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What use was something you couldn't learn, no matter how good it was?
"Uh..." Once Kazuki drew the comparison between the Flying Thunder God Technique and Dust Release, both Mei Terumi and Rasa were rendered utterly speechless. The logic was maddeningly sound. Whether Dust Release or the Flying Thunder God, the question wasn't just whether you could learn it, but whether you could actually master it. If it were truly that easy, then every Stone Village ninja would be unleashing Dust Release at the drop of a hat instead of relying on various Earth Style techniques.
And Leaf Village ninja would be teleporting all over the world, making even delivery vehicles seem painfully slow. Looking at it from this angle, the likelihood of the Stone Village accepting the Leaf's conditions seemed surprisingly high. In fact, the price the Stone Village would pay might not even be as great as what it would cost to win over the Mist and Sand Villages.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Kazuki glanced at the closed conference room door and said, "Enter." The door opened, and an Anbu operative stepped inside. "Lord Advisor, a patrol squad apprehended an individual from the Stone Village outside. He claims to have been sent by the Tsuchikage to see you."
"Bring him in."
"Yes, my lord." The Anbu operative swiftly departed.
Mei Terumi and Rasa exchanged astonished glances. They hadn't expected Onoki to move so quickly. They were still speculating whether he would compromise when... reality slapped them in the face. Their own peace talks weren't even finished, yet Onoki, upon receiving the message, had already dispatched someone to establish contact. It seemed he wanted to settle the matter as quickly as possible, denying the Cloud Village any breathing room.
What did I tell you? Instead of wasting time stalling, you two should have settled things sooner. Now look what's happened. You're still dragging your feet, and Onoki has already sent someone to contact me.
Faced with Kazuki's gaze, which held three parts inquiry and seven parts amusement, dark lines appeared on the foreheads of Mei Terumi and Rasa. They had been careless this time. They hadn't anticipated this move, and Onoki had caught them off guard. After all, Kazuki's demands were somewhat outrageous. In their speculation, even if Onoki was going to compromise, it would come after a long period of deliberation. Yet here he was, sending someone immediately without a second thought.
Soon, the Anbu escorted Onoki's emissary through a special passage into the Leaf Village and to the Hokage building. "Lord Kazekage, Lord Mizukage, Lord Advisor, I come bearing the Tsuchikage's sincere greetings."
The Stone Village ninja entered the conference room, expecting to face only Kazuki. He hadn't anticipated the presence of both Kazekage Rasa and Mizukage Mei Terumi.
"Mm." Rasa and Mei Terumi nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Kazuki spoke bluntly. "If the Tsuchikage sent you with a message, say it directly. No need for secrecy."
"Well... this..." The man hesitated. Onoki's orders had been to infiltrate the Land of Fire covertly, reach the Leaf Village, and make contact with Kazuki privately. But Rasa and Mei Terumi were also present.
"No need to be so cautious. These two have already been in contact with your Tsuchikage for some time now. I'd wager they've even nearly finished negotiating the terms of their cooperation."
Slander! This is pure, unadulterated slander!!
Upon hearing this, both Rasa and Mei Terumi could no longer sit still. Unfortunately, Kazuki gave them no chance to explain.
"This is the scroll Lord Tsuchikage instructed me to deliver to you, Lord Advisor. Please review it." Since Kazuki had spoken so openly, the Stone Village ninja had no choice but to produce the scroll. He respectfully stepped forward and carefully placed it on the table, terrified that any sudden movement might be misinterpreted as hostile and provoke an attack. Ninja who accepted such missions were all mentally prepared for the worst. They didn't fear death, but they feared having false accusations pinned on them. If a fabricated charge of attempting to assassinate the Leaf's Hokage Advisor were leveled against him, the Stone Village's reputation would suffer yet another devastating blow.
Watching the man's exceedingly cautious movements, Rasa couldn't help but shake his head. It was clear from this alone that the Stone Village had been thoroughly cowed and didn't dare harbor any other thoughts. Had this been before the Stone Village's internal crisis, their ninja would never have been so polite and respectful.
You'd be lucky if they didn't look down their noses at you. Expecting them to treat you with deference? Dream on. Maintaining basic etiquette was already giving you face. Rasa had firsthand experience with this. The two villages had clashed frequently over border disputes, and during every negotiation, the way the Stone Village ninja looked at him... it was as if they were looking at a nameless nobody. Nothing like the obedient, docile attitude they displayed now.
Onoki truly was desperate. And he had every right to be. The Stone Village's resources had been nearly exhausted. Without war materiel, having manpower alone was useless. Kazuki didn't pay it much mind. He picked up the scroll and opened it directly. Minor tricks were unlikely to work on him. Besides, unless Onoki was prepared for mutual destruction, he wouldn't dare make any attempt on Kazuki's life.
So direct?! Watching Kazuki pick up the scroll and open it without even a cursory inspection left the Stone Village ninja's eyes bulging. Wasn't the standard procedure to have someone else inspect it first? Wasn't this a bit... reckless? Opening the scroll, Kazuki skimmed its contents.
He lowered the scroll slightly and asked, "What? You seem disappointed that I opened the scroll directly?"
"No, no, absolutely not!" The Stone Village ninja was drenched in cold sweat, frantically shaking his head. This man was someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke. He'd rather antagonize Rasa and Mei Terumi than court death in front of Kazuki. Kazuki's gaze returned to the scroll. After reading its contents, he casually destroyed it. "Return and inform the Tsuchikage that I will arrive at the designated meeting place on time."
Onoki wanted a private meeting with him. Kazuki certainly wouldn't refuse. He had no intention of hiding this from Mei Terumi and Rasa. As for how these two felt about it – that wasn't his problem. Besides, they didn't even know the meeting location, unless they were shameless enough to tag along. Kazuki's primary reason for doing this was still to spur them to settle their own affairs promptly. Stop dragging your feet. Even if you two aren't annoyed, I'm beyond sick of watching.
"Yes, I will convey the Advisor's words verbatim to Lord Tsuchikage." His mission perfectly accomplished, the Stone Village ninja breathed a sigh of relief. Under Kazuki's signaling glance, he obediently took his leave.
With the Stone Village envoy gone, Kazuki said nothing, simply watching Mei Terumi and Rasa in silence. Rasa could remain calm. After all, he'd already lost every shred of face he had to lose where Kazuki was concerned, so a bit more made no difference. He could sit there as steady as a mountain, utterly unmoved. It was the thinner-skinned Mei Terumi who began to crack under the pressure. As a young woman who had only recently become Mizukage, she simply couldn't compete with a seasoned veteran like Rasa, whose skin had been thickened by years of humiliation.
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