Nawaki, Konan, and Yahiko exchanged glances and immediately agreed. After all, three days was already beyond their expectations. If this matter succeeded, their status in the class would skyrocket, it was easy to imagine.
During the process, Nawaki even winked at Kushina, the meaning clear: Thanks for your cooperation this time.
Kushina winked back in response, looking very pleased as she glanced at Minato, who was keeping his head down and saying nothing.
Hah, you think I can't handle you?
Tsunade, on the other hand, was thinking, A little delay in the morning shouldn't be a problem. If Minato doesn't finish the task in the afternoon, we can always work overtime tonight!
Watching the group of sharp little troublemakers, Mito, standing nearby, had a constant happy smile on her face.
How nice!
"Where's Shin?" Nawaki suddenly asked, feeling like something was missing.
"Yeah, where's he?" Minato also asked.
"Of course, he's off handling an important matter, something vital for the village's future development. So don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
"Oh!"
---
At that moment, Shin was secretly meeting with Ōnoki.
The Third Tsuchikage was the kind of person who always acted swiftly and decisively. Once he made a decision, he immediately contacted Shin via long-distance radio.
These days, radio had become the primary means of long-range communication in the ninja world.
After all, it wasn't particularly advanced technology, and with Konoha's successful example, the other major ninja villages had managed to replicate it within half a year.
After a brief exchange over the radio, Shin arrived just outside Iwa.
"This is our first time meeting, isn't it?" In a temporary tent, he looked at Shin warmly, his admiration plain to see.
"Tsuchikage-sama, your reputation precedes you. Unfortunately, I never had the honor of meeting you until today," Shin replied, giving Ōnoki full respect.
In Shin's view, there were no eternal friends and no eternal enemies between the major ninja villages, only eternal interests.
As long as there wasn't an irreparable break, there was no need to win arguments or make pointless enemies.
A few kind words cost nothing, and might even bring benefits.
Hadn't the daimyō of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind happily opened their wallets after being flattered?
Ugly as the two were, their way of spending money was truly handsome.
"You flatter me too much," Ōnoki said, waving his hand. "I'm nothing but an old man."
"You're far too modest!" Shin replied. "It's only because the Land of Earth and Iwa are poor in resources that your talents have been limited. Otherwise, Kumo wouldn't have had the chance to shine."
At the words poor in resources, Ōnoki's expression changed instantly.
So he is cutting right to the chase... well, that's fine too.
Seeing this, he dropped the small talk and went straight to the point: "My people happened to learn that an area in the north of the Land of Fire, once barren saline-alkali land, has recently turned into fertile farmland, and a nearby desert has become an oasis."
"I wonder if you've heard about this?"
"Of course," Shin said with a smile, "and I can also tell you that it was Orochimaru and I who made it happen."
He didn't give Ōnoki a chance to beat around the bush, directly stating the answer the latter had likely already guessed.
Flattery and small talk could certainly improve relations.
But for an old fox like Ōnoki, he would never be blinded by pleasantries.
If you gave him real benefits, he wouldn't mind if you cursed him out a couple of times.
But if you make him suffer a loss, no matter how much you praise him to the skies, he'll still turn against you.
That's why, when talking to him, there's no need to focus too much on the surface atmosphere, you should always start from his core interests.
Once his suspicions were confirmed, Ōnoki's breathing grew slightly rapid. He hurriedly asked, "The question is... would this method be suitable for Iwa or the Land of Earth?"
"I genuinely respect you," Shin replied, "but in the end, we belong to different villages. Some matters involve classified information, so I can't tell you everything truthfully."
Ōnoki immediately became anxious. Floating up into the air, he said eagerly, "Over the years, the relationship between Iwa and Konoha has been fairly good, hasn't it?"
"That's an unshakable bond," Shin said seriously. "During the Second Great Ninja War, Suna and Ame launched attacks against us."
"Not only did you refrain from kicking us while we were down, you even sent troops to the border to hold off Suna and Ame for us."
"That's a debt of gratitude we've never forgotten!"
Ōnoki's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.
What the hell am I supposed to say to that?
The only reason he'd sent troops to the border back then wasn't to hold off Suna and Ame, it was to pick the peaches after both sides were worn out.
Although, in the end, he hadn't made a move for various reasons, everyone knew the truth.
This so-called gratitude was clearly just an outright way of saying: I know Iwa isn't any better than us, and our relationship isn't that close.
It was also a tactic to add leverage in the upcoming negotiations.
The meaning was clear: You've tried to scheme against me before, if you want my help, you'll have to pay extra.
But he acted as if he didn't notice and laughed heartily. "That was only what we ought to do, mutual help and all that!"
Shin thought, Wow, you really have the guts to climb along the pole, huh? You'll claim even this?
Still, he didn't mind.
No matter what tricks Ōnoki tried, until he got what he wanted, the other side wouldn't get a single benefit out of him.
The reason he had chosen to transform the saline-alkali land in the Land of Fire rather than in Konoha itself was precisely because he wanted the news to spread.
And the purpose of that, naturally, was to fish for interest.
Sure enough, Ōnoki had taken the bait. Suna was probably not far behind.
From Shin's attitude, he could tell, this guy was also a sly one who wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit.
It looked like Iwa would have to bleed heavily this time.
"I'll speak frankly," Ōnoki said, dropping the pretenses. "Earlier you mentioned that Iwa and the Land of Earth are poor in resources. That has always been a major headache for both me and the daimyō. Although our climate is far better than the Land of Wind's, our territory is covered in rock and completely unsuitable for farming. We've always wanted to change this situation, but we've been powerless to do so."
"If you can help us, Konoha will become the best friend of both Iwa and the Land of Earth, and of course, we wouldn't expect Konoha to help for nothing."
"This matter is of great importance, so I can't promise anything," Shin said. "But relations between the villages are very delicate right now. We're worried that once Iwa becomes prosperous, it might act against Konoha's interests."
"Rest assured, if Konoha is willing to help, I will immediately form a firm alliance of mutual aid with you."
"There's no need to say that to me," Shin said. "After all, I'm not the Hokage. But I've heard that, from time to time, you lot hold secret Five Kage meetings without Konoha. Can you tell me what that's about?"