For a period of time afterward, the four great nations other than the Land of Fire, and the four great ninja villages other than Konoha, entered a phase of intense bargaining.
For example, between the Stone Village and the Cloud Village,
Dodai and Kitsuchi, along with the diplomatic ministers they brought, launched into a fierce exchange of insults.
Stone Village Diplomat: "Fifteen thousand ninja? Is this how you propose cooperation? Do you even understand how massive that number is?"
Dodai: "Heh, the Stone Village barely suffered any losses in the last war, and you can't even produce a mere fifteen thousand ninja? With that kind of strength, you still think you're qualified to cooperate with the Cloud Village? You might as well go home and sleep—save yourself the trouble of making the trip."
Bang!
The Stone Village diplomat slammed the negotiation table in fury, pointing at Dodai as he cursed.
"You… you're uncouth!"
Dodai didn't back down in the slightest. He stepped right onto the table.
"You think we don't know what you're planning? You just want the Cloud Village and Konoha to clash head-on while your Stone Village sits back and watches. If Konoha shows weakness, you'll follow the agreement and attack with us. But the moment we show any sign of decline, you'll immediately turn your blades on the Cloud Village. Don't deny it—you people are nothing but opportunistic cowards."
The elderly Stone Village diplomat was so furious he nearly coughed up blood, trembling as he pointed at Dodai.
"Dodai, don't forget—your roots are in the Stone Village, not the Cloud Village!"
"Bullshit. From the moment I became a ninja, I've been a true Cloud Village shinobi. Don't lump me together with your filthy kind—it makes me sick."
"You ungrateful traitor!"
"You senile old fool who can't understand plain words!"
As the argument escalated, the Stone Village and Cloud Village negotiation teams started throwing hands.
One grabbed a beard, another jabbed at a nose.
The chaotic scene left the observing future Fourth Raikage, A, completely stunned.
So this is what negotiations between nations look like?
He turned his head and saw Kitsuchi calmly sipping tea.
No, I can't show surprise either. At a time like this, I can't make the Cloud Village lose face.
The intense "negotiation battle" lasted an entire day and night.
Both sides eventually withdrew to rest.
...
Inside the Cloud Village's lounge,
Dodai slowly sipped tea to soothe his throat, preparing for the next day's battle.
But when he noticed A sitting restlessly, clearly wanting to speak, he asked,
"A, is there something you don't understand?"
"Dodai-sama, this negotiation feels a bit…."
A hesitated, embarrassed to finish his sentence.
"Crude? Reckless? Lacking the dignity of a great nation, right?"
"…Yes."
A nodded awkwardly.
"A, do you think the Cloud Village has a good reputation in the ninja world?"
Dodai set down his tea and asked.
Training the next Raikage was his duty.
"Probably not very good."
A recalled the things he had heard while on missions—barbarians, brutes, uncultured, saying that those from the Cloud Village were nothing but bandits.
Their reputation was indeed poor.
"But you know what things are really like inside the Cloud Village, don't you?"
"United, supportive, strength above all. Everyone puts the village first, and the Raikage above all."
When mentioning the Raikage, A felt a bit embarrassed—it was his father, after all.
"Exactly. What kind of people we are, we understand ourselves—that's enough. The entire ninja world sees us as barbarians. Even if we act refined and reasonable, what changes? They still won't treat us as nobles. They'll just say, 'Look, those barbarians are acting civilized now.' So methods and appearances aren't what matter most—the result is. If the result is right, then everything is right."
"A, remember this: the Cloud Village's way of survival in the ninja world is to show all its toughness to enemies and reserve all its gentleness for its own people."
Dodai spoke each word clearly.
"I understand, Dodai-sama."
A lowered his head in gratitude.
No wonder his father always said he could learn a lot from Dodai—this was truly invaluable.
...
In the Stone Village's lounge,
Kitsuchi was massaging the elderly diplomat's back.
"You've worked hard."
"It's nothing. I'm just getting old. If I were younger, that brat Dodai wouldn't stand a chance against me."
"Of course, of course."
"Little Kitsuchi, when are you taking over as Tsuchikage? You're not getting any younger."
"How could I? How could I dare to covet that position?"
"Hmph. Ōnoki, that stubborn old man—if things go on like this, the Stone Village will decline under his rule sooner or later."
"That won't happen. You're worrying too much."
"It had better not. By the way, your cousin…"
"You mean Akatsuchi? The advisory department happens to need someone for odd jobs. It'll be a good chance for him to gain some experience."
"Ah, haha, good, good. Thoughtful as always, Little Kitsuchi. That boy Akatsuchi isn't very quick at work—if needed, just beat him a bit. He's a bit slow in the head, but once he's hit, he remembers well."
"How could I do that? Cousin Akatsuchi is quite clever. That kind of small task will be no problem for him."
"Hahaha, good, good."
"But Uncle, about the negotiations…"
"Don't worry. There's no way the Stone Village will provide fifteen thousand ninja. That brat Dodai didn't leave, which means he wants to keep talking. At the very least, we've reached a preliminary agreement on attacking Konoha."
"Understood. Then I'll leave everything to you."
"Nothing to worry about."
No wonder the Stone Village couldn't do without Kitsuchi—the way he handled things left nothing to be criticized.
...
Sand Village.
The Third Kazekage had already begun mobilizing troops.
He was just waiting for the Stone Village and Cloud Village to make their move before launching the attack as well.
"This time, the strategy must change. As long as we break into the Land of Fire and plunder for a while, the Sand Village's deployment won't be in vain."
He reflected on the last time—because they had aimed for long-term occupation and development, even though they held the advantage for a long time, their gains had been minimal.
Now, he had realized:
With the Sand Village's current strength, swallowing the Land of Fire whole was unrealistic.
It was better to aim for something practical—loot more coal, silver, clothing, food, and valuable goods.
Big or small didn't matter—what mattered was what ended up in his hands.
Last time, their ambitions had been too great, which resulted in such a powerful Sand Village ending up with gains barely equal to their losses—essentially a wasted effort.
It had filled the Third Kazekage with regret for a long time.
Now, he clenched his fists.
"Since I can't achieve it all at once, I'll build up the Sand Village step by step."
Unfortunately, he didn't know— a pair of utterly emotionless, inhuman eyes was already fixed firmly on him.