Shota followed closely behind Rasa as the group entered the capital of the Land of Earth. The city was large and busy. Tall stone buildings lined the streets.
Merchants shouted about their goods. Civilians moved in every direction. Guards in heavy armour watched every corner.
The group reached the daimyō's noble estate where the meeting was supposed to be held. High walls surrounded it. Guards at the gate checked everyone carefully before letting them pass.
Shota walked in silence, his ANBU mask hiding his face. He and five other ANBU stayed near Rasa. Diplomats and Mina Sabaku, the elder of diplomacy, walked with them.
Shota thought about why the meeting was here instead of Iwagakure.
The daimyō's estate was the perfect place. It was neutral ground. The daimyō was the leader of the entire nation, not just Iwa and . He was the guarantor of the deal between Iwa and Suna. If Iwa does something against that deal, it would also affect his reputation. And for a noble, reputation was everything.
Going to Iwagakure itself would have been dangerous. The village was the military capital. Thousands of shinobi lived there. If something went wrong, they would be surrounded.
Here, in the capital, the daimyō's authority protected everyone. Iwa could not attack openly without angering the daimyō and all the nobles. It made the agreement stronger.
They were led to a large meeting room inside the estate. Tatami mats covered the floor. Low tables stood in the centre.
The Tsuchikage was already there. Ōnoki sat on a cushion with his arms crossed. Two Iwa jōnin stood behind him.
Rasa entered first. He nodded slightly.
"Tsuchikage. It is good to see you again."
Ōnoki nodded once.
"Kazekage. So you brought the chakra-erasing kid with you, Rasa brat. Are you afraid that I might just try to kill you, so you need the boy to support you?"
Rasa answered without hesitation."Yes. You can never be careful against the fence-sitter and the deal might just be too good to be true for Suna that you might just take the risk."
The admission surprised Ōnoki a little. It surprised Shota too.
'Oi oi oi, what is up with using me to kill different villages' kages? At least you could have told me before I joined the mission. If I knew this, I would have retired from shinobi life since I don't want to be erased into dust.'
'And are you not showing too much trust in my ability to deal with such a monster like the Tsuchikage? I am pretty sure that he has tried to think of countermeasures for my ability after seeing me in action against the Third Raikage.'
Ōnoki laughed dryly.
"Not that you are wrong. The boy's ability is absurd. As absurd as Hashirama Senju's Wood Release or Madara Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan. For once I am glad this ability is not born within Konoha, or I would have had a fit and given a stern talking to Lady Luck or whatever god is responsible for this. Konoha gets all the prodigies. I swear they are feeding something special to their children."
Shota felt his cheeks heat up again.
'Did he praise me and compare me to Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi? Aww, isn't he a cute old man.'
Rasa took his seat across from Ōnoki. He ignored Onoki's words. "We are here to discuss the details of our agreement. The Seven-Tails."
Ōnoki grunted. "Straight to business. Fine. I like that."
They began talking. Rasa spoke about the payment Iwa had already sent. Rasa confirmed the money, the chakra metal, the weapons, and the metals for puppets had arrived safely. It was part of the payment that was also promised to Suna for helping against Kumo.
They discussed the timeline for approaching Takigakure. They talked about how to handle the old jinchūriki and the sealing.
Shota stood behind Rasa the whole time. He kept his posture straight. He tried to look intimidating and mysterious to the two Iwa jonin who were looking at him continuously. He squared his shoulders. He crossed his arms. He tilted his head slightly to look dangerous.
Then he tripped over his own foot.
His sandal caught on the edge of a mat. He stumbled forward. He almost fell face-first into the table. At the last second he caught himself and stood straight again.
The room went silent. Shota cleared his throat. He whistled softly, pretending nothing happened. His face had burned red under the mask.
'There goes my aura farming moment to aura deforestation.' Shota wanted to disappear.
He swore he saw a tiny smile flicker on Rasa's face. It vanished quickly, but it was there. The Kazekage looked neutral again in an instant. Ōnoki frowned like always.
Rasa then looked at Onoki and asked the question that had been in Shota's mind too.
"Why would you let us have the Seven-Tails, Tsuchikage?"
Ōnoki grinned, showing crooked teeth.
"Taki is mostly a neutral nation and in fact a little allied toward Konoha too. They are not using their tailed beast at all. And your village is well the weakest of the five. You are now also the enemy to Kumo. Giving you a weapon would help you deal with Konoha and Kumo and thus weaken them more for Iwa. An enemy of an enemy is a friend, was it?"
His grin turned dark.
"Besides, jinchūriki can always go wild or the tailed beast can be released. Maybe I hope that the Seven-Tails would destroy Suna for me."
Shota screamed in his mind.
'Not cute. He is scary little old man!!'
---------Author Notes--------
Y'all can read the next 20 chapters of the fanfic on my pat*reon. Thankyou for your support!
https://pat*reon.com/Charizard6
[No star]