Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Shamon's tough stance took Onoki and the others quite by surprise. They vaguely remembered that at the beginning of the attack, Sunagakure was the first village to jump up and fight Konoha to the death.

The First Kazekage even vowed to pay with his life, but his attitude has changed way too quickly now, hasn't it?

You Sand Ninja don't lose points for changing your faces?

"Don't forget, you almost died as a result of Konoha's conspiracy."

Onoki frowned and began his usual attempts to sow discord between the two sides.

"Stop talking nonsense. I, Shamon, have never doubted Konoha. The two countries of Wind and Fire have always been friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers. The traditional friendship between the two peoples has a long history. As early as the beginning of the village's establishment, our Sunagakure began frequent cooperation and exchanges with Konoha."

Unexpectedly, the monk wasn't fooled at all. He glared at everyone and started spouting nonsense, leaving the crowd stunned.

Even Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju were dumbfounded, looking at each other in disbelief, unable to recall ever having cultivated a cooperative relationship with Sunagakure.

"Our Loulan still retains the oasis planted by the First Hokage, which symbolizes the everlasting friendship between our two villages."

After rambling on and on, Shamen looked at the dumbfounded crowd and couldn't help but feel secretly smug.

In order to speak well enough at the meeting, he had a specialist prepare a draft. He spent a whole day memorizing just this one long passage so that his expression and tone would be completely natural and without any sense of incongruity.

"How come this bald guy seems like a completely different person after his serious illness?"

After Shamon finished his eloquent speech, Onoki and the others huddled together and began to chirp softly.

"He speaks fluent Mandarin; does he think he's some kind of nobleman?"

Golden Horn curled his lip in disdain.

"It seems that Sunagakure is determined to team up with Konoha. We shouldn't push them too hard."

Gui frowned slightly. Although Sunagakure ranked at the bottom of the major ninja villages in terms of strength, Shamon was not weak.

He once put on an extremely brilliant performance in the First Knights War, almost defeating the invincible Uchiha Madara.

"I know what I'm doing. We didn't come here with the intention of starting a war."

Onoki sensed the worry in the Third Mizukage's words, gave him a reassuring look, and then turned to Madara Uchiha and said...

"We are deeply saddened by the disappearance of your village's first leader."

"Stop keeping me in suspense, speak plainly."

Madara Uchiha glared at him impatiently.

"I'm too busy to argue with you guys."

"We will accept your village's explanation for now, but we still need an explanation for the attack on us, otherwise we will have no face to face the relatives of our deceased compatriots."

It wasn't just Hashirama Senju who attacked them; his accompanying ninjas were also among them. How could those ordinary extras possibly withstand the wooden golem's attack?

"So what you mean is?"

Funeral expenses.

"ha?"

Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju exchanged a glance, their faces showing the same surprise.

So all that babbling was just to ask for a mouthful of food.

"Don't worry, I won't charge much. Ten million for a Jonin, three million for a Chunin, and one million for a Genin. Prices are clearly marked, and I'm fair to everyone."

As they spoke, Onoki and the others pulled out a pre-prepared list, which was densely filled with names.

"Are you bragging? You sacrificed 1,350 Jonin in one go? Are Jonin from Iwagakure as common as cabbages?"

Seeing that the three had clearly come prepared, Tobirama Senju glanced down at the numbers on the list and instantly felt a headache coming on.

"Isn't it good that our Iwagakure people are numerous and prosperous?"

Onoki replied without changing his expression.

In contrast, Kinkaku and Katsura were relatively restrained, only listing three hundred Jonin on their list, but even that was astonishing.

Even Konoha only has a little over a hundred Jonin currently in active service. So it seems that Konoha is actually at the bottom of the Five Great Nations.

"This is extortion!"

Tobirama Senju rubbed his aching acupoints, wishing he could burn the entire list to ashes.

"Don't even think about it! We won't give you a single penny."

Madara Uchiha, his face cold, stared at the three snobbish men with the look of utter contempt, his anger rising.

These guys are truly upside down. It's always Konoha that's ripping others off; who gave you lowlifes the right to try and scam them?

Back when I was young, anyone who dared to ask him for money would have been beaten to death with sticks long ago.

"This is our bottom line. If Konoha is unwilling to comply, then we can hardly guarantee that there won't be calls for war in the already agitated village."

Seeing that Madara Uchiha and his companion were unwilling to spend money to avoid disaster, Onoki narrowed his eyes slightly.

Are you threatening me?

Madara Uchiha turned to look at the somewhat smug little potato, his expression turning amused.

