[This Chapter Is Sponsored by Miguel razo! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!]
Land of Wind, Sand Ninja Village.
On the second morning, Konoha's envoys, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, seemed calm on the surface, but their hearts were bleeding.
In contrast, the Sand Village's two advisory elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, looked full of worry and sighed deeply upon entering.
"Ah, it's tough for the Sand ninjas, I really don't know how we're going to get through these years."
At this moment, both Homura and Koharu were thinking of swearing but held back, and after returning to the negotiating table, they took a deep breath.
Koharu slowly put down her tea cup and got straight to the point, "We don't need to beat around the bush about the situation on the battlefield in the Whirlpool Country."
"After the Third War, Sand Village and Konoha formed an alliance. Now Konoha needs its ally, Sand Village, to restrain Iwagakure."
There was no chance for further digression, as time was of the essence. They needed to quickly stabilize the tumultuous border.
The chaos caused by the Nine-Tails and Orochimaru had seriously harmed Konoha and led to instability on the border. Now, Konoha urgently needed to end the border instability to recover.
"As for Iwagakure, it's not that we in Sand Village don't want to fulfill our obligations as allies. We simply can't afford it. We don't even have extra funds, and our ninja academy is about to implement an elite program."
Faced with Koharu's directness, Chiyo looked bitter and spread her hands, "We're broke, Sand Village has been poor for a long time. We can't help you."
Koharu calmly responded, "We understand the difficulties of the Sand Village, so we are willing to reduce our annual task quota by five percent."
She did not mention that this was a post-war treaty but said that they would take five percentage points less from the 20% that Sand provided to Konoha.
Upon hearing this, before Chiyo could say anything, Ebizo immediately showed excitement, "Sister, with a five percent reduction in the task quota, we can finally afford proper uniforms and weapon pouches for the children in our ninja academy."
Homura and Koharu were inwardly cursing, thinking this was a blatant insult, offering so little and expecting gratitude?
Ebizo sneered inwardly, 'You think giving us back five percent of the task quota would make us block Iwagakure for you? Wishful thinking.'
"The Land of Fire occupies the most fertile lands in the ninja world and has endless resources, while we in the Wind Country face sandstorms and extreme scarcity of resources. We hope Konoha can be generous and give up the war task treaty. Sand Village is willing to form a permanent alliance with Konoha, standing together through thick and thin."
Chiyo directly put on an old and pitiable appearance, as if to say, you all are so wealthy and you're still lacking what little we have? Just let it go.
Shameless. Talking so nicely but still wanting to take back all these mission quotas, this is simply jacking up the price.
"Cough cough, it's not that Konoha is unwilling. It's just that our losses in the three wars were too great. These mission quotas were almost entirely given to the few clans in Konoha who suffered the heaviest losses. We are helpless."
Koharu seemed to be explaining helplessly, but there was a hint of firmness. These mission quotas have long been divided up in terms of interests. Now you want them all back? Do you think the major ninja clans of Konoha will agree? Taking away their share would mean starting another war.
Everyone is haggling as if they're experts at it.
"Ah, the sandstorms in our Sand Village, our children..."
You say one thing, I say another; in any case, Sand Village is constantly crying poor. Both sides are pulling strings, and in the end, the negotiation chips were bitten down to a single quota by both parties, neither giving an inch.
"Twelve percent."
"Only eight percent."
In the end, both sides were red in the face, veins popping. The initial decorum was long gone. Koharu and Chiyo, the two old women, were staring at each other across the table.
"Koharu Utatane, if you want us, Sand Village, to restrain Rock Village for you, everyone knows the strength of Rock Village in the ninja world. With an eight percent mission quota, at most, we Sand Ninjas could only cheer you on. As for sending troops to intimidate, don't even think about it. Sand Village is too weak for this, the stakes are too high for such small gains."
Chiyo directly spread her hands and spoke angrily. The talk had come down to benefits, and decorum was long gone. If you get what you want, you're a hero.
And Koharu, looking at Chiyo's scoundrel-like behavior, directly let out a cold snort: "Chiyo, don't make it sound so bad. The weakness of Sand Village is because you started a war with us for no reason, this can only be said to be self-inflicted. Eight percent! If Sand Village agrees, we're still allies."
"If you disagree!" Koharu also showed no signs of weakness and directly sneered: "As you said, Konoha enjoys the greatest resources in the ninja world. We can afford it! But don't think you can just sit back and watch us wear down against Mist Village, while you recuperate."
"If you want to wear us down, then let's wear each other down!"
"Do you want to start a war!" Chiyo widened her eyes, full of a threatening gaze. Koharu also let out a cold hum: "Do you dare? Or does Onoki dare?"
The diplomatic relations between the two countries rely on the deterrence of military force. Only in this situation can friendship be discussed. Without the backing of military power, you're just a piece of meat waiting to be bitten off.
Seeing Koharu provocatively challenge them, Chiyo angrily retorted, "Fine, if that's the case, then go back. The Leaf Village's goodwill is not appreciated by the Sand Village. Rest assured, we won't attack the Leaf due to our alliance."
The last sentence is nonsense. Maybe they won't attack openly, but who knows what they'll do behind the scenes.
It's all a matter of courage. Our Sand Village is already so poor, who's afraid of who?
Chiyo made up her mind, doubting that the Leaf would dare engage in attrition with the four major ninja villages. They'll end up benefiting the smaller nations.
"Alright, cool down, we represent two major ninja villages here."
"Exactly, why are you still so impulsive, sister?"
Homura and Ebizo both stepped in, trying to mediate. One played the good cop, the other the bad cop.
"Nine percent, no more," Koharu gritted her teeth, as if this were the Leaf's limit. After discussions with the Third Hokage due to the Rock Village's arrival, they'd already relaxed their baseline from ten percent to thirteen percent.
