"Lord Hokage."
Hearing the distinct footsteps, Konan looked up, her face showing a mix of surprise and panic. She quickly stood up and bowed.
"Mm." Kageyama Kogetsu smiled faintly and walked over.
Konan tactfully gave up her seat, allowing Kageyama Kogetsu to sit down.
"This is the treaty I brought. If there are no issues, sign it."
"Even if there are issues, you still have to sign it. Sunagakure and Otogakure received the same treatment. I want to be fair."
"Yes."
Although she said yes, Konan still took the scroll and read it carefully...
"Ah..."
Konan suddenly cried out. Kageyama Kogetsu had reached out and wrapped his arm around her slender waist, pulling her onto his lap.
"Lord Hokage, don't do this."
Even though she was mentally prepared, the situation was too sudden. Konan felt a bit overwhelmed, her voice slightly flustered.
"Just keep reading. I'm only hugging you, I won't do anything else. Just giving you some time to adapt."
"I came all this way not just to sign a treaty. Otherwise, I could have just sent anyone," Kageyama Kogetsu said with a chuckle.
Seeing that Kageyama Kogetsu made no other moves, Konan tried her best to adapt and refocused her attention on the treaty...
Kageyama Kogetsu did have some respect for Konan in his heart.
If for nothing else, for the fact that in the original story, she dared to fight to the death against that bastard Obito Uchiha.
When Yahiko and Nagato were alive, Konan supported them unconditionally. When they died, she sought revenge with all her might.
Such a woman, whether as a partner or a lover, was trustworthy and rare.
He genuinely wanted to help Konan adapt, not intentionally disrespect her.
After a while, Konan finished reading the treaty.
Although she was very unhappy with some of the clauses, Konan didn't show it. She picked up the pen and inkpad on the desk and stamped the official seal of Amegakure, going through the motions.
Seeing Kageyama Kogetsu put away the treaty, Konan forced a smile onto her face and said, "Lord Hokage has come a long way. As the host, I should treat you well."
"Please wait a moment while I prepare some food and wine."
Kageyama Kogetsu released her and said, "Sure. Bring some red wine to liven up the atmosphere."
"By the way, change your clothes. I still think you looked best the first time we met."
"Heroic yet frosty, with a sense of mystery."
Konan paused, feigning calm. "Understood."
After Konan left, Kageyama Kogetsu, bored, wandered around the room, looking here and there.
However, he didn't rummage through things. In the end, he simply opened the window and quietly watched the wind and rain enveloping the world...
Ten minutes later, Konan, wearing a black robe with red clouds, walked into the room carrying two food boxes. She called Kageyama Kogetsu to the dining room in the living area.
After setting out the food, the two sat opposite each other, raised their glasses, and took a sip.
"Lord Hokage, I'm very curious about how you persuaded Kisame and Jūzō to defect. If it's convenient, could you tell me?" Konan asked seriously.
"Sure. Actually, it's nothing special. They just agreed more with my philosophy of peace."
"I've looked into the Akatsuki's philosophy of peace. The first one was too naive, and the second one was too extreme."
"My philosophy of peace lies somewhere in between. Specifically, it's like this..."
Kageyama Kogetsu repeated what he had told Kakuzu and Pakura before. The words were different, but the essence was the same.
While speaking, he clinked glasses with Konan from time to time. Before long, Konan's usually frosty cheeks turned red, like plum blossoms in the snow, quite stunning.
After he finished, Konan was silent for a moment. After calming her emotions, she sighed, "Lord Hokage's perspective is unique. You look at the whole world, stepping outside the ninja circle to view the world. I admire you!"
Unifying the ninja world—such an idea had likely occurred to more than one person throughout history. But focusing on the nobles and wealthy merchants of the entire world was a first.
Because it was too commonplace. So common that all ninja took it for granted and subconsciously ignored them!
"The hatred and conflict in the ninja world are just superficial reasons. The root cause is the uneven or insufficient distribution of resources."
"Why is it insufficient?"
"There are many influencing factors, but the root cause is that the nobles and wealthy merchants occupy too many resources, leaving little for the civilians and ninja."
"Civilians aside, in a world with supernatural powers, their ability to resist is too weak."
"But I don't understand why, since the birth of ninja, they've only known how to fight and kill for one or two rice balls..."
"You might think I'm exaggerating, but compared to the resources occupied by the nobles and wealthy merchants, the resources occupied by ninja are just one or two rice balls."
"So, I came up with the idea that instead of fighting for rice balls, we should make the rice ball bigger. Or rather, grab the rice balls from the nobles and wealthy merchants."
Actually, the reason for such a bizarre situation in the ninja world was ultimately determined by the relationship between Japan and the US.
The hidden villages were the US, and the countries were Japan, delusionally trying to use economic means to control armed groups with self-awareness.
It succeeded in the ninja world, but in reality, Japan was taught a lesson by the US with the Plaza Accord and has been lost ever since...
Facts have proven that when push comes to shove, the money bag can't beat the gun barrel.
"My ally hoards grain, I hoard guns; my ally is my granary."
Now, Kageyama Kogetsu planned to overturn the method of using economic means to control armed groups in the ninja world as well. It was better if fantasy and reality aligned.
"Lord Hokage, your idea is good, but won't there be a day when there aren't enough rice balls for the ninja?"
"Although with the current number of ninja, that day is still far off," Konan said softly with a smile, her eyes misty.
Kageyama Kogetsu didn't hesitate. "If there aren't enough rice balls, we'll just keep finding ways to make the rice ball bigger."
"Chakra is magical. It can be combined with technology to develop the world, allowing it to produce more resources."
"Even if we develop this world to its limit and can't develop it further, we can explore and develop other worlds."
"The universe is vast and boundless. There will always be worlds suitable for human survival. Why limit our vision to one world?"
Hearing this, Konan was dazed for a while. She shook her head, trying to clear the alcohol from her mind, and said seriously, "Lord Hokage, I'm completely convinced by you."
"Hehe... weren't you convinced before?" Kageyama Kogetsu teased.
"I was, but it was different," Konan smiled.
"I understand."
"Since you're completely convinced, I think we can be more open and honest." Kageyama Kogetsu patted his thigh with a grin.
Konan bit her lip lightly, picked up her wine glass, stood up, and sat in Kageyama Kogetsu's lap. Alcohol and shyness surged together, turning her face completely red.
"The Akatsuki's uniform design is nice, much better looking than the uniforms of the major ninja villages."
"Let me check the quality of the fabric..."
Konan didn't answer, biting her lip silently, allowing him to check.
"Mm... the outer fabric is nice. Let me see if they cut corners on the inner fabric..."
The black robe with red clouds was loose, so it was easy to reach in and check the fabric.
"Mm... not bad, genuine goods. Now I want to check what material the other clothes are made of..."
After a thorough inspection inside and out, Kageyama Kogetsu confirmed that Konan had plenty of material, both externally and internally!
Konan's code name in the Akatsuki was White Tiger (Byakko). As expected, there are only wrong names, no wrong code names. It was truly a pleasant surprise!
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