Chapter 98: Labor Dispatch
The heavy mahogany doors shut with a "clatter," completely cutting off the wretched figure of Homura Mitokado as he departed.
On the open-air platform, the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.
Ebizo gripped his cane tightly, veins bulging on the back of his withered hand. He stared toward the doors, his eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, along with a sense of desolation—the sorrow of a fox mourning a dead rabbit.
Although Konoha had signed that humiliating "usury treaty," they had at least managed to get their people back, saving half of their dignity and substance.
As for Sunagakure... "Advisor Ebizo."
Lord Yahiko swirled the red wine glass in his hand, the crimson liquid leaving ambiguous blood-like streaks on the glass. Leaning against the railing, he turned around, his amber eyes sporting a faint, mocking smile, like a hunter sizing up the last prey in his trap.
"Konoha's deal is settled. Now, it's your turn."
A cold wind carrying traces of rain swept onto the platform, making Ebizo shiver uncontrollably.
He looked around—Konan, expressionless and holding a folder; Kakuzu, his eyes glowing green as he held an abacus; and in the corner, the six Pains who, despite having their eyes closed, radiated a divine sense of pressure.
This was no negotiation table; it was clearly a wolf's den.
And he was the only old sheep left.
"Lord Yahiko..." Ebizo's voice sounded as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, dry and jarring. "The situation in Sunagakure... you know it well. The Daimyo has cut military spending. That child Rasa... even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice."
Trembling, he pulled a crumpled list from his robe and handed it over with both hands, his posture as humble as a door-to-door salesman trying to hawk unsellable products.
"This is the maximum sincerity we can squeeze out. One thousand standard-issue Puppets from the bottom of our warehouse, five tons of refined Iron Sand ore, and... and some medicinal herbs unique to the Land of Wind."
Ebizo looked up, his cloudy old eyes full of pleading. "Plus the twenty million Ryo in cash we scraped together like beggars... Can we, perhaps, redeem our people first?"
Lord Yahiko didn't take it.
He didn't even lift an eyelid.
"Heh."
A soft chuckle broke the dead silence. Lord Yahiko took a sip of wine, as if he had heard some grand joke.
"Ebizo, have you gone senile in your old age?"
Lord Yahiko set the wine glass down on the table with a sharp "thud." The sound wasn't loud, but it struck Ebizo's heart like a hammer.
"My place isn't a scrap recycling station." The smile on Lord Yahiko's Face vanished instantly, replaced by the coldness of a capital tycoon scrutinizing non-performing assets. "You want to exchange a pile of scrap metal for Chiyo and Pakura? Are you insulting my intelligence, or are you insulting your village's heroes?"
"This..." Ebizo's Face turned pale, his lips trembling. "But, but we really have no money left! The Daimyo won't approve a single cent. What can we do? Sell our blood?!"
"No money?"
Lord Yahiko raised an eyebrow, his long fingers tapping an oppressive rhythm on the tabletop.
"It doesn't matter if you have no money. We have a backup 'asset liquidation' plan."
He snapped his fingers.
Konan stepped forward and slammed a black folder in front of Ebizo with a "smack." The large characters on the cover were a glaring red—'Emergency Disposal Plan for Forced Default of Non-Performing Assets'.
"Open it and take a look, don't be shy," Lord Yahiko said with a "please" gesture.
Ebizo tremblingly flipped to the first page. With just one look, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, a chill rising to the top of his skull.
[Auction Item No. 001: Scorching Release User · Pakura (Living Specimen)]
[Starting Price: 40 million Ryo]
[Interested Buyer: Hidden Mist Village Mizukage's Office]
[Note: Due to battlefield animosity, the Hidden Mist has expressed a willingness to purchase at a high price for public execution or a live experiment named 'Bloodline Limit Extraction'.]
[Auction Item No. 002: Brain Codename 'Chiyo']
[Starting Price: 35 million Ryo]
[Interested Buyers: Underground Bounty Station, Intelligence Agencies of great nations]
[Note: Highly valuable for dissection; contains high-level secrets and toxic formulas from Sunagakure spanning nearly fifty years. The buyer is only interested in the brain tissue; the rest can be chopped up and sold.]
