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Time slipped away quietly over a month of dull and tense standoff at sea.
The Sunagakure negotiation team led by Baki engaged in several rounds of grueling consultations with the representatives of the Kirigakure, a process that was long and exhausting.
The weather at sea was unpredictable, sometimes scorching hot, other times turbulent, but this was far less distressing than the cold, stubborn, and indifferent attitude coming from the Kirigakure at the negotiating table.
The Kirigakure side adamantly refused to admit to an "invasion," vaguely referring to it only as "a serious border friction and misunderstanding." They scoffed at the demands for apologies and reparations, maintaining a contemptuous and hardline stance.
Relying on the natural barrier of the ocean and the reality that Sunagakure was incapable of a long-distance expedition, they acted with impunity.
Baki repeatedly sent reports of the stalemate back to the Village via messenger hawks.
The atmosphere inside the Kazekages Office gradually shifted from the initial excitement of victory to being overshadowed by a sense of realistic helplessness.
Rasa's expression grew increasingly grim; he knew that the longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it was for Sunagakure.
The Village's finances were in crisis every day, while the Kirigakure could clearly afford to wait it out.
Just as Baki was about to lose all patience with the negotiations and prepare to request termination of this meaningless bickering, the Kirigakure representatives suddenly broke their pattern and proactively requested another meeting.
This time, the representative sent by the Kirigakure seemed to be of a higher rank: a Mist Village Elder with a sinister gaze and a heavy, composed aura.
The meeting took place on a larger Kirigakure warship.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy scent, blew across the deck. The atmosphere remained icy, but Baki keenly felt that the other side seemed to have... relented?
Sure enough, after the usual, pointless mutual accusations and restatements of positions, the Mist Village Elder changed the subject, using his hoarse and slow voice to say:
"Jonin Baki, over this past month, both sides have wasted too much time here. Continuing this stalemate is of no benefit to either of our Villages."
Baki felt a jolt in his heart, but his face remained impassive: "Then, is your side finally willing to provide a concrete plan regarding the reparations and apologies?"
The Mist Village Elder's shriveled mouth curled into an indescribable arc, looking like a sneer, or perhaps some sort of calculation: "Reparations... are not impossible to discuss. After all, the Kirigakure did indeed lose several precious Ninja swords and excellent Jonin."
He paused, his murky eyes fixed on Baki, and said slowly: "However, Sunagakure must show sufficient sincerity. Why did this 'friction' arise? At its root, it is because your Sunagakure Scorch Release User Pakura used excessively ruthless methods in previous conflicts, slaughtering too many of our excellent Kirigakure Ninja, which incited an indignation in our Village that is difficult to quell, leading to the subsequent events."
He casually twisted a long-planned invasion into a "righteous act" of revenge for fellow villagers.
Baki furrowed his brows, suppressing his anger: "Elder, that statement is absurd! Jonin Pakura was merely fulfilling her duty to protect the Village!"
"Duty?" The Mist Village Elder snorted coldly, "Excessive killing is cruelty! Pakura's existence, her Scorch Release, is a symbol of the indelible fear and hatred in the hearts of countless Kirigakure Ninja! As long as she remains in Sunagakure, this hatred will continue to burn, and today's 'friction' may well repeat itself tomorrow!"
His voice suddenly became sharp and filled with implication: "If Sunagakure truly wants to settle this matter, if you truly want to get the 'reparations' you so urgently need... then, show us your sincerity."
He leaned forward slightly, saying each word clearly: "Abandon Pakura. Hand her over to the Kirigakure to be dealt with. As long as Sunagakure does this, I promise on behalf of Lord Mizukage that not only will we immediately pay a substantial amount of reparations to alleviate your Village's financial difficulties, but we can also guarantee that from now on, the Kirigakure and Sunagakure will mind their own business and maintain a lasting peace."
The deck instantly fell into a deathly silence. Only the sound of waves hitting the hull, one after another, felt like it was pounding on Baki's heart.
He could hardly believe his ears! Abandon Pakura? Hand over the Village's hero, the meritorious contributor of East Sea Bay, to trade for the enemy's reparations and an empty promise of "peace"?
This was not a negotiation at all! This was a complete and utter, despicable, and shameless conspiracy! The Kirigakure didn't care about reparations; what they cared about was revenge! They wanted to use this method to force Sunagakure to cut off its own arm, to destroy its own hero with its own hands, thereby crushing Sunagakure's newly gathered morale and public sentiment from the inside!
This was not just about taking Pakura's life; it was about trampling Sunagakure's dignity into the mud!
Baki's face turned livid instantly, his fists clenched under the table until they creaked, and an indescribable rage and chill swept through his entire body. Looking at the Mist Village Elder's wrinkled face, which was filled with calculation and malice, he felt the urge to lash out regardless of the consequences for the first time.
But he couldn't. He was Sunagakure's representative.
He forcibly suppressed his churning emotions and squeezed a cold voice through his teeth: "This condition... is absolutely impossible! Jonin Pakura is a hero of Sunagakure; Sunagakure will never betray its own hero to trade for anything!"
The Mist Village Elder seemed to have expected his reaction and did not get angry, merely leaning back slowly in his chair and resuming his indifferent expression: "Don't speak too soon, Jonin Baki. You can take our conditions back and let the Fourth Kazekage and your Council of Elders... deliberate carefully."
"Whether to maintain that ethereal so-called 'loyalty' and starve while holding onto the title of a hero, or to make some necessary'sacrifices' to trade for the funds and precious peace that the Village urgently needs... I think, as a Kage, Fourth Kazekage Rasa will make the most 'wise' choice."
"After all," he added meaningfully, "as far as we know, the deadline for the reparations Sunagakure owes to Konoha... seems to be approaching, doesn't it? That is a massive debt capable of crushing your entire Village."
Baki's heart sank completely. The other side had not only proposed a vicious condition but also saw Sunagakure's most fatal weakness with absolute clarity.
He stood up abruptly, not looking at the Mist Village Elder again, his voice as cold as iron: "I will report your 'conditions' truthfully to Lord Kazekage. Farewell!"
Having said that, he took the members of the negotiation team and left the Kirigakure warship without looking back, boarding a small boat to return to their own ship.
The sea breeze was biting, but Baki felt a chill in his heart. When he came, he still carried a glimmer of hope for obtaining reparations, but upon returning, he brought back a vicious conspiracy capable of pushing Sunagakure into a desperate dilemma between morality and survival.
Beneath the fig leaf of peace talks, such a dirty deal was hidden. He knew that when this news reached the Village, it would inevitably trigger an unprecedented storm. And the fate of the hero Pakura, as well as the choice of Fourth Kazekage Rasa, would all become uncertain in this storm.
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