Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 129
🕑 Added 2025-01-10 15:49:30 +0000 UTCThe first round of negotiations between Konoha and Iwa ended hastily.
Not because the talks went poorly, but because they went too well.
The senior officials of Iwa felt they had never encountered anything so absurd in their entire lives.
What was supposed to be a negotiation between two groups turned into one person, the White Ghost, speaking endlessly. His words flowed like a river, drowning out any attempts at response.
The most baffling part? He nearly jumped on the table and pointed at their noses, saying: "Is this all you've got? I've got money—ask for more, damn it!"
The senior officials of Iwa didn't even know what expression to wear.
Anger? He's offering investments, and in volumes that could make anyone dizzy.
Happiness? How could they be happy after being lectured like children? That would just be embarrassing.
In the end, they were stuck, unable to be happy or angry.
Truly, they didn't know how to react.
Gradually, even Ōnoki adopted a blank expression.
By the end, the Iwa delegation couldn't even get a word in edgewise. They had a lot to say but didn't know how to say it because Masashi kept bombarding them with words.
They were completely disoriented. In the end, they could only say, "Let's end today's talks here. We'll consider things."
They had come prepared to manipulate the narrative and extort maliciously.
But what was this? They were scolded and couldn't even get mad about it. Worse, they had to smile!
It was maddening.
Watching the White Ghost lead his delegation to the hotel to rest, Ōnoki and the senior officials of Iwa felt both confused and stifled.
But also a bit excited.
"If we control the flow of money..." Ōnoki began quietly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "We'd become the gateway to the Land of Earth's development."
The White Ghost had proposed during the meeting that any loans to the Land of Earth must have Iwa as a guarantor. If Iwa did not approve of a project, not even the daimyō's authority would matter—the association wouldn't lend a single coin.
Guarantees could generate fees, not to mention all the connections this would build.
Thinking optimistically, Iwa could even leverage this to strengthen alliances.
All they had to do was shuffle a few procedures to divert funds. After all, Konoha wouldn't care, as long as debts were repaid on time. If they couldn't repay, according to the White Ghost, they could refinance with conditions or use the daimyō's special-purpose bonds to swap the debt.
And once the debt was swapped, the creditor would become the daimyō of the Land of Earth.
Wouldn't that make negotiations much easier?
Extending the thought further, wouldn't the Land of Earth have to go through Iwa even when engaging in financial diplomacy with allied nations?
Before their eyes, the senior officials of Iwa began to see a beautiful vision of the future.
If Masashi knew what they were thinking now, he'd probably laugh until he banged the table.
Unfortunately, he didn't know.
At this moment, he was lounging in a chair at the hotel, enjoying the flattery of a group of veteran doves. The tea on the table was constantly refilled with utmost diligence.
The hotel staff had been directly dismissed under the pretext of "discussing sensitive peace treaty matters requiring confidentiality."
As soon as the staff left, the old doves eagerly took on the role of attendants. The younger doves could only watch enviously as their seniors secured the prime spots to ask questions.
Masashi, however, felt troubled.
These people were simply too enthusiastic.
"How should we interpret this term 'guarantee'?" an old negotiator from the Shimura clan asked, notebook in hand, nodding earnestly.
"Ah, Shimura-san..."
"Hey! Don't call me Shimura-san—call me Dan!" he waved magnanimously. "I may be friends with young Fugaku, but we can be buddies too. Let's not let age get in the way."
"Alright, Dan..." Masashi gave in, then patiently explained.
"This term is tailored for Iwa. After all, they also have their own obligations. To protect the interests of the nobles, we need to implement certain credit-enhancing measures. For example, their mission funds can be deposited in banks designated by the association."
"But how do we know if they're depositing all of it?"
"That's simple. We can set up a specialized trading institution modeled after a currency exchange in the Land of Grass. Those accepting missions from Iwa can register their tasks there. The facility would be jointly managed by Konoha and Iwa. Once mission funds are collected, they'll be deposited directly but withhold a portion until debts are cleared."
