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In short, it all boils down to one principle: the amount of effort we, Konoha, put in is directly proportional to the amount of money you, Kumogakure, are willing to pay!
Don't bother with any other nonsense—those tricks won't work on us!
This is how pragmatic Konoha is!
We only want money—nothing else!
Not even the so-called "Sage's Eye" interests us.
As long as the money is right, everything else can be negotiated.
"....."
Has Konoha completely lost itself to greed?
Once the negotiations began, the Raikage, A, was left utterly speechless.
Because Konoha's stance was crystal clear: as long as the payment was sufficient, they would demand nothing else.
'What a bunch of bloodsuckers!!'
To secure Konoha's support and persuade them to abandon their own share of the interests, Kumogakure had to pay a hefty price.
Even for a wealthy village like theirs, A couldn't help but feel the sting.
"Then we'll leave the rest to you. When the time comes, our village will send word."
"You can rest assured, Raikage. Once Konoha accepts payment, we won't gamble with our reputation. Once the other villages respond, Konoha will undoubtedly stand with Kumogakure."
"I hope so."
After giving Kazuki a deep, lingering look, A departed with his entourage. As for the money, Kumogakure would send it over later.
After seeing the Raikage's group off at the village gates, Kazuki turned to Tsunade and said,
"Well, are you satisfied now? The village's finances should ease up a bit."
"What a shame. It would've been even better if we could've squeezed out more."
Tsunade still felt it wasn't enough. The truth was, Konoha's financial hole was simply too deep to fill all at once.
They could only chip away at it bit by bit.
At least some progress had been made.
You're the one who's truly obsessed with money, Tsunade!
I'm just the one taking the blame.
Too exasperated to engage further, Kazuki ignored her and headed back into the village. Tsunade followed closely behind:
"Do you think the village will end up at a disadvantage by giving up our stake in Amegakure's interests?"
Objectively speaking, securing a large sum of development funds in exchange for relinquishing Amegakure's benefits wasn't a bad deal.
But Tsunade worried that the allure of Amegakure's resources might prove too tempting, leaving Konoha shortchanged in the long run.
"You're overthinking it. There's hardly any profit to be gained from Amegakure or the Akatsuki."
They're barely scraping by themselves, desperately scrambling for funds everywhere. And you think there's anything left for you to take?
Don't even entertain the idea.
As for tangible benefits—like the supposed Sage's Eye—that was nothing but a pipe dream.
For one, there was no guarantee Nagato would even defend Amegakure to the death. And even if he did, obtaining the Rinnegan wouldn't be so simple.
Obito and Black Zetsu might let Nagato run wild for now, but when the time came, they'd seize control without hesitation.
Even if they couldn't revive Madara Uchiha, they'd make sure to retrieve the Rinnegan first.
At that point, the only thing of marginal value might be Nagato's corpse.
But Kazuki was certain Black Zetsu and Obito wouldn't carelessly abandon it.
Too many secrets could be extracted from a body.
While a deranged Obito might not care, Black Zetsu would never allow certain truths to be uncovered.
'That brat is getting more and more insufferable!!!' Tsunade realized that Kazuki's ability to provoke her was growing by the day.
The frustrating part was that his competence was undeniably top-tier—he had solved countless problems for her.
Promoting him to the position of Hokage's advisor had indeed been a wise decision.
"Do you want a reward?"
Merit deserved recognition, and the Uchiha had always been interested in the Forbidden Scroll, hadn't they?
Tsunade figured she could let Kazuki take a look at it.
Unlike the Third Hokage, she wouldn't casually hand the scroll over to just anyone.
Only those who had contributed significantly would be granted such a privilege.
And now, with Kazuki having secured another massive sum for the village, Tsunade felt it was reasonable to relax the restrictions for the Uchiha.
"A reward?"
Kazuki hadn't actually considered what he might want.
Mainly because he lacked nothing at the moment. As for the Forbidden Scroll, his interest in it was lukewarm at best.
Pausing mid-step, he turned to Tsunade, puzzled as to why she'd suddenly brought this up.
When Kazuki stopped, Tsunade did the same.
Crossing her arms, she tilted her head slightly, exposing her long, fair neck. The motion also accentuated her ample bust, making it even more conspicuous.
Unable to help himself, Kazuki glanced over. Truly, only Samui could compare in that regard—Kurenai's natural endowments simply couldn't measure up.
"...."
Tsunade, arms still folded and wearing a smug smile as she waited for Kazuki to make his request, noticed his gaze lingering on her chest. Instantly, her smile vanished.
Unpleasant memories resurfaced.
"Listen here, you little brat, don't push your luck!!"
The mere recollection of past humiliations made Tsunade's blood boil. Clenching her fists, she growled:
"I haven't even settled the score with you from last time, and now you're at it again?! And don't you already have Kurenai and your little fiancée? Still not satisfied, huh? What are you staring at me for?!"
"...."
What the hell are you even talking about?
Do I look that desperate to you?
Why would I stare at you? You're way past your prime—get a grip!
Kazuki's expression was one of sheer disdain,
"You're the one puffing yourself up like that, and now you're blaming me for looking? Besides, it's not like I, Uchiha Kazuki, am lacking in female companionship. Why would I waste my time staring at an old hag like you? I—... Wait, hold on. Let's keep this civil, alright? Violence is so uncouth."
"I'll lecture you after I beat you up!!!"
Old hag?!
Those two words shattered Tsunade's last shred of rationality. Teeth gritted, she lunged at him, fist raised.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion echoed through the forest as the ground trembled violently.
Kazuki stared at the spiderweb of cracks spreading across the earth and swallowed hard. That kick could've ended my bloodline right there.
"Uchiha Kazuki, stand still and take your beating like a man!!"
"Sorry, auntie, I'm not interested in playing."
"....."
And so, the chase began—him fleeing, her pursuing.
Their chaotic sprint back to the village left a trail of havoc in its wake.
By the time they reached Konoha, Tsunade had somewhat regained her composure—though the murderous glint in her eyes was impossible to miss.
"Uh… what's going on?"
Shizune was baffled. How had a simple outing escalated to the point where Tsunade was glaring at Kazuki like he'd personally offended her ancestors?
Did Kazuki provoke the Hokage again?
"Lady Hokage, your budget is already tight. Please refrain from causing property damage in the village—I'd really prefer not to deal with the compensation paperwork."
Even the Hokage wasn't above the law. Any destruction caused in a fit of anger would come straight out of her own pocket.
Shizune's reminder instantly cooled Tsunade's temper.
They were already strapped for cash—adding repair costs to the pile would only make things worse.
"Shizune, be the judge here. Our esteemed Hokage just accused me of lusting after her. Me! Do I look like I'd need to?"
Pulling Shizune in front of him as a human shield, Kazuki smirked challengingly at Tsunade. Go on, try me.
"Eh?!"
Shizune's eyes widened. "Lady Hokage, how could you say such a thing to Kazuki?"
"I—"
So now you two are ganging up on me?!
Tsunade nearly coughed up blood in frustration.
Just whose side are you on, anyway?!