The third eting began on the fourth day of the Five Kage Summit. They had taken a break on the third day, so the fourth day was the third eting.
By now, everyone seed more relaxed. Even the usually reserved Raikage was chatting casually with his guards. The main agenda of this eting was to establish the Shinobi Trade Alliance formally, and since the Cloud Village had already agreed to join, the only one left to confirm was Yagura from the Mist Village. Raikage felt assured that Nagasawa wouldn’t trouble him anymore.
As for why he wasn’t talking to the other Kage, Konoha had given the Cloud Village a harsh lesson, making him reluctant to engage with Minato. Despite having fought against each other nurous tis, Raikage didn’t feel like conversing. He disliked Onoki for personal reasons, as his father had died at the hands of the Rock Village during the Third Shinobi World War. As for Rasa, Raikage didn’t like his personality, making conversation difficult.
The primary reason for the tension, however, was the recent wars. Whether it was Rasa or Onoki, they couldn’t have open-hearted conversations. Onoki’s cheerful deanour was just a political act. Maybe in a decade or so, they could have a more harmonious summit, but war wounds were too fresh for now. They still bore the scars from their conflicts with each other.
"Yagura, have you decided on your answer?" Nagasawa asked calmly.
He wasn’t worried that the Mist Village wouldn’t join. If they chose not to, they would only isolate themselves and lose out. However, it would have been better if they had joined. Nagasawa hoped they would.
Despite being an island nation, the Water Country had more influence than people realised. Most of the small islands in the sea looked up to the Water Country, not because it was the largest, but because it was the strongest, with the Mist Village as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"Yes, the Mist Village will join the Shinobi Trade Alliance established by Konoha," Yagura nodded in agreent.
Just yesterday, the Mist Village had concluded their discussions. After carefully analysing the pros and cons, they found that the benefits of joining far outweighed the drawbacks. As an island nation, they had many rare resources not found on the mainland, and the Mist Village excelled in crafting swords, giving them an advantageous position in trade. Additionally, joining now would help them avoid appearing too unique and prevent others from probing their weakened state.
"Alright then, the Shinobi Trade Alliance is officially established. The leader of the alliance will be elected and serve a five-year term. Does anyone have any objections?" Nagasawa announced.
Everyone shook their heads, indicating no objections. This had been outlined in the docunts they had reviewed.
"Since Konoha organized this, it only makes sense for Konoha to lead the alliance. The Rock Village votes for Konoha," Onoki said cheerfully.
Konoha hadn’t declared themselves the leader outright, which was a relief to the others. But expecting actually to compete for leadership was unrealistic.
"Konoha is the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, so it’s only right they lead. The Sand Village votes for Konoha," Rasa followed.
Rasa had no other thoughts. He just wanted to follow Konoha and benefit from the alliance, as the Sand Village desperately needed funds.
"The Cloud Village votes for Konoha," the Fourth Raikage said after so thought. Though he wasn’t about to praise Konoha, he acknowledged there was no point in competing for leadership, so he decided to follow suit.
"The Mist Village votes for Konoha," Yagura added.
The alliance leader didn’t matter to Yagura. Since everyone else voted for Konoha, he did too. It wasn’t like the position would ever fall to the Mist Village, and if it did, they would decline it, as their current situation was too precarious.
Yagura wondered why everyone, including the typically combative Raikage, unanimously voted for Konoha. He found the whole situation puzzling, wondering why the other villages seed so wary of Konoha.
Thankfully, Yagura wasn’t the type to delve too deeply. He just needed to know that Konoha was not to be ssed with and to avoid causing trouble in Konoha. The details could be investigated later when it was safer.
"It seems Konoha is well-loved, passing with a unanimous vote," Nagasawa said with mock surprise, a tone so fake that even i Terumi could tell he was doing it on purpose.
Raikage turned away silently, avoiding Nagasawa’s gaze. Onoki maintained his cheerful facade, Rasa remained expressionless, and Yagura stared at the ceiling, admiring the new conference room.
