Hokage Tower.

Majestic and solemn! That was the first impression the four-member delegation from Sunagakure had upon entering the conference room.

Baki had been dispatched to liaise with the Konoha Ninja Academy regarding the placement of Suna students, leaving the subsequent negotiations in the hands of the Elders.

'This is Konoha, the advanced and civilized Konoha!' As a devoted reader of Iki, the Liberal faction Elder held Konoha in the highest regard. He believed that a village's strength could be discerned from the smallest details.

And just look! Look at the arrangement of this conference room! The Liberal Elder was mesmerized.

Each chair was placed with such precision, it was as if they had been aligned using Suna's own puppet strings, not a single millimeter out of place!

Neat and orderly!

It conveyed respect and seriousness, representing equality between Suna and Konoha.

To the left of each seat, a bottle of exquisitely packaged water was placed, seemingly a thoughtful gesture acknowledging Suna's value of water. The sight of the crystal-clear, impurity-free liquid within was incredibly cool.

'Ah~ Subarashii~ Praise Konoha!' The Liberal Elder felt a surge of excitement. Judging by these details, he felt a kinship with the Konoha Elder who had arranged this meeting, believing them to be kindred spirits.

"Honored envoys of Sunagakure, you should all be briefed on my background, but allow me to introduce myself once more." Gojo Kaigetsu arrived fashionably late, pulling up a chair opposite the Suna delegation, officially commencing the Konoha-Suna treaty discussions.

"My name is Gojo Kaigetsu, and I will be representing Konoha in negotiating and signing the 'Guidelines for Expanding Konoha-Sunagakure Trade' with you."

"Very well."

The Liberal Elder, acting as the delegation's representative, perhaps moved by the conference room's ambiance, set aside Suna's pre-planned negotiation points and opted for an impromptu approach.

He clasped his hands, resting his chin on them, and addressed Gojo Kaigetsu sincerely:

"I am Kosaka Kaoru, the Liberal Faction Elder of Sunagakure."

"Advisor Gojo of Konoha, I have a question for you."

"Please, Elder Kosaka."

"To be frank, we have signed a 'Triangular Trade' agreement with Kumogakure. Through Kumogakure's base in the Land of Hot Water, they continuously supply us with defectors from Kirigakure and criminals from within Kumogakure to serve as laborers in Sunagakure."

"As you know, Sunagakure possesses abundant natural resources, but their development requires significant investment of manpower, finances, and materials."

"Kumogakure provides us with manpower, while Konoha provides us with financial and material resources… Our initial plan was to utilize the first batch of Kirigakure laborers provided by Kumogakure to develop the Konoha-Suna trade route."

"However, now that Konoha is solely responsible for the trade route, I find myself somewhat at a loss. Given your wisdom, how should Sunagakure utilize these inexpensive Kirigakure laborers?"

The Liberal Elder Kosaka Kaoru subtly omitted any mention of human rights violations regarding the Kirigakure defectors. Such unsavory matters, even if left unsaid, should be understood by someone like Gojo Kaigetsu, whom he considered a kindred spirit. Speaking with intelligent people saved a lot of breath.

Upon hearing this, the accompanying Suna Elders' expressions changed. Tugging at Kosaka's sleeve, one whispered, "Have you gone mad? Why aren't you following the agreed-upon negotiation points?"

"Moreover, this is a secret agreement between Sunagakure and Kumogakure. How can you casually reveal it?"

Kosaka Kaoru crossed his arms confidently. "Because I believe Advisor Gojo, sitting across from us, is an intelligent man. There's no need for roundabout talk with intelligent people."

"Advisor Gojo isn't some brute from Kumogakure. He is a man of great wisdom. Negotiating with such a person openly will undoubtedly secure the greatest benefits for Sunagakure!"

"But…"

"Haven't you noticed? His expression hasn't changed at all after I revealed this. It's as if he already knew about our 'Triangular Trade' agreement with Kumogakure."

This… was a bluff.

Gojo Kaigetsu genuinely hadn't known about this shinobi world version of the "Triangular Trade."

Oh, really now! Treating my Kiri brothers like slaves, are we?

