At the right time and place, any secret becomes impossible to keep, eventually evolving into common knowledge.
"Gentlemen, it seems you rested well yesterday."
The next day, Rong Lin walked into the meeting room alone. As expected, besides the delegation from Kirigakure waiting there, he was the only one representing Konoha.
The Third Hokage was as good as his word, delegating the full authority of the negotiations to Rong Lin.
"Now then, let us continue the negotiations we failed to conclude yesterday."
Rong Lin didn't waste words. He walked straight to his seat and sat down, eyeing the Kirigakure delegation.
"Our Kirigakure hopes that Konoha can make some concessions. Although we were in the wrong initially, everyone needs time to develop and recover now. We hope both sides can provide each other with some convenience. Naturally, Kirigakure and Konoha can form an alliance in the future. At that time, we will be allies, facing enemies together."
As soon as the negotiations began, the Kirigakure representatives tried to smother Rong Lin in flowery rhetoric. As for an alliance... was that thing actually useful?
In the face of profit, such agreements were torn up as easily as paper.
Only a fool would want to ally with you!!
Rong Lin grumbled internally. As long as Obito Uchiha followed the path of history, Kirigakure would soon enter the Era of the Blood Mist. Any talk of alliances or mutual development was pure nonsense. Of course, Rong Lin wasn't entirely sure if Obito's descent into darkness would still happen given how much history had already been altered.
The war with Kirigakure, for one, had ended much earlier than in the original timeline.
"Stop right there!!"
Rong Lin cut off the representative's long-winded speech and asked directly, "Who started this war?"
"Er..."
The delegation's spokesperson was suddenly struck dumb.
Yagura shook his head secretly and spoke up, "It was started by our Kirigakure."
"And who lost?" Rong Lin raised an eyebrow and continued.
"It was us, Kirigakure," Yagura answered as before.
"Then that settles it. You are the losers. you are here to discuss reparations and the ransom of your people. What are you doing bringing up all this babbling nonsense?"
Rong Lin waved his hand dismissively. Looking at the man who had been trying to flatter him earlier, he sneered, "Remember, you lost the war. Losers do not have much of a say."
"And if you calculate it, what Konoha is asking for isn't even that much. Think about itover two thousand of your people are currently enjoying good food and drink in our Konoha. Do you think that's free?"
"I didn't even add those costs to the bill. I've already given you enough face."
The members of the Kirigakure delegation, Yagura included, were left speechless. If they could, they truly wanted to shout:
Over two thousand people! How much can they possibly eat in prison? They're lucky if they get anything at all, and you're calling it 'good food and drink'?
"As you can see, we have shown our sincerity. Why must Kirigakure insist on Konoha making concessions?" Rong Lin spread his hands, wearing a look that suggested they were making things very difficult for him.
"In other words, Konoha will not budge on the proposed conditions?" Yagura asked with a frown.
It wasn't that Kirigakure couldn't produce these resources, but they wanted to cut the price as much as possible. Giving away their own materials to fuel an enemy's development felt wrong to anyone, especially coming from their position as the defeated party.
"The conditions cannot be lowered," Rong Lin said. "However, we can add some additional conditions. I think these might interest you more."
Scamming people? Who doesn't know how to do that?
Rong Lin laughed inwardly, though his face remained solemn and serious as he discussed things with Yagura.
"Additional conditions?"
Yagura felt a spark of interest, and a smile finally appeared on his face. "Let's hear them."
"For example... an economic alliance!!!"
Kirigakure was surrounded by sea on all sides. Most of the time, they developed in isolation, making economic growth very difficult. Konoha, meanwhile, needed more partners. Of course, for the moment, Rong Lin just wanted to set them up.
An economic alliance? Keep dreaming. Even if we did ally, what good could your Kirigakure possibly do?
The Kirigakure delegation was stunned. They hadn't expected war reparation negotiations to involve such matters.
Kirigakure did indeed need external economic stimulation. If their economy developed, they would have more surplus energy to bolster the village's strength. Similarly, Konoha would gain benefits. It could be called a win-win result.
However, in the past, even the most profit-driven merchants who would step into any danger rarely traveled to the Land of Water for business.
That was a major reason why the Land of Water remained so closed off.
Looking at other nations, no matter how poor, the shadow of a merchant was never far away.
Yagura stared at Rong Lin, wondering how much credibility this guy's words had. If they could develop their economies together with Konoha, it wasn't impossible. As long as Konoha ended the war, economic drive could end Kirigakure's isolation. If they could develop, Kirigakure's strength would only grow.
Among the major hidden villages, Sunagakure was the poorest, and Kirigakure wasn't much better. Konoha and Kumogakure were the wealthiest.
Only with a large amount of money did one have the qualifications to continuously develop a village's strength. For the newly inaugurated Yagura, this was a significant temptation.
Why did Kirigakure declare war on Konoha in the first place?
In the end, it was all about profit.
Looking at Sunagakure after the Third Great Ninja War, they were forced onto an "elite" route. The number of ninjas in their village decreased year by year, which was a heart-wrenching sight, while Konoha recovered and developed rapidly after the war.
Many times, money wasn't everything, but without money, you could do nothing.
Yagura didn't express his thoughts immediately but looked toward the others. His current position wasn't very stable; he didn't yet have the authority to make arbitrary decisions on his own.
"May we discuss this among ourselves?"
Despite being tempted, the other side didn't agree immediately, choosing instead to deliberate first.
"Of course!!"
Since they needed to discuss it, Rong Lin could conclude that the matter was essentially settled!!
"Then take your time. Give me a result tomorrow. Additionally, you need to consider the conditions regarding the Three-Tails. Otherwise, I'll have to use it as a fishing tool for Konoha. After all, as you know, Konoha is still fighting Sunagakure and Iwagakure. The soldiers on the front lines need nutritional supplements."
"Only when they've eaten their fill do they have the strength to fight, right?"
Leaving behind two sentences that nearly made the Kirigakure delegation faint from rage, Rong Lin laughed and walked away.
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