Kumogakure's Envoys

Compared to Konoha, Kumogakure had chosen its Third Raikage much faster. The village's style was just like the Mafia's. After Third Ai crushed Kinkaku and Ginkaku's coup, he naturally inherited the Raikage position from his father, Second Ai.

Having taken the position in such a hurry, Third Ai was left with a mountain of messes to sort out. The most urgent problem now was how to appease Konoha's fury.

Third Ai stared at the corpse of Tobirama Senju before him, his head aching terribly. If this was mishandled, Kumogakure might even face the risk of being wiped out.

This was hard to resolve!

They'd agreed to negotiate instead of fighting, take a few years to rest, and then compete again. But Kumogakure had failed to keep Kinkaku and Ginkaku in check, and they'd launched a coup, killing the Second, who had come to negotiate.

Their Second Raikage had died too, but Konoha certainly wouldn't care about that. What did Konoha care if their Raikage died? They'd agreed to negotiate, not fight, and now people from their own village had launched a sneak attack?

Did they have no regard for the dignity of the Ninja world's greatest village?

Putting himself in Konoha's shoes, Third Ai knew they would inevitably fly into a rage and fight to the death.

With things having come to this, all they could do was hope Konoha would show some restraint and not go so berserk that they destroyed each other.

If that happened, Third Ai would have no choice but to lead Kumogakure in fighting Konoha to the bitter end.

A few days later, Kumogakure's envoys arrived in Konoha, hoping to renegotiate the peace treaty and discuss matters such as returning the body of the Second, Tobirama Senju.

Since Kumogakure was in the wrong, they were willing to make concessions on the original agreement.

In response, Konoha hurriedly convened a meeting. With Tobirama Senju's body about to be returned, there was no point in Mito Uzumaki trying to buy more time. They still had to face reality.

The meeting was fiercely contentious. The Senju Clan's jonin had a simple demand: fight to the end!

Their clan head and Hokage had been killed by an enemy village. If they didn't even make a peep, Konoha might as well disband and let everyone go their separate ways.

Konoha had to avenge him!!

Blood for blood!!!

Calls like these rose one after another, nearly becoming the dominant sentiment.

But reality was harsh. War was a matter of vital importance to a nation, a realm of life and death that demanded careful consideration.

Konoha could no longer launch a proper campaign. Its coffers were truly empty.

They had no money!

War burned through money!

Who would pay for it?

They couldn't exactly count on those noble lords of the Land of Fire!

But no one could say that out loud. They had to understand what was politically correct!

Avenging the Hokage—that was the correct slogan.

Even Uchiha Nan, seated below, wanted to clap in delight. But he still had to look indignant, as if he wanted nothing more than to charge onto the battlefield and fight Kumogakure to the death.

The slogans had to be shouted loud and clear!

But if they really sent troops to fight Kumogakure to the death, every clan head present would have to consider how long their own businesses could hold out. They couldn't exactly sell their ancestral lands to those heartless bankers in the Land of Fire.

Those vultures were always a pack of crooks.

They sat safely on the sidelines. If you dared to sell, they'd offer a price so low even they thought it was heartless.

If you didn't sell, no matter. The price would be even lower later.

Mito Uzumaki watched the shinobi below shouting for vengeance. The clan heads wore sorrowful expressions and said nothing. Their position was clear enough.

They could have their revenge, but not now.

Konoha was nearly exhausted. If they kept fighting, everyone would be finished.

After a major battle, they'd have to contend not only with Kumogakure, but possibly Iwagakure and Kirigakure too. They might have to fight three villages at once.

In the end, Mito Uzumaki took the clan heads to a small room for a final meeting.

After discussing the matter, the clan heads agreed that they couldn't fight. But they had to put on a convincing show, or the other villages would think Konoha was weak.

If they didn't even dare speak up after the Hokage's death, how could Konoha continue leading its neighboring little brothers, such as Kusagakure?

Uchiha Nan naturally had no objections. It wasn't a Uchiha who had died. It was Tobirama Senju.

Mito Uzumaki personally rallied Konoha's shinobi for war, vowing to obtain justice and repay blood with blood.

But in private, the clan heads issued orders to their shinobi facing Kumogakure: they had to show restraint.

They couldn't launch the first attack. Of course, if Kumogakure still dared to send troops to attack, then there would be nothing left to discuss. They might as well destroy each other.

"If Kumogakure doesn't give us a satisfactory answer this time, Konoha will fight them to the death!"

Konoha's official statement to Kumogakure's shinobi was its harshest diplomatic declaration yet. The envoys felt they might not make it home after coming to Konoha this time.

But with their mission to fulfill, they still negotiated with Konoha.

On top of the original peace treaty, Kumogakure offered to pay Konoha an additional four billion ryo in compensation. They would pay one billion in the first year, then repay the rest over the following five years.

Kumogakure, poor as a church mouse, made major concessions because it was in the wrong. They had no money either; they truly couldn't pay any more. People in the village were already starving to death.

Grain merchants had long since driven food prices sky-high, to three times what they'd been in peacetime.

The Raikage naturally cracked down hard on merchants like these, beating several unscrupulous ones to death, but it didn't do a damn thing.

Still, this was business with several times the profit, enough to make people risk their lives.

Besides, the grain merchants all had powerful backers. They weren't the only ones making a fortune by raising food prices during the war. Prices had soared in every country.

Look at neighboring Sunagakure. Food prices had nearly quintupled, and no one had said a word. Was Kumogakure supposed to be special?

Then the Raikage, who had beaten merchants to death, was warned.

Seeing Kumogakure lower its stance, Konoha knew the rest would be easy.

Threats, outrageous demands, and then haggling. They traded a few rounds of harsh words, threatened to fight until they destroyed each other if talks failed, and finally came back to reality.

Konoha demanded another five hundred million ryo. Third Raikage gritted his teeth and accepted.

Money was just a worldly possession.

Ten people starving to death was just a number. Ten thousand people starving to death was also just a number.

He had no choice. That was how harsh reality was.

Let Kumogakure's villagers suffer. He would bear the blame.

The final matter to discuss was when Tobirama Senju's body would be returned. This was a major issue for Konoha.

They had to hold a village funeral for Tobirama Senju, and make it a grand affair!

Every clan head in Konoha had to attend in person. The event had to be impressive!

They also had to notify the nobles of the Land of Fire. Every last one of them had to attend the funeral.

Konoha planned to collect funeral contributions from the nobles, using the Hokage's funeral to raise money. It was a little undignified.

But there was nothing shameful about making money.

The village was almost out of food. Years of budget deficits had left Konoha spending more than it earned.

If Tobirama Senju could see them from the afterlife, surely he would agree. He had contributed to Konoha while alive, and was still giving to Konoha after death.

That was the Will of Fire: to devote oneself completely to the village until one's dying breath!

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