Minato shook his head. "Everything has already been settled. Konoha was not a very gracious host today, so please forgive us."
With just a few words, the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the room was deftly dispelled.
The three of them exchanged ordinary pleasantries, discussing recent events in their respective villages.
Then Yagura decided to get straight to the point.
"Lord Hokage, I have a purchase proposal. I wonder whether you would be willing to agree to it."
Minato raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? What does the Mizukage wish to buy? Why don't you tell me?"
Yagura cleared his throat and repeated to Minato what he had discussed with Mifune at the entrance.
After understanding, Minato fell into hesitation.
The Mizukage wanted to purchase part of the remaining territory in the Land of Lightning with money. That was not a major issue, since those places had remained untouched ever since Konoha occupied them.
They had remained the same for all these years. Turning them into useful national territory would likely take a very long time.
The manpower and resources invested during that time would be enormous, and the money spent would probably exceed the land's purchase price by dozens of times.
Take the Land of Iron, for example. Though it occupied part of the Land of Lightning's territory, its population was too small, so it had barely developed the land at all. It merely occupied it.
"Selling it to you would not be much of a problem, but you should think carefully. The cost of developing that land after purchasing it will be extremely high. Can you afford it?"
Yagura nodded at those words. "Lord Hokage need not worry about that. We have already held extensive discussions with Lord Daimyo and obtained his approval. He was very pleased when he learned