This was a very interesting read; thank you for sharing it. That said, I've learned through painful experience to be careful when players ask this sort of thing. Why do you want to know?
Well, we can make a lot of iron ore extremely cheaply with ES. Like, years of output in days. Worked metal is extremely expensive in pre-industrial societies, so it would be much easier to Uplift if we had a lot of iron/steel. I'm thinking specifically about equipping the civvies with steel agricultural tools and steel weapons and armor. Both of which should be way too expensive to be in common use for civvies.
I want to put together a research team (like with skysliders) to invent the blast furnace/finery forge if they don't exist yet, if they do exist, I want to build some giant ones and start making steel by the literal ton and selling it.
This was a very interesting read; thank you for sharing it. That said, I've learned through painful experience to be careful when players ask this sort of thing. Why do you want to know?
FWIW, I think this may have already been answered? I vaguely recall you believing for a moment that a player had a "gotcha" moment, before things were clarified?
FWIW, I think this may have already been answered? I vaguely recall you believing for a moment that a player had a "gotcha" moment, before things were clarified?
We've been setting it in (very roughly) 12th century Japan. A couple of anachronisms have crept in but we've tried to stick closely to that. Feel free to do research on what was available in that time period; it's probably a safe assumption that anything that was known then will be known in MfD. There might be some exceptions but it's a good foundation.
The funny part is that I borrowed this drawer from Alanis Morissette.
What happened to KEI representative Shimura? I assume he gets a Council vote but not during Hokage election, where he isn't even allowed to be present?
Still seated were Lord Kyoshō, Ladies Kei and Minami, and KEI representative Shimura. Kei Haruka was the first to make up her mind, standing for Naruto.
Great question, this is exactly the kind of worldbuilding question I like to hear and work on. Iron production in Leaf primarily happens through bloomeries. If there are other parts of the EN that use different iron production processes (possibly including Mist), Hazou doesn't know about them.
As far as MfD goes, Leaf has lots and lots and lots of trees. That means the price of charcoal will be rock bottom compared to the rest of the EN. Which is good news for iron production. Historically, the fuel requirements have been one of the major drivers of price.
While perhaps true relative to the rest of the EN, I would caution against thinking of charcoal as dirt-cheap. There's still a lot of labor involved in mass-logging, and the danger is substantially greater than in our world.
In addition, Hazou can produce ore that is pure iron oxides. That's very good for blast furnaces, since getting them fluxed properly is kind of a headache.
Correct -- not having to deal with slags means that several parts of the metallurgy process can be easily skipped. However, note that this is not a process already in motion. Hazou did not produce pure iron ore for Leaf, he simply moved existing (slag-laden) ore deposits near the surface so that civilian miners could easily retrieve them. By default, Leaf's metallurgy will remain the same.
Skipping slagging would still be helpful in the bloomeries, though! Apart from the straightforward design implications of not needing to tap off slag, the temperature that iron oxides reduce is lower than the temperature that slags typically melt off of ore, meaning that bloomeries could produce iron blooms and billets at lower temperatures. In fact, this has already been noted in story:
Hazō had given samples of the purified ore to Ōshirō, the master smith whose patronage he'd stolen from the Hagoromo, but all he'd heard back so far was that the ore could be smelted at a substantially lower temperature – nothing on the quality of the steel provided.
While perhaps true relative to the rest of the EN, I would caution against thinking of charcoal as dirt-cheap. There's still a lot of labor involved in mass-logging, and the danger is substantially greater than in our world.
Are there particular centers of charcoal production in Fire? It makes sense to locate any large scale ironworks as close to the fuel as possible.
Also, what about ironworkers in general? Is it the sort of thing that's usually kept in the family, passed down via apprenticeship? There are no guilds etc.
Are blacksmiths usually producing their own iron themselves? Or buying it from a supplier? Historically, I think iron was usually not smelted and worked by the same people, but if the EN is small enough there might not be enough volume of trade to support that.
Also, what about ironworkers in general? Is it the sort of thing that's usually kept in the family, passed down via apprenticeship? There are no guilds etc.
Are blacksmiths usually producing their own iron themselves? Or buying it from a supplier? Historically, I think iron was usually not smelted and worked by the same people, but if the EN is small enough there might not be enough volume of trade to support that.
