The news brought by the Konoha Anbu was far too shocking.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning's mouth hung open, his eyes widened like copper bells, and his face turned completely pale.
It was over.
An entire generation of Kumogakure was gone.
The hope he had bought with nine billion was gone.
The other three Daimyo, after a brief moment of surprise, were filled with uncontrollable joy.
Dead?
All dead?
Hahahahaha.
Good. Let them die.
Kumogakure had lost its Kage, lost its Jinchūriki, and now it had lost three thousand elite shinobi.
Today's Kumogakure had no strength left to resist.
Entering Kumogakure would be smooth, effortless.
They could plunder the Land of Lightning's wealth, technology, and resources without restraint.
Greedy excitement flashed in their eyes.
They looked at one another and saw the barely concealed delight on each face.
At that moment.
A sharp scream exploded through the room.
"No!"
Arashi shot to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.
He grabbed the Anbu by the collar and lifted him off the floor. "What did you say?"
"All dead?"
"That was my money!"
"How dare Sarutobi Hiruzen do this!"
His roar shook the ceiling, as if it wasn't three thousand enemy shinobi who had died.
That nine billion was gone.
The Anbu trembled under Arashi's grip, quickly producing a scroll. "D... Daimyo-sama, this is the Third Hokage's direct report."
Arashi tore it from his hand and unrolled it roughly.
His eyes scanned the contents. His body swayed. The grief on his face intensified.
He smashed the scroll to the floor, chest heaving in rage like a caged beast.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto the collapsed Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
It was a gaze that looked eager to tear him apart.
"Is everyone from your Land of Lightning nothing but muscle-brained idiots?"
"You can't even endure a bit of humiliation?"
"Then why are you fighting wars at all?"
"If you lose, admit defeat! Pay the indemnity! Redeem your people! That is the rule. Do you understand what a rule is?"
"Now look! The people are gone! And the money is gone too!"
"My nine billion!"
Arashi pointed at the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning and cursed wildly, completely losing his composure.
Watching Arashi rage over the nine billion, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning felt his mind go blank.
Shouldn't I be the one angry?
Across the room, the other three Daimyo exchanged looks, their hearts blooming with glee.
This young Daimyo of the Land of Fire was still too naïve.
Losing composure over nine billion.
So what if he was powerful?
He had trained too much. His brain clearly lacked subtlety.
But this was perfect.
The more fixated he was on the money, the less he cared about Kumogakure itself.
This was excellent news for the three of them.
Not only would the Land of Fire not claim a share, they could also tighten their hold on Kumogakure.
After all, Kumogakure's anger must be boiling by now.
And the ones who would face it were the three nations' supervisors who would soon enter the village.
But the three were unfazed.
In the face of huge profit, what is a little risk?
Looking at Arashi roaring about money, and the dazed Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
Their smiles grew even deeper.
They did not realize that from the moment they stepped into Kumogakure, they had walked into Arashi's carefully constructed trap.
Glancing at the three Daimyo, Arashi sneered inwardly.
Just imagining four nations' shinobi gathered in one village was enough to excite him.
On the surface, his performance continued. His furious shouts echoed through the room.
The four Daimyo were completely stunned.
The muscles on the Daimyo of the Land of Earth's face twitched.
He wanted to laugh but didn't dare.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind froze mid-fan, eyes full of disbelief.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water simply curled his lip in disdain.
The head of the Five Great Nations losing his composure over a mere nine billion.
He practically had the words greedy and shortsighted written on his forehead.
But this was wonderful.
A ruler who only cares about immediate profit was far easier to manipulate than a scheming fox.
They were relieved.
Fortunately, the Land of Fire produced such a simple-minded Daimyo.
If it had been a cunning old monster, today's feast would have been much harder.
They exchanged glances, each seeing the same disdain and hidden joy.
"Ahem."
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth stepped forward, slapping the table with a heavy palm. "Daimyo Arashi, calm yourself. Please calm down."
"Getting angry will not change anything."
"Yes," the Daimyo of the Land of Wind added earnestly. "The dead cannot return. As for money, it can be earned again."
Arashi suddenly turned, eyes blazing like fire.
"Easy for you to say!"
"That was nine billion! Nine billion!"
"That was two years of the Land of Fire's revenue!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. His gaze burned into the three Daimyo.
Like a starving wolf whose meal had been snatched.
"No."
"I absolutely refuse to let this go."
He gritted his teeth. "Since you three intend to enter Kumogakure for military supervision."
"Then this nine billion in war indemnity will be paid by you."
"I want cash. Not one ryō less."
All three Daimyo froze.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water's smile stiffened. "Daimyo Arashi, what do you mean by this?"
"It means the three of you will gather nine billion for me."
"Absurd!" The Daimyo of the Land of Earth snapped. "This is your indemnity agreement with the Land of Lightning. Why should we pay?"
"Because my Land of Fire fought the war."
"My Land of Fire played the villain."
"And you are here to divide the spoils." Arashi stared back coldly, greed thick on his face.
"You want to take your troops and monopolize Kumogakure. Fine."
"But there is no such thing as a free lunch."
"This nine billion is what I deserve."
"If you refuse, you are stealing from me."
"And I am not polite to people who steal my money."
The three Daimyo's faces changed drastically.
He was right.
But international politics had never cared about logic.
They now understood.
He was using this as an excuse to reclaim his losses.
(To be continued.)
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