Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 233 The Alliance of Ninja Villages, The Mutual Aid Terms of the Ninja Villages

The Land of Fire, Konoha Village.

The midday sun shines on the wide, smooth streets.

Shops lined the streets, and people thronged the area. The aroma of food, the sounds of children playing, and the numerous fully loaded trucks bearing the "Takaya Shokai" logo all spoke of the village's prosperity.

This scene of wealth and luxury is enviable.

Luo Sha rode on a camel, wearing a large windproof cloak that covered most of his face.

He looked at the scene on both sides of the street.

The more he looked, the more his heart sank.

He came to sue for peace. He was the acting Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure.

In his hometown, even a bowl of coarse rice was a luxury for ordinary people. The Land of Wind was arid and barren, and years of war had drained the village of its last drop of blood.

Here, even dogs on the street can get meat bones to eat.

"Lord Kazekage, please follow me. The Hokage is already waiting for you."

The guide was a member of the Konoha Anbu wearing a fox mask.

Rasa and his group were taken to the Hokage Building.

meeting room.

The door was pushed open.

There were only three people inside.

Seated in the main seat was Orochimaru, who wore a divine robe and had long, flowing hair.

Sitting to Orochimaru's left is Nara Shikaku, the leader of the Jonin squad.

Sitting on the right was a young man wearing a black trench coat and a single eye patch.

Although he had never met him, Rasa had also read this person's information. Takaya Sousuke, Konoha's strategic resources coordination advisor.

"The Fourth Kazekage."

Shikaku stood up and nodded slightly.

"You must be tired from your journey, please have a seat."

Rasa walked to the other side of the long table and sat down. The two Sand Village Jonin who accompanied him stood behind him, their expressions tense.

"I'll get straight to the point."

Luo Sha's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"On behalf of Sunagakure, I present a ceasefire agreement to Konoha. Sunagakure will completely withdraw from the Land of Rivers and acknowledge Konoha's control over the region."

He took out a scroll and pushed it to the center of the table.

"Withdraw from the land of rivers?"

Orochimaru let out a sneer.

"Lord Fengying, it seems you've made a mistake."

"The Land of Rivers is already under Konoha's control. You were driven out, not voluntarily withdrawn."

"Using things that never belonged to you in the first place to exchange for a ceasefire in Konoha?"

Orochimaru leaned forward slightly and licked his lips with his long tongue.

"This is not the attitude a defeated nation should have."

Humiliation. It was like a resounding slap across Rosa's face.

The Sand Village Jonin behind him clenched his fists, but refrained from acting out under Rasa's watchful gaze.

"I know."

Luo Sha was very calm.

"Therefore, Sunagakure is willing to pay war reparations."

He untied a specially made sealed scroll from his waist.

"untie."

Splash—

Accompanied by a dull sound.

Large amounts of gold dust poured out of the scroll, piling up into a glittering little mountain on the long table.

These placer golds are of extremely high purity, refracting a dazzling light under the sun. They were painstakingly extracted from Luosha over countless days and nights, painstakingly panning and washing it deep in the desert.

It's the real hard-earned money of Sunagakure.

"Here is a ton of high-purity placer gold. As the first installment of compensation," Luo Sha said in a deep voice.

Orochimaru's eyes remained completely unmoved.

For a scientist seeking immortality and truth, mere placer gold is far less appealing than a unique corpse.

"Sousuke-kun."

Orochimaru leaned back lazily in his chair.

"You're a businessman, so you should assess the value of this pile of sand."

Sosuke stood up.

He walked to the table and casually grabbed a handful of gold dust. The gold dust dripped through his fingers.

"Kazekage-sama."

"At the current black market exchange rate, one ton of gold dust, converted into the currency of the Land of Fire, is worth approximately 180 million taels."

"That sounds like a lot."

"However, Konoha suffered losses of up to 200 million ryo just from the loss of ninja tools in this war. Not to mention the cost of compensation and logistical expenses."

Sosuke looked at Rasa.

"This amount of money is far from enough."

Luo Sha's face turned extremely ugly.

He knew he didn't have enough money. Sunagakure was too poor. The daimyo had cut funding, and this ton of gold dust was the limit of what he could offer.

"This is just the first transaction."

Luo Sha gritted his teeth.

"The subsequent compensation will be paid in installments by the Sand Village Association. We need time."

