A special thank you to my patrons:
—Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Archer, Acedia, kurtis newman, Little Sand, Kyle.S406, Alin Kadas, sediaz, Flavio Rodrigo.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
————————————————————
To prevent such a disastrous folly from unfolding, the Raikage, no matter how immense his grievances or how deep his dissatisfaction, could only swallow them. He had to redirect his hatred, as much as possible, onto Obito himself. Mabui had no objections to the Raikage seeking vengeance; her only counsel was that Kisame's name would be best struck from the target list. At the very least, his name must not appear on any official roster for retaliation. Covertly, however... as long as the Leaf Village couldn't seize any concrete evidence against them, revenge could be exacted quietly.
Once A had cursed himself hoarse, Mabui continued, "Lord Raikage, I suspect this intelligence from the Leaf Village was not sent exclusively to us. The other villages should have received copies as well. It's even probable that certain individuals within the Mist Village itself have been given access. This intelligence may well serve as the signal to finally terminate the war between the Mist Village and the Sand Village."
"Compared to the losses incurred by the war and the matter of the Daimyo's honor, for the Mist Village, cleaning house and rooting out internal corruption is the highest priority. So long as the intelligence is verified as genuine, the people of the Mist Village absolutely cannot sit idly by while their Mizukage remains under external control. I'm afraid Yagura will be deposed because of this, and the Mist Village will begin the transition into the era of the Fifth Mizukage." From a single scroll of intelligence, Mabui was already capable of extrapolating multiple potential geopolitical trajectories. Unfortunately, while an end to hostilities might be written for the Mist and the Sand, a ceasefire between them by no means guaranteed that the Cloud Village and the Stone Village would shake hands.
"Mm." By now, A had calmed down considerably. After listening to Mabui's analysis, he asked in a heavy voice, "Then in your assessment, will this intelligence have any impact on the war between our village and the Stone Village?"
"It will," Mabui affirmed. "The degree of the specific impact will depend on when the Sand Village and the Mist Village cease their war, as well as on the level of audacity the Stone Village's Tsuchikage possesses."
"Explain," A prompted her to continue.
Mabui nodded and elaborated further: "Once this intelligence reaches the hands of certain individuals, the war between the Mist Village and the Sand Village will be extremely difficult to sustain. This is an inevitable outcome. They don't want to fight anymore – because they simply can't afford to continue. The moment the war between those two villages halts, and the Mist Village elects a new Mizukage, the Tsuchikage could very well draw them to his side and persuade the Leaf Village as well." Mabui didn't voice the next part aloud, because the implication was already glaringly obvious. If events reached that stage, as long as Onoki was willing to carve out a chunk of his own flesh and had the nerve to do so, the Leaf Village would certainly be persuaded. At that juncture, with the Leaf Village, the Mist Village, and the Sand Village all stepping forward to mediate the conflict – and with the Stone Village actively seeking peace negotiations – the Cloud Village, whether willing or not, would be forced to halt. To do otherwise would be to oppose the collective will of the other villages.
The Stone Village alone was already troublesome enough. If the Mist Village and the Sand Village were added to the equation... the entire strategic landscape would undergo a seismic shift. Even if they were utterly impoverished, even if their treasuries couldn't scrape together any substantial funds, so long as they were willing to support the Stone Village, the Cloud Village would come under tremendous pressure. And that was without even mentioning the Leaf Village, which had suffered negligible war losses and had profited handsomely, their coffers overflowing. Whichever side the Leaf Village chose to plant its foot on, the balance of power would tilt decisively in that direction.
"So, in order to ensure that the Leaf Village remains our ally, not only must I refrain from causing trouble for Hoshigaki Kisame, but I must also send benefits to the Leaf Village to secure their position and prevent them from siding with the enemy?" A's dark, weathered face twisted into the ugliest expression imaginable. It was as if someone had force-fed him a mouthful of excrement. Nauseated to the point of half-death, yet he was compelled to swallow that mouthful. Otherwise, he'd be courting offense.
"That is roughly the situation," Mabui lowered her head in resignation. She could assist with analysis and offer suggestions, but the final decision rested solely with A. After all, he was the Raikage. If there was any alternative, who would willingly bow their head to another? To be so thoroughly disgusted by someone's actions, yet still have to plaster on a smiling face and hand over benefits – the Cloud Village wasn't populated by idiots. They certainly wouldn't relish doing such a thing. But they had no choice.
"DESPICABLE!!!" A held it in for a long moment, then slammed his palm down once more. The pitiful desk shattered into pieces for the umpteenth time.
Mabui: "..." She'd thought they might save on expenses this time, but it hadn't escaped fate after all. Thoroughly accustomed to this routine, she could only quietly withdraw from the Raikage's office and arrange for someone to replace the desk. Because the Raikage was in a foul mood and wanted to be left alone, Mabui clocked out early.
"I heard Lord Raikage's desk needs replacing again?" Samui took a bite of her beef and fixed her gossip-hungry gaze on Mabui's face.
"..." Enough was enough. Mabui covered her face in exasperation, grabbed her glass, and downed a mouthful of liquor. She sighed, "All because of anger directed at the Leaf Village. No – at Uchiha Kazuki."
"Can you talk about it?" The cool beauty was also eager for a bit of gossip.
Mabui furrowed her delicate brows in thought, then couldn't hold back her frustration. "It's not exactly classified. Lord Dodai was murdered. One of the participants, Hoshigaki Kisame, has defected to the Leaf Village. Uchiha Kazuki accepted him and even extracted a considerable amount of intelligence from him. Lord Raikage desperately wants to avenge Lord Dodai, but he can't just make a move now. After all, the village can't afford to fall out with the Leaf at this moment. Moreover, you know how vengeful that man is. Once offended, he might very well run straight over to the Stone Village's side."
The mention of Kazuki's vindictiveness instantly made Mabui shift restlessly in her seat. That kick Kazuki had delivered to her years ago still remained etched vividly in her memory. Since A hadn't issued a gag order, it meant Mabui could share certain non-critical pieces of intelligence with others without inviting trouble.
"..." Samui's gaze unconsciously drifted toward her best friend's rear end.
"What are you doing?!" Now Mabui completely lost her composure, springing to her feet instantly. Even her normally darker complexion flushed with a visible tint of red.
"Ahem, nothing. I was just wondering how that bastard kicked you back then."
"You're still talking about it?!" Was this something to be proud of? It was utterly humiliating!
"This kind of situation – forget Lord Raikage, even I would be furious. Desperate for revenge, yet not daring to act rashly. Lord Dodai... ahh." Samui couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy. A perfectly fine person, just gone in an instant. The Akatsuki truly deserved to die. They had their hands in everything, and there was no ruinous, wretched deed they wouldn't dare commit.
Yet in this affair, the Cloud Village was in no position to reproach the Leaf Village for anything. After all, their alliance was built on the foundation of a shared war, not a comprehensive, all-encompassing pact. If it had been a full-scale alliance, then the Leaf Village's acceptance of Kisame's defection would indeed have been dishonorable, and the Cloud Village would have been justified in pointing fingers. Under a wartime alliance, however, such matters were entirely the Leaf Village's own business. The Cloud Village had no right to dictate terms or interfere. Even if Kisame had been the mastermind, the Cloud Village still couldn't do a thing to the Leaf.