After spending a few days wandering around Iwa, Masashi ca to the conclusion that this village wasn't half bad.
The First Tsuchikage sure had an eye for location.
This place was arguably one of the rare gems in the Land of Earth. Despite the rocky terrain and the snowy mountains up north, the climate here wasn't bad at all.
You could tell just by looking at the village ladies, who liked to wear fishnet stockings—no fleece-lined tights needed here.
It wasn't too cold or too hot, and their clear, glowing skin showed that the environnt was indeed nurturing.
Iwa's comrcial setup even brought back mories for him of the all-in-one comrcial complexes he'd seen back on Earth.
Back in the day, a trip that included a movie, dinner, and a stroll was his go-to way to pass the ti.
The street food in Iwa also had its own charm. The cuisine here reminded him of the French cuisine, and the lamb dishes were particularly well-prepared.
Iwa was more than accommodating to Masashi's food-and-drink escapades.
As negotiations progressed, and as intelligence reports trickled back to the village, Iwa's leadership began to realize sothing.
This whole ordeal didn't hinge on the Hokage's approval—it only mattered if Masashi agreed.
Naturally, they needed to earn his goodwill.
The food and entertainnt costs were trivial—nothing that would strain Iwa's finances.
So, he ended up living it up in Iwa for over two weeks.
During this ti, Deidara still couldn't escape Kurotsuchi's grasp and had to take her along for training.
Masashi didn't bother interfering with the two of them. By now, he had grown quite familiar with Iwa.
However, the negotiations had reached their final stage.
The last eting would be for formal signing. He would attend once more, carrying the Hokage's seal. As Minato's authorized representative, he would finalize the agreent with Ōnoki.
The night before the eting, Masashi drafted the agreent based on the discussions among the old doves. He knew exactly which parts could be adjusted or removed.
The next day, he led the delegation back to the eting hall they hadn't entered in over two weeks.
By this point, Iwa's upper echelon had a completely different attitude toward the Konoha delegation compared to when they first arrived.
Perhaps after days of hashing things out, a sense of camaraderie had erged. The veteran schers on both sides even seed a little reluctant to part ways.
After all, it wasn't easy to find an evenly matched opponent back in their respective villages.
The satisfaction of sparring with soone on your level was unmatched.
Of course, that was only if you were also skilled. If you were the underdog constantly being crushed, it would just be demoralizing.
As usual, they started with polite small talk—asking about als, sleep, and other pleasantries—before getting to the main business.
"Tsuchikage-sama, can we confirm the signing will happen today?" Masashi asked.
"Of course," Ōnoki nodded, his expression serious and his focus razor-sharp.
By now, he no longer saw Masashi as a kid.
This guy was a devil.
Before these negotiations, Ōnoki had firmly believed he'd never align Iwa with Konoha.
But now, he wasn't so sure.
Masashi didn't seem like soone who would help Iwa out of sheer goodwill. Still, Ōnoki couldn't pinpoint any major downsides to the deal.
Was Konoha simply securing so benefits, or was this all part of a larger conspiracy?
The only thing he was certain of was the need to control the scale of things.
Cheating wasn't an option—not because he lacked the desire, but because Iwa genuinely needed this deal.
And besides, the Land of Earth's people, unlike those from the Land of Lightning or the Land of Wind, had a culture that valued contracts.
Among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth were the most rule-abiding.
The Land of Water, while chaotic during unrest, adhered strictly to rules once stability was achieved. Both Kiri and the daimyō's court respected contracts when order prevailed.
Otherwise, who would willingly go to war? For most shinobi, warfare was the riskiest undertaking.
Preferring sneak attacks during warti didn't an a lack of respect for agreents—they were two separate issues.
Ōnoki, for instance, always sent a declaration of war before his sneak attacks. Sure, it might've been a bit last-minute, but he still followed procedure.
"Well then, let's finalize the agreent today," Masashi said, pulling out the prepared docunt and sliding it across the table toward Ōnoki.
The Tsuchikage extended his hand to hold down the paper.
"Masashi, you're not playing any tricks here, are you?" he asked.
"Tsuchikage-sama, during this ti, I've had extensive discussions with Kitsuchi. I believe he has conveyed my intentions fully."
