Both the Kazekage and the Land of Wind's Daimyo sat on one side of the room. In the end, it was Ebizo who stood up and began the meeting, signaling Kurozai to speak. His expression was tired; everyone present knew that the Daimyo's mansion and the village were not on good terms, so there was nothing to hide even from Kurozai.
Kurozai nodded and said, "I am sure you are already aware, but this time we have sent envoys not only to Sunagakure, but to Kirigakure and Iwagakure as well. As for Konoha, Raikage-sama has not decided yet. In any case, we are here to sign a non-aggression pact and establish trade agreements between our nations. Of course, there are additional terms specifically meant for Sunagakure, but why don't you take a look first?"
As he finished speaking, the officials on his side distributed the bureaucratic documents, handing copies to both the Daimyo's party and the Kazekage's side.
When they saw the thick stack of papers, both the Daimyo and the Kazekage were surprised, and the others showed similar reactions. One after another, Ebizo, Chiyo, and the rest of Sunagakure's delegation picked up the documents and began reading.
The office soon fell completely silent. For the next few hours, the only sound was the flipping of pages.
Finally, it was the Third Kazekage himself who stopped reading first. Bewildered, surprised, and even a little hopeful, he broke the silence.
"Are you serious? Are you really planning to trade these items to the other major villages and nations?"
Even the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and his officials looked astonished. Trade between major and minor countries had always existed, but large-scale trade of strategic resources, food, weapons, and medicine was exceedingly rare.
In the world of Naruto, ninjas consume far more food than civilians, especially during training or missions. While they don't require excessive nutrition in daily life, combat and training rapidly drain physical strength, making food a constant necessity. Thus, for major villages, food has always been a valuable resource. Medical herbs and ninja tools were even more notorious for their high costs. After all, in the current ninja world, every shuriken was crafted by hand; there were no chakra and technology-based industrial factories like those now rising in Kumogakure.
One official, unable to contain his shock, blurted out, "You're going to sell grain at two to three percent lower than what the Land of Fire charges in international trade?"
Everyone looked toward Kurozai in disbelief. These were not ordinary business deals. These were nationwide trade agreements involving enormous volumes. Even a one-percent difference would save the Land of Wind billions of ryo over time, especially considering their heavy dependence on the Land of Fire's food sources.
Ebizo, Chiyo, and the other senior ninjas exchanged cautious looks. Chiyo finally spoke.
"Is the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure not dependent on Konoha for food anymore? We knew that after you closed your borders, you stopped all trade. But I thought you resumed business and established new trade routes with the entire ninja world to recover your strength and become more prosperous. And since the Land of Lightning's prosperous trade benefited everyone, we thought you would strengthen yourselves and not be reliant on the Land of Fire anymore. As the owners of these businesses, of course, we also benefited, but it was still only a minor reliance; these trade routes can't produce enough resources to feed other nations completely, like the entire prosperous, gigantic Land of Fire. Even if Kumo became independent, selling strategic resources to other nations… this is something else entirely."
What she did not say was that if Kumogakure really did not plan to wage war anymore, in history, they were the 2nd strongest ninja village, always competing with Konoha, and like them, were eyeing the Land of Fire.
Kurozai nodded. "Of course. All of this will happen only if the Land of Wind and Sunagakure agree to the non-aggression pact and the trade agreements."
Everyone nodded quietly. Even the Daimyo's officials didn't see major issues with the documents. The summary essentially proposed freer trade, revised tax structures, and resource agreements that prioritized the Land of Lightning, such as giving them the right to become exclusive buyers of certain resources from the Land of Wind and Sunagakure as long as they could afford it, at the same prices currently sold to others, including Konoha.
They understood what the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure wanted, but it wasn't a problem. Both sides would profit, and Sunagakure would receive cheaper goods than those it obtained from Konoha and the Land of Fire. More importantly, they would free themselves from Konoha's grip on food imports. With a stable alternative supplier, they would no longer be restrained by supply chains in future conflicts, whether in terms of food or medicine.
And as for the non-aggression pact? There was nothing to think about. With Konoha and the wealthy Land of Fire right next door, why would they cross the ocean to attack the small, mountainous Land of Lightning?