Chapter 229: The Rakshasa's Terms
Inside the Konoha camp stood the temporary negotiation hall.
It was nothing more than a large gray command tent, hastily constructed but spacious enough to hold several dozen people. At the center stood a long oval wooden table, surrounded by neatly arranged chairs.
The atmosphere inside the tent was far heavier than the cloudy sky outside.
Representatives from the four factions had already taken their seats.
On Konoha's side sat Hatake Sakumo, the Sannin, Ragnar, and several elite jonin from the great clans—Hyuga, Yamanaka, and others.
Across from them sat the leaders of the opposing sides.
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
The Third Kazekage.
And Hanzo of the Salamander.
Behind each of them stood their advisors and elite shinobi.
It was the kind of gathering where every person present had the power to influence the fate of nations.
Onoki sat directly opposite the Konoha delegation, occupying the central position on the other side of the table. The old Tsuchikage leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes scanning the room with a thoughtful expression.
"I remember," he said slowly, "the last time the Five Kage gathered together like this… the Second Tsuchikage was still alive."
There was a trace of nostalgia in his voice.
Hatake Sakumo responded politely.
"Your predecessor was a respected figure in the shinobi world."
Onoki waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough of the formalities. White Fang, we're here to negotiate. Since Konoha holds the advantage, why don't you tell us how you want this agreement to be written?"
The Tsuchikage had pushed the decision directly onto Sakumo.
The Kazekage remained silent.
Hanzo said nothing.
Everyone understood the meaning behind Onoki's words.
Konoha had won the war.
But victory did not automatically mean the other sides would obediently accept whatever terms were offered.
Hatake Sakumo smiled faintly.
Old fox.
If he laid out harsh terms himself, the other villages would blame him directly. If he spoke too gently, Konoha's interests might suffer.
Either way, the responsibility would fall on him.
Sakumo paused briefly, then said calmly,
"The greatest contributor to Konoha's victory in this war was Ragnar."
He turned slightly.
"I believe we should hear Rakshasa's opinion first."
Immediately, several Konoha jonin nodded.
"That's reasonable."
"Lord Rakshasa should speak."
"Yes, let Rakshasa decide."
The agreement came almost instantly.
Onoki and the Kazekage exchanged a brief glance.
Neither of them could guess what Sakumo was planning.
But they remained silent.
Ragnar sat calmly in his chair, his expression unchanged.
He glanced at the people around the table before speaking.
"My opinion is very simple."
The entire tent grew quiet.
"As defeated parties," Ragnar said evenly, "you have no right to negotiate terms with the victor."
"You should accept our conditions unconditionally."
The words were blunt.
Brutally blunt.
Onoki frowned immediately.
"Rakshasa," he said slowly, "what exactly do you mean?"
Ragnar leaned slightly forward.
"Let me give you an example."
"At the first Five Kage Conference years ago, the First Hokage—despite being the strongest shinobi in the world—knelt before the other Kage in order to pursue peace."
His eyes swept across the opposing leaders.
"But today, the ones who violated that peace treaty are you."
"And yet you sit here comfortably at the negotiating table."
Ragnar's voice turned colder.
"Don't you think that's a little shameless?"
The air inside the tent froze.
Then Ragnar delivered the next sentence.
"So as defeated nations, I suggest you kneel while we conduct this meeting."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the Konoha shinobi were stunned.
The Third Kazekage slammed his palm onto the table.
"Rakshasa! That's going too far!"
Onoki's expression also darkened.
Even Hanzo, who had remained quiet until now, opened his eyes slightly.
The proposal was outrageous.
Hatake Sakumo sighed inwardly.
He had asked Ragnar to play the role of the "black face" in the negotiation.
But this…
This was a little too ruthless.
Forcing the Kage of three nations to kneel during negotiations?
No one in history had ever suggested something so humiliating.
Ragnar, however, remained perfectly calm.
"In the shinobi world," he said lazily, "strength decides everything."
Then his eyes moved toward the Kazekage.
"As for you, Kazekage…"
"You're my defeated opponent."
"You should lower your voice when speaking."
The Kazekage's face turned livid.
Ragnar continued without pause.
"If you keep shouting like that, I might visit Sunagakure tomorrow."
He rested his hand on the table casually.
"Maybe summon eight or ten meteors over your village."
The Kazekage nearly choked on his own anger.
Eight or ten meteors?
Was this man insane?
Even Onoki's face twitched slightly.
He wisely chose to remain silent.
Jiraiya, sitting nearby, struggled desperately to keep from laughing.
Ragnar rarely spoke during normal times.
But whenever he did…
Someone was guaranteed to suffer.
Tsunade watched the scene with shining eyes.
The young man she once had to protect had grown into someone who could confront Kage-level leaders directly without hesitation.
The transformation filled her with both pride and amazement.
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"Ragnar-kun really is interesting."
At the edge of the tent, among the observing shinobi, Minato watched the scene with wide eyes.
So this was Ragnar.
Bold.
Unrestrained.
Completely fearless.
Minato had always respected him, but seeing Ragnar confront the Kazekage so casually still shocked him.
Those were leaders of entire villages.
Yet Ragnar treated them like ordinary opponents.
The Kazekage finally forced himself to calm down.
Arguing further would only embarrass him more.
If Ragnar truly decided to cause trouble, there was no guarantee he wouldn't actually attack Sunagakure later.
Better to endure it.
Meanwhile, Onoki slowly spoke again.
"Rakshasa," he said calmly, "I'm an old man. My body can't handle kneeling during a meeting."
The Kazekage shot him an incredulous look.
Old man?
Onoki was barely in his forties.
But the Tsuchikage ignored him.
The Kazekage quickly followed.
"I still haven't recovered from the injuries you gave me," he said stiffly. "Kneeling would worsen them."
Hanzo simply closed his eyes.
He had no intention of participating in this ridiculous exchange.
Ragnar glanced at them.
In truth, he had never expected them to kneel.
Even if they agreed, Sakumo would likely refuse.
This had always been a psychological move.
After letting the tension build for a moment longer, Ragnar spoke again.
"Fine."
"Konoha is a democratic village."
"You don't have to kneel."
Relief flickered briefly across the Kazekage's face.
But Ragnar's next sentence erased it instantly.
"However, you must accept the following conditions."
His gaze sharpened.
"As defeated nations, you should behave like defeated nations."
"First, you will recognize the Land of Fire as the supreme authority."
"The Lands of Wind, Earth, and Rain will acknowledge subordinate status."
"Second, you will pay annual tribute."
"Third, you will obey any orders issued by Konoha without exception."
The room fell silent again.
Onoki and the Kazekage stared at Ragnar in disbelief.
Those terms were even worse than kneeling.
Agreeing to them would effectively turn their nations into vassal states of Konoha.
For the leaders of major villages, it was simply impossible.
The Kazekage's eyes widened.
"Rakshasa…"
"You might as well ask us to surrender our villages outright."
The Tsuchikage's expression was equally grim.
For the first time since entering the tent, the two Kage realized something clearly.
Negotiating with Ragnar…
Was far more dangerous than fighting him on the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)
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