Sunagakure's Financial Crisis

Most of the ninjas present thought Hoshino Maki would sincerely admit his mistake. After all, abandoning his unit and letting the enemy escape was an indisputable fact.

But Hoshino Maki went straight for the conclusion, offering a new reason why Pakura's accusation didn't hold up. He hadn't helped the Cloud Ninja escape; he'd prevented a war that Sunagakure would very likely have lost.

Although A was alone, as the prospective Fourth Raikage, he commanded the very best Nintaijutsu.

There was no perfect Ninjutsu in this world, but if they were to choose the one that came closest, Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu would certainly be in the running.

It strengthened the body while greatly increasing speed. Lightning Armor combined Lightning Release's piercing power with excellent defense. If it had any real weakness, it was the lack of long-range attacks.

And an experienced, powerful ninja like A naturally had plenty of ways to close the distance.

Hoshino Maki's words made many people turn their eyes toward Rasa.

One was the son of the Third Raikage, the other the student of the Third Kazekage. Which of the two was stronger would have a major effect on their villages' morale.

Rasa's eyes were lowered as he stared at the marble platform beneath Hoshino Maki's feet, seeming almost to have entered a meditative state.

As far as he was concerned, this pointless debate served no purpose except to waste time. Once he had solved the problem of Shukaku, the battlefield would naturally reveal who was stronger.

Come to think of it, it was a shame that the boy from the Koshu Clan hadn't survived Shukaku's Chakra and had burst apart.

By the way, what had his name been? Never mind. It didn't matter. Finding the next candidate was what mattered, not attending this meaningless briefing.

Rasa's indifference didn't upset anyone. Everyone knew that was simply how he was.

Hoshino Maki took in the whole room's reaction. Apparently, in the eyes of Sunagakure's upper ranks, even after achieving a great victory, he still didn't measure up to Rasa.

After all, Rasa had earned his current position through ten years of hard work for the village. Even without being the Third Kazekage's student, he would still be one of Sunagakure's most outstanding shinobi.

That was why Hoshino Maki was wary of him, and why he had used this as a condition to get Chiyo to keep Rasa from going to the front lines.

"Does anyone still think that was a good opportunity to wipe out the Cloud Ninja?"

Hoshino Maki's words echoed through the meeting hall, but no one answered.

"If things really were as you say, then it wasn't a good opportunity. But that doesn't justify leaving your unit without permission and making your own decisions about the battle."

Chōjūrō spoke slowly. His low voice carried a strange air of conviction, and quite a few people nodded along.

Hoshino Maki shook his head. "No. The war was already over once we broke the Cloud Ninja's ambush. Their remaining forces weren't enough to invade the Land of Wind, so why should we keep fighting?"

Hoshino Maki spread his hands, then continued before Chōjūrō could speak.

"What is the purpose of war?"

"I don't know what the Cloud Ninja wanted, but I know our goal was to defend the Land of Wind. Haven't we already achieved that?"

"Even setting A aside, would our fight against the Cloud Ninja have been easy?"

"With Kazekage-sama gone, the village is at its weakest. Every ninja is precious. Their blood shouldn't be shed over pointless conflict! Their lives shouldn't be wasted on a battlefield like this, where nothing can be gained!"

"I did this entirely with the village's current situation in mind. That damned Hatake Sakumo was willing to abandon a mission for his comrades. Are Sunagakure's shinobi supposed to stand by and watch their comrades die when the mission has already been completed?!"

"I'm sorry! I—couldn't—do—it!"

Hoshino Maki's voice rose from calm to impassioned. At the end, he even pointed toward the seats above him and shouted as if he were scolding them.

When Hoshino Maki finished speaking, the hall fell silent. The ninjas didn't whisper among themselves; they lowered their heads and quietly considered his words.

The Jonin examinations assessed more than a ninja's combat strength. They also required a sufficient store of knowledge.

Of course, it wasn't as exaggerated as the mountains of books shown in the anime, but it still wasn't something an ordinary ninja could master in a short time.

So anyone who became a Jonin had to possess a certain ability to think for themselves. They were no longer mere mission machines.

That didn't mean they didn't prioritize their missions. It meant they used their abilities effectively to carry them out, while also considering what benefited the village and how it could develop.

Hoshino Maki liked people like that best. If they were all stubbornly obedient, he wouldn't have suggested to Chiyo that they hold this public hearing.

Putting himself on trial for no reason? He wasn't a masochist.

Hoshino Maki had shifted the question from "the key to the war effort" to "the cleanup after the war." That changed the severity of the matter entirely.

Compared with saving countless Sunagakure shinobi, a minor case of acting on his own initiative didn't seem like such a big deal, did it?

