"What?"
Arashi's rhetorical question caught the three Daimyo completely off guard, leaving their carefully prepared arguments stuck in their throats.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water froze, his furious expression stiffening.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind, who had just folded his fan with composure, almost dropped it.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth, who had just finished threatening and shouting about forming an alliance against the proposal, was utterly dumbfounded.
No... a single garrison?
What did that mean?
The minds of the three cunning politicians halted simultaneously.
Just moments ago, they had been scheming ways to unite against the Land of Fire, trying to pressure Arashi to withdraw his proposal.
But now, a single sentence had shattered all their calculations.
The reception room fell into silence again.
Only this time, the silence wasn't filled with hostility or vigilance, but utter confusion and disbelief.
Ōnoki and Rasa couldn't keep up with the Daimyo's thought process, their faces full of bewilderment.
Seeing the wonderful changes in their expressions, Arashi smiled inwardly.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
First, toss out a proposal so outrageous they would never accept it, letting them feel a real threat.
Then, throw out bait that would make them scramble to bite.
At that moment, Arashi's mischievous side was immensely satisfied.
"Daimyo Arashi…" The Daimyo of the Land of Earth was the first to recover, suppressing the shock in his heart as he cautiously asked, "What exactly do you mean?"
Arashi's eyes swept over them one by one, his smile deepening.
"What I mean is…"
"I invited the three of you here early to ask…"
"Would you be interested in…"
"Joining hands with my Land of Fire…"
He deliberately paused, savoring the moment of breathless anticipation.
Then he dropped the bombshell that could shift the entire power structure of the Ninja World.
"…to jointly garrison the Land of Lightning."
Gasps erupted instantly. Everyone felt their hairs stand on end.
Their minds were in chaos, stirred by the four words: "jointly garrisoning."
Those four words instantly unleashed the hidden greed in their hearts.
If the Land of Fire's initial proposal had felt like a fatal threat...
Then now, joint garrisoning offered something entirely different.
An opportunity.
An opportunity laced with deadly poison.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water was still frozen in shock, mouth open but unable to speak, his breathing growing heavier.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind had dropped his fan, not even noticing.
The usually composed Daimyo of the Land of Earth suddenly leaned forward, his small eyes fixed on Arashi, a terrifying gleam shining in them.
Their expressions were no longer just stunned.
There was fanaticism. Greed. And a deep wariness toward this young Daimyo.
How ruthless.
What a venomous plan.
Dragging the three nations onto the Land of Fire's war chariot to carve up the Land of Lightning together.
This way, it wouldn't be the Land of Fire disrupting the balance of power alone.
It would be the Four Great Nations collectively punishing a country that had made a mistake.
And when everyone at the table is a butcher... there's no such thing as a butcher anymore.
"This... this…"
Ōnoki trembled all over.
Unlike the Daimyo, he didn't see this as an opportunity.
As a Kage who had survived three Great Ninja Wars, what he saw was far more terrifying than any political ploy.
Imbalance.
Total imbalance.
It's over.
The Land of Lightning is finished.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure had been locked in conflict for a lifetime. They were mortal enemies.
But Ōnoki knew better than anyone that Kumogakure's equally strong military presence had been what allowed them to apply pressure against Konoha from both the western and southern fronts.
The Five Great Nations, the Five Great Hidden Villages, were like five pillars upholding the fragile peace of the Ninja World.
Now, the Land of Fire was preparing to destroy one of them right in front of everyone.
And even more terrifying, they were inviting others to share in the spoils.
Ōnoki turned to look at his own Daimyo, whose face was now filled with unconcealed excitement and greed.
A chill instantly spread through his heart.
The Daimyo didn't see it.
He only saw the immediate gains. The Land of Lightning's minerals, land, and wealth ripe for the taking.
He couldn't understand that once the Land of Lightning was pulled out like a nail, the northern front of the Land of Fire would be completely unrestrained.
And the strategic balance of the entire Ninja World would collapse.
By then, Iwagakure would be left to face a Konoha that had broken free of all restrictions.
Even with Sunagakure and Kirigakure still around...
Ōnoki knew better than anyone that in all the past wars, Iwa, Suna, and Kiri had always needed to ally together just to pressure Konoha.
Even Kumogakure had joined in.
And yet, even with all four, they had never truly managed to defeat Konoha.
Now, Kumogakure was gone.
And they were about to become accomplices...
Ōnoki opened his mouth, wanting to scold, wanting to wake his own Daimyo up.
But when he met the smile in Arashi's eyes, all his words got stuck in his throat.
He couldn't speak.
He knew it was useless.
This wasn't a conspiracy. This was an overt scheme, laid bare.
The Land of Fire was using irresistible profit to strike directly at the softest spot of every Daimyo.
Even if he could persuade his own Daimyo, the Daimyo of the Land of Water and the Land of Wind would definitely agree.
Would the Land of Earth really sit back and watch the other three divide the spoils, while they got nothing?
This was an inescapable trap.
Arashi didn't know what Ōnoki was thinking.
Even if he did, he wouldn't care.
Because at this table, no one could refuse the chips he'd placed.
This was a true prisoner's dilemma. No one could escape.
"Ahem…"
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth coughed lightly, trying to regain his composure as his mind raced.
Risk?
Of course, the risk was enormous.
This meant tearing apart the fragile balance between the Five Great Nations, setting a dangerous precedent.
Today, they were ganging up to carve up the Land of Lightning.
Tomorrow, would the Land of Fire use the same method against them?
But...
What about the gains?
The gains were unprecedented as well.
What did it mean to garrison within a great nation?
It meant sharing its resources. Controlling its economy. Infiltrating its influence into every corner of that land.
This was more practical, more tempting, than any war reparations.
Especially for countries like theirs, always suffering from resource shortages...
This temptation was almost fatal.
There was no way he could turn down an opportunity that might lead to the expansion of the Land of Earth.
In the game of great powers, one step behind meant being left behind at every step.
Wait for the enemy to trip up on their own? He wasn't that naïve.
"Daimyo-sama Arashi…" The Daimyo of the Land of Earth finally calmed down, though the gleam in his eyes was much brighter than before. "Your proposal is... quite bold."
"The Land of Lightning might not agree."
"The other small and medium-sized nations might not sit by quietly either."
He was pointing out the risks while also probing the Land of Fire's confidence.
"Heh." Arashi chuckled lightly. "Does it matter if they agree?"
"A country that's lost its Kage, lost its strongest Jinchūriki, lost… well, whatever. Do they still have the right to say no?"
Though some found his pause odd, everyone still listened attentively.
"As for the other countries…" Arashi continued, his tone filled with unhidden disdain. "Once our Four Countries unite."
"In this world, besides us, whose opinion still matters?"
Overbearing.
Yet undeniably true.
Once the Four Great Nations stood together, the smaller nations didn't even have the right to speak.
If not for serving as strategic buffers, those tiny countries...
Would have been swallowed up long ago.
(To be continued.)