Shikaku spoke.

"Lord Fengying, this is not a vegetable market."

"Konoha lost too many ninja in this war. Their compensation cannot be simply glossed over with the promise of installment payments."

"If Sunagakure cannot show enough sincerity, Konoha's army will advance into the Land of Wind tomorrow."

Luo Sha remained silent.

"Sunagakure occupies three large mines within the Land of Rain. We can cede the mining rights to these three mines."

He revealed his trump card without any expression.

"This is our final concession."

"If Konoha continues to be aggressive, then Sunagakure will have no choice but to fight to the last man."

97

This is the limit.

If he continues to cede territory, he, as the acting Kazekage, will be torn to pieces by the elders and Jonin when he returns.

Shikaku looked at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru smiled noncommittally and turned his gaze to Sousuke.

"Sosuke-kun, you're in charge of logistics."

"Do you think the conditions provided by Sunagakure can make up for the village's deficit?"

"Mine is an inanimate object."

Sosuke's voice was flat.

"There's war going on everywhere right now. To open up mines, we need a lot of workers and guards. Where in Konoha do we find extra manpower to mine there?"

"Moreover, the Iwagakure demolition squad could cause trouble at any time. Mining is too costly and not worthwhile."

Luo Sha's face turned completely ashen.

They don't even want the mines. What exactly does Konoha want?

Is it really necessary for Sunagakure to cede territory and pay reparations, becoming a complete vassal state?

"but----"

Sosuke then changed the subject.

His eyes were as deep as a pool.

"Lord Kazekage, I understand the difficulties faced by Sunagakure."

"The Daimyo of the Land of Wind has cut your military budget. Now, you can't even afford to feed the ninjas on the front lines properly, can you?"

Luo Sha felt a chill run down his spine.

This is Sunagakure's biggest secret, seemingly transparent to Konoha.

"I can help Sunagakure solve this problem."

Sosuke leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced.

"Takaya Trading Company is willing to advance all war reparations owed by Sunagakure to Konoha in a lump sum."

"Furthermore, the Chamber of Commerce will provide Sunagakure with enough food to feed the entire village for three months, as well as the highest-grade war wound medicine, free of charge."

This statement came out.

Shikaku was stunned.

Rasa also looked at Sosuke in disbelief.

Paying reparations for an enemy country? And even providing them with food and medicine? Are there really businessmen in this world who do charity like this?

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

He didn't interrupt. He knew that every penny of Sosuke's money was tainted with deadly poison.

"What are the conditions?"

Luo Sha maintained his composure as a Kazekage and did not let himself be blinded by emotions.

"What does the Takaya Trading Company want from Sunagakure?"

"It's very simple."

Sosuke held up three fingers.

"First. From now on, the Takaya Trading Company must have an exclusive right to import all grains and medicinal herbs within the Land of Wind."

Luo Sha's eye twitched slightly.

Exclusive franchise rights? That's tantamount to handing over the entire stomach of Sunagakure to this man.

If the Takaya Trading Company cuts off supplies, Sunagakure will be instantly filled with starving corpses.

This is an economic noose more terrifying than swords.

"second."

Sousuke continued.

"Sunagakure's puppetry technology is unparalleled in the ninja world, especially in preservation, mechanical interlocking, and toxicology."

"I want Sunagakure to grant the Takaya Trading Company partial technology licensing. Furthermore, I want to send fifty top-tier puppeteers to Konoha's Uchiha Armory for technical exchange."

"For a period of five years."

It was nominally a technical exchange.

In reality, it is legitimate technology plunder.

"impossible!"

Luo Sha blurted out.

"Puppet techniques are the foundation of Sunagakure! If we hand over even that—"

"Lord Fengying."

Sosuke interrupted him, his tone turning cold.

"People are starving to death, what's the point of keeping those broken logs?"

"Furthermore, I don't want your core secret techniques. I only need basic mechanical transmission and anti-corrosion treatment technologies."

"While these fifty technicians are in Konoha, the Takaya Trading Company will pay them extremely generous salaries. This money, sent back to Sunagakure, is enough to support hundreds of families."

Luo Sha fell silent.

Sōsuke was telling the truth. The Sand Village was so poor that they were barely able to maintain their integrity.

"What's the third condition?"

Sousuke glanced at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"The third condition is a political alliance."

