The Tug-of-War Over Military Cost Sharing and Chiyo's Forced Compromise

The door to Meeting Room Three was pushed open from outside, then gently closed again.

There was none of the grim austerity of the Supreme Military Conference Room here. The room was tastefully decorated, with a calligraphic inscription reading "In Harmony with All Things" hanging on the wall, its strokes restrained and inward.

But Chiyo only felt that those four words were the greatest irony of her current predicament.

She sat on a hardwood chair, her back ramrod straight, like a section of withered old pine.

Baishi sat across from her, with a polished black-lacquered wooden table between them. Two freshly brewed cups of tea sat on the table, steam curling upward, yet neither of them had touched theirs.

Shikaku Nara sat beside Baishi, holding a freshly bound dossier. He remained silent.

In the shadows of the corner sat another person—the envoy from Amegakure, Konan. She had remained silent from beginning to end, like a lifeless paper figure, merely watching in silence.

"Advisor Chiyo."

Baishi spoke, his steady voice breaking the silence in the room.

"I presume you already understand the results of the Supreme Military Conference. Regarding Jonin Baki's act of mutiny, Konoha has classified it as 'a terrorist act seriously threatening the security of the Joint Stability Forces' unified region.'"

He stated an established fact without the slightest trace of emotion.

Chiyo's dry lips moved, and her voice came out hoarse. "That is an internal matter of Sunagakure. Rasa will handle it properly."

"It was before." Baishi spoke indifferently. "But now, Baki's forces have already approached the border of the Land of Fire. This is no longer a purely internal matter. Konoha has the responsibility—and the obligation—to guarantee the absolute security of the border."

Chiyo's fingers clenched inside her sleeves, her knuckles whitening from the force.

"What do