Chapter 31: End of the Talks
The Ninja World has over a hundred countries, large and small, with the Five Great Nations—Wind, Earth, Lightning, Water, and Fire—standing at the top.
Yet several smaller states also wield decisive influence.
Take the Demon Country: it guards the legendary demon that can destroy the Ninja World, so every nation sends it aid.
Or the Land of Iron: absolutely neutral and the last pure land of the samurai, it still commands respect through the ties between its warriors and the daimyō.
And then there's the Land of Rain, wedged between Wind, Earth, and Fire.
It borders the Land of Wind to the west, the Land of Earth to the north, the Land of Fire to the south; eastward you can cut through the Land of Grass and reach the far-off Land of Lightning.
Ringed by mountains, whoever controls the Land of Rain holds the high ground—able to strike north into the Land of Earth or south into the Land of Fire… though there's nothing much worth taking to the west.
Thus, thanks to its unique geography, the Land of Rain has survived in the crack between three great powers.
The Land of Rain.
Inside the high tower of Amegakure.
This was once the residence of the "Demi-God of the Ninja World," Hanzō of the Salamander, a place to look down upon the whole village.
After Hanzō's death it was ransacked and left in ruins.
But today the room is spotless; Hanzō's body outside has even been laid to rest.
All because a new group has arrived.
"Hey there, beautiful! I'm Saito, you can call me Flame. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the legendary Princess Tsunade. It's an honor—may I invite you to dinner after the meeting?"
Saito stepped up to Tsunade and, with a flick of Magnet Release, shaped a golden flower.
"Princess Tsunade, accept this as our greeting gift."
"Thanks."
Faced with Saito's approach, Tsunade accepted… the golden flower.
Heh, another fat roll for the casino tonight.
"And this must be Lord Hokage's beloved pupil, Mr. Orochimaru. I've long admired you; meeting you now, I feel we're kindred spirits with endless topics to share."
"Oh? Does the Kazekage also seek the truth of life?"
"More or less—I'm very interested in the process of creating life!"
Orochimaru: "Heh-heh."
"And you must be—whoa, why is your face so dark? I didn't know Lord Hokage had a black disciple."
Seeing Jiraiya's dark expression ever since he'd started flirting with Tsunade, Saito teased.
"Heh-heh, Kazekage-sama, don't make fun of me." Jiraiya forced an ugly smile.
"Haha, they say Jiraiya's forthright—today proves it!" He leaned closer and whispered,
"I know a place where the women are… well, next time I'll take you." He waggled his brows like a secret signal.
Sure enough, Jiraiya gave a knowing grin.
"Haha, it's a deal, Lord Kazekage!"
But everyone present was a powerhouse; their "whispers" rang loud and clear.
Ignoring every blackened face, Saito returned to his seat and set the green Kazekage hat on the table.
Paying no heed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose face was blacker than coal, he spoke to Onoki and the Third Raikage.
"Then let's begin the talks on the new post-war order for the Land of Rain and how to address the Land of Fire's continued large-scale destruction after Hanzō's death."
…In the end the meeting concluded "harmoniously," each village dragging its own Kage away to cool off—except Konoha, where Hiruzen had to haul Tsunade.
Tsunade's fury came from Saito repeatedly proposing an alliance, offering to marry her so the villages could become kin, even claiming he alone could let her gamble freely. At first she was tempted, but when Saito added that if she didn't marry now no one would dare wed her later, she lost it and tried to deck him—until Hiruzen hauled her off. (Because Hidden Sand Village never declared war on Konoha, the Leaf's pressure wasn't as great as in the original story; children weren't thrown onto the battlefield, so Nawaki survived and Dan Kato never took advantage—Tsunade was still the innocent Tsunade.)
For Hidden Stone Village, Saito asked why Onoki was so tiny while his son Kitsuchi was so tall, hinting he doubted they were blood-related. The seasoned Onoki kept his cool…
…until Saito added, "So Lord Tsuchikage likes 'Small Horse Pulling Big Cart,' huh?"
Enraged, Onoki opened with Dust Release; only Kitsuchi bear-hugging his father ended it.
To the Third Raikage he said, "Your son only lifts weights and shows zero interest in women—what if he brings home a man and ends the Yotsuki line?"
In the end it took the commoner Tsuchi to drag him back.
As for Saito, Uzumaki Rumei snared him with Adamantine Sealing Chains and sprinted off.
No choice—frightened. With that mouth Saito had insulted all three powers; if they didn't run now they might never get the chance.
Of course,
the meeting was still… a complete success.
In the end the four villages agreed to disband the Rain's Ninja village. Konoha would fund the reconstruction (as penalty for its rampage), Hidden Sand Village would supply labor, and Amegakure would be turned into a trade hub where fighting was forbidden. Each village would own one-quarter of the ground, free to run shops or lease them to merchants.
To develop the Land of Rain, each village would build a road from one of the four cardinal directions, pay its own costs, and retain ownership of the road rather than cede it to Rain.
