The sheepskin scroll, stamped with the large brown seal of Iwagakure, was slapped onto the desk.
The edges of the scroll emitted a strong, earthy smell.
It was as if it had been buried in a dry pile of Kitsuchi for half a month.
The Anbu Ninja withdrew his hand, panting heavily as he took a half-step back.
The desk lamp flickered twice, casting a long shadow of the scroll.
Kakuzu's maniacal laughter froze.
He reached out, lifted his slightly dislocated jaw, and brought it back up.
The bone made a dull "crack" sound. The broken sutures had come undone a little more.
He ignored it. His green eyes were fixed on the scroll on the table.
"An urgent dispatch from Iwagakure." The Anbu lowered his head.
"The envoy is in the lobby downstairs. He has a terrible temper and is demanding to see the Lord Hokage."
Kakuzu picked up the roll of parchment.
It has a very stiff texture; it's top-quality rock sheepskin.
The big brown seal with the word "Tu" on it was pressed very deeply with the ink pad.
"They've been cut off from their explosives for half a month. They can't hold back anymore."
Kakuzu snorted coldly and weighed the scroll in his palm.
Iwagakure) is located in the Land of Earth, where rocky mountains are everywhere.
Previously, they relied on large numbers of Earth Release ninjas to blast mountains and mine resources. This was extremely inefficient.
Later, Konoha dumped its high explosives and heavy drilling machines there. The mine owners from Iwagakure got used to using them.
Last week, Kakuzu increased the price of explosives tenfold.
No money, no delivery.
The mines in Iwagakure were largely paralyzed. They couldn't extract any ore, and they couldn't exchange it for food.
The Tsuchikage Building is probably blocked by beggars Tenten.
Kakuzu tucked the scroll into his wide sleeve.
"Walk."
He walked around the desk, pausing briefly as he passed the pile of gold bars.
He was a little reluctant to part with it. He touched the top gold brick before turning and walking out the door.
"Go find the Lord Hokage."
South of Konoha. Newly constructed underground pipeline network project area.
This is a huge construction site. Deep trenches have been dug everywhere.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of fermenting excrement, mixed with cement dust, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
Shu Shiraishi stood beside a three-meter-wide, deep ditch.
He was wearing a black jacket. The zipper was undone.
The cold wind blew the hem of the jacket backwards.
The bottom of the ditch was filled with waist-deep, dark brown, foul-smelling water.
A layer of lush, dead green moss floated on the water's surface, and bubbles of marsh gas were rising from it.
"Gurgle. Pop."
A bubble burst, splashing up a few drops of black water.
Hiruzen Sarutobi is soaking in the stinky water.
The tattered burlap sack he was wearing was so worn that it could no longer cover his stomach.
His ribs were clearly visible. His chest was covered in large patches of foul-smelling mud.
He was holding a large iron shovel in both hands, desperately trying to shovel the mud from the bottom of the ditch onto the bank.
Hiruzen's movements were very slow; his arms trembled like a leaf.
The silt in this sewer is too heavy; it's completely soaked with water.
He gritted his teeth, his throat emitting a wheezing sound like a broken bellows.
"Splash."
A shovelful of black mud was thrown onto the bank.
Mud splattered.
A lump of smelly mud, the size of a walnut, landed squarely on Shu Shiraishi's left military boot.
The black leather shoe surface was instantly covered with a sticky, smelly mud cake.
The stench assaulted my nostrils.
Shu Shiraishi frowned.
He glanced down at his boots, then looked down at Hiruzen at the bottom of the ditch.
Hiruzen was so startled that his hand trembled, and he dropped the shovel into the stinking water, splashing mud all over his face.
He quickly buried his head in his chest, not daring to look up.
Shu Shiraishi remained silent.
He lifted his left foot and rubbed it twice on the hard, dry clod of earth.
The mud was too sticky. Instead of rubbing it off, it spread even more, leaving the shoe surface filthy.
" Lord Hokage."
Kakuzu's hoarse voice came from behind.
Shu Shiraishi turned around.
Kakuzu walked over, followed by a short, stocky man wearing a brown Iwa ninja vest.
The man was not tall, but had extremely broad shoulders and a face full of menacing features.
