"Even brothers settle accounts clearly. Old brother, since you've brought ten thousand men to support me, naturally I can't let you leave empty-handed. Here's what I propose..."
Jinghang drew a red line across the map, instantly dividing the Land of Fire into northern and southern halves.
"Everything north of this line goes to Kumogakure. Everything south belongs to Sunagakure. How's that?"
"Lord Kazekage, you're quite the calculating one. Everyone knows the southern Land of Fire is richer than the north. You get the meat while I gnaw bones? That doesn't seem right."
Yue Shenkōichi said with obvious displeasure.
"Heh heh, young master, that's not how you calculate it. At the Battle of Moon Lake, we Sunagakure wiped out four thousand Konoha ninja. At the Battle of Lishi Fortress, we eliminated eight thousand Konoha ninja. Every step, every milestone was paid for with the blood and flesh of our Suna men. What victories do you Kumogakure have to show?
Even when ordinary farmers slaughter a pig for New Year's, they look at who worked hardest all year to decide who gets the bigger share. I acknowledge that Kumogakure has been tying down five thousand Konoha ninja on the southern front, but just for that you want the lion's share? That doesn't make sense. I can't explain that to my ten thousand soldiers either."
Hearing Jinghang's harsh tone, Third Raikage A immediately snapped back.
"Who gave you permission to speak! Step aside."
This was directed at Yue Shenkōichi.
"Brother Jinghang makes a fair point. Technically, since you saved my life, coming to help should be without question—I shouldn't even have the face to ask for benefits.
But you know the upcoming battle is the crucial one. Whether we can beat Konoha down depends on this final fight. A cornered beast fights desperately—though Konoha's been severely damaged, they still have plenty of skilled fighters. The village can probably squeeze out at least fifteen thousand ninja. This battle will be incredibly brutal. I have to give my men something to show for it. You know how it is these days—without rice in hand, you can't even keep a chicken fed."
Damn! Playing this card on me! Should've let you die in Iwagakure!
But thinking about it, Jinghang could understand Third Raikage's actions. He wasn't doing this for himself, but for his village's interests.
With Konoha clearly declining, either Sunagakure or Kumogakure would rise. If you don't grab more now, you'll fall behind in future "international games"—what you lose here becomes double the gap later.
Besides, as the Raikage just said, Konoha could still muster at least fifteen thousand people. His own forces didn't have a clear advantage. With Kumogakure's ten thousand fresh troops, he'd have much more confidence. Without offering some sweetener, how could he expect them to fight with everything they had?
"Fine, since you're my brother, I'll take another step back."
With that, Jinghang picked up the red pen and drew another line, moving it two centimeters south—almost reaching the Suna army's camp.
"This is Sunagakure's absolute bottom line. Not another inch. If you're still not satisfied, I'll withdraw my troops and return to the village right now. We'll call it quits!"
Third Raikage and Yue Shenkōichi exchanged glances and nodded secretly.
"Deal."
Third Raikage extended his hand. Jinghang also extended his. With that handshake, the Wind-Lightning Alliance was formed.
"Command authority goes to me. Any objections?"
"Brother, your strategic brilliance has repeatedly defeated Konoha—naturally I have no objections."
"Logistics and war supplies preparation goes to you. Any objections?"
"None at all. The Suna brothers have fought two consecutive battles and are naturally exhausted—they deserve proper rest."
"Also, you Kumogakure need to station people in the west to watch Iwagakure. Those bastards love backstabbing."
"Don't worry, brother. I've already ordered Jōnin Teigi to station eight thousand ninja on the Earth-Lightning border. If Kitsuchi dares send a single soldier toward Sunagakure, I'll deal with him immediately!"
"All military discipline follows Sunagakure's rules. Any problems?"
"No problems at all. Your word is my word. Anyone who doesn't follow orders, I'll personally tie up and bring before you."
Smart of you. Haven't fought a single battle but came to pick up the spoils. If you dare say half a word against these terms, I'll call Rasa and Pain over to beat you up along with everyone else.
"Alright, now that the unpleasant business is finished, let's discuss something pleasant!"
Jinghang immediately changed his expression.
"What pleasant business?"
Yue Shenkōichi asked puzzledly.
"Drinking, of course! Young master!"
Jinghang put his arms around Yue Shenkōichi and A's shoulders, acting like best friends, as if no argument had occurred moments before.
That's how it is—business is business, friendship is friendship. Once business is settled, friendship naturally follows.
Third Raikage and Yue Shenkōichi were very happy inside. Conservative estimates suggested they could plunder at least twenty billion from the Land of Fire this time.
Jinghang was also happy. Just twenty billion to secure ten thousand Kumogakure ninja as reinforcements—no need to worry about facing Konoha head-on. He'd have to tell Kakuzu to speed things up. Money is safest when it's in your pocket.
That night, the Wind-Lightning Alliance was officially established. The two armies joined forces to fight as one. That evening, the troops held a grand bonfire celebration. Laughter and song filled the air, with the aroma of meat and wine everywhere. The blazing bonfires illuminated everyone's faces.
"Alright, when marching to war, no more than three bowls of wine—that's my rule. That's enough for today. Men, remove the wine and bring water! Pass the order: anyone who disobeys gets forty military lashes!"
At Jinghang's command, several ninja immediately came forward and carried away jars of fine wine. Now that Jinghang was the alliance commander, his word was military law—no one could disobey.
Third Raikage and Yue Shenkōichi clearly hadn't had enough. Both were heavy drinkers who treated wine like water. But with Jinghang's order, they couldn't argue and reluctantly put down their wine bowls.
"We'll save the wine for after victory, for the celebration. Now let's discuss important matters."
Hearing about important business, everyone perked up their ears.
"Though Konoha has fifteen thousand ninja and many skilled fighters, I'm not worried about that. With our current forces and strength, we can handle it. My only concern is Konoha's two Tailed Beasts, especially the Nine-Tails. With that thing around, Konoha is practically invincible. We must find a way to counter these two Tailed Beasts. Otherwise, even if we doubled our forces, it would be useless."
"Sigh, I've considered this—it's indeed a difficult problem. Brother Jinghang, you know we Kumogakure experienced the Gyūki Incident half a year ago. Not only did we lose Jinchūriki Blue B, but many skilled fighters as well. We only just sealed the Eight-Tails into a new Jinchūriki recently—don't even mention bringing it to battle."
Third Raikage A said helplessly.
"What about the Two-Tails?"
Jinghang asked. By his calculations, Yugito Nii should be in her teens by now.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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