Half a month later, the long-awaited visit finally arrived.
Accompanied by Jiraiya, the leader of Nadeshiko Village, Tsubaki, formally entered Iwagakure to meet with Ōnoki.
As for why there was a transaction between Nadeshiko Village and Iwagakure, and why Jiraiya was present as well—
That remained known only to those involved.
Inside the conference room, Uchiha Hikaru and Jiraiya sat on opposite sides of the long table. At the head and foot of the table sat Ōnoki and Tsubaki respectively.
"Uchiha Hikaru," Ōnoki said coldly, "this is a deal between Iwagakure and Nadeshiko Village. Jiraiya has traveled a long way—why don't you both find somewhere to rest first?"
He was clearly issuing an order to remove unnecessary people.
Jiraiya's presence was tolerable.
But if Uchiha Hikaru stayed, who knew what variables he might introduce? That alone was enough to make Ōnoki uneasy.
"Huh~?"
Uchiha Hikaru raised an eyebrow lazily.
"Tsuchikage-sama, what are you saying?"
"I'm sitting here as the President of the Ninja Association."
"This is a large-scale war mercenary commission. The Ninja Association oversees all major inter-village cooperation. Both Iwagakure and Nadeshiko Village are member states—naturally, a neutral supervisor must be present."
"Besides, Nadeshiko Village has been isolated for many years and isn't familiar with the outside world. Looking after them is part of my responsibility."
Ōnoki had originally intended to use this opportunity to raise the price and squeeze out more profit.
But the moment Uchiha Hikaru said this, he knew that plan was dead.
His gaze shifted to Jiraiya.
"Then you—"
Jiraiya straightened slightly.
"I'm here as Konoha's representative to supervise this commission."
"After all, this mission originally came from Konoha. In the interest of balanced development among the villages, we handed the opportunity to Iwagakure."
"To preserve Konoha's credibility, we must also be responsible for oversight."
"Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, it would damage Konoha's reputation."
Jiraiya repeated word for word what Uchiha Hikaru had told him beforehand. As he spoke, his eyes unconsciously drifted toward Tsubaki.
After Tsunade and Shizune's overnight surgery and half a month of recovery, Tsubaki—once thin, pale, and sickly—had changed completely.
Her figure had filled out visibly, her complexion healthy and smooth. Though not porcelain-white, her lightly sun-kissed skin carried a different kind of beauty.
Her once-withered calves had recovered, now round and full beneath the black, form-fitting combat attire—an outline that made one's heart stir.
Jiraiya clearly wanted to restrain his gaze.
Unfortunately, restraint failed.
Anyone paying attention could notice that Jiraiya's eyes occasionally drifted toward Tsubaki—only Jiraiya himself believed his little movements had gone unnoticed.
This made Tsubaki feel faintly embarrassed.
"Tsuchikage-sama," she said calmly, breaking the awkwardness, "let's not waste time. I'll explain the details of this mission first."
Since even the client herself had spoken, Ōnoki had nothing more to say and nodded in silence.
"This commission is expected to last forty to sixty days," Tsubaki continued.
"Nadeshiko Village has already gathered intelligence on the current power distribution in the former Otogakure region."
"There are more than twenty wandering ninja groups of varying sizes. Among them, three are the most powerful."
"The Crimson Lotus Sect, led by the Crystal Release user Guren."
"The remaining Sound Ninja forces once subordinate to the mysterious former leader."
"And the Scarlet Arena, formed by the black-market fighter Miyashiro En."
"The total number is estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 ninjas."
"Nadeshiko Village will contribute 500 ninjas:
300 Genin,
150 Chunin,
and 50 Jonin."
"Our village estimates the commission fee at 90 million ryō, to be paid to Iwagakure."
Ōnoki remained silent—but his expression darkened.
Ninety million?!
Who gave her the confidence to quote such a number?
His gaze snapped toward Uchiha Hikaru, irritation burning in his eyes.
Uchiha Hikaru stared blankly at the ceiling, eyes unfocused, expression vacant. His mouth opened and closed mechanically.
"Aba… aba…"
In short: This has nothing to do with me.
"Too low," Ōnoki said sharply.
"Even if Nadeshiko Village contributes 500 ninjas, the majority are mid- and low-level. More importantly, this isn't a battlefield operation."
"This is urban suppression—combat deep within civilian zones. Street fighting. The danger level is extremely high."
"Add to that food consumption, medical supplies, and ninja tools. The cost is terrifying."
"And the deadline is under two months. To complete this on time, Iwagakure would need to deploy four to five thousand ninjas—nearly half of our total forces."
His gaze hardened as he stared directly into Tsubaki's eyes, his voice lowering with pressure.
"At least… 500 million ryō."
Tsubaki froze.
Five… hundred million?
The reason she had quoted ninety million was simple—that was everything Nadeshiko Village could afford. Enough to support several thousand villagers for nearly two years.
Nadeshiko Village was largely self-sufficient. Aside from rare imports like spices and clothing, nearly everything was produced locally. Their economy was closed and isolated from the outside world.
Tsubaki glanced sideways at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya immediately snapped his gaze away from her legs, eyes darting left and right, signaling clearly—
No. Absolutely not. That number is insane.
Maintaining the principle of lowering costs as much as possible, Tsubaki countered.
"One hundred and fifty million ryō."
"Most of the wandering ninjas there vary greatly in strength. Only the leaders have reached elite Jonin level at best."
"The rest are mostly Genin—or not even that. Many have only mastered the basic Three Techniques and can intimidate civilians at most."
"That's incorrect," Ōnoki shot back.
"That land was once ruled by the mysterious leader. It underwent systematic ninja training."
"Not to mention its proximity to the Land of Iron. The reason it hasn't been conquered for so long is precisely because of its strength."
"Since both villages are members of the Ninja Association, I'll give you a ten percent discount."
"450 million ryō."
The two went back and forth relentlessly.
Jiraiya occasionally signaled Tsubaki with his eyes, advising whether a number was reasonable.
Having fought in two Shinobi World Wars and commanded entire armies, Jiraiya possessed an acute sense for the true cost of war.
After nearly two and a half hours of intense bargaining, the final price was settled at—
300 million ryō.
A middle ground. Slightly below market value.
Iwagakure needed money—badly.
And if Ōnoki pushed any further, Tsubaki might simply turn around and seek Kumogakure instead.
That would be an even greater loss.