Lu You lightly tapped his fingertips twice against the long sword's purple sheath, producing crisp sounds.
Like a pebble falling into a still lake, silent ripples spread through the hall.
Everyone grew solemn. He swept his gaze over the Squad captains on either side before finally resting it on Abu, signaling for him to speak first.
Abu raised a hand and rubbed the sword hilt at his waist, chuckling. "Boss, I have no objections to cooperating.
"But we could still negotiate the split. Fifty-fifty looks fair, but without us joining in, Konoha couldn't possibly get fifty percent, so taking only half is too little for us."
Shikaku Nara's expression darkened.
Before he came, the Third Hokage had given his word that securing cooperation came first, with their own interests second, so he did not immediately object.
Yahiko smiled as well, his gaze gentle.
"I agree with Deputy Captain-Commander Abu.
"The split still needs further negotiation, but cooperation itself is no problem.
"Speaking of which, there isn't much friendship between Konoha and me. There's even bad blood, but my teacher Jiraiya of the Konoha Sannin taught me many things. He's someone I respect, so I have no reason to make things difficult for Konoha."
His tone was frank, his reasoning sound, and his sincerity left no room for resentment.
His opinion was also Konan's and Nagato's. Both nodded in agreement.
As the atmosphere took a turn for the better, Shikaku Nara and Minato Namikaze both relaxed slightly.
Just then, however, Fifth Division Captain Pakura suddenly spoke. Her clear, commanding voice, unmistakably that of a mature woman, echoed through the quiet hall:
"Cooperation is fine, and providing support is no problem either, but I have a question for everyone from Konoha."
Minato Namikaze looked at her. "Please, go ahead."
"What if Konoha