Malphegor
patreon
HSU: Ch. 187
🕑 Added 2025-02-08 21:46:46 +0000 UTCGetting Kumo to bow its head was no easy task.
Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, aside from Konoha, the one that fought the most battles was Kumo. However, Konoha mainly took a passive stance, whereas Kumo was almost always the aggressor.
Logically speaking, such behavior should have led to a coalition against them long ago. But Kumo's long-standing reputation as brash warriors, coupled with their solid military strength and flexible diplomacy, had kept that from happening.
Even when they lost, they could retreat safely back to their homeland. As long as they put on a stance of "mutual destruction," no one wanted to be the one to make the first move.
But that was no longer an option.
Three mayor villages had already allied with Konoha, whether out of necessity or for mutual benefit. Diplomatically, Kumo was now crippled.
Militarily, they had suffered consecutive defeats, losing the Raikage and two jinchūriki.
Economically, the economic blockade from the Lands of Earth, Fire, and Water was starting to take effect.
They had no choice but to yield.
Things that were once unthinkable—like paying reparations or surrendering the secret to creating perfect jinchūriki—were now on the table.
Even the "mutual destruction" stance was no longer feasible. If they tried it now, it would mean the Fourth Great Ninja War—four villages against one.
Suna wasn't exactly Konoha's friend, but it certainly didn't have any love for Kumo either.
Ōnoki would be all too happy to join the fight and claim his share of the spoils.
As for Kiri, they had caused trouble for Kumo before, but in the past, they had to worry about Konoha stepping in to defend the balance of power. But now? Konoha and Kiri were so close they might as well be newlyweds.
Of course, not everything was set in stone—it all depended on whether Kumo was willing to gamble.
The Fourth Raikage would probably dare, but Dodai? Definitely not.
If he messed this up, he wouldn't have the face to see the Third Raikage in the afterlife.
And so, in the middle of the 54th year, a Kumo delegation led by Dodai arrived in Konoha to negotiate.
After all the back and forth, Kumo was finally back at the negotiation table—this time, in the worst position possible.
Konoha had a sense of decorum. Though Kumo was the most unwelcome foreign village to them, Minato still extended proper courtesy.
As the Interim Raikage, Dodai was received with full honors, in accordance with Kage-level protocols.
Minato personally welcomed the delegation in front of the Hokage Building.
And at first glance, the Kumo delegation spotted the young man standing beside the Hokage.
More than Minato himself, this person filled them with dread.
The reason Kumo had fallen to this state? This young Uchiha member was the biggest contributor.
None of them could fathom how, in this era, a single person could single-handedly overturn the balance of power between two villages.
As the sole survivor of their final battle, Dodai had personally experienced the overwhelming might of this young man on the battlefield.
The White Ghost had joined the negotiations!
He knew there was no escaping this without a heavy price.
Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, any negotiation that Masashi was involved in had never gone poorly for Konoha.
And every time he led negotiations, Konoha's power expanded.
In the current shinobi world, Masashi was not only a Kage-level powerhouse but was also considered one of Konoha's key strategists and advisors, even though he held no official position.
That was just how everyone saw him.
The White Ghost had the talent to support a village leader. He had even surpassed the realm of mere "combat strength."
"Minato, we meet again," Dodai lowered his stance a bit. "Kumo desires peace and is willing to contribute to it, but we cannot accept excessive exploitation." 10 billion? You might as well just kill me!
"Of course," Minato replied with a smile. "Konoha's demands are all reasonable and take into account Kumo's ability to pay, but the price is non-negotiable. I hope your side fully understands this."
With that, he locked in the numbers and then flashed a warm, spring-like smile.
"There's no need to stand at the entrance—it would make us seem like an inhospitable host. Please, follow me upstairs."
After saying that, he turned and entered the building.
Minato was feeling excited.
Thinking back—no, forget thinking back. The money was here!
Talk about perfect timing. Just yesterday, at the budget meeting, they were still debating whether they needed to seek external funding.
But they couldn't reach a conclusion, because Masashi had been on leave.
Without him, no one felt confident discussing money.
And the reason for the funding shortfall was simple—peace had arrived, and the village needed to restore production. That meant bringing in new people, renovating old districts, expanding public services… all of which required money. Lots of money.
But because Konoha had been constantly at war, their liquid funds had run dry.
Then, like a miracle, Kumo had sent a peace request.
And just like that, no one talked about seeking external funding anymore.
With this, they could expand their plans even further and restore the village's strength more quickly.
It wasn't just Minato—every Konoha ninjas practically had a spring in their step.
