"Please speak, Your Excellency Hokage!"
The Sunagakure Team Leader didn't see any problem, looking like a rich man.
Sunagakure was no longer poor, and its team leader had enough confidence.
Looking at his confident demeanor, Tomoki found himself in a difficult position.
Many times in negotiations, it's not about what you want, but what the other party has.
What did Sunagakure have?
Nothing but hot air!
Although Tomoki hoped for the Hidden Sand Village to join, it now felt strongly like a poverty alleviation effort.
After thinking for a while, he realized the Hidden Sand Village had nothing.
The only thing of value, Ichibi, was Rasa's son, and asking for Sunagakure's Tailed Beast just to experience some unclear thing, without even knowing what it was, was an outrageous demand.
The remaining valuable assets of Sunagakure were the resource points in the Land of Earth, which Konoha and the Allied Shinobi Forces had conquered.
Unable to think of anything good from Sunagakure, Tomoki pondered for a moment, then decided to ask for some of the Hidden Sand Village's specialties.
"Gold, pure gold of equivalent volume!"
Tomoki expressed his demand concisely.
The Sunagakure Team Leader didn't immediately understand and looked at Tomoki with some confusion, asking,
"Your Excellency Hokage, equivalent volume means…"
"Equal to the volume of the recipient!"
He didn't ask for equivalent weight, as gold equal in weight to a person would be a small amount.
The Sunagakure Team Leader was stunned after hearing this, quickly calculating the exact cost in his mind.
He had barely estimated a rough figure when his eyes widened dramatically.
"Your Excellency Hokage, this is too…"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt an irresistible force blast him out of the room.
"Bang!"
After the Sunagakure Team Leader regained his footing, the door to Tomoki's room immediately closed.
"If you can't afford it, don't think so much. Konoha has not hidden anything from you regarding everything done according to the agreement. If you think the price is too high and not worth it, you can go challenge yesterday's first experimenter!"
Tomoki's words echoed in the Sunagakure Team Leader's ears.
He gave the door a deep look, then left without looking back.
Konoha's Hokage had gone mad for money; this was pure robbery.
The Hidden Sand Village would take its time; even if it took ten years, it wouldn't suffer this loss!
The Sunagakure Team Leader, with a gloomy expression, returned to his tent, no longer intending to find a breakthrough with Tomoki.
Time passed bit by bit.
Tomoki's team this time consisted of nearly four thousand people. The Sunagakure team that came here was also quite large, increasing from a few hundred initially to several thousand by late last night.
It was precisely because of the large number of people that passing through the Land of Wind required such a high cost.
It wasn't that the Hidden Sand Village didn't understand the risks involved; it was simply that Konoha offered too much.
At 4:30 PM, Konoha completed its tenth batch of transformations for the day.
The Sunagakure Team Leader had calmed down by then and paid close attention to every Konoha action, but based on the comprehensive information gathered, Sunagakure still had no progress.
And tomorrow, after Konoha completed all transformations, they would likely leave.
A sense of urgency.
All of Konoha's activities were happening right under Sunagakure's nose, and he, with so many Sunagakure Ninja, was he really just going to watch a few days of a show?
If he truly did that, his days back in the Village would be unimaginable.
Agreeing to Tomoki's terms felt no different from betraying the Village's interests in the Sunagakure Team Leader's heart, but to just return empty-handed?
At this moment, the Sunagakure Team Leader finally recalled everything he had discussed with Tomoki, including all the stories told that morning.
"If you think the price is too high and not worth it, you can go challenge yesterday's first experimenter!"
Tomoki's final words resonated in the Sunagakure Team Leader's mind. He had watched Konoha's initial experiments from the side.
Of those three experimenters, if he had to say, he didn't have any particularly special impression.
Would being as weak as a Genin count?
After much thought, and treating it as a last resort, the Sunagakure Team Leader still decided to go find that Konoha Ninja.
"I'm going out for a bit; you all continue your work!"
After dropping a sentence, he headed towards the Ryūmyaku Seal, if he remembered correctly, that Konoha Ninja was a researcher.
About ten minutes later, the Sunagakure Team Leader found the researcher.
After some negotiation, the Sunagakure Team Leader obtained an opportunity to speak with the researcher.
It wasn't one-on-one; others would also be present.
Without hesitation, the Sunagakure Team Leader stated his purpose.
"Sir, I wonder if you would be willing to spar with me?"
Who are you? You came to find me just to fight? Don't you know I'm very busy?
Was this an attempt to pry information out under the guise of a spar?
The researcher and the Military Police Force Ninja standing behind him each had their own thoughts, but without a doubt, both intended to refuse.
"Agree to him!"
However, before their words of refusal could be uttered, they received instructions from Tomoki.
The researcher was still a bit bewildered, but the Military Police Force Ninja immediately understood that this was an order from Tomoki.
"Alright!"
The Military Police Force Ninja agreed on behalf of the researcher.
Then, the group found a secluded spot and began their friendly spar.
About ten minutes later, the unconscious researcher was carried away by the Military Police Force Ninja.
Following him, the Sunagakure Team Leader, completely unharmed, walked out and quickly rushed back to his tent.
Upon reaching his tent, he ignored his subordinates' greetings, took out a scroll, and wrote furiously.
"Deliver this scroll to the Village as quickly as possible, to Lord Kazekage!"
"Yes, sir!"
As for the content of the scroll, it was, of course, to swindle funds—no, to ask for gold.
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