Chapter 390: The Oilada Clan's 'Sincerity'!
Chapter 390: The Oilada Clan's 'Sincerity'!
The Guest Room!
"What brings you here, Dormitory Elder Tsukuyomi?" asked Dong Ping, leaning back on the sofa, his posture relaxed.
Across from him, Tsukuyomi Kokoro sat upright, her back straight.
"Food," Kokoro stated without hesitation, getting straight to the point. "The village intends to purchase a large quantity of food from the Heavenly Fortress."
Knowing Dong Ping's character, Kokoro didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"How much do you need?" Dong Ping asked, completely unsurprised.
Before entering the village, he had seen the crops that were severely affected by the cultivation of Skyguard Seed One, and he had already prepared to make a deal with the village.
"Fifty thousand tons," Kokoro said, hesitantly stating the number.
In reality, she had expected to purchase thirty thousand tons, thinking that if they could buy that much in a short time, they could slowly figure out the rest.
The inflated quantity was a tactic for future bargaining.
While the Heavenly Fortress had an impressive food production, they also had a significant population, so the amount of food they could sell was likely limited. Kokoro didn't hold much hope for obtaining fifty thousand tons.
The Leaf Village was unaware of the situation in the River Country.
It wasn't that they lacked the power to find out, but rather they deemed it unworthy of their attention.
In their eyes, only the other major ninja villages in the Shinobi World were worth noticing, and a small country like the River Country didn't even come close.
Even with knowledge of the Heavenly Fortress causing trouble there, no one bothered to investigate seriously.
This was the arrogance of the Great Ninja Villages!
"Sure, fifty thousand taels per ton of rice, and we'll handle the transportation!" Dong Ping agreed without hesitation, offering a significant discount.
Indeed, it was a substantial discount.
The market price for rice was fifty thousand taels, but that was for small-scale sales.
The Shinobi World was not like the world before the time-travel, where productivity was booming. Bulk purchases would significantly lower the price.
When purchasing in large quantities in the Shinobi World, not only could you not negotiate a lower price, but you might even face price hikes. Ruthless merchants might even double the price without hesitation.
Moreover, Dong Ping was offering to handle the transportation, which was even more challenging than procurement. Transporting tens of thousands of tons of food was a massive undertaking.
Even large merchant caravans could only transport around a thousand tons at a time, highlighting the efficiency of transportation.
The efficiency of land transportation couldn't compare to sea routes, especially when using horse-drawn carriages.
With such favorable conditions, Kokoro was taken aback. She hesitantly asked, "What's your condition?"
She sensed that there must be some underlying issue, as such a generous offer was unusual.
"Just one thing," Dong Ping said, raising a finger. "During the negotiations with the Daimyo, I want the Leaf Village to support my claim for the territory within the Heavenly Fortress' defense line."
Yes, this was the reason for his substantial discount.
Remember the outposts and sentry lines built on the outskirts before the great war? They were not for combat but to mark the expansion territory.
However, achieving this goal wouldn't be easy.
After the Heavenly Fortress revealed its strength, neither the Leaf Village nor the Daimyo would allow them to expand unchecked.
Now was the opportunity to use negotiations to achieve this goal.
If they tried to forcefully seize the territory, they would be going against the entire Shinobi World. The current Heavenly Fortress didn't have the strength to challenge everyone, so they had to resort to non-violent means.
"No!" Kokoro instinctively refused.
The Heavenly Fortress was already powerful enough, and allowing them to expand further would be a death sentence for the Leaf Village.
"Is that so... Then forget about the food order!" Dong Ping shrugged.
This time, he was certain the Leaf Village was in his grasp.
The food crisis was severe, and the only solution lay with him.
Most importantly, even if they could find another merchant guild to take on the task, 'accidents' would undoubtedly occur.
As ninjas, they had to act like ninjas.
Kokoro, seeing Dong Ping's attitude, instantly understood his intentions.
"You..."
Just as she was about to rebuke him, she realized she had no ground to stand on.
After all, the Leaf Village wasn't innocent regarding the Heavenly Fortress, especially when it came to the ninja army's attack. Others might not know the reason, but they were well aware.