"So we don't gain anything?"
"Oh, not necessarily. During the withholding period, the funds can be invested elsewhere. Per the agreement, Konoha will share in the profits. Also, note that these credit enhancements are for medium-to-long-term products, ranging from three to thirty years."
"Oh? I see!" Dan exclaimed in realization. The boy's smarter than his age suggests, he thought.
"Alright, listen to me for a moment," Masashi said, seeing the crowd of eager note-takers.
Are they always this studious?
Didn't see this enthusiasm back in Ninja Academy... Is it really true that people love learning as they age?
"All of us had a long journey and jumped straight into meetings upon arriving in Iwa. You all must be tired. Let's rest well today. I predict Iwa will initiate the second round of talks soon after tonight."
"Ah, right, right!" Dan promptly took on the role of protector. "What are you all doing? Masashi has had a long day and needs to rest. What if he collapses?"
The group of old doves froze for a moment, then grew indignant.
Excuse me? Weren't you the one asking the most questions just now?
Still, they admitted he had a point.
"Masashi, you must rest well. You're a valuable asset to the village!" said the second old dove. "Back then, Fugaku said the future of the Uchiha clan would rest on your shoulders, so take care of yourself!"
"Yes, yes. Everyone here is a friend; we can afford to wait. You need to rest!"
"Dan, get out of the way—you're blocking his path to his room!"
Masashi smiled awkwardly but politely.
These old doves were truly a force to be reckoned with, having once worked with Danzō.
Many of the enemies who fell to Konoha's covert operations were first sweet-talked and misled by these old doves before Danzō delivered the fatal blow.
Masashi wasn't worried about their competence; he just didn't want them messing up his carefully laid plans.
Fortunately, they were highly eager to learn, and the foundational knowledge he shared today could help them support the next round of talks.
Iwa? He had them right where he wanted them.
---
After overcoming their initial discomfort, the upper echelons of Iwa quickly adjusted and got into the groove.
In the Five Great Ninja Villages, anyone capable of reaching the top levels of leadership always excelled at assimilating new knowledge swiftly.
The same went for the doves of Konoha. Being a dove was no easy task; it required a sharp and quick mind.
However, a collection of fragmented knowledge coupled with ungrounded assumptions was no match for a well-established, systematic knowledge framework.
Not just Iwa— even within Konoha itself, only the upper ranks of the Uchiha clan had systematically received Masashi's relentless, day-by-day "cramming" sessions.
Everyone else just scratched the surface.
Thus, on the surface, the Uchiha clan now appeared more concerned than ever with the prosperity of the Land of Fire and Konoha. This stemmed from Masashi's repeated reminders: "This whole approach doesn't generate wealth. If we overplay it, we all lose."
With this understanding, the Uchiha clan had shared all other powers within the association with Konoha and the Fire Daimyō's government—except for risk control, which they exclusively managed themselves. Anything failing to meet the rigid criteria set by Masashi was outright rejected.
Even with such measures, every three months, the association compiled a set of statistical reports for him to review.
The research on the Land of Earth had started long ago.
All plans regarding the Land of Earth had been thoroughly discussed countless times.
To be blunt, Masashi knew the market of the Land of Earth better than Ōnoki himself. He had a clear grasp of Iwa's and the Earth daimyō's needs, understanding their bottom lines and the room for negotiation.
Among the many clauses negotiated with Iwa, the pledging of non-government-mission fees by Iwa's chunin and higher-level ninja, as well as the designated banking and usage rights for deposited funds, were non-negotiable for Masashi.
This wasn't just about securing a portion of Iwa's funds for Konoha's use. By analyzing fund flows, he could also track the activities of the higher-ranked ninja in Iwa, which was far more reliable than purchasing intelligence from Kusa.
The upper echelons of Iwa were all savvy individuals, but that didn't stop them from falling into Masashi's trap.
