The Softening of Envoys and Harsh Trade Conditions

The tents of Konoha's southern border temporary command post were trembling slightly from the distant roars of artillery fire.

Every explosion struck like a heavy drum mallet against human hearts.

Inside the teacup before Shikaku Nara, the water surface rippled with dense, delicate circles.

He stared at the map, as though those continuous, earth-shaking booms were merely the sound of rain outside the window.

The tent flap was abruptly yanked open, and an ANBU ninja responsible for communications dropped to one knee, his voice somewhat unstable from urgency.

"Lord Shikaku, the Sunagakure envoy delegation requests an urgent audience once more."

"What is their attitude?" Shikaku did not raise his head, his finger gently tapping a location marked "mining area" on the map.

"...Extremely urgent." The ANBU ninja weighed his words. "It is no longer a 'request for an audience,' it is closer to 'pleading.'"

The corner of Shikaku's mouth twitched in an imperceptible trace.

Artillery shells were sometimes more effective than any diplomatic rhetoric.

"Let them in."

"Here?"

"Right here."

Shikaku waved his hand, signaling the ANBU to withdraw.

He chose not a more formal reception room, but rather this very command tent brimming with the stench of gunpowder and the aura of marching troops.

This in itself was a kind of attitude.

Soon, the Sunagakure envoy delegation led by Ye Cangshi was brought in.

All of their faces carried sand, wind, and exhaustion, alongside a layer of undisguised panic. Their diplomatic attire looked utterly out of place in this crude military tent.

"Lord Shikaku Nara!"

As soon as Ye Cangshi entered, he dispensed with all pleasantries, his tone carrying suppressed anger and a trace of a tremble he himself was unwilling to admit.

"Is Konoha planning to unilaterally tear up the truce agreement and officially declare war on our