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The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense.
The Land of Earth daimyo, the Land of Wind daimyo, and the Land of Water daimyo, who had just been allies against Shin, now looked at each other with wariness and clear greed.
Kumogakure.
The core of the Land of Lightning, its military center!
This juicy piece of meat, thrown out in anger by Shin, gave off a deadly temptation.
Whoever could get it would gain the greatest advantage and eat the most in this feast of carving up the Land of Lightning.
"Our Land of Earth is connected to the Land of Lightning by mountains, and we have the most understanding of its terrain, geography, and troop deployments."
The Land of Earth daimyo slammed his bulky hand on the table, taking on a self-righteous posture. "It is most efficient for our Iwagakure to be responsible for monitoring Kumogakure, and it can stabilize the situation the fastest!"
"Nonsense!" The Land of Water daimyo also slammed the table and stood up, glaring angrily. "Do you take us for fools?"
"If your Land of Earth takes over Kumogakure? Relying on geographical advantages, in less than three years, the entire Land of Lightning will become your Land of Earth's backyard!"
"As for monitoring," he leaned his hands on the table, his tone aggressive, "our Land of Water is more suitable."
"Deploying troops through the port, with an independent supply line, can both complete the monitoring task and avoid too much interference in the internal affairs of the Land of Lightning. This is the fairest solution!"
"Both of you, stop arguing." The Land of Wind daimyo said with a fake smile, fanning himself. "Kumogakure holds a special position. If any one party controls it alone, it will cause unease for the other two."
"In my opinion, it would be most secure for our Land of Wind to be responsible!"
He looked around and continued slowly. "We are neither next to the Land of Lightning nor do we border the sea, so we have no geographical advantage whatsoever, which precisely guarantees the fairness of the monitoring!"
"You're dreaming! Your Land of Wind is best at playing both sides, monitoring? I'm afraid you'll be monitoring for your own gain!"
"Easy to say! No geographical advantage? I think you want to swallow Kumogakure's technology and wealth whole!"
The meeting room, which had just quieted down after the Land of Fire's withdrawal, became chaotic again.
The three daimyo, who were absolute rulers in their respective countries, were now arguing with red faces and flying spit, all their usual dignity gone, all for the sake of profit.
Rasa and Onoki both looked serious, yet couldn't speak up.
The presence of kage-level powerhouses seemed so weak in the face of naked national interests.
Both felt their hearts tighten, almost unable to breathe.
How was this discussing peace?
This was clearly a pack of hungry wolves, tearing apart prey that wasn't quite dead yet!
And the one who threw out the prey, causing the wolves to tear at each other, was now calmly watching the show.
Shin, sitting in the main seat, lowered his eyelids, deaf to the act before him.
Act.
Keep acting.
All are thousand-year-old foxes, why play at being kind?
He knew these old guys' thoughts too well. The arguments were real because the interests were real.
But arguing so fiercely, so without dignity, was merely an act for him, the mediator.
They knew that as the one who started the meeting and the advocate of the alliance, the Land of Fire would never watch the alliance collapse.
They were using this method to force him to step forward and propose a solution that helped everyone.
What a clever plan.
Seeing the three parties go from a war of words to almost rolling up their sleeves for a fight, Shin knew it was his turn to step in. He gently placed his teacup on the table.
"Clink."
A crisp sound.
It wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, and the noisy meeting room instantly fell silent.
The three daimyo stopped their actions at the same time, breathing heavily, and all looked at Shin.
The anger on their faces hadn't completely faded, but upon closer look, one would notice that the anger was only on the surface.
Deep in their eyes, there was a calmness.
The performance was over.
Shin's face showed no emotion. "Three of you, as rulers of your respective nations, why such a loss of control?"
"We are gathered here today to discuss how to remove Kumogakure's threat, to share the fruits of victory, not to put on a full-blown fight."
"It seems now that the Land of Lightning daimyo has not even arrived, and our alliance is about to become a joke."
His words were not harsh, but they gave the three daimyo a way to back down.
The Land of Earth daimyo snorted heavily, flicked his sleeve, and sat back down.
The Land of Water daimyo straightened his robes, which he had wrinkled by slamming the table.
The Land of Wind daimyo closed his fan, returning to his mysterious behavior.
The actions of the three seemed to say: it's not that I don't want to talk, it's that they are being unreasonable, but since Lord Shin has spoken, I will give him face.
Shin took in their performance with a cold smile in his heart, but kept a businesslike expression.
He stood up and walked to the map, saying with a tone of helplessness. "Since none of you will give in to the other, it seems the path of controlling Kumogakure alone is impossible."
"For the greater good of our four countries alliance, I have a compromise proposal."
"The three of you will jointly garrison Kumogakure!"
"As for how much you can get, that depends on how big your hands are!"
As soon as this proposal was made, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the three daimyo.
Joint garrison?
This was the result they wanted.
The previous arguments were merely to make the act convincing and raise their own stakes.
This way, no one would be seen as actively giving in, and everyone would save face.
Moreover, they all had a clear understanding.
Although the Land of Lightning was defeated, there were at least five thousand Kumogakure shinobi still stationed in their homeland!
Not to mention the three thousand prisoners who were about to be ransomed.
The hatred these people had for the Land of Fire might be temporarily held back due to their defeat, but for those who were about to enter their village, it was absolutely bone-deep hatred.
If one party garrisoned alone, it would definitely become the target of all Kumogakure shinobi, having to guard against killings and riots every day.
A slight mistake could lead to falling into the mess of war.
But if the three parties jointly garrisoned... the pressure would be shared!
Moreover, the three parties would form a strategic alliance, yet also be wary of each other, preventing any one party from controlling everything, which would instead create a delicate balance.
It was a solution that everyone could accept!
The three daimyo were silent now, rapidly thinking about how much advantage they could gain and how to hold back the other two.
This silence was merely the final step in performing the act fully.
Shin watched quietly, not rushing them.
"Hmph, since Lord Shin has said so, our Land of Earth has no objections!" Soon, the Land of Earth daimyo was the first to state his position.
He had thought it through clearly that even with joint management by three parties, he could still gain the upper hand due to geographical advantages.
"Acceptable." The Land of Wind daimyo also nodded.
Given the strength of the Land of Wind, sole control was never possible. Joint management was the most advantageous.
Before the Land of Fire withdrew, his original intention was actually joint management by four parties.
The Land of Water daimyo thought for a moment, then slowly said, "This method works. However, the exact number of troops to be stationed and the division of defense zones still need detailed discussion."
Seeing that the three parties had reached an agreement, Shin finally showed a pleased expression.
Very good.
Tie the three of you together and throw you into Kumogakure, which is about to become a powder keg.
Once the news of the three thousand prisoners being killed spreads, not only will you face an even more furious counterattack from Kumogakure, but you will also scheme against each other and suffer internal damage in your struggle for profit.
And the Land of Fire will just watch from the sidelines, gaining the benefits.
This was the result he truly wanted to see.
"Since the general direction has been set." Shin clapped his hands, bringing everyone's thoughts back. "Then let's draft the final treaty. The details can be discussed slowly."
"Tomorrow, once the Land of Lightning daimyo arrives, this four-country joint statement will be presented to him."
"Upon returning, also immediately send word to your countries. Our four nations will at the same time deploy troops to the Land of Lightning's border, giving him the final pressure!"
"Good!"
"Let's do it!"
A secret meeting that decided the fate of the Land of Lightning and was about to reshape the shinobi world's balance of power thus came to an end.
The four daimyo left, each with their own thoughts.