---Third POV---
In the past, Kura might have thought all countries were pretty much the same.
But after the war broke out, he'd followed the ninja troops through countless small nations and visited plenty of major towns. Especially since spending time in Konoha, he finally understood what made the first hidden village so damn special.
The fact that he blew every last coin of his monthly salary from Orochimaru was proof enough of that.
Along the way, with villagers watching curiously from doorways and windows, Ryouma and his group headed straight for the Tsuchikage Building.
Ōnoki, showing unusual initiative, had already brought Kitsuchi and was waiting at the entrance downstairs. The old man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking every bit the dignified village leader welcoming important guests.
The ANBU clearly hadn't expected the Tsuchikage himself to personally welcome a jonin from another village. He froze for a moment, then quickly jogged forward.
"Tsuchikage-sama, the guests from Konoha have arrived."
Ōnoki waved his hand dismissively, signaling him to withdraw, then personally led Ryouma and the others inside the building.
"This sudden visit, did you come bearing a mission from the Fourth Hokage? Speaking of which, ever since Minato took office as Hokage, I haven't had the chance to congratulate him properly."
"No, this time I came mainly for some personal business of my own."
Ryouma wasn't put off by the obvious friendliness in Ōnoki's words. After all, this man had once fought side by side with him against Madara, and even helped him hold up that massive meteorite.
When it came down to it, war was just hatred with better organization. Standing on different sides made it hard to say who was right and who was wrong. Understanding the true nature of conflict, Ryouma had never harbored much prejudice toward other ninja villages.
Of course, Kiri was the exception. Those bastards had it coming.
Climbing the stairs, they entered the reception room inside the Tsuchikage's office. Ryouma and Ōnoki sat facing each other across a square table.
Behind Ryouma stood Kura, Obito, and Shukaku. Behind Ōnoki stood Kitsuchi and another ninja wearing a black headscarf who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew tense.
Ryouma didn't know why they had to posture like it was a Five Kage Summit. He could only think that he still didn't fully understand the ways of "cool ninja politics."
After some friendly small talk that fooled absolutely nobody, Ōnoki finally understood the purpose of Ryouma's visit to Iwa, the man was eyeing their wallet.
Normally, for a business deal that might squeeze the survival space of his own village's industries, as Tsuchikage he would politely but firmly refuse. Competition was competition, after all.
But this was different. The man sitting across from him was the same monster who had crushed Madara. Even if he had to give away two whole mines, he would still want to maintain good relations with Konoha. What was a mere domestic market compared to that kind of alliance? He'd hand it over with a smile.
Besides, if the "Revita-Inject" that Ryouma was pushing truly had the medical effects he claimed, then Iwa would definitely come out ahead in this deal.
Of course, even so, he still had to maintain some dignity. Can't look too eager, after all.
Ryouma couldn't read minds, so he figured Ōnoki's hesitation was natural. After all, he was offering nothing more than words and promises, smart people were cautious about that kind of thing.
So he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Getting the signal, Obito deliberately put on his best Kakashi-style poker face and set the briefcase he'd been carrying onto the table. With two sharp clicks, the latches popped open, revealing ten neatly arranged vials of the medical injection.
"Alright, Kura, show the Tsuchikage a demonstration."
"Got it!"
Kura responded, stepped to the front of the table, and instantly drew everyone's attention. Then, stripping off his shirt under the stunned gazes of the ninjas, he swiftly pulled out a kunai and began stabbing himself in the chest.
Each stab was solid, he had no intention of looking like some half-hearted amateur. One, two, three... in total, nine thumb-sized bloody holes appeared across his chest. For easier observation, he even pried some of the wounds wider so that Ōnoki and Kitsuchi could see exactly how deep they went.
The whole scene was downright brutal.
Ōnoki and Kitsuchi could guess Kura's intention, obviously, he wanted to demonstrate the healing effects of the injection right before their eyes. But wasn't this demonstration a bit too extreme? Most people would be worried about bleeding to death before they even got to use the medicine.
