Can you do it?
Gen'yō's cold yet mocking question was like a demonic whisper, sending shivers down the spines of Dodai and the others.
Will Raikage A and Killer B "reconciled"?
To cultivate oneself to the point where one can consciously perceive pain?
Do they really want them to give "acceptance speeches" in front of the whole world?
This is no longer just simple torture!
This is to nail their last two heroes and last pillars of spirit of their Kumogakure to the pillar of historical shame in front of the whole world, both in spirit and body! To ensure they can never rise again!
"How vicious..."
A chill ran through Dodai's heart.
But he dared not disobey in the slightest.
He could only bury his head even deeper, responding in a trembling, almost convulsive voice, "We... we can do it... we definitely can! We'll definitely restore them to your satisfactory condition!"
"Very good."
Gen'yō seemed quite satisfied with the answer.
He ignored the elders who were now completely terrified and instead turned and strolled back to his throne.
"Now that you have been given the qualification for 'atonement,' and the task of 'atonement' has been assigned."
"So, next we should talk about--"
Gen'yō's ten fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest of the throne, the "tap, tap" sound like a series of death knells striking the hearts of everyone present.
"Your foolish war has caused 'losses' to my Divine Kingdom."
loss?
Dodai and the others were suddenly stunned, and then a feeling of utter absurdity welled up in their hearts.
loss?!
Your Divine Kingdom suffered "zero casualties" from beginning to end, while our Kumogakure's 30,000-strong army was wiped out, our village was razed to the ground, and our country was destroyed by you!
Now you're talking to us about "losses"?!
This is even more outrageous than a robber breaking into your house, killing your entire family, burning down your house, and then demanding "compensation for emotional distress"!
But they only dared to think about this absurdity in their hearts.
On the surface, they could only humbly prostrate themselves on the ground, awaiting the impending "bill" that would determine their future fate with terrified eyes.
Just then--
A massive holographic light screen appeared out of thin air in the center of the Divine Grace Hall.
On the screen of light, a figure wrapped in black bandages, with strange threads sewn across its face, and eyes gleaming with greed and coldness slowly emerged.
It was Kakuzu than Kakuzu, the Finance Minister of the Divine Kingdom and the most senior "God of Wealth" in the Shinobi World!
"Reporting to my lord."
Kakuzu's hoarse yet metallic voice echoed in the hall.
" The Ministry of Finance has completed a preliminary assessment of the various losses caused by this illegal intrusion into Kumogakure."
Kakuzu ignored the trembling Kumogakure elders below and began reading aloud the "war bill" he had personally drafted.
"First, military losses."
"Due to the saturation attack from the enemy, the energy consumption of our Divine Kingdom's border defenses is equivalent to 37 million units of ' Divine Kingdom standard energy blocks,' which, at market prices, is approximately equivalent to 1,000 tons of gold."
"Puff!"
Upon hearing the first number, Dodai nearly coughed up blood.
One thousand tons of gold?!
Your damn golden wall didn't even shake once from beginning to end, yet it consumed the energy of a thousand tons of gold in such a short time?!
Why don't you just rob someone!
Oh no, this is blatant robbery!
However, Kakuzu's reading continued.
"My Divine Kingdom's 'War Puppet Legion ' incurred losses of approximately 2,500 tons of gold in the cost of aircraft damage, ammunition consumption, and post-war maintenance due to its missions of annihilating the enemy and attacking cities."
"The ' Body Flicker God Unit ' and ' Void God Unit ' consumed approximately 800 tons of gold in spacetime energy and received mental compensation for their personnel during high-intensity hunting missions."
" The Space-Based Weapon System - Divine Punishment ' utilizes twelve 'Rod of God ' for precise orbital strikes, consuming a total of approximately 10,000 tons of gold in propellant and guidance energy."
When Kakuzu uttered the number "ten thousand tons," Dodai felt as if his brain had been hit head-on by a real Tailed Beast Bomb!
A blank page!
Ten thousand tons of gold?!
Just launching those twelve iron rods that fell from the sky cost ten thousand tons of gold?!
Even if you melted down the entire treasury of the Land of Lightning, along with the daimyo's golden toilet, you still wouldn't be able to scrape together a fraction of that amount!
"The above only represents direct military losses."
Kakuzu pushed up his non-existent glasses and continued in a tone that suggested, "This is just an appetizer."
"The second item is the economic and livelihood losses."
"Due to the invasion by the Kumogakure, economic activities in the eastern border region of our Divine Kingdom have come to a standstill, and the people have been frightened. The resulting losses in wages, mental anguish, and stability maintenance costs, according to precise calculations by the Ministry of Finance, amount to approximately three thousand tons of gold."
"In summary."
Kakuzu's gaze finally fell on the Kumogakure elders below, whose faces had turned ashen. A cruel smile spread across his lips, revealing his menacing teeth stitched together with silk threads.
"The total amount of war reparations that Kumogakure must pay to my Uchiha Divine Kingdom in this war is --"
"Sixteen thousand three hundred tons of gold."
"Or equivalent goods and currency."
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Dodai and the others have completely lost the ability to think.
They just knelt there, motionless, like a group of puppets whose souls had been taken away.
16,300 tons of gold.
This number is beyond their comprehension.
Let alone the Land of Lightning now, even if the entire Shinobi World at its peak were to plunder all the wealth of the Five Great Nations, it would absolutely not be able to raise such a terrifying sum of money!
Judging from your expressions, it seems you think this number is a bit too high?
From the throne, Gen'yō's voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, drifted out.
Dodai and the others shuddered and shook their heads frantically.
No... not much... not at all...
"Oh? Since it's not much, are you planning to pay immediately?" Gen'yō pressed.
Dodai and the others fell silent again, their faces filled with despair and helplessness.
Payment?
What will we use to pay them? Their lives?
"It seems you can't afford it."
Gen'yō shook his head, a "magnanimous" expression appearing on his face.
"Very well, I, Uchiha Gen'yō, have never been some unreasonable demon."
"Since you can't come up with the money, then I'll show you a 'clear path'."
He slowly stood up, his golden eyes gleaming with the greedy yet shrewd light that only a merchant would have when he saw his prey.
"I allow you to pay your debts with goods."
"First, all proven and unproven mineral resources within the Land of Land of Lightning, including but not limited to Chakra Metal mines, rare gemstone mines, and all precious metal veins, belong entirely to my Divine Kingdom in terms of ownership and mining rights."
"Secondly, all children of ninja talent aged six to twelve from the Land of Lightning must be unconditionally sent to my Divine Kingdom's ' Hope Academy ' for unified 're-education'."
"Third, all artisans, scholars, and physicians in the Land of Lightning who possess special skills must be registered and placed under the unified command of the Divine Kingdom's Ministry of Construction to contribute their efforts to the construction of the Divine Kingdom."
"Fourth--"
Gen'yō's gaze swept over the bodies below, which were trembling violently with fear, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
"I've heard that the female ninjas of your Kumogakure are physically strong and have abundant Chakra, making them excellent breeding material."
"It just so happens that my Divine Kingdom's ' Clan Reproduction System ' has just been upgraded, and we need a batch of high-quality 'mothers' for experiments."
"Select one thousand of your most outstanding women from your immediate family and send them over."
"Rest assured, our Divine Kingdom's gene optimization technology is the best in the world."
"To bear offspring for my Uchiha Clan is their highest honor."
"All of these combined should barely cover the interest on that compensation payment."
Gen'yō shrugged and said in a matter-of-fact tone.
As for the principal...
"You shall repay this debt through the countless lifetimes of everyone in Kumogakure."
Do you have any objections?