At least in Leaf, it depends. Some blacksmiths will buy iron from specialized bloomsmiths. Other smiths will go from ore to bloom to billet to forged product on their own, probably with a larger team of apprentices and the like. Whoever they are, smiths are certainly buying ore from miners and charcoal from colliers -- they are no more involved in the upstream parts of the operation than they are involved in throwing shuriken.
hidan said jashin visions are supposed to be ambiguous, you gotta tease out meaning yourself. with example of man growing out of scythe.
so his confidence that jashin told him asuma was killer is suspicious.
although maybe all jashin did was guide him to the blood with a vague vision, since the killer was related to the blood. and hidan incorrectly deduced that meant jashin told him asuma was the killer.
although i think we knew hidan had ability to track blood? so he wouldn't need jashin for that? unless everytime he uses that ability is via getting a vague dream from jashin?
well yuno said hidan contradicted himself. maybe he's just making up his religion cuz hidan gets fueled by believers.
edit:
well yuno knew a jashin symbol from isan. so there must be some kernel of truth to jashin
Better tools for farming, better weapons and armor for civvies fighting chakra beasts. A fuckload of money for the Goketsu. We're not creating steel so much as dropping the price by 10 times.
Okay this is good news, usually the younger sons of smiths are SOL, cuz the business goes to the eldest son. We want to put out the word that we're offering jobs to younger sons and journeymen with no hope of making master.
I still don't know if he gets a Hokage vote or not. And if people didn't wait for him to cast his vote and then just ignored him, is that a deliberate snub?
We're not going to pin down how many iron mines there are in Fire. Ownership is a mix between state, clans, daimyo, merchant consortiums, wealthy individuals, etc. Leaf's mines are owned by the Tower, and managed by a variety of civilian mining operations, notably including the Kurusu Clan's civilians.
Well, we can make a lot of iron ore extremely cheaply with ES. Like, years of output in days. Worked metal is extremely expensive in pre-industrial societies, so it would be much easier to Uplift if we had a lot of iron/steel. I'm thinking specifically about equipping the civvies with steel agricultural tools and steel weapons and armor. Both of which should be way too expensive to be in common use for civvies.
I want to put together a research team (like with skysliders) to invent the blast furnace/finery forge if they don't exist yet, if they do exist, I want to build some giant ones and start making steel by the literal ton and selling it.
How valuable is iron? Is it worth stealing if we do hand it out to civilians en mass? Or for them is it worth selling the tools themselves to put the money elsewhere?
We're not going to pin down how many iron mines there are in Fire. Ownership is a mix between state, clans, daimyo, merchant consortiums, wealthy individuals, etc. Leaf's mines are owned by the Tower, and managed by a variety of civilian mining operations, notably including the Kurusu Clan's civilians.
They were confirmed not to have Fire as an element. My suspicion is that they wouldn't be able to teach the technique to anyone unless there was either a bloodline or once-in-a-generation genius involved.
If Goat learned Fire element, then they might be able to learn based on their memories: they mind-scanned Akane and (I think?) saw her teach Asuma the seals. (@faflec?)
It might be wise to ask Ino let us know if anything happens to Goat. We don't need to know who they are, just if they're KIA or disappear.
We're not going to pin down how many iron mines there are in Fire. Ownership is a mix between state, clans, daimyo, merchant consortiums, wealthy individuals, etc. Leaf's mines are owned by the Tower, and managed by a variety of civilian mining operations, notably including the Kurusu Clan's civilians.
I'm not really interested in exact numbers. I was most interested in a rough count. Are we talking fewer than 10 large ones? Dozens of large ones? Approximately what scale do we need to be on to be a national scale player?
How valuable is iron? Is it worth stealing if we do hand it out to civilians en mass? Or for them is it worth selling the tools themselves to put the money elsewhere?
It's quite expensive but not outrageous. According to this guide, a peasant's sword costs 6 pence, which is about two days wages at a good wage. Not unskilled labor. Most of the other iron tools fall in the 3-9 pence range.