Seeing the shock on their faces gave Kura deep satisfaction. It hadn't been for nothing that he'd asked Orochimaru for a special pain-dulling drug beforehand. This time, he'd really made an impression.
Kitsuchi sucked in a sharp breath, looking at Kura, and quickly urged, "That's enough, that's enough, Ryouma, please give him the medicine quickly before he bleeds out!"
Naturally, Ryouma knew Kura would be fine. Still, he rose, intending to take a vial from the briefcase himself.
But Kura, well-versed in the code of a good subordinate, would never make his boss serve him personally. The moment Ryouma stood up, he stepped through his own pool of blood, reached the table, and swiftly grabbed a vial.
"I can handle it myself, Ryouma-sama."
With that, he jabbed the needle into his thigh and forcefully injected the glowing liquid into his body.
The next instant, something miraculous happened.
The nine thumb-sized bloody holes on his torso began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye. In less than two minutes, wounds that would have left any normal ninja bleeding out on the floor were completely healed.
He rubbed his stomach in circles with both hands, then grinned at Ōnoki and Kitsuchi like he'd just performed a magic trick.
"This injection not only heals injuries, it also replenishes lost blood. And if the wounds aren't too severe, the surplus effect can even be converted into chakra. This kind of all-purpose medicine is way more useful than soldier pills or blood increasing pills. You absolutely can't miss out on this partnership opportunity."
Ōnoki gave Kura a strange look. Was this guy really from Iwa? He seemed to respect Ryouma more than his own Tsuchikage. But never mind personal loyalty. Since the medicine's effects were genuine, if not even better than advertised, the only matter left was haggling over the price.
At this point, Ryouma raised his hand and made a gesture with his fingers.
"Considering production costs and quality, the price I can offer you is ninety thousand ryō per vial of Revita-Inject."
"Ninety thousand ryō?"
Honestly, the price wasn't outrageous. Compared to the life-saving effects just demonstrated, it was actually a bargain. After all, ninjas didn't suffer life-threatening injuries every single day. This medicine was more like insurance, expensive, but invaluable when you needed it.
Even so, Ōnoki's merchant instincts kicked in. He never passed up a chance to negotiate.
"I believe this price could still be—"
He had just opened his mouth when Ryouma waved his hand to cut him off.
"Don't be so quick to haggle."
As soon as Ryouma finished speaking, he put forward a condition that Ōnoki couldn't possibly refuse.
"I don't intend to open a shop in Iwa to sell this injection. Instead, I want to act as your supplier, selling the goods directly to your village. After your village purchases them, whether you use them for your domestic market or expand into neighboring countries, that's entirely your business. I won't interfere."
"You... are you serious?"
Having held the position of Tsuchikage for many years, Ōnoki's business instincts were sharp. Every Tsuchikage received special training in commerce to ensure they never screwed up the lucrative trade in the Land of Earth's mineral resources.
But Kitsuchi, standing to the side, looked rather confused. He barely understood village governance, let alone the intricacies of international commerce. So he couldn't figure out why his father was suddenly so excited.
At the same time, he couldn't just openly ask, so he could only sigh inwardly, being Tsuchikage really wasn't an easy job. Unlike certain people who seemed to stumble into leadership roles, he had very clear self-awareness: he simply wasn't Tsuchikage material.
All he hoped for now was that his father could hold on for a few more years, until Kurotsuchi, Deidara, and the others of that generation grew strong enough to inherit the position. That would be ideal.
Putting aside Kitsuchi's internal struggles, Ōnoki had already sensed the profits hidden within Ryouma's "regional distributor" proposal.
No matter the era, medicine was always in constant demand, not just for ninjas, but for nobles, officials, and their retainers as well. Even if the bigshots didn't need it personally, the samurai and ninja under their command certainly would.
In the Land of Earth and surrounding regions, Ryouma's product would have no trouble selling. The market was practically guaranteed.
There was only one real concern:
"What is the retail price of this injection in the Land of Fire?"
