Overwhelming the Negotiations with Data: A Reversal through Thunderous Methods

At two in the afternoon, the curtains in Room 3 were tightly drawn, shutting out the afternoon sunlight.

The lighting looked even paler than it had that morning.

The atmosphere had shifted from oppressive to dangerously restless.

Chiyo, Sunagakure's adviser, sat with her eyes half closed, tapping her fingers idly against the armrest. She looked as though she were dozing, but everyone present knew that this aging lioness was merely gathering her strength.

Konan, Amegakure's representative, remained expressionless. The tea in front of her had not been touched.

Namikaze Minato felt his throat grow dry.

The proposal he had offered that morning had failed to become an olive branch of peace. Instead, it had become a ladder for the other side to demand more.

"Regarding compensation," Chiyo finally began, her voice raspier than it had been that morning, and even more self-righteous, "I went back and discussed it with the members of our delegation. We appreciate Lord Minato's sincerity in seeking peace. But Sunagakure's circumstances really are... alas."

She sighed as though it had drained every ounce of her strength.

"We couldn't raise the remaining thirty percent even if we sold everything we owned. The war is over, but the village still needs to survive. I have an immodest request, and I hope the Fifth Hokage and Lord Minato can understand our plight. We would like Konoha to waive this compensation in full. Furthermore, as a guarantee of peace, could Konoha provide us with free food aid over the next three years?"

Her words left the meeting room deathly silent.

Even Sunagakure's own representatives looked somewhat stunned.

From waiving seventy percent, to waiving everything, to demanding aid in return. This was no longer negotiation. It was extortion.

Namikaze Minato's expression darkened instantly.

He had never expected their appetite to swell