Frankly the aim is not to mass distribute the iron, but to sell it at a low price in order to make iron more widely available to the civvie population. That means we don't really need to worry about them selling their tools, if they don't need it, they won't buy it. Tools getting stolen won't be our problem either, we're focusing on the smelting step cuz that's where we have comparative advantage.
They were confirmed not to have Fire as an element. My suspicion is that they wouldn't be able to teach the technique to anyone unless there was either a bloodline or once-in-a-generation genius involved.
If Goat learned Fire element, then they might be able to learn based on their memories: they mind-scanned Akane and (I think?) saw her teach Asuma the seals. (@faflec?)
It might be wise to ask Ino let us know if anything happens to Goat. We don't need to know who they are, just if they're KIA or disappear.
They claimed to not have Fire as an element, and their Deceit outstrips ours and Akane's. Owl was the Yamanaka, not Goat, and I don't know if any of the ANBU saw Akane teach Asuma the seals.
Unless Asuma was betrayed by handpicked ANBU or somehow didn't know their chakra natures, I feel confident that if Owl leaked EM it was on Asuma's orders, tacitly or explicitly.
They claimed to not have Fire as an element, and their Deceit outstrips ours and Akane's. Owl was the Yamanaka, not Goat, and I don't know if any of the ANBU saw Akane teach Asuma the seals.
You know, I wonder if Sasuke will hear that Hazou plans on directing Sasha's training, and feel a kinship with him? Sasuke is heavily involved with his own fresh-genin's growth (he pulled a lot of strings to get Mari as her sensei). And here Hazou is, taking a personal interest in his own soon-to-be-fresh-genin.
They both even made spec jonin at a ridiculously young age. They have more in common than one would think, at first.
Itachi surveyed the room. Sasuke and Naruto, both standing and with tension clear in their bodies, surrounded by a mass of clones. Lord Akimichi, already half again larger than he had been, with Shikamaru and Ino swept against the wall behind him. Hinata with her bloodline active, flashing hand-talk with the ANBU in the ceiling above. Kurenai, Lord Hagoromo, Lady Minami, Lady Kei, and more, all in battle stances and ready to fight at Tsunade's command.
"Because," he said, "I do not wish for Leaf to die today. By sundown, we could level this city to within a metre. Yet it would be wasteful. Kakuzu, of all people, would acknowledge that we would not be so wrong to put a price on death. So, let us discuss whether there is a way that you can provide recompense for what you have wrought."
For a few seconds, there was silence. From his vantage position under the table, Hazō couldn't see anyone's expressions.
"I am here as a diplomatic representative," Itachi said calmly. "I do not intend to begin a brawl. If I wanted you all dead, all I needed to do was not to come."
Movement. Lord Akimichi shrank. Naruto halved his number of clones. The clan heads who'd moved retreated to their places, but nobody sat down or lowered their hands.
"We have 'wrought' nothing," Kurenai spat. "If you think you can come here and demand–"
"WHAT LADY SARUTOBI MEANS TO SAY," Lady Amori interrupted with a combination of grandmotherly mildness and sheer volume Hazō hadn't known was possible, "is that the facts of the case have yet to be established. Surely you agree that we need a common understanding of the circumstances before we begin negotiations?"
"Indeed," Itachi conceded. "You cannot imagine the pain of attempting to reconstruct the events that led to Kakuzu's murder using only the testimony of a particularly agitated Hidan.
"Per Hidan, he discovered incontrovertible evidence of a successful plot by Sarutobi Asuma to assassinate one Gōketsu Akane… speaking of which, is Gōketsu still cowering under that table?"
Of course a competent ninja would make sure to count the potential enemies he could see the second he walked in the room. That was common sense as basic as sleeping on your left side so an assassin couldn't stab you through the heart, or spilling out a money pouch before counting the coins to make sure you didn't prick your finger on a poison needle. Reluctantly, Hazō emerged and took his seat.
"Fear not," Itachi said, "we will come to you shortly." The perfect lack of menace in his voice was much more terrifying than the furious railing of their previous encounter.
