Mifune himself didn't think much of it.
Some of the furnishings in the room were indeed valuable, but most were gifts from others. He was not a man of luxury—whether the furniture was expensive or not mattered little to him.
If it was fine, good.
If it broke, he would simply replace it.
No big deal.
But…
There was no denying that Fourth Raikage's intimidating momentum had been neatly derailed by Tsunade's comment. His aggression dropped by a good thirty percent—he even forgot what he was originally angry about.
By the time he realized…
"As for the grudges of the past, let's not bring them into the present." Tsunade spoke calmly. "I'm not saying we must simply 'let go'—hatred is difficult to erase, and it takes generations. I'm merely hoping both sides exercise restraint."
Yahiko immediately voiced his agreement, and as the representative of a neutral nation, Mifune naturally supported the proposal.
Stability meant prosperity for all.
Weapons would always be needed—even in peace. Iron would still sell, just in smaller quantities. But compared to the overall benefits of peace across the shinobi world, that loss was negligible.
Fourth Raikage snorted but didn't press the issue.
He understood all too well.
If they tried to settle old scores with Kirigakure now, the other side would absolutely deny everything. And the truth was—during that war, Kumogakure hadn't exactly behaved honorably either.
Trying to pursue revenge now would be almost impossible.
And besides…
Revenge wasn't always beneficial.
The Land of Lightning was currently struggling. The economy was tight; their population and number of shinobi had dropped significantly. These last two years, they had finally begun to recover—they couldn't afford to throw it all away overnight.
To sail upstream, you must push forward. If you stop, you sink.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure had stabilized, formed friendly relations with surrounding small villages, and theLand of Wind's northern region was booming. Economic exchange was thriving. Their population was growing.
If Kumogakure acted recklessly as they once had, they would eventually be pushed out of the top three.
The Raikage might be brash, but he wasn't stupid.
Everyone quietly accepted the unspoken agreement.
That was the hardest part.
The rest of the discussion was much easier—mostly bargaining and back-and-forth political wrangling, centered on Konoha's trade caravans.
Konoha's caravans were simply too fierce.
In just two or three years after the war, they had spread across the entire shinobi world. Their presence was everywhere—and they didn't sell weapons.
They only sold goods related to civilian life and medicine.
The essentials.
Small nations with sparse populations could remain self-sufficient, but the major nations depended on imports.
Especially—
The Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning.
Their arable land was limited; Konoha's grain shipments were a massive help, but the prices… were steep. And the quality was obviously not their best.
Rasa and the Raikage both wanted to negotiate prices.
After endless haggling, they settled for a five-percent discount. Any further and the only reply they'd get was:
"Take it or leave it."
And leave it they could not.
Medicine negotiations involved even more people.
For a while, Mifune's residence resembled a bustling market. Meanwhile, Kyoichi slipped out quietly. Mifune noticed the flow of the discussion and seized the chance to follow Kyoichi out.
Kyoichi sensed him quickly.
"Mifune-sama, is something the matter?"
"Kyoichi-kun, there are some things I'd like to ask your advice on."
"You're a senior; your ideals are worthy of study and respect. If you have questions, there's no need to be reserved."
Kyoichi wasn't flattering him.
He genuinely respected Mifune.
In the shinobi world, the Land of Iron was a unique existence.
They clung to tradition—practicing swordsmanship even as ninjutsu and kekkei genkai reshaped the world. They used chakra only minimally.
And…
From the era of the First Hokage until now, the Land of Iron had always remained neutral. They avoided every war. When the Akatsuki appeared, they didn't hesitate to contribute to the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Their principles put many actual "Kage" to shame.
Mifune couldn't tell whether Kyoichi was being polite or honest, but he wasn't one for complicated social nuance. Without fuss, he gestured toward the courtyard to speak privately.
Once seated—
"Kyoichi-kun, I know you're a master of kenjutsu. What do you think of our Land of Iron?"
"Any path—if walked to the end—leads to great power. The samurai system is the same. But when it comes to construction or civilian life, ninjutsu is on a completely different level."
Kyoichi answered frankly.
With his current strength, he didn't need to sugarcoat anything—and he knew Mifune wouldn't take offense.
"If it were yesterday, I would not have believed your words," Mifune admitted. "But after today, I've truly witnessed the convenience of ninjutsu."
He continued, getting to his real question:
"I've heard you're willing to provide other villages with guidance. For the Land of Iron… do you have any suggestions? Money is not an obstacle."
"The Land of Iron…? For general ninjutsu—no."
Kyoichi shook his head.
The Land of Iron's strength came from tradition.
And their limitations also came from tradition.
It granted unparalleled unity… but it also made change nearly impossible. The direction Mifune desired could not be achieved within their current framework.
Mifune already suspected this—but he'd hoped Kyoichi would offer a different answer. The result…
He exhaled lightly, a faint shadow of confusion crossing his face.
"This is something the Land of Iron will have to overcome. In my view, what makes ninjutsu superior to kenjutsu is convenience and universality. For example—weapon forging. With ninjutsu, both the process and the final product improve drastically."
"That's true."
"If you truly can't shift the whole system, start small. Introduce specific types of ninjutsu slowly. Separate combat ninjutsu from civilian ninjutsu."
"Hm…"
Mifune fell into deep thought.
Start small.
Split combat and civilian techniques.
It was a workable path.
It wouldn't damage the country's cultural foundation, and it would allow the Land of Iron to advance. The downside was obvious—once the usefulness of ninjutsu became widely recognized, internal divisions would eventually arise.
But even then…
The Land of Iron still had an alternative path.
Ninja Sword Arts.
Kyoichi's own nintaijutsu sword style had proven its value.
Mifune inhaled a long breath and finally said:
"Thank you for your guidance. I will try implementing this within the Land of Iron. When the time comes—may we send some samurai to your village to study?"
"Of course. But payment will be required."
Kyoichi sipped his tea, unconcerned.
The Land of Iron was wealthy enough.
Mifune pulled out a scroll and immediately began drafting directives and proposals. As for the expenses…
He would draw from his personal treasury.
He could afford it.
Kyoichi was more than willing to help. A stronger Land of Iron meant a more stable neutral nation—one all other countries would have to respect.