Chapter 278: The So-Called Balance
One Week Ago.
Land of Earth Capital.
The Earth Daimyo summoned Onoki again.
Onoki arrived floating on his rock, but out of respect, he didn't fly straight through the window. Instead, he switched to walking at the main entrance.
The Land of Earth had never been particularly wealthy. Successive generations of Daimyos had been frugal people, sincerely managing the country to achieve its current state. The Daimyo's palace, Red Rock Castle, lacked the extravagance of Asuka Castle but possessed a certain simplicity and sturdiness.
Onoki navigated the familiar path to the depths of Red Rock Castle.
The Earth Daimyo seemed to be writing something. Hearing the noise, he looked up.
"Onoki, you're here."
They were of similar age and had been friends for years, so they skipped the tedious formalities.
The Earth Daimyo wasted no words, handing a letter from the side table to Onoki.
"A letter from the Fire Daimyo."
Onoki was momentarily stunned. He took it, read it, and his expression grew grave.
The Earth Daimyo said, "The reason I'm showing you this is to let you know that the determination of the various Daimyo Courts is real this time. Onoki... the Daimyo's Court has supported Iwagakure for nearly fifty years. I'm afraid this time, Iwagakure needs to support the Daimyo's Court."
Onoki gripped the letter tighter.
Honestly speaking, since the establishment of the ninja village system, through two generations of Earth Daimyos, the court had never been harsh on Iwagakure. Onoki wasn't naive enough to think this support was purely out of selflessness and friendship.
But whether due to the system or personal favors, he seemed unable to refuse.
Onoki wasn't blind to the changes in the ninja world. He wasn't unaware that Iwagakure—or rather, all ninja villages—were being left further and further behind by Kumogakure.
Especially after the Cloud took control of the Daimyo's Office, they were advancing at a speed and in a manner Onoki couldn't comprehend.
But he had been avoiding this fact because he was wary, even fearful.
He feared the humiliating result of the Battle of Mount Tenmoku. He feared the Cloud's various new technologies. He feared the strength the Cloud displayed.
Just as he had feared Konoha back when Madara Uchiha existed.
The Earth Daimyo seemed to see Onoki's struggle. "Onoki, do you remember what the Second Tsuchikage said when we were young about the 'Will of Stone'? He said the hardest stone in the world is a person's will. It seems even the hardest stone cannot withstand the erosion of time."
Onoki's face flushed red. "How could I forget the teachings of the First and Second Tsuchikage?!"
The Earth Daimyo pressed his advantage. "Onoki, do what must be done. The Daimyo's Court and I will support you fully, sparing no effort! Moreover, the other three Great Nations have all replied. You four Kages might need to discuss this."
Secret Meeting in the Land of Rivers.
The three Kages were arguing about something.
Onoki said, "Kumogakure has basically replaced the role of the Thunder Daimyo's Office. It is said that not only the capital but other cities also have stationed ninja. However, this also means their manpower is extremely dispersed."
Sakumo Hatake shook his head. "Dispersion is relative. They possess the Heavenly Transfer Technique. Their troop deployment cannot be judged by common sense."
Onoki emphasized, "Even with the Heavenly Transfer Technique, they must have people stationed in every city. In past wars, the cities of the Five Great Nations were generally not attacked. But this time is different... Just a few feints can tie up a massive amount of the Cloud's energy."
Although war was cruel and ordinary people couldn't protect themselves, since the establishment of the ninja village system, even at the height of the Great Ninja Wars, villages generally didn't attack the major cities of the Five Great Nations. This was an unwritten rule.
Of course, cities in smaller nations weren't so lucky—the Land of Rain was a prime example.
Furthermore, safety couldn't be guaranteed for villages and small towns, regardless of whether they were in a large or small country, and the Daimyos didn't care much either.
Sakumo frowned. "Attacking the cities of a Great Nation? Isn't the impact a bit too negative?"
The clients for most ninja villages came from urban populations. Setting this precedent, even if it was an enemy city, would negatively impact a village's reputation.
"Just harassment... not actually destroying the cities..."
Onoki knew the stakes. Domestic clients were the bulk of their business, but missions from other countries were also very important. If their reputation stank, leaving a bad impression on foreign clients would have long-term consequences.