This time, Hazō had the entire Clan Council between them instead of just Hidan. On the other hand, Hidan hadn't had anything at stake. If handing Itachi Hazō's head on a plate would protect the lives of everyone in the village…
"Per Hidan," Itachi resumed, "he and Kakuzu confronted the Seventh with this incontrovertible proof that the latter, with malice aforethought, attempted to direct Akatsuki to commit hostile action against a fellow AMITY signatory. The Seventh dissembled, failed to present evidence of his innocence, blasphemed against Jashin, and finally resisted arrest, which left Hidan with no choice but to conclude his guilt. Hidan delivered the appropriate sentence for AMITY violation, whereupon the assorted shinobi of Leaf attacked without warning with deadly force and drove Kakuzu into a lethal trap, finishing off the now incapacitated and harmless member of Akatsuki with a ninjutsu barrage. Hidan chose to retreat rather than to perform the proper rites, by which I believe he means massacring his attackers, and was nevertheless pursued with more deadly force until he was forced to take extreme measures in order to escape.
"I count five separate crimes in this account, two of which Akatsuki are willing to consider expiated by the Seventh Hokage's death. Which do you contest?"
"Well, for a start," Tsunade said, "the whole thing is a steaming pile of bullshit. Hagoromo, you tell him what you saw."
To Hazō's surprise, Itachi not only didn't argue, but gave Lord Hagoromo a look of respectful attention. Every time Hazō got lost in what a pathetic puddle of slime his would-be nemesis was, he also forgot that the Hagoromo were a name to be reckoned with within Leaf culture.
"I was not there from the very start," Lord Hagoromo began, facing Tsunade rather than Itachi. "However, I know that Hidan burst into Lord Seventh's office, ranting about the Gōketsu girl's blood on an old shirt he'd dug up in the Sarutobi compound, followed by the other one. Lord Seventh pointed out the obvious fact that he was being framed–he even called in an Inuzuka to test the blood because he knew he was innocent–and Hidan refused to listen, repeating his accusations like a parrot even as Lord Seventh pointed out how ridiculous it was for him to leave such a glaring clue if he was really guilty. Meanwhile, the other one went off on some bizarre tangent about Gōketsu, accusing Lord Seventh of keeping secrets about some no-name chuunin. Eventually, Hidan lost his temper and lashed out with his will, and naturally Lord Seventh crushed him.
"Then Kakuzu did the same to Lord Seventh in the moments as he withdrew. It worked, just for long enough. Hidan attacked him. Without provocation. Like an animal. We…" Lord Hagoromo stopped. To his horror, Hazō could see tears in his eyes.
"We were too slow. That son of a bitch cut down our Hokage in front of us as we watched. By the time we reacted, he was already down. Of course we fucking attacked. An enemy had just killed the Hokage. We attacked, and Kakuzu ran like a coward, straight into the… trap, and then he was in pieces on the ground outside the Tower and we all finished the bastard off. Then Hidan exploded somehow, blowing out the wall, and ran away on the air like he had skywalkers on his bare feet. I couldn't follow because I'd been concussed by the blast."
The faces of the clan heads around Hazō were grim, except Kurenai's, who looked ready to kill. Hinata, next to her, had a death grip on her lower arm.
"In other words," Itachi concluded, "you do not contest the accusations against you."
"What accusations?" Tsunade demanded. "Maybe you should have started with those, not this 'wrought' business. Who even talks like that?"
Itachi's eyebrow twitched.
"First," he counted off on his fingers, "the Seventh Hokage committed a violation of the AMITY accords carrying the death penalty, or failed to prove his innocence of same in the face of material evidence. Second, the Seventh resisted arrest by lawfully appointed representatives of AMITY whose right to arrest suspects for interrogation and investigation is enshrined in the same accords. Third, members of the military forces of the Village Hidden in the Leaves assaulted said lawfully appointed representatives with lethal force without provocation. Fourth, said members murdered Kakuzu while he was incapacitated and a plethora of non-lethal options were available. Fifth, said members actively pursued Hidan with lethal intent even after he left village borders and could no longer be considered a threat.
"Akatsuki are willing to consider the Seventh Hokage's death sufficient punishment for the first two crimes. For the others, and Kakuzu's murder in particular, Leaf must pay."
