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Rasa's intent was clear as day, and Mei Terumi's was much the same. Both were eager to use this opportunity to carve a chunk of flesh from the Stone Village. Thus, they needed to first test the waters and ascertain Kazuki's attitude and stance.
Without clarifying these points, if Onoki approached them later, and just as they'd painstakingly negotiated terms, the Leaf Village suddenly threw its weight behind the Cloud Village, ignored Onoki, and refused to respond to any Five Kage Summit – then it would all be over! The Stone Village would be finished, and they themselves wouldn't gain any advantage. Therefore, the Leaf Village's stance and attitude were of paramount importance.
"At present, the Stone Village can barely look after itself. There's not much you can carved off it," Kazuki stated, too lazy to play guessing games with Rasa and Mei Terumi. He directly punctured their little schemes. For Onoki to rally the Sand and Mist Villages to his side, he would have to offer benefits. But at this moment, the Stone Village... had precisely jack squat in terms of resources.
Rasa shot Mei Terumi a look that said, Your turn. Mei Terumi didn't back down and picked up the thread. "The Stone Village is indeed extremely impoverished right now, its economy a complete mess. However, some benefits can't be judged solely by surface appearances. Don't you agree, Kazuki?"
Upon hearing this, Kazuki paused, then burst out laughing.
"The Mizukage is quite right. Some benefits can't be viewed purely at face value. I was being too narrowly pragmatic."
In Kazuki's eyes, the Stone Village had little to offer in terms of resources. But benefits and advantages didn't necessarily have to be money or material goods. Other things could suffice. For example, scrolls of ninjutsu, or sealing techniques – those were also valuable treasures. Since your Stone Village is so dirt-poor it has nothing, then use these precious items to bribe us. Otherwise, your war with the Cloud Village is none of our concern. You can keep fighting it out on your own.
The fundamental reason Kazuki hadn't proactively considered this angle was that during wartime, money and supplies were far more critical than other things. Furthermore... the Leaf Village didn't particularly regard the Stone Village's meager inheritance with much esteem. In terms of the quantity and variety of ninjutsu and sealing techniques, among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Leaf was the undisputed number one. It was perfectly normal for Kazuki to look down on what the Stone had to offer – unless Onoki was willing to hand over the training methods for Dust Release, which might actually pique Kazuki's interest.
But while Kazuki might not be interested, the Sand and Mist Villages certainly were. The Stone Village's various Earth Style techniques and training scrolls were things both Mei Terumi and Rasa eyed with considerable greed.
"We'll discuss this matter later. First, let's properly resolve the issues between your two villages," Kazuki said. The Leaf Village wouldn't proactively entangle itself in such affairs. They would sit steady on the fishing platform and simply wait for the Cloud and Stone Villages to come courting their favor. When the time came, they'd see which side offered greater benefits and lean in that direction.
Leaning toward the Cloud Village would be the simplest, as they were already temporary allies. Leaning toward the Stone Village would require more careful handling of the Cloud Village's sentiments. If the Stone Village offered the greater benefits, Kazuki would respond to Onoki's Five Kage Summit. If the Cloud Village offered more, he'd simply ignore Onoki entirely. What Five Kage Summit? The Leaf Village isn't participating. You can play by yourselves. Without the Leaf Village's involvement, the Five Kage Summit couldn't even be convened. It seemed whether the Sand and Mist Villages could reap any benefits depended entirely on following the Leaf Village's lead.
"Kazuki, what price would Onoki need to pay to secure the Leaf Village's support?" This question directly impacted whether their village could carve a piece of flesh from the Stone Village, so Mei Terumi was highly invested. Rasa felt the same, though he remained characteristically silent.
"Price?" Kazuki mused for a moment, carefully considering. Then, with a hint of regret, he shook his head. "To be honest, the things you two hold in high regard are, in my view, merely passable. The Leaf Village doesn't have a pressing need for such things. And as for anything else, the Stone Village currently can't provide it. Unless Onoki is willing to hand over the training methods for Dust Release, the Leaf Village will most likely not get involved in this matter."
Theoretically, Dust Release was a Kekkei Tota formed from the fusion of Wind, Earth, and Fire nature transformations. This theory was well known to all Five Great Shinobi Villages. But aside from the Stone Village, who else had ever managed to produce Dust Release? Even within the Stone Village, despite Onoki's continuous tutelage of his granddaughter Kurotsuchi and his disciple Deidara, there was still no sign of success. Dust Release was on the verge of dying out with Onoki's generation.
Some things, even if you knew the theory, you might never be able to master them. That was why one needed someone to guide them through the door. For Kazuki, at this current stage, the Stone Village seemed to have only Dust Release that could attract his interest. As for the rest... forget it. Earth Style and the like – Kazuki had no need. If he had the inclination to dabble in Earth Style, he might as well continue refining his genjutsu.
HUH?— You actually DARED to say that!! When Kazuki voiced his condition, both Mei Terumi and Rasa were utterly dumbfounded. They stared at him, completely stupefied. This demand was practically digging up the Stone Village's very roots. Ruthless. Truly ruthless! Indeed, when it came to ruthlessness, no one could beat you, Kazuki. We concede defeat.
"Don't look at me like that," Kazuki said, waving his hand in exasperation, urging them to quickly retract their astonished expressions. "I already said, the Stone Village doesn't have much that can attract me. The same applies to your two villages. What Magnet Style, what Lava Style or Scorch Style – to me, they're all much the same. I wouldn't bother touching them anyway."
These words were incredibly arrogant, yet facts spoke louder than boasts. To others, this might seem recklessly overconfident, but to Kazuki, it was just sprinkling water – no big deal.
"Ahem!" Having their own prized Bloodline Limits dismissed with such extreme disdain left Mei Terumi and Rasa feeling a mix of laughter and tears. Had anyone else said such a thing, the two of them would have made that person pay dearly. But since the words came from Kazuki, they were utterly helpless. The Bloodline Limits they commanded were renowned throughout the shinobi world, yet none of them could catch Kazuki's discerning eye. If he had the inclination and time to mess with those, he might as well stick with his own Sharingan.
"Alright, let's end this topic here. I need to get to work. Both of you, please take your leave." There was still a pile of matters awaiting his attention in the office. Moreover, the pressure from certain individuals within the village was mounting, giving Kazuki a bit of a headache. He'd seen people forced to abdicate before, but being pressured to become Hokage was a first. First the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, then using that as a core to spread influence to other clans – now, more and more clans were joining this particular battle line.
Rasa and Mei Terumi exited the Hokage building together. On the way back to their lodgings,
Rasa remarked, "It seems we both underestimated the Leaf Village. Their appetite is enormous."
To dare ask for the training methods of Dust Release – that kind of appetite was simply terrifying. Onoki would probably spontaneously combust upon learning of it.
"No, the Leaf Village's appetite isn't that large," Mei Terumi corrected with a chuckle. "It's simply that the current Stone Village has very little that can attract the Leaf. Some critical, classified intelligence – the Stone Village would rather die than hand it over. Setting aside such classified intelligence, there's not much left that can entice him. Dust Release... even if someone guides you through the door, can you actually learn it?"