Hearing Minato's words, Wen Lan burst out laughing.
"You should thank Inoichi-senpai for that. Without his Mind Transmission Technique, we wouldn't have coordinated so well."
The truth was—
Everything earlier had been an act.
Through Inoichi's technique, Shikaku had been communicating with both Wen Lan and Minato in real time.
And Shikaku's conclusion was clear:
Killing the Kumogakure delegation would bring no benefit.
Instead, it could trigger a four-village alliance against Konoha.
Even if Konoha won—
It would suffer losses.
So instead—
Use overwhelming force to pressure Kumogakure into concessions.
True Victory
Wen Lan and Minato both agreed.
True suppression wasn't about annihilation.
It was about bleeding the opponent slowly.
Like Qin Shi Huang unifying the six states—
Yes, he conquered them.
But their remnants never disappeared.
Rebellions never stopped.
Even during his lifetime.
Real control meant—
Keeping your opponent in a state where they could never fully recover.
Like Sunagakure.
Their daimyo cut funding.
Their ninja numbers shrank again and again.
Until they could only focus on elite training.
Now—
They were the weakest of the Five Great Villages.
Anyone could bully them if they wanted.
Kumogakure looked strong—
But years of war had drained them.
Their finances were tight.
If Konoha applied continuous pressure—
Forced unequal treaties—
Seized resources—
Opened trade routes under Konoha's control—
Then over time, Kumogakure would weaken from within.
Wen Lan's lips curled slightly.
True victory… is letting your enemy bleed slowly in humiliation.
At the Hokage Office
Minato nodded, visibly more relaxed.
"Wen Lan… I think I've only done two things right in my life."
"One was marrying Kushina."
"The other was making you my advisor."
Wen Lan rolled his eyes.
"Cut the cheesy lines. You're the Hokage—have some dignity."
Minato just laughed.
When they arrived at the meeting room—
Shikaku and Inoichi were already waiting.
Serious expressions.
The Cloud delegation hadn't arrived yet—
But the direction of negotiations was already decided.
Shikaku visibly relaxed when he saw Wen Lan.
He had been worried Wen Lan might just kill them outright.
Wen Lan greeted casually:
"Yo, Inoichi-senpai. Long time no see."
Inoichi rubbed his temples.
"Yeah… and the first thing you do is give me a heart attack."
"I'm getting old. I can't handle this kind of stress."
Wen Lan snorted.
"Old? You're not even fifty."
"Planning to play the 'senior card' already?"
The room burst into laughter.
Inoichi shook his head helplessly, smiling.
"You brat… still sharp-tongued as ever."
The Plan
Minato sat at the head of the table.
"Shikaku, explain your plan."
Shikaku nodded.
He handed documents to Minato and Wen Lan.
Then spread out a map of the ninja world.
"My proposal is simple."
"On top of our original negotiation terms—"
"We demand an additional 20% concession from Kumogakure."
"And…"
He pointed at two regions between Konoha and Kumogakure.
"These areas."
"They belong to Konoha."
Strategic Territory
Those two regions—
Bordered the Land of Rice Fields.
They were unclaimed zones, long disputed between Konoha and Kumogakure.
Shikaku tapped the map.
"These areas look barren."
"But they're located on key transit routes."
"If war breaks out—"
"We gain early positioning advantage."
"More importantly…"
"They become forward bases for intelligence infiltration."
"Small ninja squads can operate there, monitoring Kumogakure long-term."
He continued:
"If we control these regions—"
"We cut off Kumogakure's land route to the Land of Iron."
"They'll be forced to transport weapons by sea."
"And sea routes are unstable—"
"Waves, currents, high costs."
"We can also set up sensor barriers along the coast."
"Any large movement—"
"Will be detected immediately."
"At that point…"
"Kumogakure's military movements are completely exposed."
"The strategic initiative—"
"Will belong to Konoha."
Expanding the Vision
Wen Lan narrowed his eyes, staring at the map.
A smile slowly formed.
"Brilliant."
"This isn't just taking land."
"It's placing a strategic blade at their throat."
"Attack or defend at will."
"And it disrupts their weapon supply."
"Other villages wanting to trade with the Land of Iron—"
"Will have to pass through Konoha."
Minato nodded.
"That also strengthens our diplomatic leverage."
"Especially with the Sand and Stone villages."
"If they realize we control this route—"
"They'll rethink their relationship with Kumogakure."
"Long-term—"
"This isolates them diplomatically."
Shikaku's eyes sharpened.
"And more than that…"
"This effectively locks Kumogakure inside their own territory."
"They can't move large-scale resources without going through us."
"And sea transport is unreliable."
"In wartime, it can be easily cut off."
"That limits their mobility."
"Meanwhile—"
"We can coordinate with other villages to apply pressure."
"No war needed."
"But we reshape the entire balance of power."
Recognition
Wen Lan clapped slowly.
"Looks like simple land grabbing…"
"But every step is a killing move."
"As expected of the Nara clan."
"Honestly, Shikaku-senpai…"
"Selling deer is a waste of your talent."
"Get lost!" Shikaku snapped.
"You're about to say the deer business should go to the Uchiha next, aren't you?"
"And don't think I forgot—"
"You snuck into our clan and stole a deer!"
Wen Lan froze.
Awkward.
That… actually happened.
Hana had wanted venison.
So he went and took one.
He thought he was stealthy.
Turns out—
Shikaku knew the whole time.
He just didn't bother calling it out.
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