"I didn't say that, Hokage. I'm just informing you of the worst-case scenario in advance. Please think it over."

Onoki shook his head. Things were different now; he was no longer the brat who would tremble at the sight of Uchiha Madara.

Having inherited the will of his grandfather and teacher, Shi Zhi, he has grown into a qualified leader, knowing how to find opportunities in every crisis.

Now is a golden opportunity to seek fortune amidst danger. While Konoha's strength is greatly diminished, let's make a quick buck and recoup our losses.

Back then, buying the Tailed Beasts cost the entire savings of Iwagakure. Ishigawa even invested all the money he had hidden in his shoe insoles.

Even Onoki experienced a long period of hardship, subsisting on rice porridge for every meal, and suffered from severe malnutrition.

His physical development also became stunted, so much so that his height did not change in the years that followed.

Konoha, give me back my tall and mighty figure!

Onoki's eyes were filled with deep resentment, which left Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju completely bewildered.

"Did you bully him before?"

Tobirama Senju subtly nudged Madara Uchiha with his elbow.

"I only scared him once, it's not like he's held a grudge for so many years, is it?"

Madara Uchiha looked completely innocent.

"In that case, I'll leave this matter to you to handle."

No wonder Onoki had been targeting the two of them from the very beginning of the meeting; it turned out they had a personal grudge.

"Huh? This falls under the category of external affairs, which is within the jurisdiction of your village secretary. As the Hokage in charge of internal affairs, isn't it inappropriate for me to overstep my bounds like this?"

Seeing that Tobirama Senju was passing the buck to him, Madara Uchiha's expression stiffened. He quickly pulled out the detailed rules of procedure, trying to distance himself from the situation.

"Haven't you always wanted to take the lead in external affairs? Well then, from now on, the Hokage will be in charge of external affairs, and the Party Secretary will be in charge of internal affairs. I'm rooting for you, Hokage-sama~"

Is the transfer of power so arbitrary?

F6, who were quietly squatting behind and watching the drama unfold, overheard the conversation between the two and immediately frowned.

"This matter is of great importance, and I cannot make a decision on my own. It needs to be discussed by the village's senior elders before it can be decided."

Forced into the task, Madara Uchiha had no choice but to accept the thick list. He glanced casually at the staggering numbers and began to play coy with Onoki and the others.

"But I remember that Konoha doesn't have the position of high-ranking elder, does it?"

Clearly having done his homework beforehand, Onoki asked with a cold smile before Madara Uchiha could finish his perfunctory reply.

"Nonsense! We in Konoha have always had the position of advisor elder, it's just that there is still a vacancy. Once we find a suitable candidate, we will hold a meeting to vote on it."

"Is that really true?"

Onoki and the others looked at Madara Uchiha with suspicion, trying to glean some clue from his serious expression.

Fortunately, Madara Uchiha maintained excellent facial expression control, preventing him from revealing any flaws.

"As for these lists, we are not to be taken advantage of. We need you to provide detailed information. After we have finished screening them, we will give you a satisfactory answer."

Madara Uchiha could only resort to delaying tactics, making promises before actually fulfilling them.

"So, Konoha agrees?"

"We will pay every penny that is owed to us."

"No, you mean you agree?"

Tobirama Senju, who had originally wanted to see how Madara Uchiha would resolve the crisis, suddenly felt a wave of dizziness when he saw that Madara had readily agreed to the matter after saying only a few words.

"Shh, keep your voice down, I didn't say how long we're going to screen them."

Madara Uchiha made a shushing gesture towards Tobirama Senju, his cold tone carrying a cunning glint that was all too familiar to the latter.

The latest novel is first published here!

Anyway, they didn't say how long the review of this information would take. Once Hashi's hot mom returns, the powerful Konoha can tear up these lists at any time.

"One is influenced by one's company."

Tobirama Senju shook his head inwardly. He hadn't expected that even the rigid Madara Uchiha had been corrupted by that curly-haired boy and had learned to be cunning.

"Alright, it's a deal. The information will be delivered soon."

Seeing how readily the other party agreed, Onoki felt something was amiss, but only for a moment. He was quickly blinded by greed and nodded wildly with glee.

"Mine too."

Although Kinkaku and Katsura were somewhat disappointed that they hadn't written more, they were still very happy to have eaten meat with Onoki.

Moreover, Konoha's screening process is undoubtedly very rigorous. Even if the information compiled by Iwagakure is perfect, flaws will still be found. As a result, the number of Jonin will definitely decrease, with only a fraction remaining.

