My Journey as Fourth Kazekage

From the perspective of a village Kage, Rasa's words at this moment were perfectly reasonable. Neither the Third Raikage, A, nor the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, could find any fault in Rasa's statement from this angle.

"So, Fourth Kazekage, what exactly are you getting at with this?"

The Third Raikage, A, couldn't hold back and asked impatiently.

Rasa, already prepared, replied with a calm demeanor.

"My position is simple, and I've outlined it clearly in the letters. As long as our village receives the benefits owed to us and support for Sunagakure's involvement in this war, we'll be fully committed to sending our forces into battle."

But Ōnoki immediately shot him down.

"Don't be ridiculous, Fourth Kazekage. Even Kirigakure, who joined this war as mercenaries, is covering their own military costs. There's no chance we'd pay for your army. Besides, I heard you got a pretty hefty sum during your raid on the Land of Fire over a month ago, right?"

Rasa's eyes showed a trace of arrogance as he nodded coolly.

"That's correct. But Sunagakure isn't like Kumogakure or Iwagakure. The harshness of our environment means we're severely lacking in resources. The funds from that raid only helped to slightly ease our financial strain."

Pakura, standing behind him, couldn't help but look at him with a strange expression on her face.

'As I thought, I'm just not cut out to be Kazekage...'

If it were her, she wouldn't have the nerve to say something like that.

Michikawa, however, maintained his calm.

The room fell silent again, the tension palpable.

By now, both the Kumogakure and Iwagakure representatives could clearly see Rasa's intent. The young Kazekage of Sunagakure had one simple goal: if Sunagakure was to join the assault on Konohagakure, either Kumogakure or Iwagakure would have to help pay for the military costs.

But that was out of the question. Neither Kumogakure nor Iwagakure would ever agree to such terms.

Ōnoki narrowed his eyes and sneered.

"No... You must be joking, Kazekage. There's no precedent for such a thing in the entire ninja world. Every village's military expenses are precious. We're not going to allocate any of our funds to you. That would make us the laughingstock of the entire world."

The Third Raikage, A, added his own voice to the rejection.

"I've also heard that the Daimyō of the Land of Fire has been pressuring Konohagakure to invade your Land of Wind. If you let Konoha rebuild, they'll surely come after your nation."

Rasa, however, remained as unshaken as ever.

"That's a problem for Sunagakure to handle. You don't need to worry about it."

Seeing Rasa remain so resolute, the Third Raikage's anger boiled over, veins bulging in his forehead. Ōnoki's frown deepened.

At this moment, Darui, standing behind the Third Raikage, stepped forward again.

"Apologies, Raikage-sama, but I have something I'd like to say…"

Seeing Darui, the Third Raikage sighed and allowed him to speak. Internally, he knew he couldn't let the Fourth Kazekage toy with him.

"Oh, Darui, go ahead…"

"Understood."

Darui stepped forward, gave a nod, and saluted each of the Kage before turning to Rasa and speaking.

"Kazekage, since you're the one who called for this Three Kage Summit, you must have come prepared. Why not just state your conditions directly? Of course, if they're as outrageous as before, then forget it. Kumogakure's no fool, and we'll just meet you on the battlefield."

At these words, everyone's attention shifted to Rasa.

Rasa gave a slight smile.

"It's so easy to talk with smart people. My plan is simple…"

He looked around at everyone present and slowly began explaining his prearranged strategy.

"With Sunagakure's current military strength, it's impossible for us to commit to a full-scale assault on Konohagakure. I'm sure none of you can afford that either. But honestly, this is a golden opportunity to weaken Konoha, and Sunagakure doesn't want to miss it. So, here's my suggestion—let's treat this as a mercenary deal."

"Mercenaries!?"

Everyone was taken aback.

"That's right. Your Iwagakure and Kumogakure can issue missions to Sunagakure—anything you want. Whether it's invading the Land of Fire, attacking Konoha, or disrupting their rear lines, we'll take it on. And we won't ask for much—just pay us according to the standard mercenary rates in the ninja world."

The Third Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage both fell into thought.

Since Rasa refused to budge on the matter of a full-scale attack on Konoha, this did indeed seem like a possible alternative.

However, convincing Kumogakure and Iwagakure to accept these terms was unlikely.

Ōnoki was the first to voice his thoughts.

"No… That won't work for us. Mercenaries are too weak. What we need is for Sunagakure to launch a full-scale assault on Konoha. Only that way can we apply enough pressure on them."

"A full-scale assault?"

Rasa sneered, his tone slow and deliberate.

"Don't be ridiculous, Third Tsuchikage. If the Third Raikage said that, he'd have the authority to back it up. But your Iwagakure? So far, all you've done is watch from the sidelines while Kumogakure attacks Konoha. When your village is ready to go all-in against Konoha, then you can talk big."

"You brat!!!"

Ōnoki's face darkened, his expression souring at the insult. His anger spread to his advisor, who visibly fumed as well. The Four-Tails' jinchūriki, Roshi, only furrowed his brows slightly but remained silent.

Meanwhile, the three from Kumogakure watched the exchange with amused expressions, taking in the drama.

Thankfully, the Third Raikage knew how to keep his focus.

"Well then, Kazekage, state your conditions. What exactly can you offer?"

"What can I offer?"

Feigning deep thought, Rasa responded.

"So, Raikage, does this mean you're willing to consider a mercenary arrangement?"

"No…"

The Third Raikage shook his head firmly.

"As Ōnoki said, mercenaries are useless on the battlefield. Besides, the Mist ninjas are already causing enough trouble in the Land of Fire. Adding you from Sunagakure wouldn't make much of a difference."

Hearing this, Rasa raised an eyebrow.

"I see. Well then, Raikage, what exactly do you expect Sunagakure to do?"

"At the very least, you need to tie up some of Konoha's forces."

Unlike the calculating Ōnoki, the Third Raikage, who was directly engaged in the fight against Konoha, was more focused on ending the war quickly, which made him more aggressive in his negotiations.

"The Land of Rivers."

Rasa's calm response left the Third Raikage momentarily stunned.

"Sunagakure can posture as though we're attacking Konoha, but the battlefield will be confined to the Land of Rivers. As a gesture of goodwill, this part will be free of charge. However, if you want us to take further action, that will come at an additional cost."

"You brat! Are you even a Kage? All you talk about is money! Don't you want to avenge your village's Third Kazekage?"

Ōnoki's irritated words were met with an even sharper retort from Michikawa.

"That's our village's concern, Tsuchikage. You're out of line."

Ōnoki wasn't fazed at all and shot back.

"Kazekage, it seems you can't even manage your subordinates properly. No manners whatsoever!"

Rasa, completely unfazed, responded.

"Well, as I've said, being Kazekage isn't an easy job~"

Though he said this, there wasn't a hint of annoyance in Rasa's tone. Instead, it carried a slight tone of indulgence, almost as if he were humorously tolerating his subordinates. Pakura couldn't help but crack a peculiar smile at this.

Seeing this, Ōnoki could only grumble in frustration.

"You little brat…"

By this point, Rasa's patience had reached its limit.

"Enough with the nonsense, old man. Just tell me—does Iwagakure agree to my proposal or not?"

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