"The iron ore will be shipped directly from the border mines to Amegakure's designated receiving points every month."
"The Land of Iron will not join the war or publicly take sides. Amegakure will guarantee the Land of Iron's neutrality in perpetuity and never invade."
Mifune finished reciting the agreed terms, but Hanzō shook his head slightly.
"Not enough."
"What other conditions do you have?"
"The Samurai Service Decree."
Hanzō calmly laid out the additional terms.
"Any registered samurai in the Land of Iron who refuses to settle for mediocrity and wishes to make a name for himself may volunteer to serve Amegakure."
"No forced conscription, no abductions. It will be entirely voluntary."
"You needn't support it publicly. Simply give it your tacit approval."
Samurai who came to serve would receive all the benefits afforded to Amegakure's regular troops.
Those who did not wish to come would never be forced.
"You're conscripting from the Land of Iron under another name." Mifune's gaze darkened slightly.
"It isn't conscription. It's recruitment by mutual consent."
Hanzō spoke frankly, his reasoning clear.
"Like the iron ore trade, this is private cooperation."
"You know perfectly well that the Land of Iron supports over ten thousand samurai year-round. That places an enormous burden on your treasury.
With years of wartime expenditure and massive military payrolls, your finances cannot hold out much longer."
"By paying some of your samurai with Amegakure's military funds, I'm actually easing your burden."
Mifune deliberated in silence for a long time.
Below the walls, the Land of Iron's samurai were gathering the bodies of their fallen comrades while Amegakure's supply corps moved supplies in an orderly fashion.
Separated by only a muddy road, the two groups worked without interfering with each other. Occasionally, their eyes met before they lowered their heads and returned