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"Then what about the distribution of benefits? Don't tell me you Konoha still expect to take the lion's share."
A's nostrils flared wider, his breathing growing rapid and heavy.
It was obvious he was getting impatient; in fact, he was already starting to lose his temper.
Are you here to joke around?
Benefits distribution?
Kazuki looked at A as if the man were an alien.
Everyone fights their own battles, attacking the Land of Earth from different directions. Whatever spoils you seize naturally belong to you.
How, when it gets to you, does it suddenly turn into "benefits distribution"?
Sure, you don't need a genius-level brain to become the shadow of a village, but you can't be completely brainless either!
Did every Raikage of Kumogakure grow their brain inside their biceps?
"Raikage-sama, what we're discussing is launching a war, not going on a bandit raid in the Land of Earth. In any case, Konoha's conditions will not change. As for the spoils—whatever you manage to grab with your own hands belongs to you, period."
Why does this guy, who's usually pretty sharp, suddenly seem so confused? Is he that furious?
That shouldn't be the case; I haven't even said anything particularly provocative!
It's just negotiations—someone has to play the bad cop. Totally normal, right?
"Lord Raikage, if both sides agree to start a war, the spoils truly cannot be evenly divided. They can only be taken by whoever seizes them."
Mabui, the Raikage's secretary, quietly reminded the increasingly heated A at the critical moment.
"..."
With Mabui's reminder, A suddenly paused, as though someone had hit the pause button on his entire body.
Even his face, which had started turning dark red with anger, gradually returned to normal.
"Whew~~~~"
Guess I got a little too worked up.
This brat is really hard to deal with—neither soft nor hard tactics work on him.
A silently cursed a couple of times in his heart.
No matter what the Raikage said, Kazuki clung stubbornly to one point: Konoha had absolutely no obligation to get involved in this war, thereby forcing Kumogakure to make concessions.
Either Kumogakure yields and both villages cooperate—you draw the enemy fire up front while we sneak in from behind and strike their home—or we part ways right now and pretend we never met. It's that simple.
There was zero chance Konoha would lead the charge or even charge alongside Kumo.
No room for negotiation on that.
In a joint military operation of this scale, spoils really can't be split evenly; it all comes down to individual strength and luck.
Expecting the other side to divide everything fairly? Impossible.
"Is Konoha truly unwilling to attack Iwagakure together with Kumogakure?"
A still wanted to try one last time.
After all, both villages hitting Iwagakure at once, forcing them to fight on two fronts, would be ideal.
"No."
Kazuki shook his head firmly. Konoha would never agree to that.
"We can jointly condemn Iwagakure, but actually launching a war together? Out of the question. The village's stance and my own bottom line will not change."
Make your choice.
Either we cooperate, or we walk away. Konoha isn't exactly eager to get dragged into this war anyway.
The one burning for revenge is you, A, not me.
If we're speaking purely personally, Kazuki actually held no grudge against Iwagakure in this lifetime.
His parents from this life hadn't died because of Iwa, and as for avenging the clan…
That would be hilarious—if he really wanted clan revenge, he'd be targeting Kirigakure instead.
What a stubborn little bastard.
A really wanted to slap some sense into Kazuki right then and there, but that thought could only stay a fantasy.
If the Raikage actually dared lay a hand on Kazuki, forget whether the slap would even land—Konoha would declare war on Kumogakure long before any operation against Iwa could begin.
"This old man can accept Konoha's terms on behalf of Kumogakure, but Konoha can't just turtle in the back the entire time either. If we're going to cooperate, you need to show some sincerity."
Kumogakure bleeding and dying on the front lines while their so-called partner Konoha sits back and watches the show? Unacceptable.
Kumo could draw fire and charge in with the bombs strapped on, but Konoha had to show some real commitment too.
The Raikage wasn't stupid; he just had a short fuse.
Kazuki raised his hand and casually rotated his wrist.
"Of course. As long as Kumogakure draws Iwagakure's attention on the front and the fighting actually starts, Konoha will immediately declare war and march straight into the heart of the Land of Earth.
That said, in the early stages Konoha will remain completely inactive—we need to lull Iwagakure into complacency."
"Acceptable."
A could live with that.
If Kumo was fighting for their lives up front while Konoha still refused to move, that would never fly.
Kumo draws the enemy's attention; once most of Iwagakure's forces pivot toward Kumo and Ōnoki fixates on the Raikage, Konoha suddenly stabs them in the back. It would catch Iwa completely off guard.
Ōnoki would panic; the entire village would descend into chaos on both fronts.
"I hope Konoha keeps its word this time."
A gave Kazuki a meaningful reminder.
Kazuki raised an eyebrow and fired back:
"Raikage, spare me the sarcasm. Among the five great ninja villages, Konoha is the only one that actually values its promises. You lot—especially the villages with the worst track records for flip-flopping—are in no position to talk. Kumogakure isn't exactly spotless either. The bloody history of Konoha being stabbed in the back by your village is still fresh in our memory."
"Cough, cough!!!"
Kazuki turned the tables so smoothly that A was left speechless. Shouldn't you be the one making assurances right now?
Instead you drag up old dirt? Uchiha Kazuki, you really don't play by the script!
Historically, Kumogakure had indeed screwed Konoha over badly. If Kumo hadn't been so treacherous, Senju Tobirama wouldn't have died so early.
Tobirama's death could be laid squarely at Kumogakure's door, no exaggeration.
"No need to bring up ancient history. Since we've reached an agreement, let us both return to our villages and await the right moment."
At this point A no longer wanted to keep talking with Kazuki.
If they kept going, the moment Kazuki brought up Tobirama's death again, the Raikage would lose all face.
Besides, while all five great villages had their share of dirty laundry, when it came to keeping public promises, Konoha's reputation really was better than the rest. Everyone in the shinobi world acknowledged it; even A couldn't find fault with that.
The Third Hokage might be a tyrant toward his own people and love scheming against his own side, but that personality quirk did bring Konoha one benefit—like an impeccable reputation.
Among the five great villages, Konoha's credibility was unquestionably the highest in the shinobi world.
That was one of the very few things people could genuinely praise about the Third Hokage.
"I never thought Kumogakure would actually accept such outrageous terms."
Shikaku still felt it was unreal.
This really didn't seem like something Kumogakure would do.
After all, the impression everyone had of Kumo was: they never move unless there's profit, they always look for loopholes and cause trouble, and their attitude is always rock-hard arrogance.
Asking them to make concessions?