"Let him in." An old, steady voice came from inside the room.
Bai Lin took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The room was sparsely furnished, with a wooden table, a few chairs, and a map of the Ninja World hanging on the wall.
Behind the table sat a gaunt old man in a blue-green robe. His hair was gray, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He was the village chief of Kusagakure.
Two equally composed old men sat to his left and right. They were clearly the village elders.
"So young?" The chief and the two elders all looked surprised when they saw Bai Lin.
The boy before them looked no older than twelve, with youthful features and a tall, straight frame. Though he wore a Konoha Forehead Protector, he showed none of the awkwardness of youth. Instead, he carried himself with a composure far beyond his years.
Their surprise quietly eased some of their wariness.
After all, no matter how talented a young ninja was, his strength would still be limited.
At most, he'd be a Chunin—nothing to fear.
"You're Lord Orochimaru's subordinate?" The chief withdrew his gaze and lightly tapped his fingers on the table, his tone openly appraising. "What deal did Orochimaru send you to discuss?"
"Chief, honored elders, Lord Orochimaru sends his regards." Bai Lin showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he calmly walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down with easy composure.
"Kid, you're awfully arrogant. Even Orochimaru himself would have to show our Kusagakure some respect. Who do you think you are, waltzing in here and acting so high and mighty?"
The elder on the left slammed his hand on the table and glared at him.
The elder on the right chimed in, his tone scornful. "Exactly! Orochimaru sent you here? Seems he doesn't take our Kusagakure seriously!"
"He sent a little brat to us. Has he even been weaned yet? Hahaha!"
The two of them played off each other, making no effort to hide their contempt.
The air in the room instantly grew tense. The chief said nothing, but his cold, amused expression showed that he agreed with the two elders.
A trace of coldness flashed in Bai Lin's eyes. He had already decided they were as good as dead.
But his expression didn't change. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and smiled gently. "Honored sirs, you know what the situation in the Ninja World is like these days, don't you?"
He paused. His tone remained mild, yet carried an undeniable force. "I'm a Konoha prodigy. Lord Orochimaru sent me here simply to put you at ease. After all, having a 'child' come in his place shows more sincerity than making the esteemed Lord come here himself, doesn't it?"
"Sincerity?" The elder on the left sneered.
"Orochimaru isn't even Konoha's Hokage. What leverage does he have to negotiate with us?"
Everyone knew that Orochimaru, a disciple of the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was a genius.
But his reputation was still limited. The Second Shinobi World War had only just begun, and he had little real combat experience to show for himself.
"If you look down on Lord Orochimaru, then this deal is off."
Bai Lin stood up as if to leave, then added, "Anyway, if the other minor ninja villages hear what Lord Orochimaru is offering, they'll jump at the chance to cooperate.
"After all, who wouldn't be tempted by the chance to forge ties with Konoha and obtain ample wartime supplies?"
"Kid, do you think this is your house? You can't just come and go as you please!" The elder on the left started to move.
"That's enough!" the chief suddenly said, stopping him.
Wartime supplies?
How could he let this opportunity slip by?
If another village reached an agreement with Orochimaru first, Kusagakure might lose its advantage.
The elder on the left immediately changed his tune, softening his tone. "Kid, don't put it that way. We're not looking down on Lord Orochimaru. We just think it's rather childish for a kid like you to represent him."
"Oh? So you want to go ahead with the deal?" Bai Lin stopped and turned to face the three men.
The chief smiled. "We can make a deal. What exactly does Lord Orochimaru want to trade, and what are his terms?"
"It's simple." Bai Lin sat back down and took a thumb-sized glass bottle from the System Space, setting it gently on the table. Inside was a pale blue liquid.
"What is this?" The chief furrowed his brows, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
The elder on the left immediately flew into another rage. He slapped the table and shouted, "Are you making a fool of us? You bring us some little bottle and expect us to take you seriously?"
"Why are you getting worked up again? What are you so angry about?" Bai Lin rolled his eyes, feeling a little helpless.
He had thought the other man was just looking down on him for being a kid sent to negotiate. It seemed he was just an irritable person by nature.
Ignoring the furious elder, Bai Lin picked up the glass bottle and spoke slowly. "This is a potion Lord Orochimaru developed after painstaking effort. It's called Hero Water.
"Drinking it grants a tremendous amount of Chakra in an instant. Even an ordinary Jonin can easily attain the strength of a village's Kage."
"Its effects are on a completely different level from Military Ration Pills."
"Tell me, doesn't something like this qualify as an important strategic resource?"
That's right. The item Bai Lin had brought to trade in Kusagakure was the Hero Water he had previously seized from Takigakure. He had poured it from the gourd-shaped bottle into the thumb-sized glass vial. The amount was less than one percent of the original, and he had diluted it with water.
"What?"
The chief and the two elders' eyes widened in disbelief.
An ordinary Jonin could reach Kage Level after drinking it?
This was a miracle drug that turned everything they knew on its head!
If Kusagakure could get its hands on this potion, it would not only be able to protect itself amid the chaos—it might even have a chance to absorb the surrounding minor ninja villages and reap substantial rewards.
The elder on the left immediately quelled his anger. He stared fixedly at the glass bottle, breathing faster.
He had been furious because he thought Bai Lin was making a fool of them. But now that he had heard what the potion could do, all that remained was naked greed.
He paused, then dropped another bombshell. "That's not all. In addition to the Hero Water you see here, we can also supply ninja tools and Military Ration Pills in large quantities—Shuriken, Kunai, Explosive Tags, poisons, antidotes, scrolls. You name it, we have it.
"We can supply as much as you want, at only fifty percent above the usual price."
At those words, the three men could no longer sit still!
During wartime, ninja tools and Military Ration Pills were already scarce, and their market prices had more than tripled. Bai Lin's offer of "only fifty percent above the usual price" was practically a gift from heaven!
Kusagakure made its living by taking missions from the major ninja villages. If it could stockpile large quantities of strategic supplies at a low price, it could meet its own needs and even resell the goods for a huge profit.
"Y-You're telling the truth?" The elder on the right's voice trembled. He looked utterly incredulous.
"Of course." Bai Lin's tone was calm, though he had already worked out his plans.
The spoils he had taken from his enemies were useless to him. He might as well use them to open up a trade channel with Kusagakure. That would satisfy the system's requirement to "earn spending money through doing business" and pave the way for his future plans.
He still had plenty of Hero Water. Selling a little wouldn't matter. As long as he could quickly gather enough for a Kage-level Ten-pull, Kusagakure would be nothing to worry about.
Orochimaru's camp was at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, not far from Kusagakure. This trade route would surely prove useful in the future.
Kusagakure was one possible trade partner—a fairly suitable place to sell the goods.
The chief took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
The terms were so favorable that he could hardly refuse.
"Fine, we can work together. But this Hero Water... is it really as miraculous as you claim? And what do you want in exchange?"