At the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire,
Minato Namikaze and Rasa, who had lost one arm, were engaged in negotiations.
Minato had brought along Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Nara Shikaku.
The discussions between both sides appeared quite intense.
However, Minato's side appeared completely at ease, while Rasa and his companions were visibly flustered—Minato's demands were clearly too much for them to swallow.
Minato's peace terms included war reparations, compensation for the fallen, reconstruction costs, and various miscellaneous fees related to dispatched ninja units.
In other words, besides surrendering the territory, Sunagakure would also have to pay an astronomical sum in reparations.
Shindai stood off to the side, smiling happily. Seeing the 'spectacular' expressions on Rasa's team, he secretly felt delighted inside.
Rasa and his team grew anxious. They knew there was no way to keep hold of that fertile land. Thinking that Konoha had already taken it, they assumed the compensation wouldn't be too excessive. Unexpectedly, Konoha still insisted on a sum that seemed exorbitant for Sunagakure.
Sunagakure simply didn't have enough money to pay such a massive sum. Even if Rasa used [Magnet Release] nonstop like a machine to extract Gold Dust, it still wouldn't cover the cost.
No matter how hard Rasa and his team tried to negotiate, Konoha refused to lower the compensation amount.
Still, Minato did offer them the option of offsetting some payments with supplies.
Although the Land of Wind was mostly desert, its rich mineral resources could be converted into cash value.
Additionally, they could transfer certain mission assignments to offset some of the reparations.
Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō all turned pale at this suggestion.
While the Land of Wind indeed had abundant mineral reserves, most remained untapped—effectively converting these into cash would require significant manpower to extract them.
As for mission assignments, those were the foundation of any ninja village.
Sunagakure's mission requests had already dwindled since most clients preferred to assign tasks to Konoha. The few remaining missions posted in Sunagakure were either from within the Land of Wind or from small allied countries friendly with Wind.
If even these mission assignments were handed over, Sunagakure would face truly dire circumstances.
After multiple rounds of negotiation, Rasa, Chiyo, Ebizō, and the other higher-ups reached a decision.
They agreed to return the land originally given by the First Hokage back to Konoha and provide partial payment in cash. The remainder would be covered by using Gold Dust and mineral resources. As for mission assignments, they absolutely would not hand those over.
Handing over mission assignments meant those small nations friendly toward the Land of Wind would also shift their allegiance to Konoha, leaving the Land of Wind completely isolated.
Of all these terms, only the land and the lump sum of money would be delivered immediately. The rest would require Sunagakure a full year to gradually repay.
Minato Namikaze agreed. After all, no matter how much pressure was applied, the impoverished Sunagakure simply couldn't offer what it never possessed.
Rasa once again proposed renewing the alliance treaty with Konoha.
Regarding this, Minato and others weren't surprised at all, nor did they think Rasa was shameless; in their opinion, such a move was inevitable.
However, Minato rejected the proposal because Sand had been the first to break the previous alliance treaty. In the eyes of Konoha's people, Sand had completely lost its credibility. Even if a new alliance treaty were signed, such an agreement would hold little value. Therefore, Konoha wanted to see changes from Sunagakure before agreeing to sign a new alliance treaty.
Before leaving, Shindai enthusiastically waved goodbye to Rasa and his group: "Take care now~ Come back anytime! Bring more gifts next time, okay? My hometown is also in Sunagakure, so showing up empty-handed really isn't polite, is it?
Oh right, Lord Kazekage, would you like me to make you a prosthetic limb? I'm really good at making prosthetics~ Isn't it inconvenient missing your left arm like that? If you want to seek some comfort from Mommy Chiyo, you'll only have one arm to do it with now~"
Minato's eyebrow twitched slightly while Kakashi and Obito instinctively covered Shindai's mouth without needing any reminders.
Rasa glanced at his empty, blood-stained left sleeve, his expression visibly darkening. Ignoring Shindai completely, he immediately departed and entered the Land of Wind.
...
A few days later,
In the Kazekage Building of Sunagakure.
Rasa stared at the scroll in his hands, his temples throbbing visibly.
This was a reprimand letter from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind toward Rasa as the Kazekage.
Inside the letter were complaints from the Daimyo about Rasa—blaming him for not informing the Daimyo about such a major event beforehand, acting unilaterally and failing anyway, then announcing another reduction in Sunagakure's military budget.
Ebizō sighed: "Fourth, the villagers are already grumbling behind your back. What do you plan to do? Have you considered someone for succession?"
Rasa could hear the underlying meaning in Ebizō's words—the implication being his tenure as Kazekage was effectively over.
But this outcome wasn't unexpected for Rasa. After all, they had returned the land that used to be Sunagakure's lifeline to Konoha, leaving the village heavily indebted. Naturally, people would resent him.
Furthermore, no one could possibly bear such enormous responsibility except Rasa himself.
Putting down the scroll, Rasa looked extremely reluctant but still rasped: "Once Baki recovers from his injuries, let's pass on the position of Kazekage to him. Baki possesses a sharp mind and proven leadership abilities. Having followed me for so many years, he'll be able to take over the position seamlessly."
Ebizō nodded: "Baki definitely has sufficient qualifications, and he's well-suited for the role. Then let's go with this decision."
Half a month later, when Baki recovered from his injuries, Rasa convened a meeting during which he shouldered full responsibility. Together with Ebizō and other high-ranking officials, he officially nominated Baki to become the Fifth Kazekage.
Baki was initially stunned. How had he suddenly become the Kazekage? It all came too suddenly.
Ebizō, who had originally retired, agreed to return temporarily and assist Baki after being persuaded by him and the higher-ups.
As for Rasa... he is now working as a miner, collecting Gold Dust outside Sunagakure.
In the office of the Kazekage,
Ebizō spoke earnestly to Baki, "The Fifth, the future development policy of Sunagakure must now be closely tied to Konoha."
Baki asked in confusion, "Closely tied to Konoha? Why?"
Ebizō explained, "Sunagakure is currently at its most vulnerable state in history. After recent events, our standing in the ninja world has reached an all-time low. Our village has always been impoverished, and to make matters worse, we've ceded that territory to Konoha and still owe them a massive compensation payment.
If Sunagakure continues like this, decline is inevitable. We must depend on a prosperous ninja village, leveraging their resources to ease our plight. Although our relationship with Konoha has deteriorated severely, they remain our best—our only viable—option.
We need to repair relations with Konoha and conduct resource exchanges. Even if we gain less, survival during this crisis must come first—only then can we pursue growth and development for our village!"
Baki listened carefully. After hearing Ebizō out, he nodded and said, "I understand."
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