The Grass Village leader's eyes locked onto Rasa and Hiruzen.
The suicide attack had killed over a dozen Rock ninja, but hadn't actually hurt any Sand or Leaf forces.
He had no idea what Ōnoki might do in his rage.
There was a very real chance the Tsuchikage would just kill him on the spot.
Against Dust Release, he wouldn't stand a chance.
His only hope of survival was begging Rasa and Hiruzen for rcy.
If he could get forgiveness from Konoha and Sunagakure, he might still have a chance to live.
He would push every bit of bla onto the ninja who had actually attacked.
As for the compensation they might demand afterward? The Grass leader wasn't even thinking about that right now.
Keeping Grass Village alive ca first.
"Pay the compensation," Hiruzen said, cutting in just before Ōnoki could make a move.
The words stopped the Tsuchikage cold.
"Before we even start the reparations tournant, you're going to pay full compensation for what just happened. Execute every single Grass ninja involved in this attack. Show us your sincerity."
"Even if you didn't order it yourself, you're still the leader of Grass Village. You're responsible."
The Grass leader nodded hard.
"Lord Hokage, I understand. I'll deal with them severely."
"And the compensation to Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure will be paid in full."
Hiruzen nodded, then looked at Ōnoki.
"Tsuchikage, what do you think? Sticking with the original plan is better for all three of us. If we change things now, it'll only cause more trouble."
Ōnoki let out a cold snort.
But in the end, he agreed.
"Iwagakure lost over a dozen ninja. As Tsuchikage, I have to answer to their families. At the very least, their families shouldn't have to worry about money for the rest of their lives."
What he really ant was: the compensation better be generous.
The Grass leader quickly agreed.
"Lord Tsuchikage, don't worry. I'll pay exactly according to the agreed standards."
Those "standards" referred to the compensation amounts the three villages had originally demanded.
But there was one big difference.
Before, the numbers the three villages had shouted out were mostly made up.
Now, Iwagakure had actually lost over a dozen real ninja.
This wasn't what Ōnoki wanted.
He wanted more compensation.
But the Grass leader's words were airtight.
For the mont, Ōnoki had no good way to push further—especially after Hiruzen had clearly shielded the Grass leader and made it obvious he didn't want Ōnoki to attack.
Ōnoki was worried that if he made a move, both Konoha and Sunagakure would turn on him at the sa ti.
After all, the plan was already set.
If he broke it, the resources that were about to fall into Konoha and Sunagakure's hands might change.
That wasn't sothing either village wanted.
Ōnoki understood that perfectly.
Plus, Iwagakure and Konoha already had bad blood—their war had only just ended.
And Sunagakure had no love for Iwagakure either. Back when Sunagakure was weak, Iwagakure had bullied them hard. Now that Sunagakure was strong, they might be waiting for the perfect chance to get revenge.
The Grass Village leader let out a long breath of relief.
"My lords, I'll have my people start preparing right away. The compensation will be ready soon."
The Grass leader moved fast.
Not long after, the compensation resources were delivered to all three villages without any further incidents.
Konoha and Iwagakure loaded their shares onto carriages.
Sunagakure loaded theirs onto the sand ship.
The giant bull stood up, turned the massive ship around, and began heading back toward Sunagakure.
The sound of the sand ship grinding against the desert floor filled the air.
Everyone watched it go.
Even those who had seen it before couldn't help but feel shocked all over again.
A summoning beast that huge.
A sand ship that enormous.
Next to them, the carriages looked tiny and pathetic.
"Sunagakure is so extravagant."
"They're actually using a giant summoning beast just to pull a ship."
"And the beast actually agreed to it."
"You have to respect that."
One young Leaf ninja spoke up innocently.
"Could we do sothing like this in Konoha?"
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya, and Lord Orochimaru all have contracts with giant summoning beasts. Their carrying capacity wouldn't be any worse than that giant bull."
"Konoha really needs this kind of support right now."
"It would be great if they were willing to lend them."
Another Leaf ninja chid in.
"They should lend them. They're Konoha ninja. Helping the village is part of the job, isn't it?"
"So many ninja have already given their lives for Konoha."
"What's wrong with them letting the village use their summoning beasts?"
"If Sunagakure can do it, why can't we?"
A nearby ninja shot them a cold look.
"You two don't know shit."
"Summoning beasts aren't village property. The relationship between a ninja and their summoning beast is a partnership—equal."
"Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, and Lord Orochimaru have no obligation to lend their beasts to Konoha for anything other than combat."
"Asking them to do this is way out of line."
The first ninja wasn't convinced.
"Then why can Sunagakure do it?"
"And isn't it basically helping the three lords out?"
The squad captain finally snapped.
"Shut up, both of you!"
The three ninja finally stopped arguing about whether personal summoning beasts should be used for anything besides fighting.
With compensation settled, the reparations phase officially began.
A circular arena was quickly built with help from Grass Village ninja.
Three raised platforms stood on the north side.
Rasa, Ōnoki, and Hiruzen each took a seat.
Behind each of them stood two figures.
Behind Rasa were two Sunagakure jonin.
Pakura was busy escorting the sand ship.
Behind Ōnoki stood Kitsuchi and another Iwagakure jonin.
Behind Hiruzen stood Yuuhi and another Leaf jonin.
The ninja from all three villages gathered around the central arena.
The referee was a young Grass ninja.
Rasa studied him for a mont, then felt a flash of recognition.
"This guy… should be Mukade's father."
"From the Kagero lineage."
"He had a son nad Mukade who died young."
"To bring Mukade back, he drained chakra from prisoners nonstop—until Naruto showed up, gave him the Nine-Tails' chakra, and opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss."
"But what ca back wasn't Mukade. Just a monster."
Rasa's gaze shifted to the Grass Village leader.
"He gave the referee job to soone from the Kagero clan on purpose… because he knows it's a thankless, dangerous position."
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