[War Reparations: 20 Billion Ryo]
[Territorial Cession: All islands belonging to the Land of Water, excluding the Hidden Mist Village, will be ceded to Konoha]
[Task Commission Division: Kirigakure must forfeit half of all mission contracts]
[Military Rights: Konoha reserves the right to station armed forces outside the Hidden Mist Village for border security]
There were only four clauses listed, and Ao had already broken into a cold sweat after reading just those.
He didn't dare look further. The rest of the densely packed clauses might as well have been a declaration of surrender.
This isn't a treaty… it's outright humiliation...
Uchiha Hikaru paused, then gave an awkward smile.
"My apologies."
"This plan was originally drafted by Danzo during the Third Great Ninja War, back when he served as Hokage Assistant."
"Looks like we handed you the wrong scroll."
He reached into his cloak and pulled out another red scroll, handing it across the table to Ao.
Ao's tense expression eased slightly.
Ah… so it was Danzo's handiwork. That explains everything.
Danzo Shimura's reputation as the Dark Shadow of the Shinobi World was well-known across every nation.
Accepting the second scroll, Ao forced his mind to stay sharp.
He wasn't naive. He knew that the first scroll was no accident. Uchiha Hikaru was testing Kirigakure's limits, gauging just how far they could be pushed.
But Ao believed that his own decisive reaction would serve them well in the upcoming negotiations. At least now, Konoha wouldn't expect them to roll over without resistance.
Meanwhile, Hikaru casually skimmed the scroll Ao had offered earlier—the treaty drafted by Kirigakure.
War reparations: only 500 million ryo...
They're poorer than the Hyuga Clan.
Hinata gave Orochimaru that much just to research the Caged Bird Seal...
There was no mention of commission shares. Tariffs were reduced to allow Konoha trade caravans to enter freely...
The entire document tried to place the blame for the war solely on the rogue Uchiha (Obito), denying any responsibility on Kirigakure's part.
Of course, Uchiha Hikaru understood—this was just their starting position. An attempt to bait Konoha into a more favorable negotiation.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen were still Hokage, he might've swallowed it.
But Hikaru? He wasn't some pushover soft enough to play nice with the village that just tried to wage war on Konoha.
I'll squeeze Kirigakure until they have nothing left to give.
Across the table, Ao had finished reading Konoha's real proposal.
He now had a better understanding of what Konoha truly wanted.
"Lord Hikaru," Ao said carefully, "this proposal is certainly more… reasonable than the first."
"But as you are aware, Kirigakure's current state is... fragile."
"I wonder if we can revisit the specifics of the reparations, commission shares, and tariffs?"
"We simply cannot pay 20 billion ryo. 500 million is the maximum we can manage. We're willing to drop our mission commission share from 30% to 15%."
"As compensation, we can reduce tariffs to 5%."
"What do you think of that, Lord Hikaru?"
Hikaru didn't respond. His expression darkened, and the chakra in his body began to churn ominously.
"Five hundred million ryo? A 15% commission share? Five percent tariff?"
"Are you mocking Konoha?"
"Is Kirigakure trying to buy off a beggar?"
The air around them turned heavy again, and Ao's pulse quickened.
That was a lot... wasn't it?
That's our entire annual income… we only have 300 million in the village's treasury, and we'd have to beg the Daimyo for the rest.
The entire war was funded by us alone—Yagura never got official support. Without the fishing industry, the entire village would've starved to death!
"If… you have alternate terms, please share them," Ao said, trying to stay composed.
"I'm open to negotiation."
Hikaru slung one leg over the edge of the conference table.
"Five hundred million ryo isn't even enough to fund a single Konoha department for the year."
"At least 1.5 billion. That's non-negotiable."
"That's still too high, Lord Hikaru!"
"Then pay in installments."
"How about 600 million?"
"1.4 billion."
"Seven hundred million!"
"1.1 billion."
"One billion!"
"One billion, Lord Hikaru! That's as far as we can go!"
Hikaru's face shifted suddenly into a sly smirk, like an old merchant who'd been playing this game his whole life.
"Then I've changed my mind."
"1.2 billion."
Ao stiffened.
How… how did he know? That's exactly the upper limit we can bear…
Damn it, I was careful! I didn't give him any tells!
This man… he's terrifying...
Reluctantly, Ao nodded.
"Very well. Then 1.2 billion ryo in reparations."
"But the mission commission share must stay at 15%. Anything more would collapse our finances."
Hikaru gave a casual nod.
After this war, the whole ninja world saw what happened. Konoha emerged victorious with a brand-new Hokage at the helm. That's a reputation money can't buy.
Even if the commission share is small, more countries will come to us over Kirigakure.
Soon, we won't have enough shinobi to handle all the contracts anyway.
"Lord Hikaru… are there any other terms?"
By now, Ao was practically trembling. He didn't want to offer up anything else by accident. It was safer to stay quiet and let Hikaru name his price.
"Tariffs."
"Once the treaty is signed, Konoha and Kirigakure will become allies."
"Frankly, I think we can even raise the tariff from 5% to 10%."
"Of course… there are a few minor strings attached. Would you like to hear them?"
Ao blinked.
Raise? He wants to RAISE the tariff? Who does that?
His instincts screamed danger.
The fox wishes the chickens a happy new year... there's no way this is sincere.
Still, an additional 5% tariff would massively increase Kirigakure's revenue.
He couldn't ignore that.
"...Please go on, Lord Hikaru. If the conditions are within reason, Kirigakure is prepared to accept them."
Uchiha Hikaru chuckled inwardly.
The shinobi world is such a fragile place. Flash a bit of gold, and they'll gladly sell their future.
Free things are always the most expensive.
Let them grow dependent on Konoha, on our wealth, our merchants, our systems. Eventually, Kirigakure will become Konoha—without ever realizing it.
By the time they see the chains, it'll be too late to break them.
"Your territory is small," Hikaru began, voice smooth as silk.
"Konoha understands that. Which is why this treaty doesn't involve land cession."
"Instead, we'd like to lease."
"That is—Konoha wishes to lease land directly from the nobles of the Land of Water."
"Nothing military. Purely for commercial use. Any armed security will be outsourced to Kirigakure shinobi."
"Can your village accept that arrangement?"
...
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