The corners of Gojo Kaigetsu's lips curled upwards. This Kosaka Kaoru was really straightforward, directly treating Konoha as a source of "materials" and "finances."

But as a certain scientist once said, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." In his eyes, wasn't Sunagakure also a source of "finances"?

However, speaking of "Triangular Trade," Gojo Kaigetsu had plenty of ideas.

He shook his head, his expression serious. "Elder Kosaka, Sunagakure is just a business partner of Konoha, while Kirigakure is our comprehensive strategic partner."

"Elder Danzo of our village has already been appointed as Konoha's ambassador to Kirigakure, stationed there to maintain the friendship between our villages."

"Helping you devise strategies to exploit Kirigakure defectors? That… would be inappropriate."

"Kirigakure is like a sibling village to Konoha. In principle, your proposal puts me in a difficult position." Gojo Kaigetsu feigned a troubled expression.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"This…" Kosaka Kaoru blinked, quickly responding, "Sunagakure can do the same! Konoha can dispatch an Elder to our village to witness our friendship!"

"Furthermore, if Elder Gojo's suggestions bring greater benefits to Sunagakure, we are willing to share the profits with Konoha!"

"Good! It's a deal! A gentleman's word is his bond."

Gojo Kaigetsu spoke rapidly.

Profits and such were secondary.

Was he concerned about the paltry sum Sunagakure would share? The important thing was the opportunity to send an Elder to Sunagakure to "witness their friendship"!

Elder Mito… it's decided, it's you!

"We will subsequently dispatch Elder Mito, who oversees infrastructure development in Konoha, to assist and guide Sunagakure in resource extraction and to witness the friendship between our two villages."

"Ah, this… very well. Then, about your suggestion?"

Kosaka Kaoru felt a twinge of unease. Did this Advisor Gojo harbor some strangely rosy perception of Sunagakure's natural environment?

Suna's environment and the humid Kirigakure were polar opposites, both challenging for outsiders to endure without exceptional willpower.

However, since Gojo had offered, Kosaka Kaoru refrained from commenting further, continuing to press for his advice on the "Triangular Trade."

"Ah, I have an idea!" Gojo Kaigetsu raised a finger to his temple.

Swish, swish-

Gojo Kaigetsu pulled out a pen, drawing a straight line between the closest points of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, then connecting a point on the edge of the Land of Wind to Sunagakure.

Kosaka Kaoru looked on with respect, unsure of the meaning but sensing a certain rigidity in the lines.

"This is the trade route we will construct in the future, connecting Konoha and Sunagakure for the exchange of materials and goods."

"Geographically speaking, once the trade route is established, Sunagakure will maximize profits by selling goods directly to Konoha."

"Our Konoha market is vast, our attitude towards foreign investment is favorable, and most importantly, we are wealthy and never default on payments."

"With those uncivilized apes in Kumogakure, you'd probably end up with 'what's Kumogakure's is Kumogakure's,' and you wouldn't be able to take a single ryō home."

"Elder Kosaka, let me ask you, what unique jutsu does Sunagakure possess that no other village has?"

Hmm? Weren't they discussing trade? Why the sudden shift to military matters?

Kosaka Kaoru was taken aback but quickly answered, "Sunagakure has many secret techniques, but if we're talking about a jutsu absolutely unique to our village, it would have to be… Puppet Mastery Jutsu!"

Kosaka Kaoru's voice was filled with pride.

This was the reason why Sunagakure, despite its shortcomings, remained among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. There were very few techniques in the entire shinobi world that allowed ninjas to fight across ranks, and Puppet Mastery Jutsu was one of them!

It utilized chakra strings to control puppets in combat. Top puppeteers of Sunagakure could even attach chakra strings to enemy puppets or even people.

A puppet master's strength could be easily judged by the number of puppets they controlled.

Puppeteers could equip their puppets with hidden weapons and mechanisms to complement their fighting style.

Due to its early development, it was incredibly difficult for other villages to replicate Puppet Mastery Jutsu.

Developing such a versatile technique required the perfect convergence of timing, location, and people. Even Tobirama Senju, Konoha's master of jutsu development, couldn't replicate it.

"How many puppeteers does Sunagakure currently have?"

"Hmm?"