The Jonin thought it over, especially the example Hoshino Maki had given at the end: Hatake Sakumo.

For a long time, that name had been a sore spot for Sunagakure. Sunagakure's shinobi would fly into a rage whenever they heard it.

The Sunagakure shinobi had insisted that if not for him, Sunagakure would have achieved unprecedented success in the previous Ninja World War.

But things had become complicated after the White Fang's suicide.

Ninjas hated the strong, feared the strong, and worshiped the strong all at once.

Sunagakure had become a stepping stone that made Hatake Sakumo famous throughout the Shinobi World. But when they heard of the White Fang's death, especially the way he had died, few people celebrated.

A powerful ninja who had single-handedly held the Sunagakure shinobi back had died because of rumors spread by villagers and comrades. It was rather ironic, and it had made Konoha a laughingstock among the other villages.

It was something else to drive such a powerful ninja from your own village to his death.

Kirigakure: What are you implying? You want to be hunted down, is that it?

Afterward, Konoha made no public statement about the White Fang's death. They simply buried his body quietly in Konoha Graveyard, where the spirits of the fallen lived on.

That alone showed how deeply Konoha regretted the effects of the rumors at the time.

Would Sunagakure now follow in Konoha's footsteps?

On reflection, there was a difference between Konoha's White Fang, who had failed his mission to save someone and caused his comrades' deaths, and this young man. He had broken the enemy's ambush, protected his unit, routed the enemy, and driven the Cloud Ninja's frontline troops away without bloodshed. Shouldn't he be considered a hero?

Many Jonin looked at the young man standing on the platform, facing a public trial, and felt a sense of absurdity rise within them.

Why were they putting a village hero on trial?

The atmosphere in the hall grew strange.

Hoshino Maki paused for about half a minute after he finished speaking, giving them time to think.

That string of questions, the appeal to the village's greater good, and the White Fang's tragic example. Come on, if you still weren't reflecting on this, what were you waiting for?

Hoshino Maki believed that once the meeting was over, most Sunagakure shinobi wouldn't hold any ill will toward him after hearing what he'd said. And as his plans gradually unfolded, they would even support him of their own accord as the next leader of Sunagakure.

But that was only a secondary aim of this briefing. His real targets were the Elder Council and the leaders of the Great Clans. They were the true minds of Sunagakure.

No matter how deeply moved they might have been by his words, they wouldn't bow down like characters in a novel and obey his every command. They only believed in interests.

"Some people say that letting those Cloud Ninja escape was leaving trouble for the future. Then let me ask you this: if a tiger sticks out its claws and gets them smacked back with a stick, will it reach toward the stick the next time?"

"But if you back it into a corner with nowhere left to retreat, you'll only bring out its ferocity and make it fight to the death."

"When that happens, how will we, without the Third Kazekage, face the Third Raikage and the many experts of Kumogakure?"

"By the way, while I was at the Cloud Ninja Camp, I heard something. Kumogakure's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki can already control the Tailed Beast at will."

The enormous hall was silent at first, then erupted into noisy commotion.

"Are you sure?! This isn't something to joke about!"

"Impossible. No one can completely control a Tailed Beast!"

"Couldn't Bunpuku do it?"

"You mean the One-Tails Jinchuriki? Isn't he dead already? And if he really could control it, why would the village have locked him up?"

"That's true."

"..."

Pakura stared at Hoshino Maki, her eyes nearly spitting fire. She hadn't known a thing about this!

On the way back from the front lines, she'd barely seen him. She'd only heard he'd been getting along famously with the other ninjas. Looking back, that had been a terrible move.

If she'd set aside her prejudice back then, would things have...? Pakura remembered the subtle look he'd given her and quickly shook her head.

She only regretted that her punch had landed a little too high!

"Are you sure?"

Chiyo had remained silent since the meeting began, but at last she spoke. Everyone immediately fell quiet, and only Chiyo's voice could be heard in the hall.

"I'm not sure, but I didn't dare take the risk."

Hoshino Maki looked completely calm. It would have been suspicious if he'd sounded absolutely certain. By admitting that there'd been some gambling involved, he came across as perfectly reasonable, and no one would blame him for it.

If what he said was true, Kumogakure was now powerful enough that even the most hardline members of the Hawk Faction wouldn't dare speak recklessly.

At some point, the atmosphere had gradually shifted from "putting a war criminal on trial" to "he may have made a small mistake, but his merits outweigh his faults."

"But you should still have reported it to the village first. If the situation was urgent, you could have used a Summoning Beast."

Chiyo's sudden words surprised many people.

No one had expected her to press the issue further when it looked like they were about to let it go. Weren't they on the same side?

