Inside the conference room.
Facing the forceful Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, Wind, and Water who supported him, the isolated Daimyo of the Land of Lightning felt a chill run down his spine.
Four Nations' supervision.
A former princess of the Land of Fire.
And that illegitimate child.
Just thinking about what awaited the Land of Lightning filled him with endless despair and fear.
His body trembled. He could no longer hold himself upright and slumped weakly behind the low table.
He went limp, as if his bones had vanished, collapsing completely.
Every condition still echoed in his mind.
That was not a treaty.
It was carving out the flesh of the Land of Lightning.
He had no other choice.
But as the ruler of a nation, he had to squeeze out one final shred of leverage.
"Alright... I will sign." The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning gritted his teeth, his voice squeezed from his throat. "But I have one condition."
"You must release the three thousand Kumo ninja prisoners. And the Fourth Raikage and Killer B."
"They are the foundation of the Land of Lightning. If you agree, I will sign immediately."
He stared at Arashi like a drowning man clinging to his last lifeline.
The Daimyo of Earth, Wind, and Water frowned.
Three thousand prisoners were nothing.
But if the Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki were released, their ability to suppress Kumogakure would drop sharply.
"You can," Arashi replied without hesitation.
Hope burst in the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning's eyes.
But the next moment, Arashi added slowly, "Three thousand Kumo ninja can be ransomed."
"The price?" the Daimyo immediately asked. As long as they returned, there was hope of rebuilding strength.
"Not much," Arashi said. "Three million ryō per person."
"Three thousand people comes to nine billion ryō."
"What?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was struck as if by lightning.
Nine billion.
That was equivalent to draining the Land of Lightning's finances for five years.
"You... you are robbing us!" he shouted.
"Correct," Arashi said calmly. "I am robbing you."
"You may choose not to pay."
"Then those three thousand people will spend the rest of their lives mining in the Land of Fire until they die underground."
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning went pale, his jaw clenched so tight it seemed he might charge at Arashi just to bite him.
"Fine. I... I will pay."
"Then what about the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"Them?" Arashi's eyes turned icy. "The chief culprits cannot be forgiven."
"They will be held as primary war criminals by the Four Nations' oversight group in Kumogakure."
"When the Land of Lightning elects a Raikage who actually understands peace, we will consider their release."
This condition directly destroyed the Fourth Raikage's political future.
And placed a blade at the throat of all of Kumogakure.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning felt utterly hopeless.
He looked around.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth sat with eyes closed.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind leisurely fanned himself, enjoying the scenery.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water sipped his tea, giving a cold smile.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning let out a bitter smile, worse than crying.
At that moment, Arashi sighed, an expression of reluctant sympathy appearing on his face.
"Your Excellency, Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, there is no need to despair."
"Our Four Nations' supervision is only over Kumogakure, not your entire country."
"The funds and supplies collected are only for the necessary expenses of stationing troops in Kumogakure."
His tone sounded sincere. "Once we confirm Kumogakure will not produce another warmonger like the Fourth Raikage, we will withdraw immediately."
"Your Land of Lightning will remain intact." Arashi pointed to the scroll. "It is written clearly that we will not interfere in internal affairs."
This sounded like a lifeline.
But the Daimyo of Earth, Wind, and Water all sneered inwardly.
Whether Kumogakure produced another Raikage like that was entirely up to them.
The most important thing now was to make the old man sign.
So the three also persuaded him.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind said earnestly, "Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, Daimyo Arashi has shown the utmost sincerity. Do not hesitate any longer."
The Daimyo of the Land of Water echoed, "Sign it. This is the best path for the future stability of the Land of Lightning."
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning understood clearly this was just temporary comfort.
But now, he was nothing but a lamb waiting for slaughter.
What else could he do?
His trembling hand picked up the brush.
At the bottom of the scroll, he signed his name.
When the final stroke fell, he felt his spirit drain away and collapsed weakly into his seat.
The Daimyo of Earth, Wind, and Water all smiled.
The feast to divide the Land of Lightning had finally concluded.
Arashi picked up the treaty, glanced at it, and nodded with satisfaction.
Then he looked at the other three Daimyo, a warm smile returning to his face.
"Gentlemen,"
"To celebrate the arrival of a new peace in the shinobi world,"
"Tonight, let us drink until we drop."
"Hahahahaha, excellent. I was thinking the same thing."
"Of course."
"Let us go."
The room quickly returned to its false harmony.
As if everything earlier had been no more than a dream.
Only the slumped Daimyo of the Land of Lightning and the freshly signed treaty proved the Land of Lightning had been placed at others' mercy.
Just as the four nations, excluding the Land of Lightning, were celebrating,
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A knock shattered the cheerful atmosphere.
Everyone froze.
Hadn't they ordered absolute silence?
Arashi frowned, irritation flashing across his face. "Enter."
The door opened. A shinobi in Konoha Anbu uniform knelt on one knee.
"Daimyo-sama."
"What is it?" Arashi asked impatiently, pretending annoyance. "Do you not see we are discussing important matters?"
The Anbu hesitated.
Arashi scolded, "Spit it out."
"Reporting, Daimyo-sama!" the Anbu said quickly. "The three thousand Kumo prisoners have collectively rioted."
"What?"
Shock rippled through the room.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, who had collapsed earlier, suddenly raised his head, eyes full of terror and disbelief.
The smiles of the other three Daimyo froze.
A riot?
At this crucial moment?
Arashi's eyes widened as he shot a cold glance at the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, making him break out in cold sweat.
Arashi gritted his teeth. "What exactly happened?"
The Anbu continued, "The prisoners attempted to break through the camp and rally a counterattack. To prevent greater casualties and stabilize the situation..."
"The Third Hokage issued a kill-on-sight order."
"As of now, all three thousand rebellious Kumo prisoners have been executed on the spot."
The words exploded like thunder overhead.
All executed on the spot.
Three thousand Kumo ninja, gone.
Silence filled the room so completely that even a pin drop would have been heard.
(To be continued.)