The Chunin Exams were over, the fights were finished, and everyone who needed killing had been killed. There was no point staying in Kumogakure any longer, so Jie prepared to take the three brats back to Konoha.
As for Itachi, he had spent the past five years wandering the Ninja World while preaching Jie's version of the Will of Fire.
He had joined Akatsuki as a spy, but now that the organization was scattered and his cover had been blown, there was no reason to stay outside. So he simply followed Jie back to Konoha.
Seeing Jie about to leave, Yugito quickly stepped forward to stop him. She could not let him walk away like this. If he did, Kumogakure might really fall into decline and never recover.
"Lord Hokage, please wait."
Jie frowned when he saw Yugito blocking his path.
"Does the Raikage need something else?"
"The Chunin Exam venue is gone, so the exams can't continue. Kumogakure should have plenty to clean up right now, so why are you stopping me?"
Yugito looked embarrassed. Jie was right, but she still had to say it.
"Lord Hokage, I'll be direct. You've seen how badly Kumogakure was damaged. Rebuilding the village will cost a fortune, and we'll likely have to close ourselves off for a while."
Yugito carefully watched Jie's expression. Seeing no change, she continued cautiously, "So for the next few years, we may not be able to pay the war reparations. I hope you can understand."
Jie finally understood what Yugito was asking for.
Kumogakure still owed Konoha five years of war reparations, but now the village had been nearly destroyed. Rebuilding alone would cost a fortune, and they might not even be able to pay death benefits to the fallen ninja's families, let alone continue paying Konoha.
This joint Chunin Exam had originally been meant to help Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure join forces against Konoha's pressure. Instead, Akatsuki and Kirigakure attacked at the worst possible time, and Kumogakure was ruined before the alliance could even take shape.
Based on Jie's estimate, rebuilding Kumogakure while still paying reparations would be almost impossible. Even if they managed it after ten years, the village might have already lost its place among the great villages.
But to Jie, that only made Konoha's position stronger. If Kumogakure collapsed, Konoha would simply have one less enemy, and the Land of Lightning without ninja protection would be easy prey.
So Jie refused without hesitation. "Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
"The reparations were agreed on five years ago. They don't stop just because Kumogakure is having a hard time."
"Like I said before, if Kumogakure can't pay, Konoha will ask the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning for the money instead."
Jie's firm attitude made Yugito feel even more desperate.
Why did a Tailed Beast like her have to deal with all this?
'No. Once the aftermath is settled, I'm definitely leaving Kumogakure!'
'Definitely!'
Yugito swore to herself, but for now, she still had to get through this negotiation.
"Lord Hokage, how about this? Give Kumogakure a few years of grace. Once we finish rebuilding and have the ability to pay again, we'll make up every delayed year as extra reparations."
Yugito gritted her teeth as she looked at Jie. "Would that be acceptable to Lord Hokage?"
She really had no other choice. If she could not convince Jie to change his mind, Kumogakure might disappear from the Ninja World within a few years.
Konoha was not the only threat. Even if Kumogakure formed a temporary alliance with Iwagakure and Sunagakure, the moment it showed real weakness, Iwagakure would probably be the first to turn on it. That was how the Ninja World worked.
So even if Kumogakure had to pay more later, surviving the next few years came first. As long as the village endured this crisis, it would still have a chance to recover.
Hearing Yugito's proposal, Jie paused slightly.
He had to admit, the offer was tempting. Money did not mean much to him personally, but Konoha could always use more.
If a few years of grace meant a few extra years of payments, then giving Kumogakure five years would earn Konoha five more years of reparations.
As for Kumogakure trying to keep delaying by claiming they still could not pay, Jie wanted to see if they had the nerve.
After thinking for a moment, Jie said calmly, "The proposal isn't bad, but it's still not enough."
"During the grace period, all compensation Kirigakure pays to Kumogakure will go to Konoha. Once Kumogakure resumes paying Konoha, Kirigakure's compensation can return to you."
Kirigakure had attacked Kumogakure and lost. No matter how badly they had suffered themselves, they were still the defeated side, so compensation was unavoidable.
With Kumogakure in ruins, the amount they could demand from Kirigakure would be limited no matter how justified they were.
Kirigakure had lost, but Kumogakure no longer had the strength to press them too hard, so the final compensation would probably be little more than a token payment.
Konoha was different. If Jie handled it, Kirigakure would not be able to brush the matter off with a small sum. The compensation Konoha could force out of them would be far greater than anything Kumogakure could get on its own.
Yugito understood the benefit immediately.
After hearing Jie's condition, she only thought for a moment before agreeing.
Letting Konoha take the compensation for now was better than getting almost nothing themselves. Once Kumogakure recovered and resumed paying Konoha, Kirigakure's payments would return to them and help ease the burden of rebuilding.
More importantly, Kirigakure was the only major village that had not been squeezed by Konoha yet. Since everyone else had already suffered, there was no reason to let Kirigakure stay untouched.
Nearby, Mei Terumi listened as Yugito and Jie decided Kirigakure's fate in just a few words, and her face went pale.
She had doomed Kirigakure.
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