"It's called—the Ninja Village Mutual Aid Clause."

Luo Sha's eyelids twitched suddenly.

"Mutual assistance? Absolutely not. The Sand Village and Konoha signed a ceasefire agreement for the sake of peace. Now that the war is over, they naturally won't help Konoha fight against other ninja villages."

"Lord Fengying, you have misunderstood."

Sosuke's gaze was deep.

"The mutual assistance I'm referring to isn't aimed at other ninja villages. It's aimed at—the Daimyo's residence."

"Daming Mansion?!"

Rasa gasped in shock, as did the two Sand Village Jonin behind him.

In this world, "one country, one village" is an unshakeable ironclad rule. The daimyo are the financial backers and symbols of the nation. The ninja villages are the mercenaries and the armed forces.

It is only natural for the ninja village to obey the daimyo.

Now, this businessman is openly proposing an alliance against the Daimyo in the Hokage's office in Konoha?

This is utter treason! This is treason!

"Sousuke Takaya, do you know what you're saying?" Rasa asked seriously.

"I know very well."

Zongjie remained unfazed.

"Lord Fengying, let's speak frankly."

"The Land of Wind has implemented a disarmament policy, drastically reducing the military budget of Sunagakure. This is to force you to fight on the battlefield; if you don't fight, you will starve to death."

Rasa remained silent; what Sosuke said was true.

"And what about our Konoha?"

"We fight to the death here, shedding our blood, and in the end, the nobles are the ones who benefit."

Rasa was stunned. He hadn't expected that Konoha, as the victorious nation, would also face the same predicament as Sunagakure, being held hostage by its financial backers.

"This is the tragedy of the ninja village."

Sosuke's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"Lord Fengying, are you resigned to this?"

Luo Sha was naturally unwilling to give up. He spent every day panning for gold in the desert, his eyes bloodshot, all to help solve the financial hole.

But what could he do? The daimyo held the reins of law and the nation's economic lifeline.

"What exactly is this so-called mutual assistance you're talking about?" Luo Sha asked.

"It's simple. A memorandum that only works in secret."

Sosuke explained.

"This alliance will not be activated during the war. However, when the war ends and the ninja world is at peace, the daimyo will definitely use the excuse of cutting military spending to reduce our military pay."

"At that time, the covenant will be activated."

"If the Daimyo of the Land of Wind refuses to allocate funds to you, Konoha will hold large-scale military exercises on the border. With an external military threat, your Daimyo will panic and have no choice but to hand over the money and beg you to protect him."

"The reverse is also true. If the Daimyo of the Land of Fire dares to cut off Konoha's funds, then you Sunagakure will create friction on the border."

"We will no longer be tools for killing each other."

Sosuke's voice echoed in the conference room.

"We want to use a controlled external crisis to legally extort money from our respective daimyo."

"If any daimyo attempts to impose an extreme economic blockade, the Takaya Trading Company will provide you with affordable food and supplies through the black market to ensure that the ninja village does not collapse due to hunger."

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Nara Shikaku gasped, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

This is no longer a business transaction. This is undermining the entire political system of the ninja world! This is an alliance with enemy nations, a move to completely oust the Daimyo's power!

If the daimyo were to discover this, it would be considered treason.

But Shikaku remained silent in his rebuttal. As Konoha's strategist, he knew better than anyone the extent to which Konoha's political situation had been forced into a corner.

"Hehehe————"

Daikui let out a low laugh.

"Lord Fengying, what do you think? This is a winning proposal. It can guarantee your future political stability."

"Of course, if you refuse—then all this gold dust on the table can't buy back the peace of the River Country."

Luo Sha thought for a while.

This proposal is outrageous. But the benefits it brings could fundamentally solve the survival crisis of Sunagakure.

No longer constrained by the daimyo's mood, no longer sending comrades to the battlefield for military expenses.

"—Sunagakure, accept these three conditions."

Luo Sha nodded.

"However, this alliance must not be a mere formality. It can only exist in the tacit understanding between you and me."

"That's natural." Sosuke smiled as he put away his pen and paper. "Trust is sometimes more valuable than a written agreement."

"The ceasefire agreement is in effect."

Daikichi and Rasa picked up the seal and stamped it on the withdrawal agreement on the Ming pigeon.

A negotiation involving two ninja villages thus came to an end through a political deal.