Itachi's gaze swept around the room, taking in Lord Hagoromo's simmering hatred, the cool calculation in Lady Amori's eyes, Chōza's bitter glare, Shikamaru's unreadable icy look, Ino's forced calm, Hazō's… Itachi's eyes stopped on Hazō.
"But first, you, Gōketsu Hazō," he said, taking a few leisurely steps towards him. "Inventor of the skywalkers that doomed Nagato. Now, inventor of the skyslicers that vanquished Kakuzu. Fate has a tragic way of repeating its lessons for those who fail to learn the first time.
"I came here to discuss whether Leaf as a whole can compensate Akatsuki for its crimes. One point, however, is already settled. Gōketsu Hazō must d–"
"Why did you do it?"
All heads swivelled towards the back of the room, where Sasuke's Sharingan was practically lighting up the corner with its intensity.
"Itachi, why did you kill our family?"
For the first time, Itachi looked less than perfectly in control of himself. His mouth opened slightly.
"Pipe down, boy," Tsunade snapped. "We're discussing the fate of Hidden Leaf itself here. This is no time for… family matters."
Itachi nodded along to her words with imperfectly-concealed relief.
"With the greatest possible respect, Lady Hokage," Sasuke fired back, "this is the only time. It's because the stakes are so high that this time, Itachi won't run away. If I do the sensible thing, then as soon as this meeting ends, he's going to go, 'I'm sorry, Sasuke. Another time', like he always did, and disappear into thin air. Lady Hokage, I will accept any punishment you consider appropriate for disrupting this meeting at a critical time, even if you feel you have to remove me from the Council, but first, please give me this."
Naruto opened his mouth, but Tsunade's glare silenced him as instantly as an uppercut to the jaw.
After a second's thought, Tsunade gave a weary sigh. "Not five minutes on the job, and I already have to deal with this kind of bullshit. You had better expect there will be consequences for this stunt."
Everyone, including Itachi, waited breathlessly for her next words.
"Well? Get to it, you little punk."
"Thank you, Lady Hokage." Sasuke's total focus returned to Itachi. Everyone else's focus returned to him. A decade-old drama, one of the greatest in the world, was about to reach its unexpected conclusion. The Sage himself could have strolled into the room and climbed on the table, and people would have just shifted so he didn't block their view.
"Itachi, why did you betray our clan? Why did you kill Mum and Dad, who'd done nothing wrong, who'd made you everything you were? Why did you kill Uncle Ryūken and Old Man Taiji and Auntie Motoko, family who'd trusted you, who'd called you our rising star? Why did you kill Uncle Shisui, your best friend in all the world?
"Why did you destroy everything we loved, and then leave me to live in that sea of blood alone? I'd have accepted any answer, even if it was just that you'd gone insane. Instead… you simply forgot about me. A decade of scraps reaching me about your heroics and your atrocities, and not a single word.
"You came here to make Leaf answer for its crimes, Itachi. Why don't you show us how it's done?"
Stunned, total silence. The teenager held Itachi's gaze as the demigod reeled.
"I…" Itachi began. "I... Very well. When we are done here… we can speak in private. You are old enough to understand now."
"Not good enough," Sasuke spat. "Do you think I can trust you to keep your word? After everything?"
Itachi briefly closed his eyes, as if acknowledging the point.
"Very well. I swear on… I swear on Nagato's memory that if Leaf does not force me to fight or leave, I will have a shadow clone speak with you in private as soon as we are done. Will that satisfy you?"
"It'll satisfy him," Tsunade answered in Sasuke's stead, her voice level, almost–but not quite–compassionate. "Let's get back to us. Itachi, Hidan's accusation was that the previous Hokage carried out some kind of plot to assassinate one of his ninja, inspected her body in such a way that he got her blood on himself, didn't notice, and then let the bloodied shirt sit in his wardrobe unwashed until yesterday, when it ended up in the hands of a civilian washerwoman. Oh, and he hired the continent's best bounty hunters to track himself down.
"You knew Asuma. Hand on heart, do you believe that he did not one but all of those asinine things, one after the other?"
Everyone was watching Itachi for his response, but Hazō, who was still a little stuck on Sasuke's incredible all-or-nothing courage and madness, the kind that Hazō himself aspired to in times of crisis, noticed Hinata also glance at Sasuke, just for an instant, and the look was one of… admiration?