Just then, the Third Kazekage, who had been silent for a while, suddenly sneered. "Are you two really planning to attack Kumogakure? You sound like you're deploying troops tomorrow."
It wasn't hard to see from his expression that he wasn't interested.
The Third Kazekage and Rasa had been digging sand day and night, exhausted to the bone. It was impossible for them not to have complaints against the Wind Daimyo.
Cutting Suna's budget again and again, yet expecting Suna to risk their lives against a ridiculously strong Cloud Village across the entire continent, with whom they had no grudge?
"My Sunagakure is thousands of miles away from the Cloud. Why should we cross half the ninja world to provoke them? What good does it do us? Even if we win, aren't your two villages the ones benefiting the most?"
If it were attacking Konoha, Suna would be quite interested. They were close, and there was a generational feud.
Honestly, if the Wind Daimyo hadn't ordered him to come, he wouldn't have bothered with this. Digging sand and selling it to the Kitanouji Guild was much better, wasn't it?
Boss Kitanouji gave such good prices. Although digging sand was tiring, after doing the math, they actually made back the budget cuts and had a surplus.
In the end, although the three Kages all felt the changes in the ninja world situation, their demands weren't aligned. The Land of Wind's pressure came mainly from funding; Konoha wanted to rise again; Onoki wanted to stop the Cloud's rise, just like he tried to stop Konoha when he sensed the gap widening in the past.
Now that the Daimyos of the three countries had stepped in to twist them together, it might not produce a result.
Suna still had to pay war reparations to Konoha, after all.
But Onoki, who came with determination, naturally didn't want to give up.
"Kazekage-dono, I know better than you how terrifying the Cloud is. But the longer we drag this out, the lower our chances of winning."
The Third Kazekage scoffed. "I didn't know you two listened to your Daimyos so obediently? Ultimately, ninja villages aren't intimate enough for this. Suna is still paying reparations for the last war and can't worry about anything else. If you think a few words can make Suna deploy troops, you're overly optimistic. If that's all, then I've stated Suna's attitude. I'll take my leave."
Saying this, the Third Kazekage stood up to leave.
Onoki didn't stop him physically. Instead, he said in a low voice, "What if the Land of Earth assumes full responsibility for Suna's war reparations?"
The Third Kazekage stopped in his tracks. Even Sakumo was surprised.
"Tsuchikage-dono, are you serious?"
"When has this old man ever joked?! This is also the will of my country's Daimyo."
Sakumo thought about the rumors regarding the Earth Daimyo and understood somewhat.
Truly a man of boldness...
The Third Kazekage found himself in a dilemma but eventually let actual benefits outweigh face. He returned to the negotiation table.
The first day of exchanges ended, but the three Kages didn't leave. Instead, they returned to their respective accommodations to discuss strategies.
Since there were only the Kage and two guards—three people in total per village—Sakumo, Minato Namikaze, and Fugaku Uchiha simply shared one room.
Ninja really didn't care about these things.
After confirming no one was eavesdropping, Minato asked worriedly, "Hokage-sama, is war starting again?"
Fugaku also cast a concerned look.
Both were Sakumo's trusted aides, and Minato was his personal disciple. Sakumo didn't hide anything. "Ah... I'm afraid so."
"Why?" Minato asked.
A simple question, yet it made Sakumo silent for a long time.
"If I explain it as 'the situation demands it,' you probably won't understand. But now I somewhat understand the thoughts Suna and Iwa had in the past. Usually, Konoha was always on the defensive because as long as Konoha developed diligently, we could become the best among the ninja villages. But now that this role has shifted to Kumogakure, we are doing exactly what the other villages did back then. Only in this way can the balance of the ninja world be maintained..."
Minato thought: But what is the meaning of this so-called balance?
He didn't say it aloud because he couldn't give an answer himself.
He could never forget how many of his peers were torn to shreds by the Cloud's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki using miniature Tailed Beast Bombs on the battlefield.
Fugaku's thoughts were more pragmatic. "Hokage-sama, the Cloud's Heavenly Transfer Technique is truly difficult to deal with. Moreover, we lost the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. How do we counter their Eight-Tails and powerhouses like Yotsuki Dana?"
Sakumo said gravely, "Rest assured. The village has been preparing for years and already has a method to respond..."