"You... are you a devil?!"
Ebizo slammed the folder shut, roaring with bloodshot eyes, "You can't do this! Pakura is a hero! Chiyo is an elder! If you sell them to enemy nations... Sunagakure will go mad! Rasa will be torn to pieces by the angry villagers!!"
This wasn't just extortion.
This was digging up Sunagakure's ancestral graves and then dancing on top of them!
Once the news spread that Pakura had been bought and tortured to death by the Hidden Mist, the morale of Sunagakure would completely collapse.
"So you know the consequences?"
Lord Yahiko leaned forward, hands on the table, the pressure hitting Ebizo's Face like something physical.
"Since you know, then act like one of the Five Great Nations and cough up the money!"
Lord Yahiko's voice suddenly rose, dripping with sarcasm. "What? The dignified Land of Wind is actually defaulting on the ransom for its own heroes? Is your so-called 'Great Nation Dignity' only worth that pile of scrap metal?"
Ebizo slumped into his chair, his cane falling to the floor with a "clack."
It was over.
Completely over.
But the money... it really couldn't be conjured out of thin air.
Despair, like quicksand in the desert, slowly submerged the old man's reason. He even considered kneeling down to beg for just a few days' extension.
Just then, the devilish voice above him suddenly became as warm as a spring breeze.
"Actually..."
Lord Yahiko sighed, pulled a handkerchief from his robe, and actually bent down to pick up the cane for Ebizo.
"I'm not some kind of demon. I also know your difficulties. Dealing with a miserly Daimyo like that, Rasa's position as Kazekage is indeed frustrating."
Lord Yahiko tucked the cane back into Ebizo's hand, his tone full of persuasive concern, much like the devil tempting a human to sign a Soul contract. "Since the cash flow is cut off, why don't we broaden our horizons and try a different approach?"
Ebizo looked up blankly, his eyes hollow. "Wha... what approach?"
"Konan, change the chart."
Swish.
The previous 'installment payment' chart was removed, replaced by a brand-new business model diagram.
"Look, Lord Ebizo." Lord Yahiko picked up a pointer and gestured toward two circles on the chart. "What is Sunagakure's biggest Pain point right now? It's the lack of people and money. But you have a core asset that Amegakure lacks."
Lord Yahiko tapped the circle on the left. "You are one of the Five Great Nations. You have the legal right to undertake S-rank missions and possess a 'brand premium' recognized throughout the Ninja World. The nobles and Daimyos of various countries only recognize the gold-standard brand of Sunagakure."
Ebizo nodded subconsciously. This was the truth, and it was the last shred of dignity Sunagakure had left.
"But currently, you don't have the manpower to do the work. This not only means you're not making money, but you're also ruining your reputation through defaults."
The pointer in Lord Yahiko's hand slid to the circle on the right, which was labeled 'Amegakure'.
"And our Amegakure has plenty of elites and madmen capable of fighting tough battles, but we lack'status.' We can't get those high-premium, large contracts."
"So..." Lord Yahiko turned around and spread his arms wide, as if embracing the whole world. "Why don't we set up a 'joint venture'?"
"Joint... venture?" Ebizo's mind couldn't quite wrap around the concept.
"To put it simply, it's called—Labor Dispatch."
The corners of Lord Yahiko's mouth curled into an elegant arc, delivering a shock to the Ninja World that would make even a capitalist weep.
"Sunagakure will step forward and continue to aggressively accept high-paying A-rank and S-rank missions across the Ninja World. Then, you'subcontract' these missions to Amegakure."
"The work will be done by our people; the blood will be shed by our people. Once the mission is complete, the credit goes to you. We'll only sign the reports without leaving our names, ensuring no one knows it was outsourced."
"This way, Sunagakure's mission completion rate remains 100%, and you remain one of the powerful Five Great Nations."
"As for the compensation..." Lord Yahiko shrugged, his tone casual. "80% of the mission commission goes to Amegakure as ransom for Chiyo and Pakura. The remaining 20% will be considered your 'Brand Licensing Fee' and 'Channel Management Fee'."
"How about it? Isn't it quite reasonable?"
Read 30+ Advanced Chapters at P@ Tre On
FictionTimeo