Seeing Koharu's indignant expression, Chiyo also complained to Ebizo, "Brother, even if twenty percent of the mission quota is returned, it's still hard for us. With the daimyo cutting funds, we're struggling."
"Twelve percent, we really can't go lower. For you in the Leaf Village, this might not be much, but for us in the Sand, it's a life-saver."
First pretending to be poor, then begging for more leniency, Chiyo shed all pretense of dignity, both sides were using all means.
As both sides complained and haggled shamelessly, Homura and Ebizo began taking turns bargaining.
"Eleven point five percent."
"Eleven point five it is. For the sake of friendship and our eternal alliance with the Leaf, cheers."
Finally, after much haggling, both sides reached an agreement they could accept.
With smiles that suggested an alliance and friendship, Chiyo and Ebizo breathed a sigh of relief. Now they needed to put on a good show to hold off the Rock Village, but the painful part was giving up three percent of the mission quota to the Rock. Luckily, this was only for five years.
On the Leaf's side, Koharu and Homura also relaxed, at least saving 1.5 percent from their bottom line of thirteen percent. All these little savings add up.
What's saved is earned. They also reduced the village's losses. Had the situation not been urgent, they could have bargained for even less.
...
The battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools is extremely brutal. Under the policies of the Hidden Mist, almost all Mist ninjas are desperados. Although the Leaf Village is on the defensive side, because their strength is dispersed, nearly everyone is injured despite not having huge casualties, due to the continuous three-day attack by the Mist ninjas.
"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements are here."
With the arrival of reinforcements from the Leaf Village, the battle is entering its final stages. One by one, the Leaf ninjas who were called from the rear lines are full of fighting spirit as they head to the battlefield. This time, the number of reinforcements is not large, but the quality is definitely elite.
If someone pays close attention, they would notice that these reinforcements are mostly the elite ninjas that Orochimaru once had. One could say that the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools has become a gathering place for the former elite under Orochimaru.
Doing this also has its benefits. Upon Sarutobi Shinzo's arrival, he can place his own people everywhere, and the once-hindered elites have been sent to the front line for support.
Leaf Village's reinforcements quickly began to assist various battlefields.
In the forest full of fighting, dazzling ninjutsu is flying around, explosive tags are roaring, and countless hidden weapons flash coldly, making this a true "forest of death."
"Fatty, your Samehada sword seems a bit off."
In the dark and damp forest, Uchiha Yoru, holding the Kusanagi sword, shows a mocking smile. At the blade, he even saw a bit of debris from the opponent's Samehada sword breaking apart, which happened because he pulled back at the last moment.
Both men clashed with their ninja swords. Suikazan Fuguki's face looked very unpleasant, and he suppressed his anger, saying in a low voice: "Kid, if you have an agenda, just say it."
Suikazan Fuguki may look rough, but he is extremely cautious and meticulous inside. The other party has been secretive about taking his Samehada, and even deliberately held back during their weapon clashes, clearly he has a scheme.
With a gesture from Uchiha Yoru's eyes, Suikazan Fuguki grunted very unpleasantly. Then, suddenly when one of his own was slashed and turned into a water clone, a thick white mist suddenly rose in the forest.
Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu.
In the dense fog, the sounds of clashing blades still echoed in the forest. However, as visibility decreases, the two fighters had gone from lethal strikes to merely putting on a show.
"The mistake of losing the Samehada is one even you, Suikazan Fuguki, cannot afford to make."
Hearing these words, the face of Suikazan Fuguki turned ashen. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were elite ninjas specialized in difficult missions for the successive Mizukage. Legend has it that the seven of them together could conquer a small country overnight.
This was a hereditary title in the Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water. Each of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen held a sword as their emblem, and these swords were the symbols of the village, their significance extremely weighty.
Losing a ninja sword was a responsibility so great that anyone else would likely consider defecting. Only Suikazan Fuguki, who held a high position and didn't want to lose his status, thought he still had a chance to reclaim it.
When Suikazan Fuguki saw the sly smile on the opponent's face, although he was filled with anger and humiliation, he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the young rogue had kept the sword hidden and not reported it. Things could still be turned around; personal interests were different from those between nations.
If this sword loss were to involve two major ninja villages, then the situation would escalate far beyond their control.
But for now, it was a private matter between the two of them, revolving around personal gain. Suikazan Fuguki was well aware of the importance of the ninja sword. If the matter blew up, even if he survived, the disgrace would remain with him forever, and he could forget about keeping his current position.
"Kid, what do you want? Ninjutsu? Secret techniques?"
He knew well who he was dealing with. Backed by the Uchiha clan, the opponent wouldn't lack money. So, there were only two possibilities.
Facing Suikazan Fuguki's inquiry full of suppressed anger, Uchiha Yoru revealed a strange smile. He intended to use this leverage for a lifetime.
"Ninjutsu and secret techniques? Do you think I lack those? Or are you looking down on my teacher Orochimaru, or perhaps underestimating the foundation of the Uchiha clan?"
With a sarcastic smile, Uchiha Yoru fired back, making Suikazan Fuguki roar in deep anger, "Then what the hell do you want, kid?"
"I want people!"
Hearing Uchiha Yoru's words, Suikazan Fuguki widened his eyes. He wouldn't think that the opponent wanted him. In the ninja world, when people say they want "people," it usually refers to either bloodline ninjas or some young geniuses.
"Impossible! You're asking for the young geniuses of the Mist. I can't betray my village. You can give up on that idea!"
Under Suikazan Fuguki's angry rebuke, it seemed as if he would give anything for the village. Unfortunately, Uchiha Yoru, who knew the original story well, only revealed a mocking smile.