"Huh? Takigakure has been ruined?"
"This is unbelievable."
"Could it be that Uchiha Makoto—that inherently evil Uchiha brat—is causing trouble behind the scenes again?"
Senju Tobirama frowned as he stared at the latest intelligence report in his hand.
Once again, his plans had been disrupted.
In just one night.
Takigakure, which had previously been at the forefront—cornered by Konoha and on the verge of being crushed—had suddenly turned the situation around.
Konoha was no longer sending troops.
Of course, this wasn't because Konoha had suddenly grown benevolent.
The real reason was that nearly all of Takigakure's high-ranking officials had been slaughtered overnight by the escaped Kakuzu.
Only one or two senior figures survived, desperately trying to hold the village together.
Under such circumstances, continuing a military campaign against Takigakure would be meaningless.
Senju Tobirama strongly suspected that Uchiha Makoto was behind this incident as well, but he had no concrete evidence.
However irritating that was, the facts remained.
Takigakure had been implicated in two enormous crimes: the attempted assassination of the Hokage and the massacre of great nobles.
Even though the true culprit had fled, responsibility could not simply be ignored.
At the very least, Takigakure had to sign unequal treaties—and pay reparations.
As for being beaten into submission, that part was skipped.
Big Brother had heard about the situation and personally intervened.
Soon after, the negotiation meeting originally scheduled for a week later was moved forward.
The two remaining high-ranking officials of Takigakure hurried to attend.
They were completely numb.
Natural disasters, man-made calamities, internal collapse—everything had struck at once.
Now, on top of that, they had to face Konoha's accusations.
Takigakure truly seemed doomed.
At the negotiation table, Uchiha Makoto was also present.
As the guardian Kage of the Land of Fire and the leader of Akatsuki Ninja Village, he could not be absent from such an important meeting.
(Although he was one of the masterminds.)
Naturally, he wasn't the protagonist today.
But since he was already here, he had no intention of returning empty-handed.
With Senju Tobirama and the Uzumaki Clan working together, the technical problems had already been resolved.
The cannery had officially begun operations.
This crisis presented an excellent opportunity.
Takigakure—and even the entire Land of Waterfall—represented a sizable market.
The high-ranking officials of Takigakure sat nervously on the sofa.
"Lord Tobirama, we are innocent!"
"This was all done by Kakuzu, that rogue ninja! It has nothing to do with us!"
"He even broke out of prison and massacred people!"
Their voices trembled, their faces pale.
"You're innocent?"
"So you're saying this is Konoha's fault?"
Senju Tobirama slammed his palm onto the table.
The sharp sound echoed through the room.
The Takigakure officials shuddered.
Facing a powerhouse like Konoha, they didn't even have the right to bargain.
Even if they sold themselves entirely, they wouldn't get a good price.
"Sign it."
The treaty lay on the table.
The terms were almost a direct copy of Uchiha Makoto's previous agreement with Kumogakure.
Only the names had been changed.
Not a single mention of Akatsuki Ninja Village appeared.
"This… Lord Tobirama, we can accept the terms."
"But this compensation… one billion ryo…"
"You know Takigakure has suffered severe damage. Casualties are heavy."
"If we want to recover…"
"If possible…"
They swallowed hard as they finished reading.
The clauses stripping sovereignty and dignity were tolerable.
Those were unavoidable.
But the compensation was impossible.
Without that money, Takigakure would barely survive.
In fact, they even hoped to exchange their submission for Konoha's financial aid.
Allowing Konoha's ninja to station troops directly in Takigakure was acceptable.
Senju Tobirama's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected them to be so shameless.
Stationing Konoha ninja in Takigakure?
What benefit would that bring?
Konoha didn't need to maintain its dominance through such small villages.
Uchiha Makoto watched from the side, barely suppressing a laugh.
These people were textbook compradores.
Still, he understood them.
Takigakure lacked high-level combat power.
The Ninja World followed the law of the jungle.
If you were weak, you would be devoured.
Clinging to Konoha was, from their perspective, a brilliant survival strategy.
What's wrong with being a dog?
You want to be one, but you don't even have the chance.
The atmosphere grew delicate.
Senju Tobirama wanted to drain Takigakure completely.
Konoha was strong.
With Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara around, they didn't care about a small village.
But if Takigakure couldn't pay, even installments would stretch over decades.
Meanwhile, the cannery—into which so much effort and technology had been invested—couldn't be allowed to fail.
"How about this?"
Uchiha Makoto finally spoke.
"We sign a commercial contract with Takigakure."
"They purchase canned goods every month and help promote the cannery."
"The market value of Takigakure—and the entire Land of Waterfall—is worth far more than one billion ryo."
He wasn't thinking like a ninja.
He was thinking like a capitalist.
"Lord Kage!"
The Takigakure officials' eyes lit up instantly.
They had been so focused on Konoha that they forgot about this terrifyingly influential figure.
If they couldn't be Konoha's dog, they could be Akatsuki's.
It was all the same.
Senju Tobirama glared at Makoto.
Why did this Uchiha brat always interfere at critical moments?
But compared to his murderous urge, Tobirama cared more about the money.
One billion ryo was no small sum.
Still, Makoto's promises sounded too optimistic.
Konoha's share in the cannery was technical investment.
No capital risk.
If Makoto asked him to invest real money, Tobirama would refuse immediately.
He'd been tricked too many times.
There was precedent.
His disciples had nearly bankrupted Konoha with reckless business ventures.
A painful lesson.
"Are you sure this can earn one billion ryo?"
"The decision is yours. I'm just making a suggestion."
"And you wouldn't want the cannery to collapse, would you? Konoha is a shareholder too."
Tobirama ground his teeth.
One billion ryo—within reach.
After a long silence, he nodded.
"Fine. We'll do it your way."
The Takigakure officials bowed ninety degrees.
"Akatsuki Ninja Village is benevolent!"
Tobirama coughed pointedly.
They immediately bowed again.
"Thank you, Lord Tobirama."
His expression remained dark.
Makoto calmly produced a pre-written contract.
Tobirama's face darkened further.
"You planned this in advance?"
"How can it be a plot if everyone agrees willingly?"
The contract was detailed and strict.
Takigakure became an official distributor.
Order quotas. Rebates. Penalties.
Everything was clear.
"Tobirama, half the revenue goes to Konoha until one billion is reached."
"Hmph. That was Konoha's money anyway."
"If sales increase, Konoha earns more."
"You earn more!"
"Withdraw your shares, then."
"You're dreaming!"
They argued loudly.
The Takigakure officials felt relieved.
Compared to paying one billion directly, this was salvation.
Canned goods could feed the village.
Boost morale.
Strengthen ties.
They would eat canned food for every meal if necessary.
Soon, the contracts were signed.
The meeting ended.
Only Tobirama and Makoto remained.
"Tobirama, there will be movements in the Land of Fire."
"We're loyal to the Daimyo."
"I know. I won't act rashly before your brother dies."
"Are you cursing him?!"
Makoto smiled faintly.
"I'm younger than both of you."
"Then we'll outlive you!"
Yet Tobirama felt uneasy.
If Makoto lived that long…
Who could stop him?
Full collection Avilable at low subscription patreon (Obito_uchiha)