The reason was simple: the majority of the ambassadors from the Embassy had perished in the Skyguard.
The attackers used the Mutual Detonation Technique, a clear indication of Root Division's involvement.
Under these circumstances, it would be hypocritical to take the moral high ground and condemn their actions.
The critical issue was that they couldn't leverage the village to pressure the other party, which was a significant setback.
If the other party valued the village's safety, they could have easily been manipulated using the village's well-being.
However, the other party didn't fall for it, rendering such tactics useless.
"The village hasn't really suffered any losses. After all, those territories don't belong to Konoha, right?"
Dong Ping stated a more direct reason.
The territories belong to the Daimyo, why should Konoha concern itself with their welfare?
"Agreed, but the food trade must be completed within six months!"
Choshin Kokoro was convinced.
Dong Ping's argument made perfect sense.
The land in question was never Konoha's, so any headaches arising from it were not their concern.
Even if they wanted to restrict the other party's expansion, it would be challenging to intervene in this matter. Instead, it was better to use this opportunity to gain some advantages for themselves.
In other words, the other party's condition was essentially asking Konoha to stand aside.
"No problem!"
Dong Ping readily agreed.
Given their status, there was no need to worry about broken promises. Thus, a formal contract was unnecessary.
Both parties had the means to make the other pay if they reneged on their commitments.
After the visitors left, Dong Ping couldn't contain his smile.
With this development, the Skyguard finally had room for expansion.
The Skyguard's area had remained unchanged, not due to a lack of desire to expand but because there was no space to do so.
Now, with this territory in hand, even if the population were to surge to a million in the future, it wouldn't be an issue.
The Shinobi World's cities weren't densely populated because people disliked urban living.
On the contrary, people yearned to reside in thriving cities.
However, due to limited productivity and other constraints, even the largest city in the Shinobi World had a population of only a few hundred thousand.
The Skyguard, though, was destined to break this barrier and become the first city to surpass a million inhabitants.
At that point, Konoha and Kyoto would no longer be considered 'prosperous'.
Dong Ping, however, didn't close the door, as if waiting for something.
Whoosh! A sound tore through the air.
A figure appeared in the private guest room, devoid of any outsiders.
The visitor, wearing sunglasses and a mandarin-collared sweater, was fully covered and greeted Dong Ping.
"Lord Dong Ping!"
The visitor was none other than the leader of the Oilada Clan.
Oilada Jimi!
As a Perfect Ninja, he possessed not only strength but also high intellect and emotional intelligence. He was well aware that the Oilada Clan had no other choice.
Just because Sarutobi Kazumi had protected them once didn't mean they were out of danger.
Danzo's Root Division had them in their sights, and while the Hokage could protect them once, it didn't mean they could do so every time.
The only reason they hadn't acted yet was that they were waiting for a moment when Jimi wasn't in the village. After the last incident, Jimi hadn't dared to leave the village.
Now, seeing an opportunity, he had decisively chosen to side with the Skyguard.
With Dong Ping's arrival, Jimi naturally wanted to express his allegiance promptly, demonstrating the Oilada Clan's 'sincerity'.
Indeed, it was a sincere gesture.
Dong Ping had just returned to the village, and the clan leader had secretly come to pay his respects. If this act were to be discovered, the Oilada Clan would be in grave danger. Therefore, Jimi was willingly handing over incriminating evidence to Dong Ping.
Dong Ping, of course, was more than satisfied with this show of loyalty.
"Clan Head Jimi, rest assured, I guarantee the safety of the Oilada Clan!"
He confidently gave his assurance.
What's Root Division to him? He could handle them.
This was also an opportunity to get back at them for their previous betrayal.
With this in mind, he fixed his gaze on Oilada Jimi and said, "Clan Head Jimi, would you be willing to let your clan take a risk to resolve this issue once and for all?"
He had thought of a way to teach Root Division a lesson and relocate the Oilada Clan.
"I am willing!"
Oilada Jimi nodded, gritting his teeth.
(End of Chapter)
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