Chapter 97: Negotiations That Must Be Accepted
He slowly turned around, a faint, non-existent smile hanging on the corners of his mouth, and in those amber eyes was a sense of pity, like one watching a primitive man brandishing a bone club.
He didn't offer any defense; he simply stepped aside to make room and jerked his chin toward the area outside the railing.
"Revenge army?" Yahiko chuckled softly, his tone gentle. "Come, take a look."
The two envoys exchanged a suspicious glance, walked to the railing, and poked their heads out to look.
In the next second, their bodies suddenly stiffened, and their breathing came to a standstill.
Right below the high tower, on the outskirts of the Hidden Rain Village, the plain where the five-thousand-strong Allied Forces had once been stationed... had completely vanished.
In its place was a terrifying, bottomless crater several kilometers in diameter.
Rainwater gathered at the bottom of the pit, appearing as a murky dark red due to the mixture of churned-up red soil and... certain crushed biological tissues. It was like a newly grown eye on the earth, staring silently and hollowly at the firmament, wordlessly recounting what had happened there.
Even from such a distance, the two could still feel the suffocating Aura of destruction lingering in the air.
"This is the result of your so-called 'retaliation'."
Yahiko's voice rang out eerily, without a trace of heat. "If you feel that the central plazas of Konoha or Sunagakure are also lacking such an artificial lake, I wouldn't mind."
A deathly silence fell over the scene.
Homura Mitokado's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. Ebizo gripped the railing so hard that his knuckles turned white.
Any diplomatic rhetoric was nothing but pale nonsense in the face of the absolute Law of power.
"Cough..." After a long while, Ebizo finally spoke hoarsely, his Aura visibly withering. "But... one billion Ryo is indeed an impossible figure. Sunagakure's total tax revenue for three years wouldn't be enough. Even if you kill us, we cannot produce that much money."
"Exactly." Homura Mitokado also seemed to grasp at a straw. "The Daimyo has already slashed the budget, and we have no liquid capital. If you insist on this, you will only get a pile of corpses."
"So it's the cash flow issue you're worried about."
The coldness on Yahiko's face instantly melted, replaced by a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
He snapped his fingers.
Konan understood immediately and turned to hang a complex chart on a blackboard.
"Everyone, don't look at problems with an old perspective. This is a new era." Yahiko walked to the blackboard like a patient private school teacher. "I understand the difficulties of the great nations, so I have specially launched a new plan for all of you."
"Wh... what plan?" Homura Mitokado was stunned.
"Simply put, installment payments."
Yahiko picked up a pointer and drew an enticing curve on the blackboard. "One billion Ryo is indeed a lot, but what if it's spread over three years? The down payment only requires 30% of the total amount, with the remaining balance paid in 36 installments at an annual interest rate of only 20%."
"20%?" Ebizo narrowed his eyes and calculated. To a Ninja who knew nothing of economics, this sounded... truly small?
Just pay three hundred million Ryo upfront, and they could take the people back?
A flash of joy appeared in the eyes of the two envoys. This was practically a windfall from heaven! They would trick him into letting the people go first, and as for the remaining money... Hmph, who could say for sure what would happen in three years?
"It seems the two of you are quite interested."
Yahiko keenly captured their micro-expressions, and the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened. "However, since it is a loan, to control the risk, collateral is naturally required."
He casually picked up the list of prisoners from the table and spoke as if he were picking out livestock at a market: "We will categorize the prisoners into three types of assets."
"The first category: 'Prime Assets'. For example, Uchiha Fugaku, Nara Shikaku, and Advisor Chiyo. If these people are not redeemed, your Villages will face internal strife and your regimes will be destabilized. Therefore, the down payment must prioritize covering this portion of the assets."
"The second category: 'Ordinary Assets'. The Elite Jonin of various families. These are the backbone; losing them hurts, but it's not fatal."
"The third category: 'Non-performing Assets'. Those Chunin and Genin. To be honest, it costs me food to keep them fed. If you don't want them, I'll sell them by the head to the Black Market as slave labor."
Yahiko's fingertip tapped on the name 'Uchiha Fugaku' as he looked at Homura Mitokado. "If Konoha cannot afford the full amount, you can pay 30% first to take this Uchiha Clan Chief back. Otherwise..."
He paused, his tone turning grim. "Every day it's overdue, I'll cut off a finger and send it to the Uchiha Clan. I imagine those lunatics in the Uchiha would be quite happy to head to the Hokage Building and have a chat with the Third Hokage."
Homura Mitokado shuddered. This move was too wicked! It was forcing Konoha to pay up for the sake of stability!
"We... we agree to the installments!" Ebizo spoke up hurriedly. "Sunagakure is willing to pay the down payment for Advisor Chiyo first!"
"Wait."
Yahiko suddenly raised a hand to interrupt him, his gaze drifting between the two as he said playfully, "But my current transport capacity is limited, and my doctors are also limited. To ensure the integrity of the 'Prime Assets' during the handover, I can only prioritize processing one party's order."
He looked at Homura Mitokado, his tone suggestive. "Although Konoha's budget has been cut, it is the number one great nation after all, with deep foundations. If Konoha is willing to pay the deposit first, I can let Konoha pick their people first. As for Sunagakure..."
Yahiko shrugged. "Those remaining cripples can perhaps wait for the next batch?"
"No way!!"
Homura Mitokado instantly bristled. This was a blatant scheme to sow discord! But did he dare to gamble? If Sunagakure redeemed Chiyo first while Konoha's hostages were still suffering in the Hidden Rain Village—or even returned missing limbs—the various families would absolutely tear the high-ranking officials apart alive!
"Konoha will sign!" Homura Mitokado practically roared. "Our current funds are enough to pay the down payment! We want priority selection! All the Jonin, we want to take them all!!"
"Homura Mitokado! You dare betray the alliance?!" Ebizo's beard shook with rage.
Watching the Konoha envoy hurriedly sign and seal the 'Post-war Debt Restructuring Agreement' handed over by Konan, Ebizo completely panicked.
Sunagakure was truly poor. The Land of Wind Daimyo, that miser, wouldn't even give a single extra copper coin. If Konoha took all their people and only Sunagakure's people were left to suffer here, how could he answer to the Kazekage when he returned?
"That... Lord Yahiko..." Ebizo wiped his cold sweat, his tone humble to the extreme. "Sunagakure... Sunagakure's current cash is indeed not enough for the down payment... could you..."
"No money?"
Yahiko raised an eyebrow and slowly walked up to Ebizo, the pressure making the Sunagakure Elder almost choke.
"No money is also easy to handle."
Yahiko's voice was like a devil's whisper, coaxing him. "We accept 'repayment in kind'. Ninjutsu Scrolls, Puppet construction diagrams, Forbidden Jutsu data... as long as it has value, it can be converted into money."
Ebizo's face turned deathly pale. "This... this violates the Village's regulations..."
"Or," Yahiko interrupted him, his gaze drifting eerily over a certain name on the list, "certain talents with special research value—if you feel the cost of redemption is too high, you can also choose to 'waive ownership'."
"After all, Mr. Orochimaru has long coveted certain rare Kekkei Genkais; he is willing to pay a high price for them."
Ebizo's heart skipped a beat.
He understood.
This was hinting that Sunagakure could use living people to pay the debt.
Watching the struggle and calculation flickering in Ebizo's eyes, Yahiko straightened up in satisfaction, raised his wine glass, and drained it in one gulp toward the gloomy sky.
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