Chapter 121: Invitation
"Interest free loans? Can there really be such a good deal?"
Hearing Kei's words, all the Kumogakure ninja present looked puzzled.
Being able to borrow money without interest and even receive help with investments sounded like a good thing no matter how they looked at it.
But if it were really that simple, why would the Hokage deliberately bring it up?
The Third Raikage instinctively felt there had to be a hidden problem somewhere.
But no matter how hard he thought about it, he could not figure out where that problem lay.
Because on the surface, allowing this so called Konoha Bank to enter the Land of Lightning seemed to bring nothing but benefits.
The promise of interest free loans alone was enough to make anyone tempted.
As for accepting deposits and other banking business, it all seemed perfectly ordinary, with nothing suspicious about it.
"If Raikage dono is willing to agree, there is also a great gift here."
Kei smiled and handed over a project proposal.
The proposal listed one interest free investment project after another.
"Free aid?"
The Third Raikage looked stunned. "Is the Hokage serious?"
The proposal laid out a series of projects involving agriculture, finance, and other industries in the Land of Lightning.
The Konoha side would provide all the investment funds, while the resulting profits would be shared with Kumogakure.
In the Third Raikage's eyes, that was practically the same as Konoha giving them money.
After all, the other side was providing both the funding and the manpower, while Kumogakure only had to sit back and collect its share of the profits.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a great deal.
"Of course, it is not entirely free or unconditional."
Kei explained, "As stakeholders, Kumogakure must also fulfill certain obligations and help protect the Konoha Group's businesses in the Land of Lightning."
"If any trouble arises, Raikage dono must personally step in to resolve it."
In other words, he was pulling Kumogakure into doing business with him.
The Konoha Group would conduct business in the Land of Lightning, while Kumogakure, as a shareholder, would provide protection. The profits would then be divided accordingly.
"That is all?"
The Raikage asked in return. Only after confirming several times did he finally agree.
In his view, this was a matter with absolutely no downside.
Because he had no idea what it really meant to let many sectors of a country be opened up completely.
The current shinobi world was still locked in an era of military confrontation. The times had not yet progressed to that stage.
Only Kei truly understood the consequences.
Of course, Kei personally felt that even if the Raikage did understand those consequences, there was a high chance he would still agree.
On one hand, the situation forced his hand. On the other, Kumogakure's interests did not actually align with those of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
Opening up large portions of the country would certainly create major hidden dangers, but for Kumogakure itself, that was another matter entirely.
After all, they were not the rulers of the Land of Lightning.
At its core, that country did not belong to them.
Under the system of the shinobi world, hidden villages and daimyo often did not truly stand on the same side.
Once that was understood, many things became much easier to push through.
Kei had long since worked out how to handle the Land of Lightning.
As a hidden village, Kumogakure only needed enough profit to be satisfied.
He would feed them enormous benefits, letting them eat and drink their fill by leaning on the Konoha Group. In return, many industries in the Land of Lightning would gradually fall into the Konoha Group's hands.
By the time Kumogakure noticed something was wrong, they would already be too deeply entangled to pull away.
"Before even doing anything substantial, an entire country's market has already been opened to us, and even its currency can circulate freely."
Standing there, Kei thought back on the negotiations and could not help shaking his head, unsure whether to laugh or sigh.
After a single round of talks, both sides ended up feeling thoroughly satisfied.
There was no need to say more about Kei.
The Kumogakure side also felt rather pleased with themselves.
After all, on the surface, they did not seem to have lost anything.
Although the Lightning Release Chakra Mode had been handed over, it was nominally an exchange, and trading it for two powerful forbidden techniques did not seem like a bad deal.
The Eight Tails' flesh and blood also meant very little to Kumogakure.
As for the free aid and interest free investment, they considered that an outright gain.
In short, once the negotiations ended, both sides left satisfied.
"These people seem pretty happy."
On the coast of the Land of Whirlpools, Danzo watched the Kumogakure group boarding their ships. A cold sneer appeared on his face. "Their time to cry will come later."
"Did you see through Kei's intentions, Danzo?"
Beside him, Homura looked over.
From the moment the negotiations began, he had been trying to understand what Kei was really after.
That so called free aid and interest free loans looked like Konoha was taking a loss, but Kei had deliberately brought them up, so no matter how one looked at it, it could not possibly be that simple.
Homura had been thinking the whole time, trying to figure out Kei's true purpose.
"For now, I cannot see through it."
Danzo shook his head. "But since Kei deliberately did this, he must have his own reason."
"The people of Kumogakure may think they benefited, but sooner or later they will suffer a heavy loss."
He spoke flatly, his tone full of certainty.
"Stop worrying about the people of Kumogakure for now."
Koharu, standing nearby, spoke up. "Let us clean up the mess here first."
"There are still many things in this place that need to be dealt with."
The Land of Whirlpools had just been turned into a battlefield.
Although the fighting had now ended, the wreckage and aftermath still remained, and it was time to start cleaning up.
"Coming."
Homura and the others nodded and quickly moved to help.
[TL: I'll change the name of the head of Uzumaki clan here from Nagato to Somei]
While the others were busy dealing with the aftermath, Kei went to meet Uzumaki Sōmei.
"A few years ago, I sent Your Excellency a letter warning you to beware of Kumogakure."
Looking at Sōmei, Kei spoke softly. "It seems Patriarch Uzumaki did not take that warning very seriously."
Hearing Kei's words, Sōmei looked a little embarrassed.
To be honest, he really had not taken Kei's warning seriously back then. He had even felt that Kei was making a fuss over nothing.
But now reality had proven Kei right.
In just a short time, the forces of Kumogakure had crossed the sea and launched a surprise attack on the Uzumaki Clan.
If Konoha had not intervened in time, the outcome this time would have been difficult to imagine.
"It was my oversight."
He let out a long sigh. "The times have changed. This is no longer an age where a single ninja clan can stand alone."
"With the strength of the Uzumaki Clan, if we face any one hidden village by ourselves, annihilation is likely the only result."
"In that case, would you reconsider the proposal I made before?"
Kei extended the invitation once more. "As long as the Uzumaki Clan is willing to relocate to the Land of Fire, Konoha is willing to provide a territory for the Uzumaki Clan."
.....
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