They looked at the Kumo delegation with such warm, affectionate gazes that it made the Kumo ninjas incredibly uneasy.
Except for Masashi.
He was the only one walking at a normal pace, while the rest of the Konoha group strode ahead rapidly.
Was this a new intimidation tactic?
Dodai's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
Konoha had changed. They weren't playing by the old rules anymore.
This had to be a power move—everyone else was walking fast, and only the White Ghost remained beside him.
If this wasn't intimidation, what was it?
"Raikage-sama, you're looking well," Masashi casually struck up a conversation.
Dodai suddenly recalled the time he was frozen into an ice block.
This was truly the White Ghost—insulting people without a single curse word.
He had underestimated him. This was nothing. He wouldn't lose his composure.
"All thanks to you," Dodai replied. "But I must say, it's surprising that someone of your caliber holds no official position."
"How could I take an official post? That would be inappropriate." Masashi waved his hands. "I'm just here as a temporary escort."
"Truly, Konoha is fortunate—someone of your talent relegated to mere escort duty."
Dodai smiled.
He suddenly recalled a recent discovery in the village—an heir of the Senju clan.
A true descendant, thoroughly verified.
Even better, this individual had willingly joined Kumo.
For love.
By a twist of fate, this Senju descendant had fallen in love with an ANBU kunoichi.
This was truly a cause for celebration.
Of course, further investigation was ongoing, but the Raikage's office believed it to be genuine.
This meant Kumo would gain a precious bloodline.
The Wood Release. The chances might be slim, but still, it was a reason to be happy about.
Yet, as Dodai burned with anticipation, Masashi simply laughed.
"Oh, it's nothing special. This kind of task is so simple, I believe even an Academy student could manage it adequately—requiring little more than the ability to walk upright."
Dodai's smile didn't falter, but inside, he was furious. Damn that White Ghost—he is insufferable!
---
Today, the Hokage Building's grand conference room was polished to a brilliant shine.
The table was so reflective that you could see yourself in it.
Masashi even suspected they had waxed it. Come on, this is going too far—at least leave some dignity for the financial backers.
The two sides entered at very different speeds.
No helping it—mindset determined efficiency.
One side looked gloomy, while the other was full of festive cheer.
Minato actually wanted to use the Flying Thunder God to take his seat instantly, but that would have been too disrespectful.
So, he compromised—first, he courteously helped the Third Hokage into his seat, then naturally plopped himself down in his own.
"Let's begin." Minato looked at Dodai, who was hesitating to sit, and gently reminded him, "See? Your seat is right there. There's even a nameplate on the table."
Oh, there was indeed a nameplate—glimmering in a gaudy gold color.
"Alright." Dodai responded, feeling that golden nameplate was a bit of an eyesore.
As he sat, the rest followed suit.
Masashi was about to sit in the back when Fugaku grabbed him swiftly.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Fugaku-sama, there's no seat for me up front."
"Who said that?"
Fugaku pointed next to Minato, his expression clearly saying: Don't even think about sneaking away, you little punk.
The key terms of the new agreement were all written by you. We didn't change a single word.
"But isn't that your seat?"
"Can't you see? The nameplate only says 'Uchiha.' Whether you sit there or I do, it's all the same. I'll just sit beside you."
Masashi glanced over—sure enough, it was true.
He was instantly gloomy. Who the hell was so lazy they only wrote the surname and not the full name?
And was there even room for Kumo to negotiate?
As long as the money matched, wasn't everything fine?
Clearly, the others didn't see it that way.
Everyone in the Hokage Building knew that Masashi's level of engagement in meetings heavily depended on where he was seated.
Every time he got engaged, there were surprises.
"Yes, yes, Masashi-sama, you must sit up front!" The crowd urged him.
Unable to withstand their enthusiasm, and with Fugaku being especially firm today, Masashi had no choice but to sit beside Minato.
Several administrative ninjas walked in with the new agreement.
Bang!
The box holding the agreements hit the table with a loud thud.
Dodai's expression changed slightly.
As the agreements were handed out one by one, the expressions of the Kumo representatives also shifted.
Why did the thickness seem different from what they had seen before?
Minato picked up the agreement placed in front of him. The thickness gave him the same sense of accomplishment that a farmer feels when gazing at a bountiful harvest.
Nowadays, "Masashi-style" agreements were all the rage in the Land of Fire. Within the Hokage Building, everyone held a simple belief: The thicker the agreement, the more money can be made.
With money, everything became easier to handle.
Among ninja affairs, 99.999% can be resolved with money.
After all, a ninja village was essentially a military contractor—their work was, at its core, a business.
