The journey to the Land of Tea took a couple of days. Hiruzen made a lot of small talk on the way to inspire Fujin and his Anbu guards. Fujin took the opportunity to interact with Choza as he thought, 'Akimichi clan's body size manipulation is part of Yang Release. Though it's unrealistic to get the methods of learning the jutsu from him in just this journey, there is no harm in creating a good relationship with him.
After all, he is the only one from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to live after the Fourth Great Ninja War. And if in the future my reputation becomes as good as Hiruzen's, I could try to ask him for it.'
The next afternoon, the group from Konoha arrived at Degarashi port in the Land of Tea without any incident along the way. However, Fujin was surprised when they arrived outside the gates of the village.
Every major Noble in the city was standing at the entrance of the gate. In fact, even the Daimyo of the country was present! Fujin had made multiple trips to this country as an Anbu ninja in the last couple of years. So he easily identified most of the Nobles and Ministers waiting at the Gates. Fujin peeked inside to see the sides of roads packed with spectators.
Fujin thought, 'I didn't think I'd underestimate how much influence this old fox still has!'
The Daimyo of the Land of Tea stepped forward and cordially greeted, "Lord Hokage, it's good to see that you are still hale and hearty!"
Hiruzen smiled and replied, "It's great to see that you are doing well too, Lord Daimyo."
While the two exchanged pleasantries, two people walked to the sides of Daimyo. Hiruzen looked at one of them and said with a smile, "Jirochi, are you doing well?"
Wasabi Jirochi bowed slightly and answered with a smile, "I have been well, Lord Hokage. All thanks due to how efficiently Konoha carries out the missions."
As he spoke, the face of the other man fell. However, he quickly hid it behind a fake smile and greeted Hiruzen politely. Hiruzen looked at him and thought, 'So he is the one who wants to take over Degaroshi port from the Wasabi family?'
Hiruzen just nodded and began talking with the Daimyo. Wagarashi Kyuroku controlled his anger and didn't say anything disrespectful. One of the missions that Jirochi referred to, cost him more than 90% of his forces and over 50% of his wealth.
After that, he lost his ability to create trouble for the Wasabi family. He had still not recovered from the blow that 5 squads sent by Hiruzen had dealt the Wagarashi family when they dared to enter the Land of Fire to eliminate Wasabi Daichi. Having learnt his lesson, he had no intention of openly opposing Hiruzen. If it wasn't for ensuring his own benefits, he wouldn't even have shown up there.
As they talked, the Tea Daimyo and Hiruzen walked into the village. Jirochi, Kyuroku, the nobles, ministers and the Konoha ninjas followed them. As they walked, Fujin noticed a lot of curious gazes from the people that crowded both sides of the road. Some cheered, but most just watch casually.
He wondered, 'Are they really so curious to see a Kage or did the Daimyo arrange them here to create a favorable image of the citizens on Hiruzen? We are here for trade discussions after all.'
The four Anbu ninjas had all their attention on the crowd in case any assassin was hidden. Homura, Choza and Fujin weren't much concerned about this and just casually walked. The crowds thinned as they reached closer to the Daimyo's Palace.
After entering, they were led into the Grand Hall inside the palace. The hall had several old and expensive artifacts. It had a large circular table at the center which was adorned with elegant tapestries and exquisite tea sets.
Hiruzen took his seat while the Tea Daimyo sat opposite him. Jirochi and Kyuroku sat next to the Daimyo. The ministers of the Daimyo and other nobles occupied seats next to them.
Meanwhile, Homura sat to Hiruzen's right while Choza sat to his left. The Anbu stood behind Hiruzen while Fujin stood awkwardly thinking, 'Should I take a seat or stand along with the Anbu?'
Homura was one of three Village Elders while Choza was a Clan Leader. Meanwhile, Fujin was just an orphan who was in the Anbu. Though he had gained a lot of strength, most of it was known to very few people. In addition, Hiruzen hadn't given him any purpose on this mission.
Hiruzen looked at Fujin and said, "Take a seat as well, Fujin."
Fujin nodded and sat next to Choza while thinking, 'In the last mission, Shikaku didn't give me any specific instructions. Though I wasn't interested in knowing the aftermath, I'm sure the last month would have been hell for him. I'm surprised that Hiruzen still didn't give me any instructions…'
At the same time, the eyes of the Daimyo and the Nobles fell on Fujin. They were surprised that Hiruzen asked someone so young to sit alongside the three of them. The Daimyo looked at Fujin and thought, 'To bring someone so young here. Is Hiruzen planning something? Regardless, this young man must be someone worthy of keeping an eye on.'
Hiruzen looked at his Anbu Guards who nodded in response and disappeared. The faces of the few ninjas in the Daimyo's camp got serious. Only a few of them managed to see how the Anbu Guards hid themselves.
Soon, a bunch of servants appeared and served delicious warm food with great fragrance on the table. The Daimyo said with a smile, "I know you are very busy, Lord Hokage. So I decided to arrange for Lunch while we discuss a trade deal."
Hiruzen smiled and replied, "That is very thoughtful of you, Lord Daimyo."
The servants served all the food and left. Soon, the doors to the grand hall were closed. The Tea Daimyo asked, "So, shall we start the discussion, Lord Hokage?"
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes. We received multiple requests from you. So you can begin, Lord Daimyo."
The Tea Daimyo said, "Alright, Lord Hokage. As you know, there is a civil war happening in the Land of Water. Due to this, many ninjas are fleeing away. Unfortunately, instead of living peacefully, most have resorted to banditry. Though our major cities are safe, they cause great harm to small villages.
When we send missions to Konoha to eliminate them, it generally takes around a week for any squads to come here. And in the last month, the delay has been even longer. This causes unnecessary loss of life and property.
So my request is for you to establish a small military outpost in the Land of Tea. At least until the chaos caused by the Civil War in the Land of Water is settled."
Until last month, the Tea Daimyo was fine with the one-week delay. However, due to the sudden buildup of tension between the four major villages, the villages reduced the number of missions they accepted drastically.
Shikaku had deployed 1700 ninjas within a few days to deter other countries and was showing that the other troops were being prepared as well. So Konoha was quite short on manpower as well.
A frown formed on Homura's face as he said, "Lord Daimyo, that won't be possible. After all, if anyone has any enmity with Konoha, they might attack these ninjas instead of trying to attack in the Land of Fire. So it will be very dangerous for our ninjas."
Hiruzen and Choza maintained their silence while Fujin just watched carefully. He was interested in seeing how they would negotiate. The Daimyo said, "We can host them in big cities that are well protected. So they won't be in any danger normally. The only time their lives will be at risk is during the missions. But that would be true in any case."
Homura shook his head and said, "That isn't the same. We study every mission properly and then assign squads with the necessary strength to complete the mission safely. If we don't, then the number of deaths will be very high."
Homura's words caused the Daimyo to fall silent. After all, he was putting the Konoha ninjas at risk. He couldn't force this matter. Jirochi said, "Lord Hokage, there is something that you can do. What if we consider every mission as rank A?"
Kyuroku snorted and asked, "Do you know how expensive that would be?"
Jirochi immediately replied, "How can money be compared to the lives of our citizens? If needed, I can contribute my family's wealth for this purpose as well."
Kyuroku was surprised. At the same time, he was elated. He thought, 'This is great. If he wastes all his money here, then I can catch up with his family in strength within 2 to 3 years!'
He immediately became quiet and let Jirochi commit a blunder.
Since the opposite party was willing to pay, Homura became silent and looked at Hiruzen. The entire room paid attention to what his decision would be.