"This was my mistake. I thought Lord Hoshino knew the Summoning Technique, so I didn't leave anyone behind who could use it."

Kojima stood up from the crowd and bowed deeply, his face full of remorse.

Chiyo nodded and said calmly, "Hoshino Maki hadn't learned the Summoning Technique before. In the future, make sure to communicate more with your comrades in situations like this. Understood?"

Hoshino Maki nodded and sincerely apologized for his oversight.

"In that case, let's put this matter to rest."

No one had expected Rasa to speak up so suddenly and bring the matter to a close.

Chōjūrō furrowed his brow and quickly looked from Chiyo to Hoshino Maki, then to Rasa.

The act just now hadn't been particularly clever. It was simply a matter of both sides giving a little: Hoshino Maki admitted he'd acted rashly, and the village acknowledged what he'd done. They were all one big, loving family again.

But he hadn't expected Rasa to play the final part. That made the situation very unfavorable for him.

Chōjūrō lowered his eyes, his expression inscrutable as he wondered what was going through his mind.

With the matter settled, some of the ninjas had already risen to leave when Chiyo suddenly spoke. "Please wait."

Everyone was taken aback, then respectfully sat back down.

Chiyo rose and slowly made her way to the center of the platform, moving like a candle flickering in the wind. She paused for a couple of breaths. "This time, Hoshino Maki led the Reinforcement Unit to a great victory over the Cloud Ninja ambush force. They captured more than seventy prisoners, including forty-three Jonin."

The ninjas present erupted in astonishment. They knew a group of prisoners was being held by the Chiyo Clan, but they hadn't expected so many of them to be Jonin. If the speaker hadn't been Chiyo, they would have thought it was fake news.

Forty-three Jonin—there were no more than that stationed across the entire southern part of the Land of Wind!

They'd lost count of how many times they'd been surprised today, and every surprise had been connected to the young man standing behind Chiyo.

The last young man with such remarkable talent had been Chiyo's grandson, Sasori. Before him, there had been the red-haired, cold-faced man sitting behind the Elder seats.

"What does everyone think we should do with the prisoners?"

The people present were dazed for a moment, then their faces lit up with fervor. They shouted out their ideas one after another. Even some of the clan leaders couldn't contain their excitement.

What did it feel like to decide the fate of more than forty Jonin?

Even the leader of Takigakure, hailed as the "Sixth Ninja Village," didn't have that kind of authority!

Hoshino Maki said nothing. Instead, he quietly took note of everyone's expressions.

Some said they should torture the prisoners to death to honor their fallen comrades.

Others said they should cripple the male ninjas and throw them into the desert as food for monsters, while keeping the female ninjas for everyone to "educate" properly.

Still others suggested sealing their Chakra and using their lives to teach the Genin about to graduate from the Ninja Academy one final lesson.

In short, the vast majority wanted them to die in agony.

That didn't mean the Sunagakure shinobi were naturally cruel. It was simply the way the Shinobi World worked. Humane treatment was so rare you might not hear of it even once in a year. So if you were captured, you had to kill yourself at the first opportunity.

If Pashira hadn't talked them down, and Hoshino Maki hadn't taken advantage of their shock at their sudden defeat to place seals inside them that kept them from committing suicide, they would have been lucky to have twenty prisoners left.

The Elders were whispering among themselves too. Chōjūrō didn't join in; he was wondering what the other side was planning.

He didn't believe Chiyo had these prisoners in her hands and was asking everyone's opinion out of the goodness of her heart.

Hm?

A chart was handed to him.

He looked up and saw Chiyo Family attendants distributing charts to everyone in the hall.

Many people glanced at the dense rows of numbers on the page, got a headache, and tossed it aside.

As ninjas, they hated dealing with numbers.

Chōjūrō picked one up, and then heard Hoshino Maki say, "This is the village's financial situation for the first half of this year. Revenue is down thirty percent compared to the same period last year. Taking the winter and the war into account, this year's revenue may be only 45.3 percent of last year's."

Hoshino Maki delivered the words calmly, but they were more chilling than anything he'd said before.

The village was out of money!

Thanks to @Floating Life, Yet Dreams Are Empty for the Monthly Ticket! Thank you all for your support!

I'm not happy about it, but it's not enough to make me lose it. My last book was cut short, but after testing Qidian's review limits with more than a hundred images, I finally got a feel for them. I didn't expect them to tighten up again when I published this one.

On top of that, the day before yesterday, I was told to revise my synopsis because I'd written a few stock news phrases and was accused of riding on the coattails of official media.

All I can say is that the most conservative place on the Chinese internet these days is online fiction.