"Princess Kazahana Koyuki, forget about using the Land of Snow's treasure as payment. I need a commission and other forms of compensation."
Xuan Yu's words left Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayū Asama both relieved and worried.
Keeping the Land of Snow's treasure safe was certainly for the best. They had spent years in exile precisely because they didn't want it falling into Kazahana Dōtō's hands.
But if Xuan Yu wouldn't accept the treasure as payment, they might not have enough money on hand to pay his commission.
A mercenary of Xuan Yu's caliber would charge an astronomical fee for a mission to reclaim a country.
Both Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayū Asama understood that.
After a moment's hesitation, Kazahana Koyuki bit her lip and summoned her courage to ask, "May I ask how much you require?"
Xuan Yu certainly wanted to ask for more, but he knew that Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayū Asama had limited means at the moment.
An exiled princess and a former minister of the Land of Snow, secretly plotting revenge and the restoration of their country, naturally wouldn't have much money at their disposal.
Xuan Yu thought it over, then said, "I need a commission of 100 million ryō, plus permission to take the Tailed Beast from the Land of Snow, and an alliance between the Land of Snow and the Land of Rain as full compensation."
Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayū Asama both looked a little strange.
That was because they couldn't fulfill any of Xuan Yu's three requests at the moment.
Seeing their troubled expressions, Xuan Yu immediately understood that even the 100 million ryō he'd quoted was far too much for them.
He sighed inwardly, then continued, "You can pay the 100 million ryō commission in two or three installments. As for taking the Tailed Beast, even if you don't agree, I can still take it."
"Kazahana Dōtō hired me to capture the Tailed Beast for the Land of Snow to study. He never asked me to ensure it stayed in the Land of Snow forever."
"Lastly, about an alliance between the Land of Snow and the Land of Rain: the Land of Snow is relatively remote, while the Land of Rain lies at the center of several great nations. An alliance and free exchange between the two would benefit the development of both."
"What do you think, Princess?"
After finishing, Xuan Yu waited for Kazahana Koyuki to decide.
If Kazahana Koyuki refused, things would get rather troublesome.
When he'd been thinking about how to get the most out of this, he hadn't expected to hit a roadblock with Kazahana Koyuki.
After all, his plans for the missions would be extremely beneficial to both him and Kazahana Koyuki.
Kazahana Koyuki could avenge herself and become the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, while he could rake in a fortune in commissions from a series of missions. It was a win all around.
If things went wrong with Kazahana Koyuki now, it would be a real headache.
This time, Kazahana Koyuki took even longer to think it over before replying.
"If I can pay the 100 million ryō commission in two or three installments, then I have no problem with that. As for the Tailed Beast, it doesn't belong to the Land of Snow in the first place, so I don't mind if you take it. But I can't agree to an alliance between the Land of Snow and the Land of Rain so easily."
"If I really do get my revenge and become the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, then I'll have to take responsibility for my people."
Kazahana Koyuki seemed tense as she spoke.
She and Sandayū Asama weren't Xuan Yu's equals. If they angered him, he could hand them over to Kazahana Dōtō at any time.
But she had no choice. She couldn't sell out the entire Land of Snow just for her own sake.
If she did, even if she succeeded in becoming the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, she'd soon be overthrown.
Kazahana Koyuki's words surprised Xuan Yu, too.
Maybe he'd been biased from the start. After all, later on, Princess Kazahana Koyuki had settled into a life of idleness and apathy.
He hadn't expected that, at this stage, Princess Kazahana Koyuki was not only intelligent but also responsible.
That was certainly a good thing for the people of the Land of Snow.
And it wasn't a bad thing for Xuan Yu, either. The more capable Kazahana Koyuki was, and the more secure her position, the more she'd be able to pay him when she hired him in the future.
With that in mind, Xuan Yu patiently explained the current state of the Ninja World to Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayū Asama.
"You two, ever since the First Shinobi World War, the great nations have started wars whenever they please to serve their own interests. Smaller nations either take sides under pressure from the great nations or become battlegrounds in their struggles for dominance, turned into hellscapes of corpses and blood."
"Against the Five Great Shinobi Nations, smaller nations are too small and too weak. Only by joining together can they protect themselves, develop, and survive with dignity."
"The leadership of the Land of Rain has already understood this, and I've resolved to visit every small and medium-sized nation to bring about an alliance in the Ninja World led by the Land of Rain."
Xuan Yu didn't know if explaining it this way would help Kazahana Koyuki make up her mind.
If he couldn't get her on board, he wouldn't be able to move on to the next mission.
Before Kazahana Koyuki could speak, Sandayū Asama spoke up. "During all these years in exile, I've actually had similar thoughts. But nothing like this has ever happened in the Ninja World, so I don't know whether the idea is just wishful thinking."
"But if the leadership of the Land of Rain and Lord Xuan Yu both intend to bring all the small and medium-sized nations of the Ninja World together in an alliance, then in my view, the Land of Snow should join this Rain Country Alliance."
After speaking, Sandayū Asama looked toward Kazahana Koyuki.
He was only a retainer, after all. It was Kazahana Koyuki who had to decide whether the Land of Snow would ally with the Land of Rain. All he could do was offer advice.
After thinking briefly, Kazahana Koyuki also felt that an alliance between the Land of Snow and the Land of Rain would probably do more good than harm.
Still, she asked cautiously, "If the Land of Rain and the Land of Snow form an alliance, but things don't develop as positively as we expect, can the Land of Snow withdraw from it?"
"Of course." Xuan Yu gave an immediate, unequivocal answer.
He was absolutely certain this model would work.
The Land of Rain had resources and technology that the Land of Snow might not have, and the reverse was true as well.
In that case, exchanging what each side had would certainly benefit both nations.
After getting Xuan Yu's confirmation, Kazahana Koyuki didn't hesitate any longer. She nodded and said, "In that case, I agree. But we'll need to pay the 100 million ryō commission in at least two installments. We can give you at most 50 million ryō this time!"
"Can't you give me 60 million ryō up front?" Xuan Yu pressed.
His speed attribute was still 35 million ryō short of reaching 20,000.
His spirit attribute was about 20 million ryō short of reaching 10,000.
He needed at least 55 million ryō to get two more Growth Gift Packs.
If Kazahana Koyuki could only give him a 50-million-ryō commission, he'd have to waste time grinding some other missions to make up the difference.
Before you continue