Of course, it was still a contract, so it couldn't be too thick—somewhere between a few dozen to a hundred pages was ideal.
Any more, and the other party wouldn't even bother reading it.
Masashi also picked up the agreement in front of him.
This was the result of his overtime effort. While not the entire thing, it accounted for about a third.
This section alone covered a lot in funding, so it had to be detailed.
He could recite this part backwards, but the rest? Not so much.
Everyone had their areas of expertise.
At this moment, the people sitting around the conference table all flipped open their copies of the agreement.
Masashi mainly focused on the front sections.
The Kumo representatives skimmed through the front sections and focused mainly on the later parts.
But they couldn't read too fast—if they did, they wouldn't even know what they were reading.
The conference room was silent, with only the sound of pages turning.
Occasionally, someone sipped tea.
After a long while, those who were less involved in the negotiation gradually looked up, leaving only the key figures still reading.
Masashi didn't consider himself a key figure—he had already finished reading.
Minato and the others also didn't see themselves as key figures—they finished even faster.
Soon, only Dodai and a few high-ranking Kumo officials remained focused on the documents, occasionally whispering to each other.
Finally, even they finished.
"We're done reading," Dodai said, closing the document, visibly exhausted.
"Do you have any questions?" Minato asked.
That was all he intended to say.
After speaking, he patted Masashi on the shoulder and leaned back tactically.
Masashi thought that if Minato were this skilled at tactical retreating during regular office work, he wouldn't have to work overtime every day.
"Why are there so many banks involved?" Dodai asked. "This agreement should only concern Konoha and Kumo. Kumo can compensate Konoha, but why should we be paying banks?"
"You've misunderstood. Let me explain," Masashi said, resigned. "Considering Kumo's financial burden and our commitment to maintaining peaceful relations, we don't want the compensation to hinder your village's development. So, the banks are covering most of the payment upfront, and Kumo will repay them over time. That's why this is a multi-party agreement."
"And what's this about group financing?"
"Since the banks are from different countries, organizing them incurs costs. However, these fees aren't charged all at once—they're spread out over several years."
Dodai's expression improved slightly, but only just a little.
"Then why can't banks from the Land of Lightning be involved?"
"The financial association doesn't have partnerships with banks from the Land of Lightning."
"Then let Kumo provide a guarantee—we'll pay the remaining 4 billion ryō ourselves."
"That's even less feasible. You're the debtor—how can a debtor be their own guarantor?"
"The Land of Lightning is a major nation."
"The Lands of Earth, Fire, and Water are also major nations. Raikage-sama, this is standard practice. There's no room for argument here."
Dodai was fuming internally.
He had anticipated that Konoha would allow Kumo to pay in installments.
But he hadn't expected a final payment clause.
A whopping 4 billion ryō.
If something went wrong, Kumo would have to face not just Konoha, but Iwa and Kiri as well. Oh wait, not just them—three daimyō's governments too.
None of the three ninja villages had contributed a single coin—the noble families were the ones funding everything.
To recover their money, the aristocrats from all three nations would definitely hire their respective ninja villages to put pressure on Kumo.
The White Ghost had played this brilliantly—Kumo fell, Konoha feasted.
"The interest rate—it's too high. And can't it be fixed?"
"Our loan interest rates are all floating," Masashi replied. "Of course, you can choose the floating period, but the rate must adjust at least once per natural year."
"Your side… is being overly aggressive."
"Not at all."
Like performing a magic trick, Masashi pulled out a freshly printed booklet.
"This is an estimated revenue projection based on the scale of Kumo's ninja forces and their level of activity across the continent. Of course, the daimyō of the Land of Lightning is also deeply concerned about peace between our two nations. Based on his past financial aid, we've included an estimate of the annual funding he provides to your village."
He placed the booklet on the table and slid it toward Dodai.
"According to this model, your village is fully capable of making these payments without significantly impacting normal operations."
Dodai rested his hand on the booklet but didn't open it. Instead, he looked toward Saru, who had accompanied him to the negotiations.
This is the so-called 'weak' Konoha ANBU you told me about?
But the Kumo ANBU commander looked just as bewildered.
Because… Masashi wasn't wrong.
Based on these numbers, Kumo could afford the payments. It would hurt the village, but not as much as they had feared.
Did Konoha's ANBU get swapped out for a new team or something?
"You should take a look first," Masashi urged. "Of course, these are just estimates, but our assessment of your payment capacity is quite accurate."
"The Third Hokage already reduced the total by 5 billion ryō. Our goodwill should be obvious. Now, it's time for Kumo to show some sincerity."
