Chapter 596.No One Wants to Be a Sucker

—Shahzaam, Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Pasang Sherpa, Acedia, kurtis newman, Nhoxious, Little Sand, sediaz, Targaryen, King Scales, Kurgarraz.

————————————————————

What was truly infuriating was that even if you wanted to play hardball and drag out negotiations, it depended on whether the other party was willing to indulge you. And Mabui clearly had no intention of entertaining Onoki’s haggling.

"Lord Tsuchikage, I’m sure I needn’t spell it out for you. In these extraordinary times, the Leaf Village has not had it easy preparing these supplies. The fact that we are willing to sell them to the Stone Village at all is entirely out of consideration for the cooperative agreement between our two villages."

You don’t need to remind me, you little girl! I know!

After such a prolonged war, the only village in the entire shinobi world still capable of stockpiling supplies with such ease was the Leaf Village. Selling them at this time certainly carried no small amount of pressure. After all, the Stone Village was purchasing on credit. Kazuki’s willingness to agree was already giving them tremendous face. The problem was, no one wanted to be the sucker.

He representing his village, was indeed purchasing supplies without money upfront, resorting to credit, but he would repay it gradually. It wasn’t as if he was refusing to pay.

There was no need for such outrageous price gouging.

Damn that Rasa! He’s completely disrupted the market. Even though Rasa had sold him the intelligence, Onoki felt not the slightest gratitude. Instead, he blamed Rasa for disrupting market prices.

"It seems the Tsuchikage’s negotiations for supplies aren’t going smoothly." Onoki had entered the cave and hadn’t emerged – it had been over an hour. Mei Terumi sliced off a piece of meat with a kunai and ate it in small, dainty bites.

Kazuki smiled but said nothing. Matters like this inevitably required some back-and-forth before reaching a resolution. The Leaf Village wouldn’t sell cheap, and the Stone Village didn’t want to be a sucker. Neither side was willing to yield.

So what could be done? They could only talk it out slowly. Such discussions could drag on for an entire day, and it wouldn’t be surprising. The Leaf Village had all the time in the world. They could take their time. As long as you could hold out, we certainly weren’t worried.

Less than ten minutes after Mei Terumi’s jest, Onoki emerged from the cave, his face dark as thunder. One look at his expression was enough to tell he hadn’t gotten the better end of the deal. Hence the grim, sour expression.

"Lord Hokage, I will dispatch personnel to the border to receive the supplies as soon as possible. I hope your esteemed village can deliver them quickly. Time waits for no one."

"It will take a few days – within five days it will be done. If your village is willing to provide the sealing scrolls, the process will be even faster." Kazuki gave Onoki no fixed deadline. Transporting supplies was inherently slow; speeding it up was difficult. Unless they used sealing scrolls extensively, cramming all manner of goods inside – easy, convenient, and time-saving.

Even the sealing scrolls have to come from me?!

Onoki clenched his fists, looking very much like he wanted to plant two punches squarely in Kazuki’s face. The stubborn old fossil’s nostrils were practically flaring with rage. "Hmph!" Tossing down some sealing scrolls, Onoki turned and left without a backward glance.

"This old man has plenty of official business to attend to. I won’t keep you all company. I hope that when the village initiates the Five Kage Summit, each of you will respond promptly." The furious Onoki departed at speed, gathering his guards and taking flight directly. Watching the small black dot recede into the sky, Kazuki couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. In the world of ninja, being able to fly was a genuine advantage. Of course, flying didn’t make you invincible – there were plenty of ways to knock you out of the sky. It merely granted you an advantage, not an absolute one.

"In that case, I shall take my leave as well." With Onoki gone, Mei Terumi saw no reason to linger. It was time to head back and prepare, not to mention deal with the mess awaiting her in the village. She’d been away for quite some time, and things back home were still in disarray. After Mei Terumi departed, Rasa nodded to Kazuki in farewell and left with his entourage.

"Finally over." Kazuki rose and stretched lazily. He cut up the remaining barbecue, set aside a plate, and said to Itachi, "Clean up here and help yourself to something to eat."

"Yes, my lord." Itachi stayed behind to tidy the campsite. Kazuki carried the two remaining plates of barbecue back to the cave. One was handed to Kisame, who had been standing guard in the rain for over an hour. The final plate went to Mabui.

Glancing at the barbecue on the table, Mabui reported methodically, "The Tsuchikage ultimately made no significant concessions. The final price was settled at three-point-eight times the standard rate. Based on current supply prices, this is the purchase manifest. Please review it, Lord Hokage."

"Well done," Kazuki said, accepting the list and glancing it over. A smile spread across his face.

"Onoki, certainly has a big appetite. I wonder how long it will take the Stone Village to repay this debt." Chuckling, he tucked the list away and gestured for Mabui to sit and eat. Granted permission, Mabui sat down and began eating the barbecue.

After a long, busy day, she too was hungry. Standing nearby, Kazuki glanced over the documents Mabui had signed and suddenly said, "I’ll give you an opportunity. Send word to the Raikage. The Five Kage Summit will certainly be convened. This time, I cannot have the village stand with the Cloud Village."

Mabui paused mid-bite, glanced up at Kazuki as he reviewed the documents, then decisively shook her head. Without a word, she resumed eating. Even if she did inform the Raikage, Kazuki wouldn’t blame her. But she had no such intention. To Mabui, from the moment she left the Cloud Village, the Cloud Village no longer held any connection to her. She wouldn’t hand over the village’s intelligence to the Leaf, but neither would she undermine the Leaf Village. Since she had become the Hokage’s secretary, she would honor Kazuki’s trust and her position.

Once they had rested sufficiently, Kazuki led the group back to the Land of Fire and the Leaf Village. However, he had Itachi go ahead to notify the village, instructing Shikaku and Mitokado Homura to prepare the supplies, seal them into storage scrolls, and hand them over to Shisui. Shisui would personally deliver the supplies to Onoki. For such an important task, Kazuki didn’t dare entrust just anyone.

Even Kakashi, in Kazuki’s estimation, wasn’t entirely reliable. Kakashi’s strength was considerable, but his "fifty-fifty" tendency was rather pronounced. Giving him a mission of this magnitude risked unexpected complications. Better to leave it to someone Kazuki trusted implicitly. Shisui’s loyalty and combat prowess were both beyond reproach. He was the most suitable candidate for this mission. In the entire shinobi world, there were very few who could snatch something from his grasp. Entrusting the task to Shisui put Kazuki completely at ease.

Kazuki was at ease, but Shikaku and Homura back in the village were somewhat conflicted. Their concern wasn’t Kazuki’s decision itself, but rather logistics. The Stone Village’s supply demands were simply too large. Once the Stone Village’s appetite was satisfied, the Leaf Village would need to begin stockpiling anew. If an unforeseen incident occurred during this period, the Leaf Village would be in a passive position – not completely bereft of supplies, but certainly no longer comfortable.