At that time, the Shion Flower Merchants Association was just starting its loan business. Facing a major client like the Hidden Sand Village, and with official personnel from the Land of Wind acting as guarantors, they readily approved a large sum of military funding for the Hidden Sand Village.
The Hidden Sand Village also promised to repay this loan within the stipulated time.
Calculating the time, it was actually over two years ago that the Hidden Sand Village was supposed to have cleared the loan, but due to diplomatic intervention, they requested the Shion Flower Merchants Association to extend the deadline.
Mentioning it now proves that the extended deadline from over two years ago has also arrived.
Seated in the conference room, the Hidden Sand Elders, along with Rasa, couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
The reason is simple; the loan amount is massive, and in recent years the Hidden Sand Village has already spent most of the approved funds on developing military power, leaving no capacity to repay the Shion Flower Merchants Association's loan.
Rasa also perceived the embarrassment among the elders, and so he coughed lightly, saying, "Just this morning, the diplomatic personnel from the Land of Demons arrived here, hoping that we at Hidden Sand can repay this loan promptly to avoid any trust issues and inability to secure a second loan."
"The Land of Demons isn't lacking in development funds anyway, can't they extend it a bit longer?"
Shion Flower Merchants Association isn't a private association; it is owned by the government of the Land of Demons, with government officials in charge, and is said to have intricate ties with the country's military, effectively representing the official financial department of the Land of Demons.
It's still called an association because Shion Flower Merchants Association initially was a private association before it merged into the government system of the Land of Demons.
"It shouldn't be said this way. We should have repaid that loan over two years ago. The Shion Flower Merchants Association, considering our Hidden Sand Village's status, continued to grace us with over two years' extension, which truly is generous enough. I think we should possibly reduce some military expenses, gather the owed amount, and repay the Shion Flower Merchants Association promptly to avoid losing trust."
One elder shook his head.
"But if we do that, how can we develop the village? The funding from the Daimyo each year is fixed. It's not that we don't want to repay, but rather we genuinely can't afford to repay."
"There should be a way to squeeze some out, right?"
"The village needs funding to grow."
Another elder directly blocked the conversation, and most elders inwardly agreed with this view.
Although the Hidden Sand Village falls short on this matter, the loan amount from the Shion Flower Merchants Association was too large. Repaying it now could likely impact the Hidden Sand Village's developmental plans for the coming years, essentially rendering it ineffective for years ahead.
Such a thing must not happen.
The peace era is one of the rare moments to accelerate the development of military power, a crucial transitional period that requires a racing spirit to adequately prepare for the next Great Ninja War.
If that loan were repaid, the Hidden Sand Village would effectively lose the race against other Ninja Villages, which is simply unthinkable.
"Kazekage, what is your opinion?"
This issue comes down to a debate over whether to repay or not, but ultimately it is the Kazekage himself who needs to make the decision.
Rasa glanced around the conference room and said to the Hidden Sand Elders, "Actually, I believe this kind of matter cannot be decided solely by our Hidden Sand Village. As is well known, our Hidden Sand Village belongs to the Land of Wind's military institution. Even when seeking loans from other countries, in principle, we should apply to the Daimyo's Mansion. After all, when borrowing initially, there was an official beside the Daimyo serving as guarantor."
"Kazekage's meaning is..."
The seated Hidden Sand Elders are no fools; they immediately understood the Hidden Sand's intention.
"Kazekage is right. Since the Daimyo sent officials as guarantors, the repayment should be handled by the Daimyo. This matter is beyond our jurisdiction."
"Yes, the Daimyo is the highest authority in the Land of Wind. The demand for repayment from us by the Shion Flower Merchants Association is indeed irregular."
The wind direction shifted immediately, and everyone knew this was a good approach.
After all, the Hidden Sand Village cannot be made to shell out this money; otherwise, its future development would be halted, and the gap with powerful Ninja Villages like Konoha would widen.
"Since the elders agree, then I'll respond to the diplomat from the Land of Demons accordingly."
Rasa felt relieved.
In fact, beforehand, he had already discussed this with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. His decision was actually agreed upon by the Daimyo.
As long as they continue to shirk the repayment responsibility and extend the repayment indefinitely.
With the military power of the Land of Wind, as a small country, the Land of Demons wouldn't dare to initiate military threats.
As for economic threats, by sending the Hidden Sand Ninja Squad for a walk near the Land of Demons, the issue can also be resolved smoothly.
In Rasa's view, this matter was finally resolved satisfactorily.
He didn't believe the Land of Demons would persistently cling to this issue, daring to simultaneously provoke the Kazekage and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
Were it not for the neutrality of the country involved, with future potential use of the Witch's abilities, Rasa would have completely disregarded the Land of Demons.
Without a strong military foundation, the commercial empire they built is no more than a house of cards, falling with the slightest touch.
It isn't that they are intimidated by the neutral country's status; historically, there isn't a shortage of instances where neutral countries are dragged into conflicts. The Land of Demons is merely slightly special among the neutral countries.