Ryouma smiled slightly. The fact that Ōnoki asked this question meant he was already calculating profit margins in his head.
"In the Land of Fire, only pharmacies authorized by Konoha are permitted to sell this injection. As for the price, it's sixty thousand ryō."
That was a full thirty thousand ryō less than the supply price offered to Iwa.
Ōnoki wasn't surprised. Just like the Land of Earth's rare minerals, once goods crossed national borders, prices skyrocketed. That was just how international trade worked.
After some thought, he voiced his main concern, "Have you considered the possibility of smugglers buying these injections at the lower price in the Land of Fire and then reselling them in other nations? That could undermine Iwa's official sales market."
After all, medical supplies weren't like raw materials. Minerals required smelting, refining, and craftsmanship before they could be sold as finished goods. Medical products, however, could be resold immediately upon purchase. The profit margins were high, and smuggling costs were minimal, anyone with working legs could do it.
"Tsuchikage-sama, I've already given you the opportunity. If you don't even have confidence in dealing with a few smugglers, then I may need to reconsider whether you're suitable as my partner."
Such blunt words were rather aggressive for a business negotiation, but they were also honest. Quality goods attracted everyone's attention. If Ōnoki lacked the confidence to protect his territory, Ryouma would simply activate Plan B, go speak directly with the Land of Earth's daimyō about cooperation.
Fortunately, Ōnoki wasn't that foolish. He agreed to Ryouma's terms with a firm handshake.
Next came the contract signing. Even though such documents might become worthless paper during wartime, proper formalities were still essential during peace.
At this point, Kitsuchi had become essentially a human typewriter, drafting line after line of contract text on a massive scroll according to the instructions from his father and Ryouma.
While they hammered out supplementary clauses, Ryouma glanced sideways at Kura, who was bored and absentmindedly playing with the puddle of his own spilled blood, tapping it with his foot.
"Kura."
"Y-Yes! Ryouma-sama, what are your orders?"
Caught off guard by being called, Kura jumped like he'd been electrocuted.
Ryouma tossed him a Flying Thunder God kunai, then pointed toward the window.
"I recall you still have family in Iwa. Since you've got time now, you can go visit them."
Kura hurriedly caught the kunai with both hands. Hearing Ryouma's words, he froze for a moment, pointing at himself.
"Me? I... I can really go back to see my family for a while?"
Ryouma was momentarily speechless at his reaction. Just what kind of life had this kid been living under Orochimaru's supervision?
"Go on. Don't worry. When I'm done here, I'll use Flying Thunder God to send you a signal."
"Waaahhh!"
Tears streamed down Kura's face, not only because Ryouma remembered what he'd said when he was first converted into an experimental subject, but also because he was willing to trust him enough to let a former prisoner leave alone to reunite with his family.
"Thank you so much! You're the best superior I've ever had!"
He gave a deep bow to Ryouma, then, unable to suppress his longing for his family any longer, spun around, opened the door, and dashed off.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to bow to the Tsuchikage as well, though his priorities were pretty clear.
Ōnoki probably wouldn't forget this young man anytime soon, he'd actually said, right in front of him, that a Konoha ninja was the best superior he'd ever met.
Nearby, Obito, who had been silently observing, watched Kura's departing figure. He felt Ryouma might be trusting this Iwa ninja a little too much, so he leaned in close and whispered, "Should I follow him, just to make sure he doesn't say anything he shouldn't?"
"Relax. Kura knows his limits."
Ryouma replied with complete confidence. After all, even if Kura himself lacked restraint, the curse mark Orochimaru had implanted would ensure he kept quiet about sensitive matters.
Not long after, as Ryouma and Ōnoki finished ironing out the final details of their agreement, a series of loud explosions suddenly rang out from somewhere outside the Tsuchikage Building.
Hearing that all-too-familiar combination, Kitsuchi shook his head and sighed helplessly.
"Deidara... off making trouble with his bizarre 'art' again. He just can't give people a moment's peace..."
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