"Tsk."
Shinji's steps were light as he looked at the large camp before him.
Although he hadn't been gone long, returning again felt different.
Traces of last night's celebration banquet were everywhere, and ninjas were gathered in small groups, chatting. It was unlike the somber atmosphere from the beginning.
"Shinji-sama!"
"It's Shinji-sama!"
Seeing someone enter the camp, the ninjas who had been gathered together looked up and shouted happily. They all came over, surrounding Shinji.
Shikaku, who had been by Shinji's side, saw this situation. He raised an eyebrow at Shinji, and then left alone.
"Shinji-sama! Is it for tomorrow's negotiations?"
"Anyone asking such boring questions, get behind me and die!"
Shinji greeted the Konoha ninjas surrounding him with a helpless expression, while also answering their questions.
"Whoa! Shinji, you're quite something." Jiraiya heard the commotion, came over, and saw Shinji surrounded by people.
"Jiraiya-sama." Shikaku came to Jiraiya's side and nodded in greeting.
"Shinji is like this in the village now too. It's gotten to the point where he rarely goes to the Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant for meals anymore." Shikaku said with a smile, describing Shinji's predicament in Konoha.
"Hahaha! Let that kid experience the joy of being famous!" Jiraiya said with a nostalgic expression, though it was clear he didn't quite mean it that way.
While being a hero of Konoha was a good thing, going out often led to situations like Shinji was in now.
Wasn't his disciple, Minato, the same back then?
Shikaku didn't respond to this, watching with a smile. But in his heart, he thought—
These weren't the most important things. The Third Hokage's previous arrangements were already starting to bear fruit. Moreover, Shinji had another identity.
A civilian ninja. Although the Aratani clan was a subordinate of the Senju clan, that concept had long disappeared after Konoha was established. Furthermore, many years had passed, and the Aratani clan had long vanished.
Shinji was now completely a civilian ninja, which gave him absolute prestige among the many civilian ninjas in Konoha.
Although this prestige seemed useless now, when Shinji made a move for the position of Hokage, this power would be his greatest reliance.
But there was almost no opposition from the Konoha higher-ups now.
Shikaku shook his head. Why was he thinking so much?
The young clan heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō three clans had already become Shinji's disciples, he was already in an unbeatable position.
"Jiraiya-senpai, Shikaku-senpai, are you just going to watch?"
It took Shinji a long time to finally get out of the crowd.
"Hahaha! You kid, don't take advantage and then act coy." Jiraiya naturally put his arm around Shinji's shoulder and laughed heartily.
"It seems I need to tell Tsunade-senpai that a certain old pervert often goes to the bathhouse—"
Before Shinji could finish, Jiraiya pressed down on his shoulder.
"What did you say?" Jiraiya's face was full of disbelief.
If he hadn't misheard, was it Tsunade?
Shinji said, "Tsunade-senpai is back in the village now, teaching some graduating Genin."
Shinji pulled Jiraiya's hand away with a helpless expression. He didn't like being touched by a man, especially a middle-aged man.
"Really?!" Jiraiya confirmed again.
Shinji rolled his eyes helplessly. This guy, if he liked her, he should just say it.
No, Jiraiya's thick skin wouldn't prevent him from saying it. It was just that he couldn't change his lecherous habits.
"It's true, Jiraiya-sama." Shikaku said helplessly.
"Hiss—"
Shikaku's confirmation made Jiraiya hesitate. He propped his chin and began to ponder.
Seeing this, Shinji and Shikaku left.
It was clear Jiraiya was thinking about whether to stay in Konoha or continue wandering.
—
"Yo! Old Asu!"
In the main tent, Shinji looked at Asuma who walked in and greeted him with a smile.
Asuma, who had traveled all the way from the Land of Rivers, rolled his eyes helplessly at this.
"You kid, you really didn't take my words to heart, did you?"
He instantly appeared next to Shinji, feigning an attempt to grab Shinji and interrogate him.
"Alright, you two—"
Jiraiya sat in the main seat, looking at the two with a helpless expression. They were both this old, yet still bickering.
"Soon it will be time for negotiations with Iwagakure and Sunagakure. Let's reconfirm the specific terms." Jiraiya said, then gestured for Shikaku to begin.
Shikaku nodded. He stood up, pulled over a board, and displayed the terms that would be negotiated with Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
Shinji looked at the scrolls hanging on the board. There were roughly over twenty terms in total.
This time, Iwagakure and Sunagakure seemed destined to bleed heavily.
As Shikaku introduced the terms, everyone in the tent, except for Jiraiya and Shinji, began to discuss them.
"Jiraiya-sama, putting aside other matters for now, it's just this war indemnity—"
One of the Jonin pointed to the war indemnities written on the two scrolls: fifty billion ryō for Sunagakure, and sixty billion ryō for Iwagakure.
"I'm worried that this one item alone might make them give up on negotiations." The Jonin's expression was serious.
Putting aside, Iwagakure, Sunagakure was famously poor.
Jiraiya glanced at the Jonin when he heard this, then surveyed everyone.
Only then did he slowly say, "The set war indemnities and other matters have all been confirmed by Hokage-sama."
"If Sunagakure and Iwagakure don't want to pay, or refuse to negotiate because of it, we fight. We continue to fight until they are afraid."
"But this time, it won't be just at the border, but directly into their respective villages."
Negotiations themselves are set with high demands. This was Hiruzen's way of having room to negotiate with Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
But now, before negotiations even began, someone thought the demands were too high.
As for giving up on negotiations?
Sunagakure dared not now. As for Iwagakure, as Jiraiya said, if they don't negotiate, then they continue to fight.
As Jiraiya's words came out, the entire tent immediately fell silent.
No one had expected that Hiruzen would have such a thought this time.
Shinji glanced at the Jonin who had just spoken. Some people were still thinking of leaning a bit to the side.
It seemed that if there was an opportunity after returning to the village, he would have the Intelligence Division thoroughly investigate this person.
Shinji raised an eyebrow at Asuma beside him. Asuma , receiving the signal, nodded, his expression also a bit grim.
This Jonin had come with him. Yet, now he dared to say such things.
(End of Chapter)
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