Think about it, the legendary shinobi god of the Land of Rain, Hanzo the Salamander, had witnessed the fall of the Shinobi World's God, seen countless shinobi graves overrun with weeds, and watched as prominent leaders like the Second Hokage disappeared.
He had believed the time was right for him to rise and elevate the Land of Rain to become the Sixth Great Shinobi Village. Starting off full of energy and confidence, he painfully realized that victory was out of reach.
Now, he found himself trapped, surrender wasn't really an option. The war was stuck in a stalemate, and both sides were just waiting for the right moment.
Besides, surrendering quickly would have been a disgrace for someone like him and would have meant huge reparations. It wasn't until the later battle against the Sanin that he found a way out. Hanzo didn't actually want to give up, he respected the younger generation of shinobi and didn't want the great predecessors of the shinobi world to be lost to the battlefield so easily.
This was his way of showing respect to Konoha, "I won't destroy your future, Konoha. Can we just end this fighting?" And with those words, the war between the Land of Rain and Konoha finally came to a close.
Meanwhile, with the payment from that contract finally in the treasury, the Land of Grass was in much better shape financially. For now, they didn't have to worry about running out of funds.
Still, the Land of Grass needed a reliable source of income. They cannot keep living on Smut story.
Things were stable for the moment, but if they wanted to grow stronger, the investments required would be huge. "In a few days, a shipment of grain will arrive. Make sure someone is there to receive it," Charlie instructed.
After accepting the items Kana had bought before leaving and finishing up the day's orders, he asked, "Where's Mujie?"
Kana hesitated for a moment before replying, "Mujie-sama left last night. Since you were busy, I didn't want to bother you. Mujie-sama mentioned that if there are no issues, you can start preparing to leave as well."
At that exact moment, while Charlie was inquiring about Mujie's whereabouts, Konoha received a message from him too! Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Without waiting, the door was thrown open.
"Hiruzen, about Kusagakure…" Homura stepped in, his brow furrowed and expression serious.
Just as he was about to continue, a series of clumsy noises caught his attention. He looked up to see Hiruzen bent over, carefully picking something up, 'a book?'
Quickly hiding it and acting innocent, Hiruzen snapped, "How many times do I have to tell you? Knock before coming in! I'm studying! Bursting in like this is really breaking my concentration!"
They'd been comrades for decades and knew each other all too well. Everyone immediately understood what kind of book that was, was it the Landlady's or Hinata-sensei's? Did Hiruzen really think no one noticed?
Homura's eyes showed a mix of disdain and admiration as he sighed, "No wonder you became Hokage, Hiruzen. Your teacher must have seen how much you love learning. Even after graduating, you never stopped studying, that's why you were chosen. Us? It's been so long since we graduated, we haven't touched a book in ages. Not like you. You're disciplined!"
He quickly got back on track. "Kusagakure envoy has reached the Land of Fire's border. They've sent word that they agree to Konoha's terms, but since the Land of Grass is still rebuilding, they're short on manpower and shinobi. Their strength is weak, they can't really take part."
"Just as expected," Hiruzen said without surprise.
Everyone in the shinobi world knew Kusagakure was allied with Konoha, but they also played both sides, cozying up to Iwagakure and even shamelessly selling Konoha's intel. They were fence sitter friends, completely lacking in shinobi honor.
This time, they were just checking the stance of Kusagakure, whether they might switch their allegiance to Iwagakure. After all, the Land of Grass bordered the Land of Fire, and if anything unexpected happened, they wanted to be ready.
"Fine. The war's almost over anyway. It doesn't really matter if Kusagakure gets involved or not.
Let Orochimaru and the others push forward and wrap up the fight with the Land of Rain quickly. Meanwhile, have Kato hold the line against Sunagakure. Once Orochimaru is done, he can rush over to support them."
"Wait, I'm not finished! Kusagakure says that although their situation is tough, as Konoha's ally, they can't just stand by without helping. They want to contribute, but they hope Konoha will back them up in rebuilding afterward!"
"Speak clearly!"
"In other words... they want money!"
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, at the same time, Hanzo the Salamander, the shinobi god, received a letter from the Land of Grass.
[Konoha's pressure tactics are forcing the Land of Grass to support their campaign against Amegakure. But this isn't what we truly want.
Kusagakure and Amegakure are neighboring villages, both caught between the ambitions of the Five Great Nations, both struggling to survive. We should be watching each other's backs, not drawing kunai at someone else's command.
So, thirty million ryo. That's all we ask.
Just thirty million! In return, Kusagakure will keep its shinobi stationed at the border, we won't take a single step into the Land of Rain!]
Hanzo read the scroll in silence, his eyes narrowing with each line. 'For a minor village like Kusagakure to make demands of Amegakure... how bold.'
Although Amegakure wasn't one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, their strength far exceeded that of a fence sitter ally.
"This is sheer opportunism! A petty Village dares to provoke us, Amegakure? Leader, we should show them what happens when you mess with us!"
"Exactly! Let's remind them of Amegakure's might!"
But while the other Ame shinobi were ready to fight, Hanzo remained silent. He looked out the window, at the heavy rain that never stopped falling.
Yes, he no longer wanted to keep fighting. He had started this war full of ambition but soon realized, forget Konoha, Sunagakure was unbeatable.
Their only victory was against the Iron Country to the north, but that meant nothing. They gained no real advantage and left the Land of Rain in chaos. This couldn't go on anymore.
After a moment, Hanzo shook his head and sighed. "Fine. send word to Kusagakure. Five million ryo that's all they're worth. That's already beyond an S-rank mission. If they refuse…"
He let his voice trail off, then added with a cold sneer, "Amegakure will surrender to Konoha, and then…" He sneered, "we'll declare war on Kusagakure!"
He shook his head again, a bitter smile on his lips. 'To think the day would come when Amegakure is threatened by a two-faced village like Kusagakure..."
He'd long heard that Kusagakure thrived by playing both sides and selling intel, but seeing it for himself made it painfully clear, it was true.