"That's fine. If this agreent indeed guarantees Iwa's rightful interests, I'll stake my na as Tsuchikage to uphold it," Ōnoki said coldly. "But if Konoha uses this to harm Iwa, the two villages will be at eternal odds! This isn't a threat—it's a statent of fact. My will as Tsuchikage won't change this."
"Tsuchikage-sama, rest assured. Konoha will get what it seeks, and Iwa will get what it desires," Masashi replied solemnly. "We've also included multiple asures to prevent unforeseen circumstances or malicious breaches of contract."
"Such as? What do you an by 'unforeseen circumstances'?"
"It's all clearly defined in the agreent, Tsuchikage-sama. Please review it first."
They exchanged a long look before the Ōnoki began reading the agreent.
On the cover page, the first thing he noticed was a lengthy table of contents. The top entry read: "Glossary of Terms."
"What does 'Glossary of Terms' an?"
"It's to ensure both parties interpret the agreent consistently. We can verify these definitions on the spot, and revise them if there's any disagreent."
"Hmm, that does seem necessary," Ōnoki nodded and continued flipping through.
The room was quiet except for the sound of turning pages.
Despite being called an agreent, the docunt was practically a book.
"How will the retained mission funds be scaled?" he asked suddenly. "We can't wait until the debt is fully repaid to recover them, right? And since this money belongs to us as long as we don't breach the contract, how do we ensure you won't misuse it?"
"A dedicated account will be set up under joint control. Every transaction will require signatures from both the Hokage and the Tsuchikage before the bank processes it. During the freeze period, the bank can invest this money elsewhere, and as the rightful owner of the funds, Iwa will receive a portion of the profits. Think of it as a risk-free investnt."
"What if the bank incurs losses?"
"They'll cover it. Nobody in this world dares to cheat both the Tsuchikage and the Hokage simultaneously."
"And how will the scale of the retained funds be determined?"
"It will be a fixed percentage of the remaining debt."
"Why do we have to pay fees for early repaynt?"
"There's no way around that, Tsuchikage-sama. Even if you repay the principal early, investors will lose out on interest. If soone raised funds through an association to lend to Iwa, the sa rules would apply—you'd have to pay fees for early repaynt."
Ōnoki fired off questions, and Masashi answered them all without hesitation.
"Impressive," the Tsuchikage admitted, though grudgingly, before resuming his reading.
Finally, he finished reading the entire docunt.
He had to admit, he was genuinely impressed with Masashi's ability to co up with such an extensive agreent.
What kind of brain did this guy have?
Honestly, reading the whole thing made his head spin.
It was exhausting.
The format was also unusually peculiar.
In the past, agreents between ninja villages were always simple and straightforward: specify the date to formally cease hostilities, the number of prisoners to be exchanged, and the amount of compensation.
Everything was clear and concise.
Even at its lengthiest, such agreents were only a few pages long.
But this? It was way too detailed, and to make matters worse, even signing this massive docunt wasn't the end. Both parties would still need to sign a bunch of additional agreents with the Association, followed by three-party agreents.
Good grief! Was it always this complicated?
Ōnoki now understood why that Association was so successful.
It wasn't just because of Konoha's military backing. Their rules and regulations were exceptionally ticulous.
Although this docunt was rely a frawork, he could already tell that under such a structure, Konoha would have no way to manipulate financial matters against Iwa—unless Iwa had a traitor.
Ōnoki initially considered making so changes, but he found himself unable to do so.
The rights and obligations of Iwa and Konoha were perfectly balanced, detailed point by point. If he changed sothing for Iwa, he would have to change sothing for Konoha as well. After all the revisions, neither side gained any advantage.
But if he left it unchanged, it would make him, the Tsuchikage, look weak and incapable.
So, he decided to propose his own modifications.
"Overall, it's acceptable," he said. He picked up his tea cup, and gulped it down. "However, I have two suggestions for revisions."
"Please, go ahead," Masashi replied with a smile.
"First, the na of this agreent is too long. Sothing about a comprehensive strategy and military cooperation—it's unnecessarily verbose. We're ninja villages. We should have a na that reflects our identity."
"Oh? What na do you suggest?"
