"Negotiations begin the morning after tomorrow. If anyone has thoughts, speak up now," Orochimaru said.
"Lord Hokage, there's something I've never understood. The Staircase Mountain Treaty is about to expire, so why did Sunagakure choose this moment to start a war?
"They could have waited until it expired, built up their resources, trained more ninja, and then gone to war," the Finance Minister said.
"Heh. First, the Third Kazekage died. Someone wanted to take his place, and naturally he needed someone to blame.
"Besides, the treaty's ten-year term applied only to Sunagakure's mineral deposits and taxes. The limit on its forces had no such expiration.
"Sunagakure secretly trained quite a few ninja, but the treaty still held it back. Its official forces could only number six thousand.
"That was what Sunagakure's leaders found hardest to bear. And after years of handing over minerals and taxes, its ninja had built up a great deal of resentment. They needed an outlet."
The Finance Minister nodded. "I had no idea there was so much behind it. The Land of Fire owes its prosperity to the hard fighting of Konoha's many ninja.
"The Daimyo has approved five billion ryō in bonuses for the three battlefronts. Compensation for casualties will be paid separately. The money is already on its way to Konoha."
Orochimaru nodded. The Daimyo knew how to win people over. Five billion ryō was nearly half the Land of Wind's annual revenue.
Konoha had mobilized more than ten thousand troops this time. Divided evenly, each would receive five hundred thousand ryō, not counting bonuses paid after missions.
Of course, that sum was nothing compared to what the Land of Fire stood to gain.
The minerals and money handed over in a single year would probably exceed five billion ryō.
"When I return to