Mabui raised her head and turned another page in the document within her hands.
"There are two main reasons."
"First, Hidden Stone Village recently lowered the commission prices for mission requests, intercepting some of the border escort missions that originally flowed toward Hidden Cloud."
"Second…"
She paused.
"The Uchiha clan left the Hidden Leaf and established Hidden Gento Village within the Land of Hot Water."
A's gaze sharpened.
Mabui continued:
"Hidden Gento Village is located in Cerulean Harbor, the largest port in the Land of Hot Water, with quite a convenient transportation and an endless flow of merchant ships."
"The Uchiha have always been renowned for their strength and possess an excellent reputation in the mission commission market."
"Now that they have established an independent village while also occupying a geographical advantage, many high-level commissions are now going directly to them."
"The Uchiha…"
A gritted his teeth as he spoke the surname.
Mabui flipped open another page.
"According to intelligence reports, ever since Hidden Gento Village was established, the Uchiha's mission commission volume has not only failed to decrease after leaving the Hidden Leaf, it has actually increased by nearly thirty percent."
"They only take thirty percent of mission payments as village operating expenses, while the remaining seventy percent goes entirely to the ninja performing the missions."
"This distribution ratio is unprecedented across the entire Shinobi World."
"Seventy percent?"
A Jonin seated at the conference table could not help speaking up.
"Have they gone insane? How does the village even operate like that?"
"They possess sufficient financial resources to sustain it."
Mabui replied flatly.
"The wealth accumulated by the Uchiha during their time in the Hidden Leaf far exceeded our previous estimates."
"In addition, the Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water granted Cerulean Harbor to Gento Uchiha as his territory. The tax revenue from that prosperous port alone is a considerable income source."
Yugito leaned against her chair, her fingers stopping their habitual twirling of her hair as interest flashed through her eyes.
"Interesting."
She spoke softly.
"That Uchiha Clan Head doesn't seem like a simple character."
A glanced at her without replying and instead turned toward Mabui.
"What's the Hidden Leaf's reaction?"
Mabui shook her head.
"The Hidden Leaf higher-ups are quite dissatisfied with the situation, but currently lack the ability to interfere."
"After the Uchiha left, the Hidden Leaf's military strength weakened significantly. The other ninja villages are all watching from the sidelines."
"A bunch of trash."
A snorted coldly, his voice filled with disdain.
He stood up and walked toward the window, turning his back toward everyone as his gaze passed through the glass toward the cloud-covered mountains in the distance.
Bang!
After remaining silent for a moment, he suddenly turned around and slammed a hand onto the table.
The entire conference table shook. Several Jonin's teacups toppled over, spilling tea across the table.
A's voice thundered throughout the room.
"The Land of Hot Water has always proclaimed itself neutral, surviving off hot springs and tourism while never involving itself in Shinobi World conflicts."
"Now? They actually dissolved Hidden Steam and invited the Uchiha in to establish Hidden Gento Village."
"This is not only a betrayal of their own neutral stance, it is also a severe violation of Hidden Cloud's interests!"
His gaze swept across every person present.
"Hidden Cloud absolutely cannot sit back and ignore this!"
"For the sake of mission commissions, we must strike Hidden Gento Village with a heavy hand!"
The conference room fell silent at once.
Everyone exchanged glances.
An older Jonin cautiously asked:
"Lord Raikage… do you mean to wage war against Hidden Gento Village?"
"War?"
A let out a scornful laugh.
"No, not war."
"This is a special military operation."
He braced both hands against the table and leaned forward.
The pressure emanating from his muscular body was overwhelming.
"Isn't the Uchiha wealthy?"
"Then we'll make them bleed a little!"
His gaze landed on Yugito as his domineering voice rang out:
"Yugito, take one thousand elite ninja and enter the territory of the Land of Hot Water."
Yugito raised a brow but said nothing.
A continued:
"However many missions the Uchiha stole from Hidden Cloud, they'll repay the same amount."
"You'll lead the force and station yourselves outside Hidden Gento Village to display our strength."
"One Tailed Beast Bomb will be more than enough to intimidate them."
"Even at maximum capacity, Hidden Gento Village only has a few thousand Uchiha clansmen. At most, barely over two thousand of them can fight on the battlefield."
"And you're a Perfect Jinchuriki. They won't dare fight you!"
"As long as they understand the gap in strength, they'll obediently sit down at the negotiation table."
"When that happens, I want them to sign a treaty."
"Besides compensating Hidden Cloud for all losses caused by the reduction in mission commissions, Hidden Cloud will also take a thirty percent cut of all future mission payments earned by Hidden Gento Village."
Mabui's brows slightly furrowed as she stood up.
"Lord Raikage, should we reconsider this matter?"
"Though Hidden Gento Village is small, the Uchiha's combat strength cannot be underestimated."
"If we recklessly apply pressure now, in case…"
"In case what?"
A interrupted her, his tone cold and hard.
"Hidden Cloud has over ten thousand ninja. We have Perfect Jinchuriki like Yugito and Killer B, as well as the hidden trump cards accumulated by generations of Raikage."
"No matter how strong the Uchiha are, they're still only a single clan."
He paused, his gaze turning meaningful.
"Mabui, remember this."
"In the Shinobi World, strength is the only real truth!"
"Hidden Cloud's power wasn't negotiated into existence. It was won with our fists!"
Mabui opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more. She merely nodded and sat back down.
Yugito leaned back in her chair again, twirling that strand of pale hair around her finger with a faintly amused smile.
"One thousand people, plus me. Lord Raikage, are you planning to surround Hidden Gento Village?"
"Not surround them."
A corrected her.
"It's a display of power."
"I want them to understand that Hidden Cloud isn't like those weaklings in the Hidden Leaf."
"If they steal what belongs to us, they'll pay the price."
Yugito stood up and stretched lazily.
The movement tightened her skintight black combat outfit even further, making the curves of her chest even more astonishing.
She casually asked:
"When do we depart?"
"Immediately!"
Yugito nodded and walked toward the exit.
After taking several steps, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at A.
"Lord Raikage, I have a question."
"Speak."
"What if the Uchiha refuse?"
"What if that Gento Uchiha really dares to fight me?"
A remained silent for a moment before revealing a fierce grin.
"Then make them understand what a Perfect Jinchuriki truly means."
The corners of Yugito's lips curled upward a bit. She said nothing more and turned to leave.
The conference room remained silent for a brief moment.
A turned toward Mabui.
"Mabui, draft up a treaty proposal."
"The contents are as follows: First, Hidden Gento Village will compensate Hidden Cloud for all losses caused by mission commission reductions, with the exact amount determined by us."
"Second, from this point onward, Hidden Cloud will take a thirty percent cut from all S-rank and A-rank missions accepted by Hidden Gento Village."
"Third, Hidden Gento Village is forbidden from accepting commissions that conflict with Hidden Cloud's interests."
He paused before adding:
"Fourth, Hidden Gento Village must publicly acknowledge Hidden Cloud Village's leadership position over Hidden Gento Village."
The pen in Mabui's hand paused briefly. She raised her eyes to look at A, but ultimately lowered her head and recorded it.
"Yes."
A returned to the seat of honor, crossing his arms as his gaze swept across everyone present.
"Do you all understand?"
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison.
A nodded and waved his hand.
"Meeting adjourned!"
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