Wishes * Trade

Mokushō took out two Five-yen Coins from the Offering Box and twirled them in his hand.

Izuna stared at him in astonishment at his fluid movements, then fell silent.

"Didn't you say you were the former Ō-Inari? This money shouldn't belong to you, right?"

"Who said that?" Mokushō said matter-of-factly. "Once I'm here, I'm the Inari God. Didn't you say this yourself? This is my Divine Realm. Since you made wishes in my Divine Realm, I have to fulfill them after receiving the money. After all, we're five-yen people."

He repeated the homophones "five yen" and "fate" together, making a swaying motion as he spoke.

He looks incredibly irritating.

Let me see what wishes you all made!

After Mokushō finished speaking, he held the two coins in his hand, closed his eyes as if sensing something, and then his expression suddenly became subtle.

He glanced at Izuna, then at Hideki, his tone carrying an indescribable sense of helplessness.

"No, when you come to Inari Shrine to make wishes, can you please have something more to do with agriculture and commerce? Like wishing for a bountiful harvest or prosperous business?"

Izuna blinked. "Dude, you won't even give me a Three-Colored Dango?"

"Go buy the Three-Colored Dango yourself if you want!" Mokushō flicked his sleeve and pointed at Hideki with annoyance. "And you! What kind of wish did you make? 'I hope everyone is well'—that's too vague! How am I supposed to respond to that? Give everyone a health charm?"

Hideki's face flushed red, and he stammered, unable to speak.

He was never criticized for his wishes in the Land of Whirlpools. After all, at the Shrine in Uzushio Village, he always followed the adults and prayed quietly. No one ever opened the Offering Box to comment on his wishes after he finished praying.

Then again, nobody can do that! Is this guy really that Ō-Inari?

Izuna crossed his arms. "Just tell me if you can respond or not."

"I can." Mokushō closed the lid of the Offering Box, stood up, patted the hem of his Kariginu, and then gestured with his chin toward Hideki. "You're alright, but that red-haired guy's wish was so vague, I can only do what I can. Remember to come back and fulfill your wish when something good happens to you someday, consider it a discount on my wish."

Izuna suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, I just remembered something. Since you can grant wishes, could you do me a favor? Tobirama seemed to have mentioned it a while ago, that a batch of storage scrolls ordered by the Land of Whirlpools hasn't arrived yet, supposedly because they're being held up by the Border Checkpoints of the Land of Fire."

"It's probably a procedural issue. Tobirama said he wants to handle it but it's not a priority right now. If you can help me resolve this, consider it my wish for this time."

When Hideki heard the words "Land of Whirlpools," his face, which had been flushed, immediately turned around. He hadn't expected Izuna to suddenly bring up their country.

Mokushō tilted his head. "That's it? I thought you'd promise something more amazing. This little thing is easy, just watch."

Hideki frowned.

Orders are being held up at the border? The Border Checkpoints of the Land of Fire are now guarded by Konoha Ninjas, one of the first tasks Hashirama took over after becoming Hokage.

He remembered clearly that before coming to Konoha, Lord Quhai had specifically mentioned that the Uzumaki Clan's orders would be easier to pass through the Land of Fire's border in the future, because the guards had been changed to Konoha Ninjas, and the Konoha Ninjas would not make things difficult for the Uzumaki Clan.

But now, Diplomat from Konoha has told him personally that the order is stuck.

Hideki opened his mouth, about to press for details, but Izuna seemed to read his mind, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't rush. Now that I know about this, I'll definitely resolve it."

"But don't you plan to investigate who did this?" Hideki pressed.

"Rather than pursuing accountability, I'd like to make a deal with you first."

Izuna said, "As you can see, Konoha is lacking in everything right now, especially talent. In terms of Sealing Jutsu, we're practically a blank slate. Mito can't handle it all by herself, Tobirama's research isn't focused on this area, and there's no one else to recommend us."

"Your Land of Whirlpools' Sealing Jutsu have been passed down for a thousand years, making them unique in the entire Shinobi World. If you are willing to send someone to Konoha to exchange Sealing Jutsu, whether it's for teaching, joint research, or even a short-term assignment, we would be very happy."

"As for the specific terms, you can discuss them with Tobirama later. I'll just act as a go-between. In exchange, Konoha will officially grant priority trade rights with the Land of Whirlpools, and the issue of orders being blocked will no longer occur."

Hideki blinked, and it took him several seconds to realize what Izuna was talking about.

He was just worried about who had blocked that batch of orders, but now Izuna had shifted the topic from "investigating responsibility" to "opening up trade," a leap so big that his mind almost couldn't process it.

But having spent many years in Delegation, he had developed a certain diplomatic acumen through his experience.

He's trying to resolve this matter while simultaneously extending an olive branch to the Land of Whirlpools.

But he wants... a lot...

That's the very foundation of the Land of Whirlpools' survival; if they were to give away their Sealing Jutsu techniques... then they...

"By the way, you'll also need to help with this." Izuna looked at Mokushō. "If it's done, how about I fix up the Inari Shrine for you?"

Hideki couldn't help but turn to look at Mokushō, who was stuffing coins into his pocket. Kisei asked with a smile, "Is this a transaction?"

"Of course," Izuna answered without hesitation, pointing at Hideki and saying to Mokushō, "Your believer has wished for world peace, and you are unable to respond. I will act as an intermediary to fulfill this wish for him. As a god, shouldn't you do your part?"

Mokushō was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Tengu, you've got a clever plan..."

"It's alright. Now that I have a former Ō-Inari like you as my Shikigami, you'll take care of any retribution for me."

Mokushō raised a finger and shook it. "First of all, my name is Mokushō. Secondly, even if your request is outrageous, I will agree. After all, you've gone to such lengths to plunder—no, to help the Land of Whirlpools —and I'm very moved by your admirable spirit."

Izuna was completely confused by his words. "Wait, what are you talking about? Where did I plunder?"

Hideki couldn't help but laugh, but quickly stopped himself.

"Hehe, it's nothing. Anyway, leave it to me. I won't be around these days, so if you need anything, just call my name three times, and I'll hear you."

"Rurutia?" Izuna blurted out.

Mokushō paused, tilting his head. "What's that?"

"It's nothing." Izuna waved his hand without changing his expression. "In that case, we'll head back now."

"Wait!" Hideki took a step forward. "I haven't agreed yet! This matter must be decided by Quhai!"

Mokushō tucked the coin into his pocket. "Don't resist anymore. Go back and talk to your parents about this, and they'll agree. You don't have a choice."

Hideki opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but the words caught in his throat as he remembered the image of Quhai sitting on the veranda rubbing her temples.

If Lord Quhai knew that Uchiha Izuna had personally proposed cooperation with the Land of Whirlpools, he would definitely do everything in his power to agree.

So he kept his mouth shut.

Izuna had already turned and was walking towards the Torii, but after taking two steps, he stopped and turned to look at Mokushō: "Also, find out what happened at the border before you come back. We can't let our Konoha's Border Checkpoint fall into disrepair on our own."

Mokushō grinned. "Don't worry."

I guarantee those traitors will all be sent to the Yomi.

Seeing his expression, Izuna couldn't help but grin. Why did this guy's smile look so sinister?