In truth, the Raikage had long been aware of Reiji's plan—not because his advisory team was superior to those of other villages, but because his niece, Amai, understood Reiji all too well.
You could say the one who knows you best isn't always a friend or lover—sometimes, it's your enemy.
And for a long time, Amai had viewed Reiji as her imaginary rival.
As a result, she knew him inside and out.
After a brief moment of thought, the Raikage dismissed Reiji's talk of war. In his eyes, Konoha would have to be completely out of its mind to want to fight them.
Sure, the shinobi of Kumogakure had clashed with Konoha ninja in the forests of the Land of Fire, but Konoha's forces wouldn't stand a chance on the terrain of the Land of Lightning!
"If you want my help making money, give me back the Two-Tails first!" a gruff voice demanded.
Hearing that, Danzō Shimura froze for a second before casting a sideways glance at Reiji, hiding his reaction.
As one of Konoha's top brass, there were things he knew—but the fact that Reiji had swiped the Two-Tails? That was news to him.
For a moment, his mind began scheming.
With the Two-Tails and the Nine-Tails, Konoha would be holding eleven tails in total!
No way we're giving her back!
Naturally, Reiji had no intention of returning Kitty to Kumogakure. He shook his head firmly.
What a joke! After all the effort I put into raising Kitty, and you want her back now?
Even if I did dare return her, would you even dare take her?
My Kitty goes out for a walk every single week!
With that thought, Reiji held up a hand, signaling a five.
"This much—consider it a dowry from me to Kumogakure!"
The Raikage, gruff on the outside but sly at heart, instantly flew into a rage. He slammed the couch and roared,
"Fifty million ryo?! No way! At least a hundred million!"
He knew full well there was nothing he could do now that this brat had taken the Two-Tails.
He had already tested Reiji with Lariat earlier. If Reiji hadn't gone easy on him, it would've been a humiliating defeat.
Still, if he was going to get extorted, not a single coin should be left on the table!
Meanwhile, Danzō's fingers twitched as he watched, already calculating.
According to Reiji's plan, the total haul was expected to be about 2.4 billion ryo.
If Kumogakure only asked for 100 million, and that bastard Hiruzen took 800 million, and Reiji took another 800 million—
That left 700 million.
If he kept his mouth shut when he returned to Konoha… could he get a hush bonus?
Damn, this was a real opportunity!
"Deal!"
Driven by that thought, Danzō quickly cut in without hesitation.
As soon as he spoke, both Reiji and the Raikage gave him strange looks, thinking the exact same thing:
Who said it was your turn to speak?!
This old fossil really thinks he's important!
They exchanged a glance and promptly ignored Danzō.
Reiji spoke up again.
"Lord Raikage, you're thinking too small.
Maybe you think Matatabi is only worth 100 million—but to me, she's priceless!
I'll give you 500 million! That's the most I can do right now!"
His voice rang with conviction.
The cat inside Reiji blushed, covering her face shyly and muttering,
"You jerk~ You... you think this is going to make me happy? Humph~"
Raikage was completely thrown by the sudden counteroffer.
He stared blankly for a second before forcing a smile onto his stony face. He stood up and threw an arm around Reiji's neck.
"Ahem, don't call me 'Lord,' call me 'Uncle!' Matatabi is my niece—take good care of her!"
Danzō and Amai's faces immediately darkened.
Reiji, on the other hand, was used to this kind of stunt from the Raikage.
You want to know what a real bandit looks like?
This is a real bandit.
With that thought, Reiji cheerfully threw his arm around the Raikage's neck, much to Danzō's shock.
"Uncle—cough, I mean—I'll add another 300 million. All you have to do is hold a village meeting about launching a surprise attack on Konoha.
Of course, you don't actually have to do it. Just put on a good show.
Tomorrow, I'll have a clone stir up some trouble at the border between our two countries. If you're uneasy, just pull your troops back.
But honestly, with you overseeing Kumogakure, nothing's going to happen!"
Now that's how you talk! This kid's got it! Why couldn't he have been born in Kumo?
Raikage pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry. Nothing will go wrong. Want me to send a few men? Make it more convincing?"
"No, no! Just wait for the money!" Reiji quickly waved him off.
I'm just here to make money, not actually start a war between great powers!
Making money isn't a crime!
Watching Reiji and the Third Raikage so chummy, Danzō felt completely crushed.
Wait… was I brought here just to take the fall?
How humiliating...
After a quick rundown of the plan's details, Reiji took Danzō with him and left Kumogakure.
In the Raikage's office, as Reiji vanished from sight, the Raikage's grin slowly faded, replaced by a long sigh.
"What about the clans in the village?"
At that, Amai frowned slightly, her voice calm but laced with a chilling edge.
"Uncle, our clan also stockpiled plenty of iron ore. Given the circumstances, we'll pretend to know nothing and start a war.
When the time comes, we'll claim the Eight-Tails went berserk as a reason to stop it.
Then, using both the village and our clan's name, we'll offer some economic aid.
After that, we'll push Danzō Shimura forward as the mastermind and shift all the blame onto Konoha.
This way, we resolve the animosity while weakening the other clans' influence.
At the same time, we highlight our sense of justice and strengthen unity in the village.
Most importantly, we pave the way for my cousin to become the Fourth Raikage. Let's see who dares to challenge him then!"
Her gentle tone masked a ruthless determination.
The Raikage frowned at her words, fell silent in thought, then gave a firm nod.
...
Back in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi was holding a meeting of his own—this one with the heads of all the major clans.
Unlike the Raikage, Hiruzen chose to explain the situation in full detail. Of course, he never mentioned Reiji's name.
With someone else to take the blame, there was no need to drag Reiji into it.
Besides, given Reiji's skills, there would be more deals like this down the line. Cutting off the source now would be foolish.
Hiruzen didn't even have to think twice about it.
As for why he was sharing so much with the clan heads—it was a matter of necessity.
Konoha and Kumogakure were fundamentally different. Or rather, they couldn't be more different.
For one, the clan backing the Third Raikage was one of the most powerful in Kumo, already towering above the others.
And the Third hadn't taken power through nomination—he fought his way to the top.
Brutal and straightforward.
But Konoha operated differently. Konoha revered the Will of Fire, and the legacy passed down from generation to generation.
The Third was the student of the First and Second. The Fourth was the Third's grandstudent. The Fifth was both the Third's student and the First's granddaughter. The Sixth was the Fourth's student. The Seventh was the Third's grandstudent, the Fourth's son, and the Sixth's comrade.
So, the Hokage faction inevitably ended up at odds with a few of the village's clans.