116. Is 79 Tons Of Beef Too Expensive For You?
Among the small countries on the border with the Land of Sound, the Kumogakure headquarters, led by the Fourth Raikage, was located here.
Yagami had left the Flying Thunder God mark on Orochimaru, so it didn't take him long to arrive from Otogakure.
"Miss Yugito, what do you plan to do after sneaking around me for so long?"
He was almost at the headquarters, yet no one came out to stop him. Yagami couldn't believe that such an important place for commanding a war would be so unguarded.
Sure enough, when he expanded the range of his Byakugan's perception, he discovered Yugito's team had been following him all along.
Now that he was at the entrance, if Yugito hadn't come out to greet him, Mingfeng would have no choice but to make the first move.
Jade Control Charm forcibly controlled Yugito's consciousness as Yagami's voice resonated directly in her mind. However, the Two-Tails quickly expelled Yagami and simultaneously released Yugito's consciousness from the suppression.
"That was... an illusion!"
Yugito, who had just regained control of her body, was shocked. Recalling how she had been entirely unable to resist moments ago, she broke out in a cold sweat.
Had Uchiha Yagami become this terrifying? Wasn't it said that he wasn't skilled in illusions? How could he perform such a domineering technique?
If not for the Two-Tails' presence, Yugito would not have imagined what the result would have been.
"I didn't expect the one coming would be you! Weren't you supposed to be in Konoha?"
Seeing that hiding was no longer an option, Yugito suppressed her unease and appeared.
"Miss Yugito, we meet again! Although I reside in Konoha, I represent the Uchiha clan. The transaction between us has nothing to do with Konoha. May I speak with your Raikage?"
Yagami smiled faintly. It seemed the presence of a tailed beast within a Jinchūriki made illusions ineffective, and even mandatory techniques like Jade Control Charm had failed.
"This way, follow me."
Yugito hesitated briefly, waved her team away, and turned to lead Yagami into the headquarters.
"Is this how the Uchiha handle a deal with us? Sending a child to negotiate?"
The Fourth Raikage glanced at Yagami and spoke bluntly.
"Raikage-dono, it's best not to test me like this.
Konoha's elders are far more agreeable, yet their efforts wouldn't work on me either.
As for whether I am qualified to represent the Uchiha, I believe Kumogakure's intelligence system should at least be capable of confirming that."
Yagami spoke casually, taking a seat without hesitation. He rested his face on his hands, gazing at the Fourth Raikage with an amused expression.
How adorable! The shinobi of Kumogakure must have been raised on some extraordinary diet, as their bodies were unusually large. No wonder the books from his previous life called the Fourth Raikage the busiest of all—the man must have worked overtime countless times.
Due to his height disadvantage, Yagami didn't want to stand while talking to the Raikage. Although he had grown considerably, the person in front of him was still Raikage!
"Hmph! The kid is sharp-tongued, indeed worthy of being from Konoha," the Fourth Raikage snorted coldly. He was well aware of Yagami's standing in the Uchiha clan, especially after the previous incident where Yugito, his Jinchūriki, had to suppress and fight against him. Raikage had paid extra attention ever since.
"Thank you for the compliment. I owe it to Konoha's training for instilling this mentality in me. However, Raikage-sama, the war is tense right now. Surely, you don't want to waste time with idle conversation, do you?" Yagami replied calmly.
The Fourth Raikage felt an immediate sense of frustration. He had tried to pressure Yagami, but it felt as though his efforts were striking at air.
"That's true, but don't you think if I capture you here, I could coerce both Konoha and the Uchiha?"
As Ai sat down, his words brought an invisible pressure to the command centre. The others felt their bodies grow heavy, their chakra flow sluggish. Perception techniques used by the sensory department were abruptly disrupted.
"If you think so, let alone capturing me, even if you manage it, you will face Konoha's dismissal and Uchiha's unrestrained vengeance. I don't think Tsuchikage-dono would pass up an opportunity to align with the Uchiha to take advantage of Kumogakure."
Yagami's eyes shifted into the Mangekyō Sharingan, and a wave of invisible pressure emanated from him, intensifying the already stifling atmosphere.
"That's enough! I was only joking. No need to take it so seriously," Ai said, his expression shifting. Considering Yagami's power and the Uchiha clan's might, Kumogakure wasn't in a position to provoke them unnecessarily.
"Raikage-sama, a word of advice: when dealing with the Uchiha, it's best not to joke around. You should know by now that we're not exactly mentally stable. Sometimes, if a joke goes too far, it ends in action."
Yagami withdrew his gaze, his tone calm but firm.
Damn it! The Uchiha are a clan of lunatics!
Ai cursed silently. He had always considered himself short-tempered, but Yagami was far more direct—ready to act without hesitation.
"I understand. Let's move on to the deal. We need a large quantity of shuriken and exploding tags. How much can the Uchiha provide?"
Ai took a deep breath, choosing to set aside the unnecessary provocations and get straight to business.
"I can't guarantee limitless supply, but for this war, we can maintain continuous deliveries.
Currently, we can produce about 300 million exploding tags at once, along with 300,000 shuriken and kunai. Additionally, we can supply enough grain and military ration pills to sustain your forces for three to five years."
The Fourth Raikage nearly spat out his tea upon hearing these numbers.
Are you kidding me?! A single ninja clan can manage this? It's a joke, surely. Even a ninja village would struggle to amass such resources! Are the Uchiha trying to flip the world upside down?!
"Uchiha kid, this is a negotiation. Don't spout nonsense!"
"I swear on the honour of the Uchiha clan that what I've said is entirely accurate. We can provide as much as you require within those figures," Yagami replied, his tone calm and unwavering.
"Of course, Raikage-sama, you understand this is wartime. The prices for such supplies will naturally be much higher than usual. I trust you can understand."
Yagami crossed his fingers, his expression serene as if discussing a trivial matter.
Ai considered the situation. Even with Uchiha's remarkable stockpile, Kumogakure wouldn't be able to afford such quantities in full.
"One hundred thousand exploding tags, fifty thousand shurikens, and fifty thousand kunai. We'll start with that. But we're still in the midst of a war with Iwagakure and can't produce the funds right away. Could we...?"
"Raikage-sama, this is a small-scale business. We don't offer credit or instalments. However, if you're short on money, we can discuss barter options.
I hear your special beef is highly regarded. If there are no objections, I'd be happy to accept beef in exchange for the supplies."
"Really?" Raikage asked, surprised. He had assumed the Uchiha would insist on monetary payment.
"Of course. For the quantities you've requested, I think 79 tons of beef would suffice. What do you think?"
Yagami smiled, knowing Kumogakure's expertise lay in animal husbandry. Developing Uchiha Evernight City into a futuristic metropolis required a steady supply of meat. Since Kumogakure lacked money, their livestock could serve as payment.
"What?! Seventy-nine tons?! Even if we slaughtered every cow in the village, we wouldn't reach that amount! Isn't this too expensive?"
Raikage's mood plummeted. While the quantity might be manageable for ordinary beef, Kumogakure's special beef was a different matter entirely.
"Expensive? The price of exploding tags has always been high, especially in wartime. This is nothing unusual. Sometimes, it's necessary to reflect on your own preparations.
If Kumogakure's animal husbandry industry and village management had been developed properly over the years, you wouldn't be complaining about prices now," Yagami replied, rolling his eyes.
The surrounding shinobi were left speechless.
Is he seriously making this my fault?!
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