Of course,
all these proposals came from Saito. To ensure the Wind-Rain mountain pass would open, he suggested making Rain a trade nexus backed by the four great villages.
At first they balked—after all, this was snatching meat from the daimyō's plates, and they still had some scruples.
But when Saito laid out the profits in full and made it clear that, once the trade hub was running, the four great villages would still pocket more than a hundred million a year after the Land of Rain's daimyo took his cut—and that didn't even count the profit from selling their own goods—
everyone's eyes turned red. Even normally wealthy Konoha couldn't stay calm.
After all, who could say no to free money—especially right after a war when every village was desperate to rebuild?
So they reached instant agreement. As for the daimyo—never heard of him; total stranger.
The road proposal passed unanimously the moment Saito mentioned it; a project that benefited everyone had no enemies.
Hidden Sand Village naturally took charge of building the western stretch.
And if we're building roads, carving a route through the Wind-Rain Mountains is only logical, right?
Thus a deal was struck that, on paper, left all four villages plus the Land of Rain's daimyo better off.
So the question is: who got the short end of the stick?
First to be ruled out: Hanzo, already six feet under.
The Land of Wind.
The country's south coast enjoys a mild climate; oases large and small form a fertile belt where ninety percent of the population lives.
The Capital of Wind, seat of the daimyo, is also the nation's largest city.
It commands vast tracts of rich soil and a wide harbor crowded with merchant ships.
Its prosperity rivals that of the Capital of Fire Country.
So you can call Hidden Sand Village poor, but never call the Land of Wind poor.
Which of the Five Great Nations is ever truly poor? It's only a question of how tight-fisted the daimyo chooses to be.
Inside the daimyo's palace at that very moment,
the air shook with roars of rage as priceless porcelain crashed to the floor like cheap pottery.
The reason was simple: the daimyo was furious.
"My money—all of it should be mine! On what grounds do they take it from me?"
"Damned Ninja—do they even see me as their sovereign?"
"Since taking office he's never come to pay homage, ended the war on his own, dared to hijack my supplies, and now proposes a Land of Rain trade route—does the Kazekage even acknowledge my authority?"
"That's more than a hundred million a year! And he swallowed it whole—didn't give me a single ryō! Look at the Hokage—he reported back immediately and asked the Land of Fire's daimyo how much he wanted. But the Kazekage? Not a peep! Is he staging a rebellion?"
"Does he think I won't cut off Hidden Sand Village's rations?"
The finance minister standing below had no idea how to respond.
Give it a rest. You only hand them a hundred million a year and were planning to slash even that. Before the cut you weren't giving as much as they now collect themselves—why should they care what you threaten?
"Sota Masato!"
"Present!" The finance minister rose and bowed.
"Tell me—how much would it cost to have the Kazekage removed?"
"That… would be unwise, Your Highness!"
"Unwise? Why? If he won't obey, what use is he?"
"Your Highness, though the Kazekage has indeed been discourteous, he is undeniably capable.
Among the five great villages, the Land of Wind sends Hidden Sand Village the least aid, yet under those conditions he still profits from war—proof of rare talent. Though he repeatedly defies you, he brings wealth to the nation.
More importantly, assassinating a Kage is prohibitively expensive. Even if successful, exposure would spark civil war. Once hordes of Ninja march on the capital, Your Highness would scarcely sleep soundly."
"Hmm… reasonable. Why should I, a great daimyo, endanger myself over mere Ninja? Yet if he suffers no penalty, where shall I place my face?"
"Simple, Highness. Let them have the Land of Rain trade share—but on the condition that Hidden Sand Village henceforth receives not a single ryō of Land of Wind support, including mission contracts. The village must fund itself entirely."
If the Kazekage refuses, he must hand over the Land of Rain revenue and the daimyo gains an effortless income stream.
If he agrees, Your Highness can rightfully withhold all supplies, while those same contracts can be funneled to Konoha—earning you a tidy markup either way."
"Excellent, excellent, excellent! See it done—ha-ha-ha!"
Delighted, the daimyo heaped praise on Sota Masato and departed.
---
"Honored Kazekage,
I have, as instructed, successfully guided the daimyo… Your most loyal ally—Sota Masato."
Saito finished reading the note, wrote the character for 'Reward' on it, and passed it to an Anbu for action.
"Hmph. Climb high enough and you assume the world must orbit you. Cutting Hidden Sand Village's budget could be called dislike of Ninja, but when you even delay officials' salaries you're simply courting death."
After taking office Saito expanded intelligence operations in the capital. Learning that the daimyo habitually docked his retainers' pay, he understood why nobles risked defeat to sell war supplies: their lord was too stingy. No surplus grain in the granaries—if they lost, their estates wouldn't foot the indemnity, so grab the money now; don't wait for a victory bonus that would never come.
Thus Saito's opportunity arrived.
What did the officials lack?
Money.
What did Saito have in abundance?
Money.
A case of a turtle eyeing a green beans—snap—perfect match.
Most officials were already on Saito's payroll.
Sota Masato, naturally, among them.
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