After a moment of contemplation, the Fourth Raikage spoke to Byakuya, "Byakuya, I'm just being honest. I definitely don't believe that Amegakure will firmly side with Konoha. Don't forget, Konoha invaded the Land of Rain over 20 years ago, while Kumogakure has no grudges or conflicts with Amegakure."
Hearing this, Byakuya fell into deep thought, then nodded,
"The Raikage-sama makes a valid point. Konoha did indeed invade the Land of Rain. So, what should Amegakure do next?"
"..."
Faced with Byakuya's question, the Fourth Raikage struggled to maintain his composure.
He wasn't sure if Byakuya was playing dumb or deliberately trying to frustrate him, but his original intent of stirring up conflict between Konoha and Amegakure had clearly failed.
Left with no choice, he stiffly ordered his subordinates, "Killer Bee, Mabui, let's go inside first."
After the Fourth Raikage left, Byakuya approached Jiraiya with a light smile and said, "Jiraiya, don't fall for the Raikage's scheme. The friendship between Amegakure and Konoha will last for many years, just as strong as the bond between the Uchiha and Senju clans."
"The bond between the Uchiha and Senju..."
Jiraiya's eyes widened. Byakuya's words were full of irony, and it seemed like he was actually provoking the relationship between the Uchiha and the Hokage faction.
After all, whether the friendship between the Uchiha and Senju was truly strong was still an unknown.
Before Jiraiya could respond, Byakuya cheerfully walked into the conference room, with Yahiko following closely behind, saying to Jiraiya,
"Jiraiya-sensei, Byakuya can be a bit childish sometimes, please be patient with him."
Jiraiya sighed helplessly but could only nod and wave his hand, leading his subordinates into the conference room.
...
With all the participating shinobi gathered, the meeting officially began.
Jiraiya took the documents from Shikaku and showed the seal of the Fire Daimyo, speaking slowly,
"The Konoha side has received authorization from the Fire Daimyo. Has your village received similar authorization?"
The Fourth Raikage nodded and then presented a document with the red seal of the Lightning Daimyo, saying, "Kumogakure has received full authorization from the Lightning Daimyo to represent the entire Land of Lightning."
Seeing this, Byakuya secretly chuckled, marveling at the strange system of one country and one village in the ninja world.
The Five Great Shinobi Villages may be the military forces of the Five Great Nations, but they do not fully represent them. For actions like declaring war or holding talks, they require authorization from the daimyos.
At first glance, this system seems logical, but upon closer inspection, it feels rather bizarre.
Why would ordinary daimyos cooperate with ninjas who wield extraordinary powers, and why would they nominally outrank the ninja villages?
Is it because of their noble bloodlines, or is there another reason?
Even in terms of bloodline, the clans with kekkei genkai far outclass the daimyos. Clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga have literally inherited the bloodlines of the gods.
In contrast, smaller nations like the Land of Rain, which lack a daimyo, seem even more peculiar within this system.
After the formalities were completed, Jiraiya turned to the Fourth Raikage and said,
"Since last March, your village has occupied the Land of Hot Water and launched an attack on the Land of Fire. Konoha's demand is that Kumogakure compensate Konoha for the war and withdraw from the Land of Hot Water."
Hearing this, Yahiko nodded and asked the Fourth Raikage, "Raikage-sama, is what Jiraiya-sama said true?"
"There is no dispute about our attack on the Land of Fire." The Fourth Raikage paused before continuing, "However, the claim that we've occupied the Land of Hot Water is a baseless accusation from Konoha. It's completely unfounded. First, Kumogakure did not engage in any conflict with Yugakure. Second, we entered the Land of Hot Water under the support of a treaty, not through illegal invasion."
After finishing, the Fourth Raikage clapped his hands, signaling Mabui to present a document.
This is a request from Yugakure for Kumogakure to station troops, sealed with the official red stamp of Yugakure. It does indeed document the agreement for troop deployment.
Yahiko remained silent, instead taking the document and handing it to the leader of Yugakure.
The leader of Yugakure took the document, glanced over it, and nodded, saying, "This is indeed our Yugakure's seal."
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage smiled with satisfaction,
"Kumogakure dispatched troops to drive out Konoha shinobi from the Land of Hot Water, and the subsequent conflict near the Land of Fire is merely a continuation of that action."
Jiraiya's expression changed slightly as he looked at the leader of Yugakure, then at the Fourth Raikage.
At this moment, Shikaku couldn't help but interject, "Leader of Yugakure, may I ask if this agreement was signed between you and Kumogakure? I recall you also signed a similar agreement with us in Konoha. If you signed two agreements simultaneously, can Konoha assume that the Land of Hot Water has betrayed the alliance?"
The leader of Yugakure's expression shifted slightly, and he replied, "It is true that the agreement with Kumogakure exists, but that was signed by the previous leader. However, that leader betrayed the village, so that agreement is now void."
Shikaku smiled and said, "Raikage-sama, did you hear that? This agreement was signed by the previous leader, and an agreement signed by a traitor cannot be valid."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Raikage replied nonchalantly,
"I see. However, Kumogakure was not informed of this, which makes it a unilateral breach of contract by Yugakure against Kumogakure. I still remember the penalty for breaching an agreement, it is to open several ports within the Land of Hot Water. I hope Yugakure will deliver those ports promptly."
Shikaku felt a surge of joy; the Fourth Raikage seemed not to intend to continue the war.
The requirement from the village for this meeting was to sign a peace agreement. Even sacrificing some interests of the Land of Fire wouldn't be out of the question, especially since Orochimaru's defection had such a significant impact on the village.
Now, the Fourth Raikage was only demanding a few trade ports, allowing Konoha to maintain its treaty with Yugakure, which was already very favorable for Konoha.
However, since there was room for negotiation, they needed to strive for more benefits for the village.
Thinking along these lines, Shikaku spoke up, "Raikage-sama, that agreement is already void. Moreover, Yugakure and Konoha have similar cooperation, so it is likely that we cannot grant those ports to you."
While Shikaku and the Fourth Raikage discussed the allocation of ports within the Land of Hot Water, the leader of Yugakure remained indifferent. This scene was incredibly surreal and absurd.
Under normal circumstances, the leader of Yugakure would feel utterly hopeless, but today he had other options.
The leader of Yugakure turned to look at Yahiko, who coincidentally met his gaze. After exchanging looks, Yahiko spoke, "Shikaku, Raikage-sama, shouldn't we hear what Yugakure has to say?"