"Teacher, are we..."

Among the Sunagakure group who witnessed this farce, Ebizo, with a complex expression, couldn't help but speak up.

"shut up."

Knowing without guessing what his disciple wanted to say, Shamon preemptively gave a low reprimand, then turned his gaze to the whispering Uchiha Madara and his companion, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

"You think Konoha's money is so easy to take?"

"Didn't they agree?"

"Idiot prison, this is obviously a delaying tactic. Konoha just doesn't want to start a war in the short term. If they really wanted to fight, the three of them combined wouldn't be enough to beat them up."

Standing beside him, Chiyo looked at her foolish younger brother with a mixture of disappointment and exasperation, and explained in a low voice,

She had personally witnessed Konoha's hidden fighting force.

Both Uchiha Hikaru and Hyuga Tsukuyomi possess strength comparable to that of a village's Kage.

These two are clearly Konoha's trump cards, just waiting for someone foolish enough to provoke them and then pay a heavy price.

"Indeed, Chiyo, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

Shamon nodded with satisfaction. As expected of the third generation he had high hopes for, despite being a woman, her vision and intellect were first-rate and she was worthy of being trusted.

Soon, the people who had reached a preliminary reconciliation wore fake smiles, the tense atmosphere vanished, and the entire conference room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Everyone had a slight smile on their face, clearly quite satisfied with what they had gained from the trip.

The one who benefited the most was Onoki. Without losing a single soldier, he not only ascertained the level of Konoha's next generation but also learned of Hashirama Senju's disappearance.

Most importantly, he also swindled a large sum of money from Konoha.

Although the money hasn't arrived yet, he's certain that Konoha, currently weakened in combat, would never dare to renege on its debt.

"Everyone, it's time for dinner."

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. Mifune respectfully pushed open the door and entered, announcing to everyone present that...

Gollum-

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of thunderclaps sounded.

"Let's eat!"

"Hokage, let me tell you, the food in the Land of Iron is absolutely authentic!"

"Hmph, I'll know right from wrong after I taste it!"

To welcome the distinguished guests from the Great Ninja Village, the Land of Iron went to great lengths, preparing a banquet hall and filling the entire hall with the Land of Iron's delicacies in a buffet style.

Wow~

Seeing the dazzling array of local delicacies, Akimichi Torifu's eyes widened instantly, and he couldn't help but drool all over the place.

"When gathering wind, be mindful of your appearance."

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was also surprised to see such delicious food in the Land of Iron, he remained very restrained.

"Monkey! Monkey! This is your favorite banana! They actually have bananas here!"

The next second, Danzo, holding a bunch of bananas, ran up to him.

"Ah! How could this be?"

Swallowing in surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were filled with disbelief. How could the Land of Iron, where mountains are covered in snow all year round, have large bananas that can only be grown in tropical regions at this time of year?

"Wow! They even have milkshakes from Honey Ice Cream! That's amazing!"

On the other side, Chiyo, her eyes sparkling, raised a cup of red bean milkshake. Looking at the familiar Yuki-Oh on the cup, she was immediately speechless with surprise.

"Please don't make such a fuss. Although our Iron Country has been closed off for many years, it doesn't mean we don't communicate with the outside world."

Seeing the group's repeated exclamations, Mifune smiled and came out to explain, pointing to the dazzling array of seafood and tropical fruits on the side.

"For example, these are the supplies we obtained from the Land of Waves at a low price by exchanging ores, and those delicious little sweet drinks were also obtained by exchanging some ores that are not easy to refine."

The country of waves?

Upon hearing this, everyone looked puzzled. When did the Land of Waves expand its business to the Land of Iron?

"You're saying you traded ore for these worthless fruits?"

Upon hearing the same news, Onoki was stunned for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed.

"It's just some ore that can be found everywhere in the Land of Iron."

Upon hearing Onoki's rude comment about his favorite cut fruit, Mifune's face subtly darkened.

As he spoke, his gaze fell again on the F6 members who were holding up their Honey Ice Cream cups.

"The merchants of the Land of Waves are very generous and kind, actually exchanging such delicious drinks for unusable junk ore."

The combination of difficulty in refining and inability for samurai to use leads to only one answer.

"Wait! The junk ore you're talking about, it can't be..."

Onoki's face instantly turned even darker than Mifune's, and the food in his hand suddenly lost its appeal.

"Uh, the metal extracted from that ore seems to be quite sought after among you ninjas."

Oh no, those bastards from the Land of Waves got away with this! (End of Chapter)