"No, Hokage-sama, what kind of look is that?" Uchiha Ryun said irritably, glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen coughed and said, "No, nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night, and my eyes are twitching a bit."
"Ah, yes, yes. Last night, Hiruzen and I discussed important matters and slept late. Ryun, rest assured, the Hokage definitely has no other meaning!" Danzō Shimura quickly added.
It was better not to provoke Uchiha Ryun. Even though they were colleagues, his gaze was too sharp, and his questions were too pointed.
Didn't they see the two young masters from the opposing villages looking displeased?
Besides, Uchiha Ryun was speaking up for the village's benefit. Could Hiruzen Sarutobi possibly have any objections? No, absolutely not!
"Fine, you're the higher-ups, so you have the final say." At these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura smiled. This kid—who knew whether making him a Konoha elder was the right decision or not?
Uchiha Ryun turned to A and Akatsuchi and asked, "Do you two have anything to offer?" After speaking, he placed his teacup on the table and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. Well, this was clearly a demand for money.
"Then, how much does Konoha need..." As soon as these words left his mouth, A realized something was off. They were here to sign a peace agreement, not a surrender treaty. Why would they need to pay?
"Not much. Let's start with tens of thousands of yaks. I've heard the yaks from Kumogakure have tender meat and thick fur, making them a premium breed!"
Uchiha Ryun said with a faint smile.
"Konoha is poor! We can't compare to Kumogakure's prosperity. So..."
A's face darkened. Kumogakure's yaks cost over ten thousand ryo each. Ten thousand yaks would amount to a hundred million ryo, and he was asking for tens of thousands? Was he out of his mind?
"This... I'll need to consult the Raikage. The number is too large, and I can't decide on my own. But if it's just five thousand yaks in exchange for Konoha's friendship, I can make that decision!" A was wealthy and decisive.
There was only one peace agreement. In other words, the village that didn't sign it might face Konoha's interference later, potentially having to fight both Konoha and the opposing village simultaneously.
Akatsuchi panicked upon hearing this. "Iwagakure doesn't have much, but we have plenty of stones. Many of them contain gems like jade and agate, and our output is substantial. If Konoha is willing to sign the agreement, we can offer raw materials worth eighty million ryo!"
Raw materials—meaning the actual base price. If Konoha processed and sold them later, the value would far exceed eighty million ryo. The daimyo and nobles loved these gems and jade.
Iwagakure was going all out! A frowned. "Aside from the yaks, Kumogakure is willing to provide fifty pounds of chakra metal as a gift to our allies. Kumogakure has always been generous!"
Fifty pounds of chakra metal was worth five hundred million ryo! Kumogakure was offering such a huge bargaining chip? Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned. The yaks and gems were ordinary resources, but chakra metal was priceless!
Seeing Hiruzen's meaningful glance, Uchiha Ryun remained unmoved and instead looked at Akatsuchi, Iwagakure's representative. He knew Akatsuchi would raise the offer. If Konoha signed an agreement with Kumogakure, it would mean Konoha and Kumogakure would jointly attack Iwagakure.
Konoha was the strongest village in the ninja world. Would Kumogakure, having just bled heavily, let things slide? Of course not!
Whatever they lost here, they would reclaim tenfold from Iwagakure. Not only would there be massive reparations, but they might even carve out territory from Iwagakure.
"Chakra metal—Kumogakure is making a big move. In that case, Iwagakure won't let Konoha laugh at us. One A-rank secret earth-style ninjutsu!" Akatsuchi's words stunned not only Konoha's leadership but also A and Uchiha Ryun.
Secret ninjutsu—this was the real deal. A-rank ninjutsu was powerful, but secret techniques were exclusive to the village. Only shinobi with outstanding contributions or from powerful clans could learn them.
Of course, techniques like Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling were S-rank and absolutely not for sharing. They were Iwagakure's trump cards. But techniques like Light-Weight Rock Technique or Mountain Earth Technique were fair game.
These techniques had unique effects and could serve as a village's treasures, never to be shared lightly. Yet Akatsuchi was willing to offer one now! Now it was A's turn to panic.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also dumbfounded. How had things escalated to the point of offering a village's inherited techniques?
Uchiha Ryun was similarly taken aback but then looked at Akatsuchi with respect. As the son of the Tsuchikage Ōnoki, Akatsuchi had remarkable courage.
Of course, this also showed how ambitious Iwagakure was. Now Hiruzen didn't know what to do. At this point, signing with either side would offend the other. The offers were too high to justify simple cooperation—it would mean helping one side crush the other.
But this wasn't A or Akatsuchi's concern. The final decision lay with Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was thinking that while this war could bring massive resources, the real winners would be Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
One of them would grow significantly stronger, while Konoha would lose many shinobi. It was a dilemma.
Uchiha Ryun, however, smiled. "Actually, Konoha doesn't have such grand ambitions. Let's stick to the earlier terms. Kumogakure offers five thousand yaks, and Iwagakure offers eighty million ryo worth of gems and jade." He clapped his hands. "Someone! Bring tea. How inconsiderate!"
Two Anbu members quickly served tea, presenting pure gold teacups to A and Akatsuchi. The two were confused. What was Uchiha Ryun playing at?
Uchiha Ryun just wanted to test the two villages' resolve, not actually ally with one to attack the other. That would only bring short-term gains—no territory, no war reparations, nothing of real value.
Uchiha Ryun chuckled. "I never said I'd only sign with one side. It's just that there weren't enough cups earlier. These Anbu have no sense of propriety!" He snorted.
Right, Uchiha Ryun hadn't said anything. They had assumed it themselves. But this... Damn it! They had no choice but to swallow their frustration.
As the peace agreements were presented, the two took a deep breath. Their mission was to sign the peace treaty. Now that they had paid the price, refusing to sign would be a total loss.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. Good. No need to send troops, yet they gained such massive goodwill payments. He was very pleased.
As for whether Iwagakure and Kumogakure were satisfied—that wasn't Hiruzen's concern!
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