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"Tell Kazuki to come to the Hokage's office immediately! He spends all day burrowing under the covers like some hibernating animal! As a high-ranking official of the village, all he does is laze around in bed—utterly disgraceful!"
After ordering Shizune to send someone to summon Kazuki, Tsunade led a group to the village gates to welcome the arrival of the Raikage, A.
Of course, this was done discreetly.
Neither side had any intention of making the meeting public.
Unfortunately, the Anbu agent sent to deliver the message was an overly honest fellow who relayed Tsunade's words verbatim.
This earned Kazuki several exasperated side-eyes from Kurenai.
Kazuki could only sigh inwardly. Since when did Tsunade, that old auntie, become so blunt?
After a quick wash, he made his way to the Hokage's office.
Outside the village, Tsunade had already met with the Raikage.
"I didn't expect the Raikage to come in person."
"This matter concerns a crucial collaboration between our two villages. I had to come personally. Samui and Mabui aren't authorized to make such decisions, and using messenger hawks risks interception."
"Then, please follow me."
Tsunade realized she had underestimated Kumogakure's seriousness about the Akatsuki—or rather, their obsession with the Sage's Eyes.
In the shinobi world, Kumogakure's reputation as the "mountain barbarians" wasn't unfounded.
Aside from their highland terrain, they were infamous for underhanded tactics and outright plundering.
Anything that could strengthen their village, they would seize by any means necessary.
During the Uzumaki clan's extermination, Kumogakure had played no small part.
But they had underestimated the ruthlessness of the Third Hokage and Danzō. In the end, Konoha became the primary beneficiary, while the other involved factions only got scraps.
Tsunade led A and his guards through a hidden passage into the village, discreetly entering the Hokage's office.
"Raikage-sama."
Inside the meeting room, Samui and Mabui, who had arrived earlier after receiving notice, immediately bowed in greeting upon seeing their leader.
Well, well.
Now Kazuki understood why Tsunade had been so aggressive—the Raikage himself had come!
But thinking about it, it made sense. A matter of this magnitude couldn't be left to Samui and Mabui, two young women still gaining experience.
Sending messages risked exposure!
The Raikage's personal presence was the safest way to negotiate with Konoha.
In the meeting room, Tsunade deliberately took the seat to the right of the head chair, leaving the central position for Kazuki.
"???"
What's the meaning of this?
Isn't the Hokage supposed to be the one negotiating with me?
Seeing A's confusion, Mabui leaned in and whispered:
"Raikage-sama, the Fifth Hokage places great trust in her advisor, Uchiha Kazuki. Most of Konoha's external affairs are handled by him."
I see.
A studied Kazuki, who had taken the head seat without hesitation. A strange thought crossed his mind:
Is this kid Tsunade's lover or something?
Otherwise, no matter how much trust she has in him, she wouldn't go this far.
If Tsunade knew what A was thinking, she would have punched him on the spot.
Since Tsunade didn't want to intervene, Kazuki had no choice but to take the lead in discussions with the Raikage.
Kazuki wasn't one for beating around the bush. He motioned for Shizune to place a prepared financial report on the table, signaling A to review it before negotiations.
Why are you handing me Konoha's financial records?
A opened the file and skimmed through it—his eyes widened in shock.
He glanced at Tsunade, then back at the document.
Behind him, Samui and Mabui couldn't help but inhale sharply. Now they understood why Kazuki had been complaining about Konoha's financial struggles.
This report is… horrifying.
Is this fake accounting specifically prepared for us?
After a long silence, A finally set the file down, his lips twitching.
"Kazuki, Hokage… are you certain this financial report is accurate?"
Tsunade's eye twitched. She turned away, arms crossed, her expression screaming I don't want to talk about it.
Kazuki sighed.
"Raikage, do you think we'd joke about something like this? This isn't exactly something to be proud of! We're presenting this report to clarify Konoha's position—we genuinely have no funds to spare. So when it comes to the Five Great Shinobi Villages' joint military operation against Akatsuki, we're willing but unable."
"Every income and expenditure is documented here. Though it's somewhat inappropriate, I must emphasize—this is all real. As for how Konoha's finances reached this disastrous state, I'm sure you can guess."
"It seems the Third Hokage was quite the leader."
For some reason, A chuckled.
It wasn't hard to deduce that the Third Hokage was responsible for Konoha's financial ruin.
Remembering how the Third had acted meekly in diplomacy but ruthlessly oppressed his own people, A found it darkly amusing.
During past negotiations between their villages, Kumogakure had once threatened Konoha on a whim.
To his surprise, the Third Hokage had panicked.
The incident ended with Hiashi and Hizashi being sacrificed as scapegoats.
Kazuki ignored A's mockery. He had already braced himself for this when preparing the financial report.
A wasn't one for subtleties either.
"Kazuki, let's speak plainly. Kumogakure is willing to provide Konoha with military funding for this operation. What can we expect in return?"
"That depends on how much you're willing to pay."
Kazuki laid out his terms bluntly:
"I've divided this into three tiers of support.
First tier: Konoha participates in the Five Great Villages' joint military operation.
Second tier: Konoha backs Kumogakure, amplifying your influence in the alliance.
Third tier: Konoha waives its share of the spoils, transferring all benefits to Kumogakure."
You do the math.
The more money you offer, the stronger our support.
Kazuki decisively tossed the ball back into A's court, letting him weigh how much support Kumogakure needed and what they could afford.
As for whether Kumogakure might leak the financial report, Kazuki couldn't care less.
First, they wouldn't dare.
Second, even if they did—so what?
I'd welcome it!
Let the whole world see the mess the Third Hokage left behind!
Let every Konoha citizen understand the depth of the pit their former leader dug!
Tsunade might avoid reopening old wounds, but Kazuki had no such reservations. If outsiders wanted to expose the truth, he wouldn't stop them.