"When will these items be delivered to Konoha?" Orochimaru asked nonchalantly. His gaze drifted lazily between Kitsuchi and Toshito.
'Delivered to Konoha? Is Orochimaru losing his mind?' Toshito and Kitsuchi exchanged bewildered looks.
'Konoha is supposed to be paying tribute to Iwagakure, not the other way around. Shouldn't the supplies be going to the Hidden Stone?'
"This joke isn't funny, Orochimaru," Toshito said coldly, emphasizing every single word. "The peace treaty clearly states that Konoha will compensate Iwagakure."
"Exactly." Kitsuchi nodded. "The Third Shinobi World War ended early only because Lord Tsuchikage mercifully stopped the fighting. As the ones who graciously ended the war, Iwagakure naturally deserves tribute from Konoha."
Tsunade and Jiraiya almost laughed out of pure anger. The audacity was unbelievable.
Minato Namikaze had destroyed Kannabi Bridge during the war, completely cutting off Iwagakure's supply lines. That was the only reason they were forced to retreat and surrender.
Now, they had the nerve to act like their retreat was a favor? Shamelessly demanding tribute from the actual victors?
Tsunade and Jiraiya's expressions turned ice-cold as they scanned the list of demanded supplies.
Konoha could technically afford it, sure. But it would siphon half of the Land of Fire's funding and the village's mission earnings straight into the Land of Earth for years.
Everyone in Konoha would have to tighten their belts and suffer.
No wonder Jie Uchiha had warned them.
When assigning this mission, Jie said Iwagakure's arrival brought absolutely nothing good. He made it clear... even if they agreed to a peace treaty, the terms had to be torn apart and rewritten.
They needed to ensure Iwa suffered even more than Kumogakure.
Jie had seen through Iwa's despicable nature from the very start.
Tsunade tossed the peace treaty onto the table. Her glare was absolute ice. "I think this agreement is quite good, save for one minor flaw."
She leaned forward. "As the sole winning nation, Konoha took pity on the other ninja villages. We knew the war drained you all, so we held back on demanding reparations."
"But now, since Iwagakure has recovered so beautifully and is so eager to pay us tribute... Konoha naturally won't refuse."
A mocking smile crept onto her lips. "However, the numbers will need adjusting. Doubling the amount should do just fine."
Orochimaru and Jiraiya's eyebrows twitched violently. Orochimaru, in particular, looked at Tsunade with a flash of newfound respect.
'A serpent's bite and a hornet's sting are nothing compared to a woman's venom.' How had he never realized Tsunade was this ruthless to her core?
The baseline compensation in that treaty would cripple even Konoha. For Iwagakure, paying just the original amount would force them to scrape by in poverty for at least three years.
After all, the Land of Fire sat on the most fertile land in the Ninja World, and its financial backing was easily the highest of the Great Five. Doubling it was a financial death sentence.
The Land of Earth was nothing but barren mountains and rocky hills. Its economy couldn't compare to even a fraction of the Land of Fire's, leaving Iwagakure's financial support severely lacking.
Yet with just a few casual words, Tsunade had forcefully doubled their reparations.
It was a terrifying sum. To cough up that much cash all at once, Iwagakure would practically have to sell their entire village.
Licking his lips, Orochimaru watched the Iwagakure delegation with immense interest. He couldn't wait to see how these shinobi would react to Tsunade's outrageous demand.
'They'll probably flip the table and walk out on the spot', Orochimaru thought, amused.
The outcome didn't betray his expectations. Once Tsunade's words fully registered, Toshito exploded.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" he roared, slamming his hands onto the table. "Konoha has zero sincerity in these negotiations! I'm reporting this to Lord Tsuchikage immediately! He will send our forces to attack Konoha!"
Fuming, Toshito stormed out, violently slamming the conference room door behind him.
Just like that, the first round of negotiations broke down.
It was a bitter parting for the Iwagakure ninja, but to Konoha, it meant nothing.
In fact, Orochimaru secretly hoped the Iwa shinobi would snap under the humiliation, lose their minds, and start a riot right there in the village.
If they did, Konoha would have the perfect excuse to declare war and take the reparations by force.
Toshito had assumed his furious exit would trigger at least a hint of panic among the Konoha shinobi. After all, if the talks failed, another bloody war was inevitable.
Yet, over the next few days, he didn't sense the slightest tension among the villagers. There was no atmosphere of impending war at all.
"What is going on?"
Inside a private room secured for the two envoys, Toshito slammed his fist onto the table, his voice laced with venom. "Are these Konoha ninja really not afraid of a massive invasion?"
"I think there are variables at play that we didn't account for," Kitsuchi replied calmly, though his brows were knitted together in a deep frown. "The current Konoha... is no longer the Konoha we know."
He paced the room slowly. "I've been thinking about this over the past few days. Konoha's reaction is completely unnatural. Especially that little Hokage."
He paused, his expression grim. "He hasn't even shown his face to receive us. Something unexpected has happened behind the scenes. I say we leave immediately and discuss our next move with the old man."
Toshito frowned deeply at the assessment. He stayed silent for a long moment before finally gritting his teeth. "It seems that's our only option. We'll try negotiating with Konoha one last time. If their attitude hasn't changed, we pull out immediately."
But without knowing the real reason behind Konoha's shift, their efforts were doomed from the start.
Naturally, the final negotiation ended in another bitter stalemate.
"Since Konoha has no desire for peace and refuses to sign the treaty," Toshito said coldly, turning toward the conference room door, "we will take our leave. Perhaps after suffering through another war, you will finally understand the value of peace."
Faced with the blatant threat, Orochimaru merely offered a faint, chilling smile.
"I will return those exact words to you, shinobi of Iwagakure," the snake Sannin sneered softly. "Perhaps war will arrive much sooner than you imagine."
Kitsuchi and Toshito exchanged a frown. 'Was Konoha actually planning a preemptive strike against Iwa?'
'No, that should be impossible. It has to be a bluff'. Failing to grasp the truly sinister meaning behind Orochimaru's words, Toshito just snorted. "Hmph! Let's go."
That very day, the entire Iwagakure delegation evacuated the village.
Terrified that Konoha might dispatch Anbu to intercept them on the road, Toshito and Kitsuchi didn't dare delay for a single second.
Without looking back, they rushed toward Iwagakure at top speed.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office, Jie Uchiha stood gazing at Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.
Hearing the news of the negotiation breakdown, a faint, profound smile spread across Jie's face.
"Since the Iwagakure envoy failed to reach a peace agreement, it's time for Konoha's envoy to take over," Jie declared smoothly. "Orochimaru, you, Tsunade, and Jiraiya will act as our representatives in Iwagakure."
Jie's smile widened into something deeply meaningful. "When you go, make sure to take plenty of ninjas with you. Let Ohnoki witness exactly how deeply Konoha desires peace."
He paused, his tone entirely casual. "Of course, don't take too many. Drafting four or five thousand shinobi from our various clans should be enough..."
"...Any more than that, and I fear Iwagakure won't be able to handle it."
Tsunade and Jiraiya's eyebrows twitched violently.
'An envoy of four or five thousand fully armed shinobi? Who the hell still calls that an envoy?!'
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