After that, Nagasawa stuck to the agenda, not wanting to antagonise the others further.
When the eting concluded, Raikage quickly left the room, his large fra looking like a sad man carrying a heavy burden.
"You must be very strong," i said as they returned.
"Oh? How can you tell? I haven’t shown any of my power," Nagasawa asked curiously.
The Mist Village hadn’t seen him in action, and Yagura had been unconscious at the ti.
"If you weren’t strong, you’d have been beaten to death by now," i replied bluntly.
Nagasawa’s behaviour was so aggravating that it seed he was asking for a fight. Even i had thought a fight might break out during the eting due to Nagasawa’s provocations. However, it never did, leading i to conclude that his strength must be overwhelming.
"Don’t say that. It makes sound like a troublemaker. I’m quite popular in Konoha. If there were a poll for the most popular man in Konoha, I might just take the top spot," Nagasawa said, responding to the greetings of various people as they walked.
i didn’t respond. While she couldn’t confirm if Nagasawa would be the most popular, she couldn’t deny that he was well-liked, given how many people greeted him.
But saying this about oneself seed narcissistic to i. She found Nagasawa to be a unique type of ninja, making her feel oddly comfortable and unburdened.
"Is it because of his strength that he can be so carefree?" i thought, feeling a tinge of envy.
"Don’t believe ?" Nagasawa asked with a smile as if he might conduct a popularity poll to prove his point.
"I can’t deny your popularity in Konoha. If you treated others normally, you’d probably be even more popular," i replied.
Though she didn’t explicitly state who "others" referred to, both knew who she ant.
"Maybe," Nagasawa smiled.
They could beco friends if he treated the Raikage with the sa respect. But seeing the Raikage’s dark face, Nagasawa couldn’t resist provoking him, finding joy in watching his reactions.
But he couldn’t admit that openly, so he took on a serious tone. "The Cloud Village tried to invade Konoha a few years ago. I can’t show them any leniency. Konoha isn’t to be trifled with."
"War breeds hatred... I see," i replied, rembering that the Mist Village had invaded Konoha during the Third Shinobi World War. She felt uneasy.
Fortunately, they reached a point where their paths diverged. i sighed in relief, pushing away her chaotic thoughts and heading back to the inn where the Mist Village delegation was staying.
As a ninja and a beneficiary of this cruel world, she had no right to denounce it.
Nagasawa, anwhile, bought so sweets and headed ho.
At ho, Nagasawa placed the treats on the table, ready to replenish his energy after the eting.
Kabuto, noticing the movent, ca downstairs.
"Aren’t you training this morning?" Nagasawa asked, surprised.
"I finished early because I needed to talk to you," Kabuto explained.
"You really should cut back on sweets. I heard too much sugar can make you fat," Kabuto said, eyeing the sweets on the table.
"For a ninja of my strength, if I get fat from eating sweets, then this world must be fake!" Nagasawa scoffed.
Kabuto, unsure how to respond, decided to let it go. Nagasawa was an irredeemable sweet tooth.
"Have you decided on your wish?" Nagasawa asked, wiping away a bit of strawberry milk from his mouth.
"Yes, I’ve decided," Kabuto nodded.
After thinking it over, Kabuto stuck with his original wish. He didn’t lack anything personally, and helping the orphanage would give him a sense of accomplishnt.
"I need money to make the orphanage better," Kabuto stated.
"That’s a bit vague," Nagasawa remarked. "How much better?"
Kabuto struggled to describe his wish more concretely, as he was still a child with little experience.
"I want them to have enough money, good living conditions, and proper food," Kabuto said with difficulty.
"I understand your intentions," Nagasawa nodded.
"How about this? You go help build a new dining hall for the orphanage, and I’ll reimburse the expenses," Nagasawa suggested.
The orphanage had already received funds from Nagasawa to build a new dormitory. Since Kabuto wanted to improve it further, they could make a new dining hall and renovate the existing building for classes and activities.
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