He had two short-handled stone axes tucked into his waistband.
"An envoy from Iwagakure." Kakuzu took the scroll of parchment from his sleeve and handed it over.
"Sent by Ōnoki. They said they were delivering a letter of protest."
Shu Shiraishi did not continue the scroll.
His face was cold as he fixed his gaze on the Iwagakure Envoy.
The envoy stood tall with his broad chest puffed out.
He glanced at the filthy construction site, then at Shu Shiraishi's military boots covered in black mud.
A puff of white vapor billowed from his large nostrils. His face was full of disdain.
The Hokage, instead of working in the building, is playing in the mud next to the sewers.
Konoha is indeed a bunch of lowly country bumpkins.
"I am the special envoy of the Third Tsuchikage."
The messenger took half a step forward, his loud voice booming across the construction site.
" Shu Shiraishi, your recent economic blockade at the border has severely damaged the peace agreement between Kaze and Tochi!"
He spoke louder and louder, his voice brimming with confidence.
The Second Tsuchikage Mu, was still alive. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was in his prime.
The Dust Release of Iwagakure are unmatched. They have nothing to fear from the scrap metal of Konoha.
"You cut off the supply of explosives and heavy machinery."
The messenger extended his short, stubby finger and pointed at Shu Shiraishi.
" Lord Tsuchikage is furious."
"The protest letter clearly states that Konoha must immediately resume supplying goods at the original price and compensate Iwagakure for all losses incurred due to the shutdown of the mines."
Shu Shiraishi still hasn't accepted the scroll.
He stared at the patch of black mud on his left boot.
The mud had dried a little, clinging tightly to the seams of the cowhide, and a foul stench wafted up from it.
So dirty.
The messenger, seeing that Shu Shiraishi did not react, assumed that the other party was intimidated by the title of Tsuchikage.
He raised his chin even more arrogantly.
" Lord Tsuchikage said..."
"If Konoha refuses to pay compensation, Iwagakure's 10,000-strong army will arrive at the Land of Fire's border within three days."
The envoy gave a cold laugh.
"Don't think you're invincible just because you've got a few broken iron pipes."
"The mountains of Iwagakure are a natural fortress. Your chariots simply cannot penetrate them. Lord Tsuchikage's Dust Release can reduce your scrap metal to ashes in a single strike!"
"If you know what's good for you, quickly sign the protest letter and get it stamped with the Hokage's seal."
He snatched the parchment scroll from Kakuzu's hand.
He cupped it in both hands and thrust it directly into Shu Shiraishi's chest.
The earthy smell from the edges of the scroll, mixed with the stench of the sewer, made it even more unpleasant.
Shu Shiraishi raised his head.
He stared at the parchment shoved in front of him.
High-quality argali hide. It must feel very thick and have good absorbency.
He extended his right hand.
He did not take the pen offered by the messenger.
Instead, he grabbed the middle of the scroll directly.
Clench your fingers.
"Click."
The parchment scroll made a crisp crunching sound.
The envoy was taken aback.
"What are you doing? This is a joint signature from two Lord Tsuchikage..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
Shu Shiraishi flipped his wrist and forcefully snatched the scroll from the messenger's hand.
He gripped the red clay sealing wax seal on the scroll with his left hand and flicked it with his thumb.
"Snap."
The sealing wax stamp flew off and landed in the mud nearby.
The scroll unfurled.
Inside were densely packed protest clauses. At the bottom were the autographs of the Second Tsuchikage Mu, and the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
The handwriting is strong and powerful, exuding a sense of weight and solidity characteristic of Earth Release ninjas.
Shu Shiraishi didn't even bother to glance at the contents.
He held the unfolded parchment.
Bend your right knee.
He squatted down right there on the dusty construction site.
The envoy's eyes widened, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground.
Kakuzu stood to the side, a hint of surprise flashing in his green eyes.
Shu Shiraishi squatted on the ground.
His left leg was outstretched. His military boots, covered in black sludge from the sewers, stepped onto the dry earth.
He presented the sheepskin protest letter filled with threats from the two Tsuchikage.
Lay it flat.
It was pressed directly onto the upper of the military boots.
The rough parchment was pasted onto the sticky, foul-smelling black mud.
