Alliance

"Ha!"

Pakura had been sent to discuss an alliance with Konoha, and she had told the Third Hokage she wanted to visit the Heavenly Eye Society.

But the moment she walked in, she saw the White Fang sitting in an office, writing an article.

Pakura hissed in alarm. Sakumo's eyes lit up instead. Another sucker from Sunagakure had come right to his door.

"Are you Pakura, the Scorch Release ninja?"

Pakura steadied herself and nodded.

Sakumo took out a notebook and pen. "Would you agree to an interview?"

Alarm bells rang in Pakura's head. Rasa had worn a dark expression for days after seeing the issue that featured his interview.

Is it my turn now? Pakura rubbed her fingers together, then agreed to the interview.

Useless Rasa. The elders must have been blind to choose you as Kazekage instead of me.

Now I'll turn the tables with a brilliant comeback!

"Are you married?"

Sakumo opened with a question about her love life again. Pakura shook her head. I've been single this long. Surely he can't twist that into calling me promiscuous.

Sakumo silently wrote in his notebook: Young people in Sunagakure show little interest in marriage. Even a powerful kunoichi like Pakura has no suitors, possibly due to dissatisfaction with the village leadership.

"Next question: What exactly happened to the Third Kazekage?"

Pakura stiffened. How had he jumped from marriage to such a sensitive subject?

"Ahem." Pakura cleared her throat. "I can't disclose that."

Sakumo nodded as if everything had suddenly become clear. Pakura stared at him in confusion. Hadn't he been a ninja? Why did a standard official answer seem to surprise him?

Little did she know, Sakumo had just written in his notebook:

Sunagakure leadership suspected of imprisoning the Third Kazekage. Jonin Pakura hints that Konoha should mount a rescue, saying she "can't disclose" details.

"Then the purpose of your visit is..."

"To form an alliance with Konoha."

Sakumo looked disappointed. If Konoha and Sunagakure became allies, he couldn't publish what he had just written. Not yet, anyway.

When the interview ended, Pakura wiped the sweat from her brow. I shouldn't have revealed any village secrets.

She scanned the office but couldn't tell which person was in charge.

With no other choice, she left the Heavenly Eye Society.

Meanwhile, Yan told the Third Hokage he wanted to graduate early. Without another word, the Third Hokage signed the papers, pulled out a Forehead Protector, and handed it to him.

"Shouldn't there be a test?"

Yan was dumbfounded. Aren't you supposed to try every possible way to talk me out of it? Then, when I refuse to back down, you reluctantly arrange a test. I reveal my true strength, prove the Konoha elders who doubted me wrong, and finally earn my Forehead Protector. Why are you giving it to me right away? That's not how Hokage fanfiction works! I refuse to accept this!

After hearing Yan out, the Third Hokage gave him an odd look. "You think I don't know how strong you are? Who would administer the test—me? The Hokage is busy, you know."

"Besides..."

The Third Hokage took out a stack of documents and Forehead Protectors. "I've been urging Asuma, Kakashi, and the others to graduate early for a while. They said they'd agree as soon as you applied."

"You can take their Forehead Protectors to them. Once I assign a Jonin to lead your team, you can start taking missions. Oh, and tell Obito to apply too. He's the only one in your group who hasn't."

The Third Hokage dealt with Yan's business at lightning speed. Carrying a pile of Forehead Protectors, Yan walked out of the Hokage Building.

Yan had just tied his own Forehead Protector around his head when he looked up and saw a snow-white back.

Is that Pakura?

Remembering Pakura's fate in the original story, he couldn't help looking a few times more.

As Pakura entered the Hokage Building, she glanced at Yan and the pile of Forehead Protectors in his arms.

That kid... An Uchiha? What an unpleasant look.

Yan cleared his throat. He knew his stare had been rude and hurried away.

Pakura looked away, entered the Hokage's Office, and met with the Third Hokage. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also attended the meeting.

When the Third Hokage and Danzo had been locked in a fierce struggle, the two of them had had no room to intervene. With Danzo removed from the center of power, the old pair had grown active again.

After a round of pleasantries, Pakura laid out her terms:

"Sunagakure and Konoha will form an alliance, sharing in each other's fortunes and hardships. The two villages can support each other, but we hope Konoha will help Sunagakure establish a newspaper."

Pakura felt uneasy. Sunagakure could barely keep itself afloat right now. How could it possibly spare the resources to support Konoha?

Sure enough, Utatane Koharu gave a cold snort.

"Does Sunagakure expect something for nothing? You've only just put down your own internal strife. What could you possibly offer Konoha?"

Pakura fired back, "Sunagakure still has troops near the border with Konoha."

"You!" Utatane Koharu glared at Pakura. That was a blatant threat.

"Koharu, sit down."

The Third Hokage took over. "Konoha can consider an alliance with Sunagakure."

"Hiruzen!"

The Third Hokage raised a hand, cutting Mitokado Homura off.

"But Sunagakure will have to pay for the newspaper itself. It should cost around ten million ryō."

"Otherwise, old as I am, I can still take my chances on the battlefield."

The Third Hokage now had complete control of the discussion. Pakura thought for a moment, then nodded.

After more bargaining, Sunagakure ultimately agreed to pay eight million ryō in silver for Konoha's help establishing a newspaper.

Once the negotiations ended, Pakura returned to her hotel to rest. The two elders were clearly dissatisfied with the result.

"Hiruzen, don't you think we asked for too little? And..."

The Third Hokage shook his head. "There was never much we could squeeze out of Sunagakure. As for the technology getting out, newspapers aren't technically complicated. Once literacy improves and a paper establishes its credibility, anyone can run one."

"But..."

The two still had reservations. They worried this would undermine the Daily Newspaper's standing.

"A monopoly won't last forever. Competition makes the difference plain. Think about it: if other papers' stories are less accurate and less sensational than ours, the public will trust us more."

"Besides, Konoha truly can't spare the forces to deal with Sunagakure right now."

The Third Hokage wasn't lying. He could indeed go to the front, but Ōnoki could do the same for Iwagakure. Kirigakure's position was unclear, and if Sunagakure joined the fray, the fighting would spread into the heart of the Land of Fire.

This was no longer the Second Shinobi World War, when he and his old friends had been in their prime and Konoha had boasted the Konoha Sannin alongside the White Fang—enough talent to take on four foes at once.

The new generation had yet to come into its own, and Minato and the others had not built up enough authority.

Only Orochimaru, Danzo, and a few others could command the forces. As for the Uchiha...

The Third Hokage trusted Fugaku and Yan, but those stubborn clan elders...

Ah, what troubled times.

"Mikoto, haven't we been having a lot of eggs lately?"

Fugaku glanced at the eggs that had appeared on the dinner table for several days running.

Ever since Yan's Daily Newspaper had launched a science column, Mikoto had read it every day and studied recipes.

Fugaku had been eating eggs for days. They might be good for him, but surely he didn't need them every single day.

"Yan's still growing. It's good for him to eat more. Besides, I made extra today to celebrate his graduation."

Fugaku looked at Yan, who had returned after handing out the Forehead Protectors, and remembered something.

"You haven't signed a Summoning Contract with the Ninja Cats yet, have you?"