Rasa carefully haggled over the price.
Selling chakra—
This was something he had never even heard of before.
But no matter what—
He absolutely couldn't undersell it.
This concerned Sunagakure's future economy.
He had to be cautious.
He had been poor for far too long.
Ever since becoming Kazekage, Rasa wished he could stretch one ryo into ten.
"Don't worry, Kazekage," Uchiha Ren said calmly.
"Konoha has a professional commercial team. Someone will handle the negotiations with you."
"The price will be fair and reasonable. A true win-win."
His tone was righteous.
Confident.
Of course—
He planned to hand this over to Kakuzu.
Kakuzu had already proven himself.
Within Konoha's financial department, he was thriving.
Every major deal—
He took charge.
First, he would infiltrate the other party's base.
Steal their ledgers.
Calculate costs.
Profit margins.
Consumer patterns.
Then—
Slash prices mercilessly.
With a portable calculator in hand, he would prove—
Even at his price—
They still made a profit.
Just… less.
Faced with Konoha's capital, technology, and distribution—
They had no choice but to accept.
Thick-skinned.
Cold-hearted.
Profit-driven.
Working overtime voluntarily.
A perfect labor machine.
Now—
He was Konoha's top negotiator.
Terrifying.
With him handling things—
Sunagakure might profit.
But Konoha would always profit more.
Because a "win-win"—
Meant Konoha won twice.
And before every chakra extraction—
Recording name, age, gender—
Perfectly reasonable, right?
After all—
How else would payments be issued?
But through this—
Konoha would gradually obtain:
The number of shinobi in Sunagakure.
Gender distribution.
Chakra capacity.
All internal data.
Quietly.
Completely.
"…Alright."
Rasa nodded reluctantly.
He knew the price couldn't be finalized today.
But even securing a new income stream—
It was already a major success.
Especially for those disabled shinobi—
Missing limbs.
Unable to perform high-level missions.
Reduced to D-rank tasks—
Finding pets.
Cleaning.
Barely surviving.
Now—
They could sell chakra instead.
Their lives would improve.
This alone—
It was a huge political achievement.
"Kazekage, there's more."
Uchiha Ren leaned forward.
"Konoha would also like to sell goods to Sunagakure."
"Food, iron, medicine, daily necessities."
"Affordable prices."
"And—"
"We'd like to recruit workers from your village."
"Konoha is short on labor."
"We were going to recruit refugees in the Land of Fire…"
"But since we're allies—"
"We'll prioritize you."
Rasa froze.
The terms came one after another.
The intention was obvious—
Bind Sunagakure's economy to Konoha.
The tighter the connection—
The harder it would be to break away.
Food?
Konoha would supply it.
Housing?
Konoha's designs.
Daily goods?
Konoha-made.
Jobs?
Konoha factories.
Eventually—
Sunagakure would depend on Konoha for everything.
Their own merchants—
Wouldn't stand a chance.
Crushed by Konoha's scale.
Even their villagers—
I would end up working in Konoha.
At that point—
Would the Kazekage's authority still matter?
…Hard to say.
"…Let me think."
Rasa frowned.
This felt—
Too good.
Suspiciously good.
But—
Sunagakure desperately needed it.
Their situation was dire.
Merchants avoided them.
Low profits.
High risk.
Harsh deserts.
Bandits disguised as villagers.
Even officials turned a blind eye.
Survival supplies were scarce.
If a merchant came—
Even the Kazekage personally hosted them.
And now—
Konoha was offering everything.
Jobs.
Food.
Stability.
It was—
Irresistible.
Inside Rasa's mind—
Voices screamed:
Are you stupid?!
Accept it! Accept it now!
Still—
His remaining rationality resisted.
There was no such thing as a free lunch.
Uchiha Ren had to be plotting something.
Could someone like this really become Hokage?
(Well… excluding Senju Hashirama.)
"Thinking?"
Uchiha Ren scoffed.
"I genuinely want to help Sunagakure."
"This isn't about alliances."
"It's about the Will of Fire."
"If every village prospers…"
"Peace will follow."
"In the Land of Fire, I make money daily."
"In Sunagakure?"
"I don't even care about profit."
"Breaking even is enough."
"Kazekage…"
"You don't want your people to suffer, do you?"
Rasa was moved.
Was such a person—
Real?
First Senju Hashirama.
Now Uchiha Ren.
Konoha truly was blessed.
"…Hokage-sama."
Rasa stood up—
And bowed deeply.
"I'm convinced."
"Your character… has moved me."
"For the sake of Sunagakure…"
"Thank you."
This bow—
It was sincere.
If his people could live better—
His pride meant nothing.
"Please, don't."
Uchiha Ren waved his hand.
"For peace… we must work together."
He spoke beautifully.
While thinking—
Look at this.
The Kazekage sold everything—
And still thank you.
Most of what he said—
It was nonsense.
Only one thing was true:
He didn't intend to profit much.
Just…
A little.
"Kazekage, I have another proposal."
"For lasting peace…"
"Let's exchange students."
"Children from Sunagakure can study in Konoha."
"They'll become bridges between our future generations."
"Konoha's education speaks for itself."
"The Ninja Academy originated here."
"Our teachers—are elites from major clans."
Rasa hesitated.
This—
It was dangerous.
Children were easily influenced.
What if they defected?
What if Konoha corrupted them?
Uchiha Ren smiled.
"I understand your concerns."
"To ensure fairness—"
"Konoha will also send children to Sunagakure."
Rasa was stunned.
…He was serious?
Wouldn't Konoha's children suffer there?
Compared to Konoha—
Sunagakure was hell.
Limited water.
Harsh conditions.
Meanwhile—
Konoha had electricity.
Hot baths.
Comfortable homes.
The difference was night and day.
And yet—
Uchiha Ren still offered this.
Such sincerity—
Left Rasa speechless.
Refusing now—
Would seem petty.
"…Alright."
"I agree."
Uchiha Ren nodded firmly.
"Excellent."
"We'll finalize the student list later."
"To show sincerity—"
"The Uchiha Clan will send a few children."
Rasa's eyes widened.
The Uchiha?
With the Sharingan?
And he trusted Sunagakure with them?
Rasa made a silent vow—
Those children would return safely.
No harm.
No schemes.
"In that case," Rasa said solemnly,
"I will send children from Sunagakure's upper ranks."
A gesture of equal sincerity.
"For peace."
"For our alliance."
"Cheers."
"Cheers."
Their cups clinked.
Both smiling—
Like innocent children.
But beneath those smiles—
The future of two villages had already begun to change.
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