"This is the right attitude for discussing business. We had a foundation for cooperation, and it would have benefited both sides. But your behavior just now showed me the Sarutobi Clan's true colors. It made me sick.
"Now that you're being sincere, we can cooperate. I have two conditions.
"First, all grain must be paid for in gold.
"Second, when we fight Konoha, all the bodies of Konoha Ninja must be brought to the City of Wood. They can be exchanged for other daily necessities.
"Likewise, you can exchange the corpses of other ninja for supplies from me.
"That's all."
Senju Nawaki spread his hands and stated his demands. He hadn't made things difficult for Ebizo.
What he truly wanted was what lay behind these demands. He could afford to make a few meaningless concessions to the other four great ninja villages.
"Agreed."
Ebizo was full of doubts, but he still agreed without hesitation. These weren't conditions at all; they were benefits being handed to him.
He even felt that Senju Nawaki was the one making concessions.
Both conditions were strange, but each one was beneficial to Sunagakure.
The five great ninja nations were now promoting a unified currency policy to consolidate the interests of the nobility and the ruling powers.
Their currency could buy anything in the Ninja World. At the Bounty Exchange, you could even buy exclusive ninjutsu.
Sunagakure had the largest gold reserves, thanks to its Kazekage, who could mine vast amounts of gold using the Kekkei Genkai that controlled gold dust.
Sunagakure had also been hit hardest by the currency reform.
There was even a joke in the Ninja World that the Kazekage used his Kekkei Genkai to mine gold just to keep Sunagakure fed.
As for the second condition, ninja corpses held all kinds of intelligence, but its value was limited. Being able to exchange them for other supplies was acceptable.
"Granduncle, draw up the contract."
Senju Nawaki ignored the unusual look in Ebizo's eyes and addressed Senju Tojian.
He had his own reasons for doing this.
The five great ninja nations' fiat currency was more like a massive scam, designed to expand their influence and control every aspect of the Ninja World.
The Bounty Exchange was their most powerful tool.
With nothing but pieces of paper printed with numbers, they could control every wandering ninja in the Ninja World and set them hunting for famous ninja. That kind of force was no weaker than any of the ninja villages.
At times, it could even sway the course of events in the Ninja World.
He intended to get a share of it.
He would make the Bounty Exchange's currency something other than paper printed with numbers: precious gold.
And beyond that, through the Bloodline Completion System, he could refine pure chakra-nature energy into bloodline essence that could improve a ninja's cultivation aptitude.
That would make for an even more attractive currency. With these methods, he could control the Bounty Exchange, take charge of the Ninja World's underworld, and obtain anything he wanted.
The Bounty Exchange was practically made for him.
As for the corpses of Konoha Ninja, they were nourishment for his own bloodline advancement, as well as resources for carrying out his plan.
After dealing with Kumogakure and Sunagakure, he moved on to Iwagakure and Kirigakure. They didn't reach any major agreements, but they established a basic understanding.
Because of geography and the balance of power, as long as the Senju Clan didn't aid Konoha, they wouldn't take any hostile action against the Senju Clan.
After witnessing the power of Wood Release, the smaller factions showed the Senju Clan due respect, and they reached a few minor agreements as well.
The Senju Clan was gradually recovering its strength.
After a day of negotiations and discussions, the Senju Clan had secured a foothold in the Ninja World, at least in the open.
The contrast with Konoha was stark.
With the Senju Clan gone, Konoha's defenses had fallen to their weakest point ever.
After learning Senju Nawaki's stance, the invaders had also stepped up their advance on Konoha.
The Third Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation had plummeted in Konoha and across the Ninja World, until he became synonymous with scheming.
At the Hokage Building, Konoha was holding a meeting of its jōnin to prepare for the crisis ahead.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at the head of the table, with Konoha's Council of Elders beside him: Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō.
The representatives of the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho families, and other ninja clans sat next.
The mood in the room was icy. Everyone's face was dark, and their sidelong glances at Sarutobi Hiruzen were tinged with suspicion.
After Shimura Danzō returned, the Land of Fire's defenses came under attack.
Only then did they realize the Senju Clan, which had been fighting on the front lines, was gone—and just how much pressure that left them under.
The more serious problem was that these clashes had officially begun, and a major war could break out at any moment.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was just as irritated. He had always cared deeply about managing his reputation, and he still couldn't understand how Senju Nawaki, whom he had manipulated into becoming his loyal dog, had suddenly woken up and dealt such a devastating blow to his image.
His most cherished son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, had also disappeared.
All of it left him overwhelmed.
He had to find a way to turn things around. For now, the most important thing was to secure his position in Konoha.
"Ahem... Shimura Danzō failed to bring Senju Nawaki back, so he bears part of the responsibility.
"In any case, the Senju Clan has betrayed Konoha and caused enormous losses to our home. I propose confiscating all of the Senju Clan's property in Konoha to make up for those losses."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took out his small pipe, intending to light it, but ultimately gave up. Then he spoke with a show of authority.
He had to pin all the blame on the Senju Clan to preserve what remained of his prestige.
There had been dissenting voices in Konoha lately, and they had worn him down.
"Lord Hokage, the Senju Clan no longer has any property. I'm afraid..." Mitokado Homura hurriedly spoke up beside him, ignoring the looks around them.
Sarutobi Hiruzen froze.
How could they have no property?
His Sarutobi Clan had seized the Senju Clan's resources through all kinds of means, but they hadn't wiped them out completely. They had only taken the lion's share.
And they had used plenty of legitimate-sounding reasons, such as marriage alliances.
Now Mitokado Homura was telling him the Senju Clan had no assets left in Konoha. How was that possible?
He had always held back and never completely wiped them out. His plan had been to make the Senju Clan scapegoats in this war and let them vanish with dignity.
Some of the jōnin seated at the table lowered their heads in shame.
They were all responsible for the Senju Clan ending up this way.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt some relief as well. This meant he wasn't entirely to blame, and the Sarutobi Clan's situation wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.
The only trouble left was finding cannon fodder for the war.
Before you continue