"Just call it an Alliance Treaty! No need for all that extra nonsense," Ōnoki said, tapping the table with his fingers, looking like he was scolding soone for being unnecessarily fussy.
Beside him, Kitsuchi gave an approving nod.
"And the renewal period—every year? That's way too much trouble. How can we even see results that way? Listen to : make it every five years, with renewal six months in advance."
"No problem," Masashi nodded. "We'll do as you say."
He signaled to one of his scribes, who, along with Iwa's scribes, began revising the docunt.
The atmosphere in the room visibly relaxed.
From now on, they were allies, so there was no need to remain so tense.
"Tsuchikage-sama, will you be signing this personally, or will you use your seal?" Masashi asked with a smile.
"Hmph!" Ōnoki pulled out a pen. "I always sign personally. I don't use seals."
"In that case, I hope you'll forgive . On our side, we can only use the Hokage's seal."
"That's fine, but your own signature needs to be on it."
"I'm not the Hokage."
"Doesn't matter. If you don't sign, I won't either."
"Alright, fine. How about we add a representative signature line on the signature page?"
"Whatever! As long as you sign."
"Okay, okay. I'll sign. Definitely." Masashi relented and called out to the scribes. "Add a representative signature line for Konoha on the signature page."
"And for that 'continuity seal' ntioned in the docunt, if you don't have a seal, you'll write it by hand!"
"Fine, whatever you say."
A while later, the revised agreents were brought back.
Both parties began cross-checking the docunts to ensure consistency, leaving Ōnoki and Masashi free to take a break in the tea lounge.
Seated with his tea cup in hand, Ōnoki said, "Masashi, Deidara and Kurotsuchi have told about you. Thank you for taking care of them recently."
"That was the Hokage's decision," Masashi replied with a smile.
This kind of favor wasn't worth making a fuss over.
"The Fourth Hokage, huh..." A slight smile appeared on Ōnoki's usually rigid face. "He does seem like a reasonable person."
"If he weren't, you wouldn't have agreed to sign the treaty so quickly."
"Partially true," Ōnoki admitted, sipping his tea. "I have a question for you. You said that only with guarantees from both our villages and Kiri can services be extended to the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning. Are you deliberately excluding Suna?"
"That's not it at all. The Association doesn't have a base in the Land of Wind, and the Lands of Fire and Lightning have always been old enemies. It's simply a necessary safety asure."
"So you're already preparing for the possibility of Suna lashing out in desperation?"
"How could I possibly prepare for that? Such decisions are made by higher-ups."
You're not part of Konoha's higher-ups? Who is, then?
Also, what's with your hostility toward Kumo?
Ōnoki was genuinely curious but had no real objections.
This negotiation had given him new insights.
Despite his youth, the so-called White Ghost was cautious, capable, and well-established in both strength and status. Even Kumo would find dealing with soone like him difficult.
Ōnoki had a premonition: Kumo would soday suffer for their unpaid debts, likely facing attacks from three villages.
And he had no complaints about that.
Kumo had developed too rapidly. Their greed and aggressiveness, combined with the dominance of their militaristic faction, had placed imnse pressure on Iwa.
Ōnoki was still in office at his age precisely because he didn't believe anyone in his village could handle the pressure from Kumo.
Although Kumo had temporarily lost their jinchūriki, it hadn't significantly weakened them. They had already mastered the creation of perfect jinchūriki.
Capturing the tailed beasts of other villages wasn't beyond Kumo's reach.
Their attack on Suna in the Third Shinobi World War was largely motivated by their desire to capture the One-Tail.
Ōnoki's decision to sign the agreent was driven by more than just the financial benefits. The decisive factor was seeing the potential for a genuine alliance between Iwa and Konoha, one capable of jointly countering Kumo and Suna.
Especially Kumo!
For this possibility, he was willing to give it a shot.
"Once the treaty is signed, I will imdiately announce it publicly," Ōnoki declared. "That's what Konoha wants most, isn't it? I'll cooperate with you this ti. Just make sure Konoha truly wants peace with Iwa."
"Of course," Masashi nodded firmly. "If anyone tries to sabotage the cooperation between Konoha and Iwa, I'll be the first to deal with them."
"Rember what you said. As long as you deliver, Iwa can be an ally of the Uchiha clan, Masashi."
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