Inside the conference room of the Daimyo Mansion.
The various factions had fallen into a strange stalemate, as if they were acting out a play.
Mitokado Homura of Konohagakure and A of Kumogakure refused to give an inch, insisting that they had equal rights to control the resources produced in the Land of Fields.
Neither man paid the slightest heed to the Daimyo of the Land of Fields, nor to Ebizo of Sunagakure.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fields stood awkwardly off to one side. He wasn't even allowed to sit, and could only wait with a forced smile for the two sides to reach an agreement.
Every so often, he poured Ebizo more water, hoping to get him, as a representative of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, to join the dispute.
Even the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages could sway the two sides and mediate between them. Only the Five Great Shinobi Villages had the standing to interfere in matters involving the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
That was the only way this farce could end.
Ebizo sat off to one side with his eyes closed, listening to everything unfolding before him with an air of calm unconcern. He paid the Daimyo of the Land of Fields no attention at all.
Before they set out, the Second Kazekage had laid out their objective clearly: their true target was the Land of Rivers.
The Land of Fields was merely a decoy.
The Land of Waterfalls had taught them a lesson. Even with abundant resources, Sunagakure simply lacked the strength to control a place with such a complicated political situation and such a strategic location.
Ebizo's admiration for Shamon grew. He had found a path forward for Sunagakure.
He glanced at Tsunade beside him. He hadn't expected her to leave the battlefield in the Land of Rain and come to the Land of Fields for negotiations whose outcome was already decided.
With Tsunade withdrawn from the battlefield in the Land of Rain, his sister Chiyo's poison techniques would have the chance to shine and carve out a place for Sunagakure.
Was this Sarutobi Hiruzen of Konoha making a concession?
Tsunade, whose Sealing Jutsu countered poison techniques?
Was he really that shameless?
Was he willing to sacrifice the shinobi of his own country?
Ebizo couldn't quite make sense of it. Recalling Shamon's instructions, he let the farce continue.
Who knew? They might even get some unexpected benefits in the end. With the Daimyo of the Land of Fields so weak-willed, Sarutobi Hiruzen of Konoha so willing to back down, and Kumogakure so overbearing, someone would have to step in and mediate.
He couldn't help indulging in a few pleasant daydreams.
At last.
Tsunade couldn't take it any longer.
Even as a member of Konoha, she thought the two men before her were behaving disgracefully.
Konohagakure wanted half of the resources produced, and Kumogakure wanted the other half. Even if Sunagakure got nothing, what about the Senju Clan's rights in the Land of Fields? They had signed an alliance to guarantee those rights!
She spoke up on behalf of the Land of Fields.
Did they think the Land of Fields was a cow that could give milk without eating grass?
Didn't the people there need to survive?
Tsunade understood nothing about the art of negotiation.
"Shut up, all of you!"
Crack! Tsunade slammed her fist into the conference table.
The solid wooden table, ten meters long, three meters wide, and two meters thick, snapped in half.
Splinters flew everywhere, interrupting the negotiations between Mitokado Homura and A.
Mitokado Homura's face darkened. He glared at Tsunade in displeasure and practically growled,
"Tsunade, you need to understand your place."
A looked regretful, as if someone had interrupted a game that hardly mattered. He had been teasing Mitokado Homura the whole time anyway.
Kumogakure's way was simple: when you had the upper hand, you took the greatest possible advantage.
This negotiation was less a discussion than a concession by Sarutobi Hiruzen. He had revealed Kumogakure the benefits they could expect and the limits they were willing to accept well in advance.
Kumogakure wasn't going to settle for the same outcome as Konoha.
He would secure the greatest possible benefits for Kumogakure and weaken Konoha.
What would happen when Konoha, once the wealthiest village with the most abundant food supplies, found itself short on food?
He desperately wanted to see it.
"The Senju Clan's Secret Technique of Monstrous Strength? You've got some skill. We should spar sometime."
A grinned as he clenched his fist.
He also practiced Nintaijutsu, and Tsunade's display of strength had piqued his interest. Someone with that kind of power was worthy of fighting him.
"Have you all forgotten that the Senju Clan is entitled to a share of these things from the Land of Fields?"
Tsunade asked, her expression dark.
Whatever else, she was a member of the Senju Clan. The moment the Land of Fields was established, an agreement had been made to grant the clan a share of its food production.
She knew perfectly well that food trading was a major source of the Senju Clan's income.
Losing that share of the food trade would hurt the Senju Clan.
Ebizo, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them. A trace of disdain flashed through his gaze.
The rumors in the Ninja World really couldn't be trusted at all.
According to the information spread in Konoha, Tsunade was a once-in-a-century genius, while Senju Nawaki was a hopeless good-for-nothing.
But now it seemed Tsunade was the one who couldn't amount to anything.
Not only was she standing with Konoha's negotiating team, she couldn't even secure benefits for her own clan.
That was nothing short of treachery.
And she was still so naive, imagining she could ease the tensions between the Senju Clan and Konoha.
Konoha had already betrayed the Senju Clan, selling them out to forces that might well be their enemies.
There was another important reason Ebizo wasn't fighting for a share: he didn't believe Senju Nawaki would give up the Land of Fields' interests so easily.
He had seen Senju Nawaki's methods in the City of Wood.
He wasn't the kindhearted, optimistic, hot-blooded fool described in the rumors of the Ninja World. He was more like a meticulous, ruthless hunter, always ready to strike a fatal blow.
During his brief conversation with Senju Nawaki in the City of Wood, Ebizo had realized that Nawaki didn't care all that much about the Land of Fields' food.
Just as the Senju Clan's burning of the food hadn't cost them anything—instead, it had caused food prices to soar—Sunagakure had already received word that food prices were rising.
Even so, Ebizo hoped the Senju Clan would win. After all, more than half of Sunagakure's strategic food reserves came from them.
The Senju Clan wouldn't sell food to Konoha.
Retaliation against the Land of Fields would weaken both Konohagakure and Kumogakure.
"Tsunade, the Land of Fields has the right to choose its own partners.
"The Senju Clan no longer has the strength to protect the Land of Fields. All you can do is undermine it and bring it misfortune.
"We're helping the Land of Fields live in greater stability and harmony.
"It was the Land of Fields that chose Konoha! That chose Kumogakure! That chose Sunagakure!"
Mitokado Homura turned to her and lectured her in the tone of an elder.
He was trying to pull Kumogakure and Sunagakure onto his side.
A and Ebizo both looked at Mitokado Homura with disdain, as if to ask, Had he really thrown away the last shred of his dignity?
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