Seeing that the Third Raikage had been thoroughly tormented by Hibari's shameless antics, Hiruzen couldn't stay silent anymore.
After all, the Third Raikage was a 'guest' who had come to sign a peace treaty. If he was pushed too far and left on bad terms, it would be very awkward and wouldn't sound good to outsiders. People would definitely say that Konoha was ill-mannered.
"Alright, these are all minor details. Let's talk about them privately after we've agreed on the main points," Hiruzen said softly.
Hibari didn't want to be aggressive either, so he smiled and said, "Yes, let's talk about business first. Where were you all in the discussion?"
The Third Raikage was silent for a moment, not wanting to embarrass himself further. He then said, "We have agreed on everything else, but the matter regarding Kinkaku and Ginkaku is still under negotiation..."
Hiruzen sighed dramatically and said, "The Third Raikage-sama thinks that our demands are inappropriate, but it's very difficult for me as well."
"Inappropriate?" Hibari asked, feigning confusion. Then he continued, "A hundred million ryo in compensation isn't too much, is it? The Land of Lightning is one of the Five Great Nations, and Kumogakure is one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Such a huge disturbance occurred at the peace treaty conference, which resulted in our Second Hokage-sama being severely injured and having to step down from the Hokage position.
"A hundred million ryo is already a concession we've made, considering that the two sides might become friends and not enemies. What's wrong with that, Raikage-sama?"
The Third Raikage's face also turned sour, and he said, "The economic situation of our Land of Lightning and Kumogakure is very bad, not as good as your large Konoha. I really can't afford a hundred million ryo. Even if I could, I wouldn't be able to explain it to the people of the village. If I were to lose my position as the Third Raikage, then all these things we've agreed on would be meaningless, and that's not good for anyone, is it?"
The Third Raikage also felt frustrated. What did this bastard mean by 'a hundred million ryo isn't too much'? When converted, that was the payment for a hundred S-rank missions! It was enough to accomplish many great things.
He had just taken office, and his position wasn't stable yet. If he suddenly had to pay a hundred million ryo in compensation, the village's hostility towards Konoha was already very high. How could he face the public when he returned? There would definitely be another civil war. Even if Kumogakure didn't fall apart, it would be crippled.
Hibari raised an eyebrow and said, "That's a coincidence. Our Third Hokage-sama has also just taken office. If he doesn't achieve something in this peace talk to 'vent his anger' for the Second Hokage-sama, I don't think his position will be stable either. At that time, even if you, Raikage-sama, manage to get this treaty signed, it would still be a meaningless piece of paper... This is really troublesome."
When Hibari said this, Hiruzen also cooperated by putting on a worried expression, as if he was really being grilled.
The Third Raikage was so angry at Hibari for stirring up trouble that he was gritting his teeth.
The atmosphere fell into a silence where neither side was willing to back down. After this awkward atmosphere continued for a while, Hibari sighed and was the first to speak.
"Ultimately, it's not that both sides are unwilling to talk about peace; it's just that both have their own difficulties and can't back down on this compensation, right?" Hibari said in a deep voice.
The Third Raikage looked at Hibari and then said, "That's right. We also feel very guilty about what happened to the Second Hokage-sama. If we could make some compensation and an apology within a reasonable range, we would be very willing to do so... But the problem is that the current conditions don't allow me to do that."
"Then let's both take a step back!" Hibari suddenly said.
Hiruzen, Danzō, Koharu, and Homura all looked at Hibari. Hibari then said, "On behalf of the Senju clan and my grandfather, I accept the apology of Kumogakure and the Third Raikage and declare our forgiveness. I have a very good proposal. I'm sure the Third Raikage-sama will be interested in hearing it."
The Third Raikage saw that there might be a turn for the better, so he nodded and said, "I'd like to hear it."
Hibari nodded and then continued, "I've understood what you were saying just now. It's not that you, Raikage-sama, can't come up with this hundred million ryo in compensation; it's just that you can't explain it to the village, right?"
The Third Raikage was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right. If we grit our teeth, we can still scrape up some money."
After confirming this point, Hibari continued, "Then it's much easier to handle. Let's both go through the motions. I'm guessing that you, Kumogakure, will use this hundred million ryo to revitalize your economy later, right?"
The Third Raikage nodded and then said, "The effects of the war are comprehensive. Our internal economy in Kumogakure was already very bad before, so I did plan to invest in the economy afterward."
"Then it's easy to talk about. How about this: we both 'save face'? Raikage-sama, you agree to a hundred million ryo in compensation, and then I, on behalf of the Mitsumine Group, will immediately invest two hundred million ryo in Kumogakure and establish a branch of the Mitsumine Merchant Guild to help Kumogakure recover and prosper its economy. This way, everyone saves face and benefits.
