After this incident, Chiba Shun could feel the change in himself. His chakra level had risen another step, and once that growth settled in, his strength would finally stand on the threshold of jonin. In a normal squad, he would have needed to hand over a share of his rewards to the three people who had covered for him in battle, just as Killer Bee had once tossed him a chakra-conducting sword worth three hundred thousand ryo. But Yotsuki Ai and Killer Bee were not lacking in money, and Sakai Hashi would never bring something like that up with him.
A few days later, the Konoha army finally reached the border under Hiruzen Sarutobi's personal command. Konoha and Kumogakure faced each other across the frontier, two great forces standing beneath the same sky, each waiting for the other to blink first.
From a distance, the Third Raikage watched Konoha's forces busily setting up camp and felt a stab of envy. The number of ninja on Konoha's side was not much smaller than the force gathered behind him. The difference was that this was only one of Konoha's four fronts. Their largest army was here, yes, but it was still only a portion of what Konoha could field.
Kumogakure, on the other hand, had come close to emptying itself dry. Even after mobilizing almost everything they had, they had managed to scrape together only around three thousand ninja. The gap in foundation between the two villages was laid bare in that one comparison.
The Third Raikage suddenly asked, "Shun, when will the first batch of students from the Ninja Academy graduate?"
Chiba Shun was caught off guard. He did not understand why the question had come now, but he answered immediately. "If we're talking by age alone, some students will graduate next year. But those are the ones Senior Aoki took in several years ago, and there are only forty-seven of them."
There should have been more. But a number of them had died the night Root tried to assassinate him inside the academy.
The Raikage said nothing, so Chiba Shun continued. "Three years from now, the academy will see its first true large-scale graduation. Nearly five hundred students should finish that year. Even if we lower the standards, not all of them will qualify as ninja, but I estimate around four hundred should be able to become genin. After that, each year should surpass the last."
He paused, then added, "If, by then, some of the better students can be taken on as disciples by jonin, the academy's enrollment can expand again. I've done the numbers. At its peak, the academy should be able to graduate around seven hundred people a year."
"Seven hundred..." the Third Raikage murmured. "Konoha graduates nearly four thousand every year."
Chiba Shun nodded. "Yes. Though not all of those four thousand finish. Konoha's standards are higher than ours, so in the end around three thousand five hundred become genin."
The Third Raikage exhaled slowly. "Three thousand five hundred a year. Even after taking heavy losses in war, Konoha only needs two or three years to rebuild its strength. No wonder they can gather this many people so quickly."
Chiba Shun did not answer. Konoha's advantage was never just numbers. Its heritage, systems, and talent pool all far surpassed Kumogakure's. Even with Kumogakure recruiting children from across the entire Land of Lightning, seven hundred graduates a year was already the limit. And even then, their average quality would still fall short of Konoha's three thousand five hundred.
A day later, once Konoha's temporary camp was complete, the two sides began negotiations at once. There were no probing clashes this time. No pointless tests. Both sides had come here to talk, and both sides understood the price of dragging things out.
Two figures stepped into the space between the armies and stopped several dozen meters apart. On Kumogakure's side stood the Third Raikage, with Yotsuki Ai, Killer Bee, and Chiba Shun behind him. On Konoha's side stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, accompanied by Enma, Namikaze Minato, and a middle-aged ninja clearly from the Nara clan. Judging by his age, he was likely from the older generation, perhaps even Nara Shikaku's father.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked first at Chiba Shun, then at the Third Raikage, and spoke before anyone else could. "Raikage. War, or peace?"
The confidence in his tone was impossible to miss. He spoke as if he had already beaten Kumogakure and was graciously offering them a way out.
The Third Raikage was not intimidated in the slightest. "Hokage, are you here to beg for peace?" he shot back.
For a while, the two of them traded barbs, each testing the other's posture, each refusing to yield even half a step in front of the men standing behind them. But neither side had come all this way merely to posture. After that brief clash of pride, the real discussion began.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Konoha is willing to compensate Kumogakure with the equivalent of two hundred S-rank mission rewards. We can also provide some teaching materials from the Konoha Ninja Academy. I hope our two villages can stand together through thick and thin from this day forward."
The mention of textbooks barely registered. Chiba Shun's mind immediately went to the figure behind those so-called two hundred S-rank missions.
He began calculating in silence.
Kumogakure had mobilized roughly three thousand ninja. Chiba Shun himself, now a special jonin, had received around fifty thousand ryo in supplies. Among those three thousand were people stronger than him, like jonin and elite jonin, and people weaker than him, like chunin and genin. Since he did not know the exact breakdown by rank, he used his own allotment as a rough standard.
He alone had received around fifty thousand ryo in tools and supplies. Food at the front cost roughly three thousand ryo a day per ninja, and the entire operation, including the negotiation period, had already stretched close to half a month. That alone put the food bill around forty-five thousand ryo per person. Multiply that by three thousand, and the figure already climbed to an astonishing two hundred eighty-five million ryo.
That did not include the cost of the earlier skirmishes against Konoha's reconnaissance teams or the payments owed to the squads that had carried out those missions. Those expenses were smaller by comparison, but still massive. At most, there had likely been a few dozen A-rank missions and a few hundred B-rank ones. Add everything together, and the field army had probably already cost the village over three hundred million ryo.
