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Baki stepped forward to—mediate. "Third Tsuchikage, have you perused The Strategies of the Land of Fire? Allow me to summarize. There's a relevant passage that speaks of 'lips and teeth.'"
"It references a folk proverb shared between Konoha and Uzushiogakure. The relationship between our two villages was likened to that of lips and teeth. If the lips perish, the teeth cannot long endure. If Uzushiogakure falls, can Konoha truly survive?"
"We cannot afford to be shortsighted; we must adopt a long-term perspective. If our three great villages are ultimately crushed under Konoha's relentless offensive, leaving only Iwagakure to resist a Konoha empowered by our combined strength, tell me, Iwagakure, how will you stand against them? To fail to recognize this, to view this crisis in isolation and stasis—is to doom Iwagakure!"
Baki delivered this impassioned speech, anticipating that Ōnoki would be moved, perhaps even swayed to pledge his allegiance.
However, Ōnoki leisurely countered:
"But following Uzushiogakure's destruction, Konoha thrived. Their sealing techniques became unrivaled in the Shinobi world, and I've heard that, recently, the surviving Uzumaki have begun to integrate into Konoha, establishing their own clan."
"Initially, I believed that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had simply been hampered by the prevailing political climate, unable to provide assistance to Uzushiogakure. Now, it appears he was orchestrating a far deeper game."
"No matter how one examines it, when the lips are gone, the teeth seem to flourish~"
"B-bas....!" Baki sputtered.
Whoosh!
Before the third syllable could escape his lips, Mifune's blade flashed, interposing itself between the two Kage once more: "Give me some face!"
"..."
"If you desire me to make a decision that violates the Will of Stone, to breach the [Konoha-Iwa Non-Aggression Pact] signed with Konoha, and to initiate a Shinobi war against Konoha alongside your three Shinobi villages, it is—not entirely impossible."
Ōnoki slowly raised his hand, extending all five fingers: "However, following the war's conclusion, we, Iwagakure, demand 50% of the flesh torn from Konoha. Should you refuse—our Iwagakure has no compelling reason to wade into these turbulent waters!"
"As for what Konoha will do to our Iwa after vanquishing you—let them attempt it! This old man is also curious to determine whether the Will of Stone or the Will of Fire is superior, and whose Shinobi possess greater strength!"
Hearing this, A slammed his fist onto the table in a furious outburst: "Bastard! 50%? At most, we will concede 40%! Kumogakure demands 50%!"
"Fourth Raikage! What do you mean by that?! Are you treating Kirigakure like beggars?!" Ao retorted, his single eye narrowed.
Observing the conference room teetering on the brink of chaos once more.
"Enough!" Baki intervened again, rescuing the crumbling alliance. He made a decision in line with his village's legacy. "Sunagakure will forgo any claim to the spoils of war. We only want Konoha's Nine-Tails. The rest—land, money, tools, Shinobi, jutsu… take what you will. Sunagakure will not participate in the division of spoils."
"Let us all take a step back and compromise!"
Raikage A's eyes flickered with an almost imperceptible glint of cunning, and he retracted his aggressive posture: "Kumogakure shall claim 30% of the spoils, and we will reclaim the Two-Tails, Matatabi. Kumogakure will mobilize all member villages of the Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance to jointly assault Konoha."
"As for your Kirigakure—What can you possibly consume with the remaining 20%? As far as my knowledge extends, your newly appointed Shinobi swordsmen are merely a fifteen-year-old brat." A's tone dripped with contempt: "If you are unable to demonstrate your value in the impending Shinobi war, I believe you, Kirigakure, are unqualified to partake of even that final 20%."
The underestimated Ao slowly raised a single finger: "Iwagakure, at most, can claim 40%. Kirigakure also demand 30%!"
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes, his entire being radiating a palpable aura of danger: "On what basis do you make such a demand? Is it because your Fourth Mizukage is lurking in the shadows, and the Six-Tails jinchuriki is missing? Or perhaps because of your newly reorganized Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist?"
"Because our Fourth Mizukage is currently within Konoha! He can transform into a Tailed Beast at any moment and inflict a devastating blow upon Konoha at a critical juncture! Is this sufficient to justify a 30% share?!"
'Hiss'
The scene instantly descended into stunned silence.
Ōnoki's gaze, fixed upon Ao, underwent a subtle shift.
He had assumed that Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage was severely injured and incapacitated, thus necessitating the dispatch of a mere confidant—He had not anticipated that the Fourth Mizukage, a jinchuriki—had actually infiltrated Konoha silently?
To accomplish such a feat under the dual scrutiny of the Byakugan and Konoha's formidable barrier, this Kirigakure truly possessed some hidden depth.
Ao surveyed the room, observing the shocked and speechless expressions of the other three Kage after Kirigakure unveiled this potent trump card, and he couldn't help but experience a surge of pride in this masterful display.
This trump card—had been meticulously planted within Konoha during the treaty negotiations with Konoha. Exploiting Konoha's insatiable greed, they had expended a colossal sum of money to dispatch Yagura to Konoha in this manner, under the guise of seeking medical treatment.
According to intelligence relayed by Terumi Mei and Gonbei—Yagura's vital signs were entirely stable, yet he had been diligently feigning illness these past days, successfully concealing his true condition from Konoha's detection and lurking within Konoha for an extended duration.
Seize the initiative with Yagura's broken body, employing him as Kirigakure's ultimate trump card in the impending Shinobi war, to ignite the entirety of Konoha!
"Phew…" Ōnoki, after a moment of contemplative silence, slowly uttered: "Although I am unaware of the precise methods you employed, if the Fourth Mizukage has indeed infiltrated Konoha and is capable of inflicting effective damage upon Konoha at a critical moment, this 10%—our Iwagakure will concede it to you!"
"Hmph."
Ao nodded slowly, offering no words of gratitude or acknowledgment.
These—were all opportunities that Kirigakure had earned through an immense expenditure of medical fees, and they were rightfully deserved!
Thus, the temporary alliance of villages for the Fourth Shinobi World War was formally established.
Baki felt a surge of heroic ambition coursing through his veins. The anti-Konoha alliance had been forged under his glib tongue! As long as he secured the power of the Nine-Tails, and with Sunagakure's mastery of puppetry—Sunagakure would swiftly regain its footing in this Shinobi war reshuffle, and make Sunagakure great again! Recreate the glory of Shamon's era!
A posed the crucial question: "When shall the Shinobi war commence? Will we concentrate our forces to assault a single point, or will we launch separate attacks?"
"Konoha has already consented to host the Joint Chūnin Exams. The Shinobi war shall begin then!"
"Based on historical precedent, and heeding the lessons of the past—our four Shinobi villages should amalgamate our Shinobi forces and concentrate our attack on a single point! Concurrently, each village will dispatch an elite Shinobi squad to strike at Konoha's rear, diverting Konoha's attention and ensuring they cannot effectively respond to both threats."
"At that opportune moment, Konoha will be overwhelmed and incapable of attending to both fronts. Our four-village Shinobi coalition will coordinate our efforts from within and without, and obliterate Konoha in a single, decisive stroke!"
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