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Shin's performance continued, his roars echoing through the large conference room.
His crazed behavior stunned the four daimyo.
However, no one knew.
This greedy and short-sighted act was merely a show for these self-proclaimed clever fools.
His eyes, bloodshot with fake anger, swept over the three daimyo, his mind filled with planning.
Nine billion was indeed gone.
And he was the one who personally made it disappear.
His orders were completely carried out. Not a single Kumogakure captive remained, all dealt with cleanly.
This money, naturally, became a pipe dream.
But the losses had to be recovered by someone.
Extract more from the Land of Lightning?
That would only completely force them into an endless, unending hatred with the Land of Fire, which would be more trouble than it was worth.
Therefore... this blood-stained debt could only be placed on the other three countries.
Once this money was taken out, to recover their investment, the Land of Earth, Wind, and Water daimyo would surely make their taking from the Land of Lightning even worse.
Coupled with their garrisons in Kumogakure, by then, the hatred would be turned away.
Kumogakure's biggest enemy would no longer be the Land of Fire.
One sum of money to buy three mad dogs to savagely bite another enemy.
This deal was too good...
The argument continued.
Watching the four daimyo at each other's throats, the originally grief-filled Land of Lightning daimyo, on the contrary, stopped speaking.
His wrinkled face was now remarkably calm.
Argue!
Argue even more fiercely!
It would be best if they started fighting right here!
Anyway, the Land of Lightning was already fish on the chopping block. It wouldn't hurt to have a few more to take down with them.
"Lord Shin, you can't say that!" The Land of Wind daimyo forcibly held back the shock in his heart and said coldly. "Our joint supervision of Kumogakure is for the peace of the shinobi world!"
"You are destroying the foundation of our four countries alliance!"
"Peace? Alliance?" Shin sneered as he sat back down. "Fine."
"Since you don't want to pay this money, it's simple."
"I will immediately order Konoha to directly send troops to garrison Kumogakure and carve out a territory."
"After all, the treaty clearly states that I have the right to military supervision."
"At that time, our four countries will have a good 'peace' in Kumogakure."
"Isn't it just mutual harm? Who's afraid of whom!"
"I'd like to see, in a grand drama of the four countries fighting for Kumogakure, who will ultimately suffer losses and who will benefit?"
As his words fell, the entire room once again fell silent.
The veins on the foreheads of the Land of Earth, Wind, and Water daimyo bulged.
Four countries fighting for Kumogakure?
What kind of concept was that?
That wouldn't be a feast for division. That would be a meat grinder!
Their three villages would not only have to face the counterattack of the Kumogakure shinobi but also constantly guard against each other's blades.
Even more terrifying, they would also have to face the Land of Fire, which was the strongest and held all legal right!
By then, let alone eating meat.
It would be a question of whether they could even retreat safely.
Their original plan was for the three to join forces, exclude the Land of Fire, and then calmly divide a weakened Land of Lightning.
But now, this madman wanted to flip the table.
Dragging everyone into a chaotic and bloody free-for-all!
This was truly a madman.
The Land of Wind daimyo was the first to break under the pressure.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing an ugly smile onto his face. "Lord Shin... let's talk this over... why be so..."
"Nine billion." Shin didn't even lift his eyelids. "You three will bear it together."
"This is your admission ticket."
"Pay the money, and we are still allies."
"If not..."
Shin closed his mouth before finishing his sentence, confident that the three countries' daimyo would understand.
Of course they understood.
A threat!
The words and actions of the Land of Fire daimyo shattered everyone's perception.
This was not a ruler who played by normal rules.
But a madman who dared to flip the table.
The fat body of the Land of Earth daimyo trembled slightly.
He knew.
Once a four-country free-for-all truly broke out, the cake they had in hand would surely be spit out.
He had no confidence in being able to protect their interests under the anger of the Land of Fire.
The Land of Wind daimyo tightly gripped his folding fan, his face empty of any relaxation.
The Land of Wind, located in the desert, was limited in resources.
It simply could not withstand such use.
The Land of Water daimyo's eyes were cold, but also mixed with a hint of hesitation.
The weakness of Kirigakure was a fact that couldn't be denied.
After the Village of Bloody Mist, it had long been seriously weakened.
They had all witnessed the power of the Land of Fire firsthand.
That young daimyo.
He alone blocked thousands of elite Kumogakure shinobi.
A kage.
A jinchuriki.
Such power had already gone beyond normal understanding.
They simply could not judge the Land of Fire's bottom line.
And his true strength.
Silence.
Pressure.
In the conference room, only the sounds of breathing rose and fell.
The Land of Lightning daimyo slumped in his chair, watching this dramatic scene.
His inner despair was actually replaced by a hint of schadenfreude.
Turns out, he wasn't the only one struggling.
This feeling actually made him feel very refreshed.
Seeing the three countries' daimyo hesitate, Shin's face once again showed impatience. "You three are already making a no-capital business. Is it really that hard to just pay some money?"
"Lord Shin." Looking at the increasingly impatient Shin, the Land of Earth daimyo spoke first. "Nine billion... isn't that a bit too much?"
He tried to bargain.
Shin's lips curled, his eyes indifferent. "It's not like I'm asking one of you to pay!"
The Land of Earth daimyo looked troubled but couldn't argue back.
Because what the other person said was correct.
The war was fought by the Land of Fire.
The villain was played by the Land of Fire.
They were here to divide the cake.
Why shouldn't they pay a price?
"Lord Shin!" The Land of Wind daimyo also spoke, a hint of unwillingness in his voice. "We are willing to pay the Land of Fire for its losses."
"But nine billion..."
"It's really too much."
"Even if it's split evenly, the Land of Wind doesn't have that much money."
This was half-truth, half-lie.
But they had to try to fight for it again.
Shin finally lost his patience, slamming his hand on the table and standing up. "I don't care how much each of you pays, nine billion, not a single cent less!"
"Or."
"We'll meet in Kumogakure."
His tone was calm, but the killing intent within it sent shivers down the spines of all the daimyo present.
They had no doubt.
This Land of Fire daimyo had both the ability and the courage to do it.
The faces of the Land of Earth, Wind, and Water daimyo instantly turned pale.
"You!" The Land of Earth daimyo glared at Shin, wanting to curse.
The Land of Wind daimyo closed his eyes.
The Land of Water daimyo pressed his lips together tightly.
"Three billion..." The Land of Earth daimyo spoke the number with difficulty. "...three billion for each village."
"I object!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp voice immediately rang out.
It was the Land of Wind daimyo.
He could no longer maintain his relaxed manner, his eyes sharply fixed on the Land of Earth daimyo.
"The Land of Earth borders the Land of Lightning, already holding a geographical advantage, so why should it only pay three billion?"
The Land of Water daimyo immediately followed up. "Exactly, you get the biggest share of the benefits, so why should you pay as much as us? That's not fair!"
Allies who had just been on the same side instantly turned against each other in the face of profit.