to quell the Hidden Mist Village's anger. Now it was her turn. Temari smiled silently.
"How could this be?" Kankuro broke out in a cold sweat, saying in a hurry, "I'm going to see Granny Chiyo!"
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