Ficool

Chapter 124 - Chapter 122: Golden Miner

Inside the Hokage's office.

"Haha, having Kazekage-sama as my guest truly honors this old man!" The Third smiled warmly. Despite being much older, he showed no signs of arrogance toward his younger visitor.

"You flatter me, Hokage-sama. There is still much for me to learn from you." Although initially somewhat resentful, Rasa eventually embraced the situation wholeheartedly after reconsidering.

He had originally worried about being dragged into conflicts by Konoha. But upon deeper reflection, even without ties to Konoha, Suna would likely still be coveted by Iwa watching from nearby.

After all, among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Suna and Kirigakure ranked weakest in power. However, Kiri enjoyed natural protection across seas, while Suna, located on land, remained far more vulnerable to invasion.

Viewed this way, aligning with Konoha appeared a reasonable option indeed.

Once The Third sat down, he got straight to the point: "Kazekage-dono must have already made your decision?"

Rasa hesitated briefly before countering, "If we form an alliance, what guarantees can Hokage-sama offer us?"

The Third raised his fingers one by one: "Intelligence sharing, military support, strategic cooperation. Naturally these assurances will go both ways—I expect equal support from Suna as well."

Kazekage shook his head. "Not enough. We need supplies."

After saying that, he immediately added: "Of course, we'll purchase everything at the market rate."

"Hmm," The Third uttered, slightly surprised. "Forgive my question, but didn't Lord Daimyo of the Land of Wind recently reduce funding for your village?"

"Eh… this matter need not concern Hokage-sama," Rasa responded somewhat awkwardly. How could he admit that becoming Kazekage basically meant being treated like a gold mine?

Once the mighty Kazekage, now reduced to little more than a cash cow—poor Suna, how pitiful their fate had become!

"If it's Kazekage-dono's request, then I shall agree," The Third replied without hesitation. While wartime resources carried high value, Konoha stood large enough that investing some materials for Suna's allegiance wouldn't constitute a loss.

As leaders of their villages, they focused on steering overall direction, while leaving specific details to subordinates for discussion.

Therefore, with an agreement reached, the two happily engaged in casual conversation.

Speaking along, Rasa sighed: "Your village excels remarkably at cultivating elite ninja. Hopefully this Chunin Exams will make our shinobi realize the gap we face!"

Waving his hand with laughter, The Third responded, "We've just been fortunate to have many outstanding genin in this current batch. Besides, I hear you also possess a prodigious puppet master within Suna."

Mentioning Sasori only deepened Rasa's melancholy further.

Sasori, a true genius among them, had vanished mysteriously before ever showcasing his brilliance on the battlefield.

Within the village, people generally suspected that Sasori—who disappeared alongside the Third Kazekage—had surely fallen victim to the same enemy.

Suddenly inspired, Rasa proposed, "Hokage-sama, might I request that your Seiki Shimaseki visit Suna for a cultural exchange?"

The Third expressed surprise. "Why this sudden suggestion?"

Rasa hesitated before speaking. "On one hand, I want our village's ninja to recognize their gaps in strength. On the other hand, it's some information I've recently acquired."

"Information?"

"It seems all the prodigies from your Konoha in this year's Chunin Exams have close ties with Seiki Shimaseki!" Rasa's expression showed genuine shock. "One or two could be a fluke, but this many? He must have some special knack for spotting and influencing talent around him!"

"Therefore, I hope he could pay a visit to Sunagakure and exchange techniques with our ninja."

The Third didn't immediately agree. After all, Konoha and Suna had been at war not long ago, and there was no telling whether they'd try to do Seiki harm.

So the Third Sarutobi merely laughed offhandedly, "We're currently preparing for war — who has time for social visits? How about this: after the war ends, I'll send Seiki as an envoy to formally visit Suna. Wind Shadow, don't you dare refuse my invitation then!"

Rasa understood the Third's concerns and didn't press further. "Then we shall follow the Fire Shadow's suggestion."

...

Two days later, in front of the Hokage building's Notice Board.

"Wah, this time so many people actually passed the Chunin Exam!"

"Who could blame them when there are so many geniuses participating!"

"Let me check — Konoha's Seiki Shimaseki, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Might Guy... Wait, wasn't that Cloud Village ninja, Yugito Nii, supposed to leave right after finishing their exam?"

"How strange! They left without waiting for the results?"

"Hehe, I heard they weren't skilled at sealing techniques and couldn't undo the seal Seiki placed on Yugito Nii. Embarrassed to ask us for help, they hurried back home to find someone who could remove the seal from Yugito Nii."

Shimaseki smiled slightly while standing outside the crowd. His additional seals on Yugito Nii weren't done out of kindness — just like adding an extra lock on someone's door when passing by because you thought their house might be unsafe.

Sure, things were safer — the catch was that even the homeowner couldn't get in anymore!

Everyone knew a jinchuriki's power lay in the threat of unleashing their bijuu in a last-ditch effort to take down the enemy — even if it meant destroying themselves along with them. Now that the seal couldn't be opened, how could they maintain that deterrence?

Yet Cloud Village couldn't really complain either — after all, how could they blame someone for trying to protect their own person?

"Haha, when Shizune comes back, she'll probably be the last one still stuck as a Genin," Asuma smirked, nudging Seiki playfully.

"If she comes back any later, we might all be Jonin before she does!" Kurenai also chuckled softly.

Asuma rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, old man probably will recall Tsunade-sama and the others, right?"

Seiki whispered with a smile, "They might already be on the way back to Konoha."

Approaching from outside the crowd, Baki walked over with complex emotions, "Perhaps our next meeting will be as comrades-in-arms..."

He now knew — Seiki might pay a visit to Sunagakure once the war ended. Because both the Kazekage and Jonin Chuura believed that if the war dragged on another three or four years, Seiki Shimaseki's talent would likely earn him a promotion to Jonin by then. As his future escort, Baki realized he'd need to earn his own Jonin rank as well.

"You're really putting Baki on the spot here, aren't you!"

Even before the words had died down, a Sunagakure ninja charged out and shouted, "Seiki-sama, from now on we're pledging our loyalty to you!"

Seiki-kun smiled in reply, "It's good to know I'll have dependable ninjas like you by my side."

Baki's face darkened. Can't you guys show a little respect for my feelings?

Right then, a man stepped forward—calm and composed in appearance, but undeniably dangerous—and said, "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I'd like to borrow Seiki-kun's time for a moment."

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>

More Chapters