And that was only the money already spent. The truly expensive part was the mountain of stockpiled supplies waiting behind the lines. Those could still be brought back and reused if war did not break out, so they did not count as direct losses yet. The ninja left behind in the village also needed support, though their daily expenses were much lower.
In the end, since this was still only a mobilization and a threat of war rather than a full-scale conflict, Chiba Shun estimated Kumogakure's total cost at around three hundred and fifty million ryo.
Konoha's offer amounted to two hundred S-rank missions. Konoha paid well, with one S-rank mission valued at roughly two million ryo. That made four hundred million ryo in total. By pure arithmetic, Kumogakure would actually come out slightly ahead.
And that was only Hiruzen's opening bid. The Third Raikage was never going to settle for the first number thrown at him.
Sure enough, the Raikage did not so much as blink. "Konoha will pay one thousand S-rank mission rewards, at two million ryo each. In addition, we want ten S-rank ninjutsu and fifty A-rank ninjutsu."
Having tasted the value of the ninjutsu Chiba Shun brought back from Konoha before, the Third Raikage had no intention of letting such a chance slip by again. If Konoha could be squeezed for more techniques, then that mattered far more than a pile of money.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not get angry at the outrageous demand. He replied with infuriating calm, "Ninjutsu is non-negotiable. I can raise the compensation to four hundred S-rank mission rewards."
And so they fell into a deadlock. The Third Raikage insisted on securing techniques. Hiruzen insisted on paying only in money. Neither side was willing to retreat from its chosen line.
Chiba Shun leaned in and quietly said to the Third Raikage, "Raikage-sama, the White Fang of Konoha left behind an orphan. Since he died after being driven to ruin by Konoha's own villagers, that child is unlikely to be living well now. Since we are to be allies, perhaps Kumogakure should kindly offer to raise him."
The Third Raikage did not understand what angle Shun was playing, but if White Fang's son truly carried even half his father's talent, then he was worth coveting. So he said directly, "Hokage. Kumogakure is willing to help take in White Fang's son."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had clearly heard Chiba Shun's whisper, but he did not expose it. Instead, he answered with practiced composure. "Raikage, your kindness is appreciated. The fresh sprouts of the Will of Fire will, of course, be cared for by Konoha itself."
Chiba Shun did not stop there. "Raikage-sama, perhaps we should exchange mission regions. Let our ninja take missions within the Land of Fire, and let Konoha's ninja take missions in the Land of Lightning. Konoha has little use for our country's mission market anyway, but the missions in the Land of Fire pay very well. It would benefit Kumogakure greatly. And if our people enter the Land of Fire often, they can become familiar with the terrain. That may prove useful later."
The Third Raikage's eyes brightened at once. "Hokage, if our villages are becoming allies, then our cooperation should run deeper. We should open our mission systems to each other."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched ever so slightly. Of course he understood the real meaning behind that proposal. More access to the Land of Fire meant better knowledge of its roads, borders, settlements, and terrain - the kind of knowledge an invading force would love to have.
And while, in theory, Konoha could also learn more about the Land of Lightning, that so-called balance was meaningless. The Land of Fire was rich and desirable. The Land of Lightning was harsh and barren. Konoha had no desire to invade it. So this "exchange" would benefit Kumogakure far more than Konoha.
He shot Chiba Shun a cold look and said flatly, "No."
After a brief pause, he continued, "But the Raikage is right about one thing. If we are to be allies, then cooperation must deepen. Let us exchange ninjutsu instead. Konoha can offer seven hundred S-rank mission rewards, each valued at two million ryo. In addition, both sides will exchange ninjutsu - same number, same rank."
The Third Raikage smiled. Hiruzen Sarutobi had yielded under pressure, and Chiba Shun's presence had clearly helped force that step. Calling it an "exchange" merely made the concession sound prettier. In truth, Konoha had little need for whatever Kumogakure could hand over in return. Konoha's library ran so deep that most of Kumogakure's offerings would barely interest them.
There were exceptions, of course. If the Third Raikage put Lightning Release Chakra Mode on the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi would certainly pay attention. But no one believed Kumogakure would reveal something of that level.
The Third Raikage was thinking much the same thing. Bringing Chiba Shun had been the right call. To deal with a man like Hiruzen Sarutobi, who wrapped every knife in polite words, you needed someone with an even dirtier imagination standing at your back.
With that in mind, the Raikage said, "Fine. We will exchange ninjutsu. Kumogakure can provide ten S-rank-"
Before he could finish, Hiruzen cut in smoothly. "Raikage, our alliance has only just begun. There is no need to speak of S-rank ninjutsu yet. Konoha can provide one A-rank ninjutsu, ten B-rank ninjutsu, and thirty C-rank ninjutsu for exchange."
The Third Raikage frowned, clearly calculating how to press him further. At that exact moment, Chiba Shun quietly muttered, "The Hokage is stingier than Danzo."
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally snapped. "Raikage, this is a negotiation! Since when does a junior get to interrupt?"
For the first time since the talks began, real irritation broke through his calm. And in that instant, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly regretted stopping Danzo before. Maybe he should have let Danzo kill that brat after all.