Kosaka Kaoru became wary, refusing to answer. "That's classified information, I cannot disclose it. Advisor Gojo, please share your idea."

"Sigh, no good deed goes unpunished. I'm trying to help Sunagakure resolve its predicament, and you won't even tell me how many puppeteers you have."

Gojo Kaigetsu shook his head in disappointment but continued kindly, "Since we're all friends here, I'll be upfront-"

"Why not transform the Kirigakure defectors and Kumogakure criminals directly into puppets?"

Kosaka Kaoru: ???

Hiss-

Kosaka Kaoru gasped, a breath of sand-free Konoha air catching in his throat. He felt his heart skip a beat.

But Gojo Kaigetsu continued, undeterred. "Look, isn't the reason Sunagakure's resources remain undeveloped due to the high labor costs?"

"In this scorching heat, let alone the laborers acquired through 'Triangular Trade,' even your own villagers can't endure working in the desert chakra mines for extended periods, right?"

"Even if you wanted to exploit them, you wouldn't be able to, correct?"

His eyes, beneath the black blindfold, seemed to possess the ability to see through people, hitting the nail on the head.

"But, my friends from Sunagakure, why have you forgotten your own specialty? These problems are non-existent for puppets!"

"Even if there's a risk of malfunction due to overheating, you can simply import water resources from Konoha to cool them down when necessary."

"This…"

Kosaka Kaoru had to admit, he was tempted!

The Liberal faction always prioritized their own villagers, not showing mercy to outsiders.

Sunagakure was not known for its compassion or leniency; otherwise, they wouldn't have come to Konoha to consult with Gojo Kaigetsu on how to maximize the utilization of these inexpensive laborers.

Initially, Kosaka Kaoru had assumed there were different approaches to handling foreign laborers. Sunagakure belonged to the radical faction, while Gojo Kaigetsu should be part of the conservative faction.

After all, Konoha was highly developed and constantly preached about the Will of Fire.

However! Only after arriving in Konoha did Kosaka Kaoru witness Gojo Kaigetsu's true nature.

This guy was indeed a conservative, but he was afraid Sunagakure was too conservative.

At most, Sunagakure puppeteers transformed their defeated ninja enemies into puppets as trophies.

Gojo Kaigetsu, on the other hand, didn't discriminate. Regardless of whether they were ninja or not, he suggested turning criminals and rightless, unprotected defectors into puppets…

Was this something a human could conceive? Were these the words of a true inheritor of the Will of Fire?

Even the most extreme proposals put forth by Sunagakure paled in comparison to Gojo Kaigetsu's suggestion, appearing as gentle as a proposal from an angel.

This was simply too extreme.

A hint of inexplicable fear crept into Kosaka Kaoru's eyes as he looked at Gojo Kaigetsu.

Such a person, as an ally, was fine, but as an enemy… and if Sunagakure were to be defeated… what would become of their villagers at the hands of this man?

He feared all the men would be turned into puppets, and all the women would become… "puppets."

Kosaka Kaoru hesitated, stammering, "Such a thing… in principle, it's possible, but there would be opposition from both Kumogakure and Kirigakure, and even from within Sunagakure."

"It's too inhumane!"

"Tch-"

Gojo Kaigetsu spread his hands, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

As expected, it didn't pass.

If it had, setting aside the feelings of those transformed into puppets, a massive amount of backlash would undoubtedly fall upon Kumogakure and Sunagakure.

Then, Konoha could step in as the savior, pointing fingers from a moral high ground, further boosting its reputation.

What? You say Konoha proposed the plan?

Please, Konoha has always been peace-loving. Don't try to pin everything on Konoha without proof.

Moreover, if Gojo Kaigetsu remembered correctly, the number of puppeteers in Sunagakure was limited, and there was a cap on the number of puppets they could control.

If Sunagakure used their puppet control capacity on ordinary laborers, their long-term lack of experience in controlling combat puppets would severely weaken their military strength.

Although Kosaka Kaoru hadn't accepted Gojo Kaigetsu's proposal, his words had sparked an idea.

He said tentatively, "Puppeteers could attach chakra strings to these inexpensive laborers."

"If they don't work hard, we can whip them with the chakra strings."