This was an entirely new set of rules, different from the past. Though still in its infancy, it gave him an overwhelming advantage. No matter how shrewd Iwa's leadership might be, their defense against this wasnon-existent.
For instance, from the scale of mission payments and frequency of assignments, one could roughly deduce the level and type of missions being performed. The clients depositing mission fees could provide insights into the geographical range of operations and other details.
All data collection was done through the banks, not Konoha's ninja. It was part of normal business processes and beyond reproach. This data was included in the association's statistical reports on the banks, which were then presented to Konoha.
Over time, this process would gradually strip Iwa's mid- and high-ranking ninja of their secrets from Konoha's perspective. Konoha would know better than Iwa how many mid- and high-level ninja they could mobilize, whether they were preparing for war, and how they planned to allocate personnel.
On a larger scale, as the association had increasingly become a critical tool for the daimyō's government in managing the national economy, the inclusion of a large economy like the Land of Earth benefits all classes of the Land of Fire. This was far superior to the crude methods of the past—just look at how the Land of Rain had been drained.
In the original timeline, Nagato, under the name of Pain, attacked Konoha not only to obtain the Nine-Tails but also to represent the anger accumulated by smaller nations over time.
The root cause was the overly crude, nearly barbaric, and ruthless exploitation methods employed by the larger nations against the smaller ones.
That was why Nagato said to Tsunade: "Your peace is our violence!"
When he destroyed Konoha, he did so with conviction, and it made sense.
If strength justified unrestrained actions, then why shouldn't someone with the Rinnegan and most of the tailed beasts have the same right?
As rounds of negotiations continued, Masashi's workload began to ease.
After all, the veteran doves were quick learners, and he had already laid out the bottom lines for them. Until a final consensus was reached, it was their time to freely negotiate.
This groundwork would allow his eventual "concessions" and "unyielding stances" to be well-prepared.
Eventually, he stopped attending meetings altogether—there was too much to argue about.
Instead, he began exploring Iwa.
He was genuinely curious about this village.
After all, experiencing a foreign land was like a government-funded vacation.
And with an Iwa ninja acting as a tour guide, why not enjoy it?
"Deidara, isn't it a bit stifling to have restaurants inside these fortresses?" Masashi asked, pointing to a building.
"This is just how the village is," Deidara replied, reluctantly acting as the guide. He wasn't thrilled about the task, as he was obsessed with training. "And besides, doesn't Konoha eat indoors too?"
"It's different for us," Masashi shook his head. "Our air circulates."
"Our air circulates too," Deidara said, puzzled.
"Alright, what's for lunch today?" Masashi asked, changing the subject. "Kurotsuchi loves playing with you. Why aren't you hanging out with her today?"
"Tch! Little kids are so annoying!" Deidara grimaced at the mention of her. "I have training to do. Who has time to entertain her?"
"Oh, aren't you fancy," Masashi laughed. "Having a childhood sweetheart is something to appreciate. I didn't have a girl to grow up with."
"What does 'fancy' mean?" Deidara asked, confused. He figured it was just another of Masashi's bizarre phrases and let it slide.
He jogged ahead across a suspension bridge and into a new fortress.
"Just ahead is a famous snack area in the village. You should try it," Deidara said, pointing to a passageway.
"Oh?" Masashi stepped forward. "Sounds good. Let's check it out."
Deidara nodded and moved ahead.
"By the way, is this whole fortress just for snacks?"
"There's more. You can row boats on the lower levels. Upstairs, there are shops and theater performances."
"I see, a commercial complex," Masashi remarked.
"What's a commercial complex?" Deidara's ears perked up again.
"You're just a kid; why so many questions? Where's the food? We've been walking forever."
"Tch! Fine, keep your secrets, stingy!" Deidara pouted and sped up. He perked up when the passage opened into a bustling space filled with all kinds of shops.
Food smells drifted through the air, making their stomachs growl.