Shu Shiraishi exerted force with his right hand.
He pressed the parchment against the leather shoe surface and rubbed it back and forth vigorously a couple of times.
"Wipe. Wipe."
The parchment rubbed against the military boots, making a rough, grinding sound.
The black silt was instantly absorbed by the parchment.
The Second Tsuchikage Mu's signature was completely covered in mud, turning into a dark, dirty blotch.
Ōnoki's name is even worse. It's perfectly placed on the most stinking piece of dead moss.
The strokes were all soaked in foul-smelling water and became a blurry mess.
The Shu Shiraishi meticulously cleaned.
Mud spots on the sides of the boots. Dirty water on the edge of the sole.
He took the parchment and carefully cleaned it, bit by bit.
The messenger's mind went blank.
His blood rushed to his head, his face instantly turning bright red, and the veins on his thick neck throbbed.
That was a letter personally written by the Lord Tsuchikage! A letter representing the highest will of Iwagakure!
" Shu Shiraishi!"
The messenger roared, his voice cracking.
He suddenly drew two short-handled stone axes from his waist.
He gripped the stone Chakra into it. The axe blade emitted a heavy yellow light.
"How dare you insult Lord Tsuchikage! I'll kill you!"
The messenger raised his stone axe high, bracing himself with his legs as he prepared to chop it down.
Shu Shiraishi squatted on the ground, without even raising his head.
Slap with your left hand in the opposite direction.
There were no Hand Seals. It was just a random slap.
"Bang!"
The slap, delivered after the initial strike, landed squarely on the messenger's right thigh.
The messenger felt as if he had been struck by a charging rhinoceros.
A dull, cracking sound came from the femur. The femur had fractured instantly.
He lost his balance, screamed, and crashed heavily onto the dusty ground.
Two stone axes flew out of his hands and landed with a clang in the deep ditch of the sewer.
A large spray of black water erupted and poured onto Hiruzen's head below.
Hiruzen huddled in the water, trembling, too afraid to even hide.
Shu Shiraishi finished wiping the boots.
The black cowhide regained its shine. Although it still smelled bad, at least the mud wasn't sticking to my feet anymore.
He stood up.
He held in his hand the parchment scroll, soaked with mud, dead moss, and the stench of the sewers.
The parchment was limp and dripping black liquid.
What was written on it is long gone.
Shu Shiraishi crumpled the piece of scrap paper in his hands twice.
Crumple the dirty paper into a ball the size of a fist.
Black liquid squeezed out from between his fingers and dripped onto the floor.
The messenger on the ground clutched his broken leg, writhing in pain, muttering incoherent curses.
"Lord Ōnoki will not let you get away with this... The army of Iwagakure..."
Shu Shiraishi looked down at him.
His right hand trembled.
The wad of dirty paper in my hand whistled through the air as I hurled it directly at them.
"Smack!"
The crumpled paper hit the messenger hard on the bridge of his nose.
The messenger's face was covered in mud.
The pungent stench of the sewer instantly filled his nostrils and rushed straight to his brain.
The foul-smelling water got into his eyes, stinging them so much that tears streamed down his face.
The messenger felt a churning in his stomach and began to gag violently, covering his nose.
"Go back and tell Ōnoki."
Shu Shiraishi took out the remaining half of a white cotton cloth from his pocket and casually wiped the mud off his hands.
The voice was cold and hard, like iron, striking the messenger's eardrums.
"If you dare to send out this kind of worthless paper again..."
He threw the soiled cotton cloth in the messenger's face.
"I will go to Iwagakure myself."
Shu Shiraishi boots crunched on the gravel on the ground with a crisp sound.
"Break his back."
The messenger shuddered in fright and held back his gagging.
He looked into Shu Shiraishi's cold eyes; the chill that seeped into his bones overcame the excruciating pain in his legs.
This is not negotiation at all. This is pure intimidation.
He didn't dare utter another curse.
He braced himself against the ground with both hands, dragging his broken leg.
They didn't even need the stone axe anymore.
The messenger, like a stray dog with its tail between its legs, tumbled and crawled through the mud at the construction site.
A long trail of blood and mud was left behind.
They fled Konoha like madmen.