We Need More Money

Someone pulled open the izakaya door from outside, and Kitsuchi stood to one side, tall and imposing.

Ōnoki floated in from outside and surveyed the room from above. It was just an ordinary little tavern.

He spotted Rasa and his companion. Looking displeased, he said coldly, "You're Rasa, the Kazekage's disciple, aren't you? You're just as annoying in person as you are in the photo.

Where's your teacher? He hasn't arrived yet?"

A king should face a king, and a general should face a general. The letter had specifically asked Ōnoki to come negotiate, so he'd naturally assumed that the Third Kazekage would represent Sunagakure.

Rasa rose with a smile and replied calmly, "Wasn't it made quite clear in the letter?

My teacher was caught off guard by the assassination attempt, and it shook him badly. So I'm representing Sunagakure in these negotiations."

An insult! This was absolutely an insult to him.

Of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, only Kirigakure had gone through its leadership quickly enough to already have a Fourth Mizukage. The leaders of the other four villages had only reached the rank of Third.

Sending a disciple to meet him—what could that be if not an insult? Did Sunagakure think Iwagakure wouldn't beat them to a pulp?

Ōnoki snorted. A vast surge of chakra spread out from him, as imposing as a mountain and brimming with hostility. He was clearly far more formidable than he looked.

Pakura tensed, breaking out in a cold sweat. She instinctively wanted to use Scorch Release, but Ōnoki's oppressive presence was more than she could bear.

How could such a tiny old man possess even more chakra than Roshi, a Jinchūriki—and be even more aggressive? He was far more than he appeared.

It wasn't fear, exactly. She was just a little intimidated.jpg

Rasa remained unruffled. He busied himself with the tea set, brewed a fragrant cup of black tea, and handed it to Pakura. "Would you like some?"

This should be Ōnoki's final peak, right? As expected, anyone who could wield Dust Release—a Kekkei Tōta that defied reason—had to possess chakra vast as the sea.

Seeing that Rasa remained unmoved, Ōnoki put aside his contempt completely. Judging by his composure in the face of danger and his ability to withstand Ōnoki's pressure—

This Red-Hair might be lacking in status, but there was no question about his strength. He was qualified to sit at the same table and have a say.

Ōnoki suddenly asked, "My Dust Release has the strongest offensive power in the Shinobi World. It can disintegrate most things into nothingness.

And I don't need Hand Seals to use it. Aren't you afraid I'll suddenly attack, trade your lives for Roshi's, and make it one for one?"

Pakura's throat bobbed. She'd heard about Dust Release's destructive power, and it was true that it didn't require Hand Seals.

Most elite jōnin couldn't last even one move against Ōnoki before being reduced to ash.

"Go ahead and try. Let's see whether your Dust Release is faster or my Magnet Release."

Rasa lifted his head and met Ōnoki's gaze, his eyes alight.

Atoms exert forces on one another. Sometimes different atoms share the same electron; sometimes electrons transfer between atoms...

These forces are known as chemical bonds.

Ōnoki's Dust Release definitely didn't turn objects into nothingness. That would violate the law of conservation of energy. Instead, it broke them down into atoms, which were simply too small to see.

The basic method was to break the chemical bonds between atoms. Once his own ability advanced far enough, Rasa should be able to do the same.

Even now, there was no need to fear Ōnoki. Dust Release might not require Hand Seals, but in the story, it still took Ōnoki a second or two to use it. After forming the cube, there was also a delay before it dealt damage.

In a mid-lane duel, Rasa had a ping of 10 milliseconds, while Ōnoki's was 2,000. Even at his peak, Faker would have no choice but to get outplayed.

The two stared at each other for a long while. Even Pakura and Kitsuchi could feel the tension between them. They held their breath, thinking the negotiations were about to fall apart, when—

Ōnoki suddenly withdrew his imposing chakra and floated over to the chair on the other side of the table. He sat down and rested his hands on the tabletop, looking like an ordinary old man.

As if nothing had happened, Ōnoki said casually, "Not bad. You've got guts. The Kazekage took on a fine disciple.

Where's the man I came for?"

"You haven't necessarily brought what I came for."

Rasa reflexively echoed a line from Infernal Affairs, then couldn't help laughing. He added, "Roshi is in a nearby inn. I won't release him until I've received compensation for the mental distress my teacher suffered."

No matter what, he had to keep control of the negotiations.

Ōnoki didn't get angry. He knew he couldn't take the initiative right now, so he tapped the table lightly, signaling for Kitsuchi to bring the items over.

The tower-like Kitsuchi immediately stepped forward and placed the dozen or so Storage Scrolls he'd been carrying on the table.

"Count them. I'm short on time and don't want to waste any more of it on you.

The ransom you asked for is all in here. You can keep the Storage Scrolls, too."

Ōnoki sounded impatient. The thought that Sunagakure had produced such a promising young shinobi made him feel that his own village wasn't trying hard enough. Apart from its Jinchūriki, Iwagakure didn't have a single capable fighter.

Rasa sent his chakra into the scrolls and checked the contents one by one against the list.

He also carefully inspected the supplies for any problems. To prevent Iwagakure from tampering with them, he'd mostly requested items like Kunai, Shuriken, Explosive Tags, and special metals.

He hadn't asked for many Military Ration Pills or medicines. If those had been tampered with, it wouldn't have been easy to find out.

Rasa could only say that he was a thoroughly cynical man, so deeply mistrustful that he instinctively imagined his enemies' intentions in the worst possible light.

After checking everything, he found no major problems. Some of the weapons were worn, likely secondhand items that Iwagakure had discarded, but they were still usable. The Sand shinobi were so broke they were practically selling the clothes off their backs, so they couldn't afford to be picky.

Rasa said nothing. With a sweep of his arm, he pushed the Storage Scrolls across the table toward Ōnoki.

"What's this?"

Ōnoki furrowed his brow and twitched his large nose in displeasure. "Everything you asked for is in there. I didn't cut a single thing.

Why are you pushing it back? What's that supposed to mean?"

"The supplies on the list are all accounted for."

Rasa placed both hands on the table, leaned forward, and narrowed his eyes. "But things have changed a tiny bit since we made the deal.

Just yesterday, right here, I met with a representative from Kumogakure.

They're willing to pay the same price to buy the Four-Tails Jinchūriki from us.

So if you want to take Roshi with you, this won't be enough. You'll have to pay more."

Just thinking about it put Rasa in a bad mood. Damn Kumogakure—they wanted to buy the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, but were only willing to offer that much.

Did they really think a Tailed Beast was worth so little?

"You're playing me?"

Ōnoki shot up into the air, his hair bristling with rage and his large nose twitching even more violently. The aura of a Kage Level shinobi at his peak erupted around him, and Pakura immediately felt as if she were standing on the edge of an abyss.

She was like a tiny boat tossed about in a stormy sea, with waves dozens of meters high looming ahead. That was about how crushing the pressure felt.