"What do you think? If both sides sign an alliance, becoming allies, then the next major investment direction of our Mitsumine Group can fully lean towards the Land of Lightning, deepening our commercial and economic cooperation, and accumulating more friendship and common interests..." Hibari said all this in one breath.
Then he paused for a moment, looked at the stunned Third Raikage, and said with a smile, "What do you think of my win-win solution, Raikage-sama?"
The Third Raikage didn't answer immediately. Instead, he started to think about whether there were any traps or conspiracies behind this. After all, Hibari had just cornered him not long ago, so why had he suddenly become so kind? And if he thought about it, the relationship between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire wasn't that good. He couldn't be helping them for no reason, could he?
But the Third Raikage might have been very capable in politics and other areas, but when it came to economics, he really couldn't figure out what was going on. Or rather, at present, besides a few people who had been taught by Hibari, like the current Third Hokage Hiruzen, no one else could see any flaws in this kind of economic investment.
The Third Raikage looked at the few Kumogakure councilors beside him. The councilors also didn't seem to find any problems and all nodded, seeming to express their stance.
Since he couldn't find any clues, the Third Raikage also felt that this plan was acceptable, but he was still a bit hesitant.
It was at this moment that Hibari spoke again, "I wonder if Raikage-sama has any intention of forming an alliance with our Konoha?"
The Third Raikage's expression became truly hard to read this time. He then said softly, "If possible, our Kumogakure does have that idea, but this alliance must be built on a fair footing. It absolutely cannot be a superior-subordinate relationship."
Hibari looked at Hiruzen. Hiruzen also nodded and then said, "Naturally. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure's rights and obligations in all aspects are equal to our Konoha's. It's naturally not a superior-subordinate relationship. An alliance, of course, must be built on equality and friendship!"
Although Konoha needed an ally that was weaker than them, they couldn't say that on the surface. If they did, it would be a miracle if the Third Raikage agreed to an alliance.
However, the Third Raikage also knew that these were just empty words. In the end, it was all about strength. But that was the attitude he needed. So he nodded and said, "In that case, I can say with certainty that once the peace treaty is signed, we can immediately start preparing to sign an alliance!"
"Hahahaha, that's great! Then I'll give our future ally a gift in advance. Perhaps due to the time difference and travel, you, Third Raikage-sama, haven't received the news yet. The Land of Water and the Land of Earth had a final battle a few days ago, and both sides paid a heavy price. You could say that there was no winner. And there's a rumor that Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki and Second Tsuchikage Mū both died in this war, as if they killed each other. According to our Anbu's investigation, this possibility is very high. So... what does that mean?" Hibari said with a smile.
It wasn't just the Third Raikage's expression that changed to one of shock; Hiruzen and the others' expressions also became extremely shocked. Then the Third Raikage was silent for a moment and said, "If the situation is true, then it means that the war between the Land of Water and the Land of Earth is also about to end. It's not that they don't want to fight anymore; it's that they don't dare to. If they continue to fight..."
At this point, the Third Raikage looked at Hiruzen, and Hiruzen also looked at him. They both saw a hint of greed in each other's eyes, but they both quickly shook their heads, understanding that it was impossible.
Those two great nations wouldn't make such a mistake. Once Kumogakure and Konoha put out the flames of war and even formed an alliance, the other two great nations would definitely stop fighting immediately and start to be wary.
"That's right. This means that this 'Shinobi World War' will soon come to an end. Next, it will be a time for the Five Great Nations to check and balance each other, carefully maintaining peace and seeking development amidst friction and disputes... And then, an interesting phenomenon will appear..." The corner of Hibari's mouth curled into a slightly evil smile.
Then he spoke again, "Out of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Wind and Sunagakure didn't participate in the war and instead quietly developed. Their strength in all aspects has risen. On the contrary, the other four of us have all declined to varying degrees. We will all inevitably seek development. So, I have a question to ask: which two of the other four nations are most likely to develop quickly?"
After a brief pause, Hibari answered the question himself without waiting for anyone else to answer, "That would be our Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning because only our two nations can reach an alliance and become allies!"
The Third Raikage's expression changed when he heard this.
Yes, that was true.
The Land of Water and the Land of Earth couldn't form an alliance because they had a deep-seated hatred for each other and their Daimyō had died.
The Land of Wind was also very reclusive, and in a short time, they would definitely observe the situation first and wouldn't easily form an alliance with anyone. Therefore, the other three nations could only develop alone, while the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire could band together.
This made the Third Raikage's heart race. It didn't matter that he couldn't defeat Konoha. He could first form an alliance, use Konoha's power to quickly increase the national strength of Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning, and completely surpass the other three nations. Being a second-in-command was also an option.
Once all these preparations were made, in the next war, they could bully the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Water. They could take the interests they were supposed to get, and after acquiring more interests, they could decide whether to continue challenging Konoha based on the situation.
This was a very forward-looking development strategy!
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