"I'm completely aware of the current situation of your Sunagakure."
"In that case, the only way you can compensate is by ceding territory."
So it finally came. The moment they heard the words "cede territory."
Every Sunagakure ninja present showed pain on their faces.
Ebizo looked extremely dejected at this time. He slowly turned his head to glance at his companions beside him, then lightly waved his hand at them.
Before long, a Sunagakure ninja brought over a map about one meter long.
After taking the map, Ebizo spread it out heavily on the table in front of him.
However, Minato, who had already prepared for this, calmly took out a pen from his clothes and without hesitation drew a line across the map.
In an instant, Ebizo could not help but suck in a sharp breath. With that seemingly casual stroke, Minato had directly erased a full one fifth of the Land of Wind's territory.
One had to know that the Land of Wind's territory was roughly twice the size of the Land of Fire. From that, one could imagine just how vast that one fifth truly was.
"Absolutely not! That's far too much!"
"We firmly refuse such terms!"
Before Ebizo could even speak, Pakura and another elder named Fuji, who stood beside him, immediately voiced strong opposition.
Facing their protest, Namikaze Minato merely let out a cold laugh, the smile carrying a trace of contempt.
Then he slowly raised his head and swept his sharp gaze across the representatives of Sunagakure before him.
"Sunagakure has no room to bargain."
Minato's voice was as cold as a blade in the winter wind, stabbing straight into everyone's chest.
"If you do not agree to my terms, then starting tomorrow, I will come every single day until your entire Sunagakure is completely wiped out."
When Minato said this, his tone was chilling, enough to make one's blood run cold.
At the same time, the three Uchiha behind him stepped forward in perfect unison.
In each of their eyes, the Mangekyo Sharingan shone brightly. Powerful eye power spread instantly through the room.
The atmosphere inside turned tense and suffocating.
"You!", Whether it was Elder Fuji or Pakura, both were red with anger at this moment, yet utterly helpless.
Because they knew very clearly that this Fourth Hokage truly had such terrifying strength.
Sorry, when you have the Flying Thunder God Technique, you really can do whatever you want.
Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, Ebizo, who had remained silent, finally acted.
He quickly stretched out a hand and forcefully stopped Pakura and Elder Fuji, who were about to rush forward to argue with Minato.
Ebizo's face was frighteningly dark. Clearly, he too was filled with anger and unwillingness.
But in the end, he still gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, "Sunagakure… agrees."
The moment he finished speaking, it was as if all the strength in Ebizo's body had suddenly been drained.
He collapsed back into the chair behind him like a deflated balloon.
Pakura and Elder Fuji beside him had pale faces, unable to hide the humiliation written all over them.
At this moment, everyone else in the room from Sunagakure also looked like frostbitten eggplants, dispirited and downcast.
The Land of Wind had existed for many years. This was the first time it had been forced to cede territory and pay compensation just to survive.
Every single person present would be nailed to the pillar of shame in Sunagakure's history.
A satisfied smile appeared on Minato's face, "Aside from that, where is Rasa now?"
Hearing this, Ebizo froze slightly, then quickly replied, "Fourth Hokage-sama, don't even think about it! Rasa ran off long ago. We don't know where he is."
The people standing below exchanged glances. They all understood perfectly well.
Ebizo was clearly lying through his teeth, trying to muddle through.
Because at this very moment, Rasa was hiding in the village, possibly even somewhere near this very building.
Among those present were quite a few loyal followers from Rasa's faction.
But at such a sensitive time, no one dared to expose the lie.
The land being ceded was, for Sunagakure, mainly a matter of spiritual humiliation.
Those places were nothing but endless desert. Even if Konoha truly intended to occupy them, the actual benefits gained would likely be minimal.
However, Rasa himself was far too important to Sunagakure.
He controlled most of the village's mineral resources and could be called the economic backbone of the entire village.
At the same time, as an exceptionally powerful ninja, even if he no longer personally participated in mining, purely in terms of combat strength, he was still one of Sunagakure's pillars.
Moreover, if the dignified Fourth Kazekage were to end up as a prisoner of Konoha, that would be something Sunagakure could not accept from any angle.
"You think such a clumsy lie can fool me?"
Minato's face instantly darkened. He let out a cold snort. Though not loud, it was like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's hearts.
In that instant, the people of Sunagakure felt an invisible pressure crash down on them. Sweat poured down their backs, and they felt as if sitting on pins and needles.
Ebizo's expression was ugly as he endured the pressure and said, "Rasa has indeed disappeared. If Fourth Hokage-sama does not believe it, you may search for him yourself."
Although Ebizo had already planned to cooperate with Konoha, Rasa was not a fool. If he sensed that Konoha intended to capture him, he would certainly choose to flee.
Therefore, Ebizo felt that for now, he still had to put on an act.
Hearing this, Minato's tense expression eased slightly. Then he continued to ask, "Then have Rasa's relatives also all disappeared?"
Ebizo's expression froze for a moment. He suddenly realized that Minato's true target was Rasa's children.
In negotiations like this, the real focus is often placed on the second thing mentioned.
But after only a brief pause, he quickly regained his composure and answered, "Rasa still has one daughter and one son in the village."
'They are not my descendants anyway. If Konoha wants them, so be it.'
Minato nodded slightly, satisfied.
"Bring the two of them here. Let us sign the alliance agreement."
Understanding immediately, Ebizo gave a look to the people below.
Receiving the signal, the Sunagakure ninja moved at once, hurrying off to find Temari and Kankuro, the brother and sister.
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