That was when Hazō realised that he had been witness to the finest piece of improvised political theatre of his life, the kind of masterclass of manipulation that was only possible when every word was true. Even Mari and Ami working together couldn't have pulled it off.
"No," Itachi conceded, and the ground trembled with the weight of his concession. "Sarutobi was an intelligent man behind his facade. I always knew he would accomplish great things once he was forced to drop it."
"Then," Tsunade pressed, "do you accept that he was innocent?"
…
"I do not," Itachi said. "Matters are not so simple, Lady Hokage. I speculate, based on my estimation of his character–which Hidan lacked–and with the benefit of hindsight, that a full investigation would have found him innocent, which is no more than you yourself can do right now. I regret that yesterday's events ended in his death. However, for as long as doubt remained, the correct course of action was for him to surrender himself to our custody, pending interrogation and investigation. He knew this, having been involved in the drafting of the accords. Instead, he resisted arrest, and Hidan, having exhausted his means of non-lethally restraining powerful shinobi, had no choice but to make a judgement call on the spot. This is Akatsuki's understanding of events. Call it biased if you will, but with all due respect to Lord Hagoromo, I do not feel it outweighed by an account from a loyal Leaf shinobi that is almost identical except for where it exonerates his Hokage. Perhaps Kakuzu, with his desire for stability and lack of love for Hidan, could have offered additional insight."
He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. So, apparently, did Tsunade, though Hazō had expected her to stay on the attack.
"Lady Hokage," Itachi said, "this is not a battle. Please don't waste our time fighting as if it is. Innocent or guilty, the Seventh Hokage is dead. Vindicating him will not bring him back. If you seek to use such vindication to turn AMITY against Akatsuki in revenge, firstly, you will fail, and secondly, you will damage the world's greatest hope for peace proportionally to your success. Even if you do not believe in the cause yourself, recall that Leaf is currently more protected than protector. Leaf was saved from an unbearable war by AMITY's creation. Do I really need to spell out the consequences of its collapse for a village of great wealth whose forces have been scythed down with the regularity of a harvest?"
He let that sink in. Everyone knew, though no one said, that Cloud was still at full strength, that it was the only village not to have suffered major losses since the previous war. Their opportunistic attack had been foiled by Orochimaru and Isan being in exactly the right place at the right time together with Mist, but Orochimaru had just proved himself unreliable, and two people in this room were aware of how Isan's rescue had been repaid. Cloud had demonstrated its new government's desire for Leaf land. If it went for a full invasion, with or without allies…
Hazō sensed that the discussion was about to move on, and there was something important that nobody had said, something that might build on Tsunade's bizarre success in evoking sympathy in the hardened killer who'd nearly wiped Team Uplift off the face of the earth for trivial reasons.
Was Hazō prepared to draw Itachi's attention back to himself for Leaf's sake?
"If I may," he said. "You mentioned you personally think it's likely that the Seventh was innocent, right?"
"Of assassinating your clanswoman and thus later committing an AMITY violation, yes," Itachi said.
"Well," Hazō said, "if that's true, then that means somebody framed him. Akane's blood didn't get itself on that shirt."
Itachi nodded.
"That person is our common enemy," Hazō told Itachi. "They exploited your organisation as a weapon with which to destabilise Leaf, and therefore AMITY, and to undermine public trust in you. I think we need to remember that when we're talking about assigning punishment for the incident."
Itachi considered.
"I do not disagree," he said, "and under the circumstances it would only be appropriate for Akatsuki to participate in Leaf's investigation of the incident. If there is a different culprit, they deserve the full weight of Akatsuki's justice. If there is stronger evidence that the Seventh was guilty after all, Leaf cannot be allowed to conceal it."
Hazō's relief lasted only until he met Tsunade's eyes, which told him in no uncertain terms that while the threats to punish Sasuke might have just been part of the act in case Leaf needed to disavow his actions, he was going to answer for accidentally inviting Akatsuki to stick around and interfere with Leaf's legal system.
It also occurred to him that both Shikamaru and Kurenai had cleared him of suspicion based on faith in his character. Itachi was unlikely to do the same.
"However," Itachi said, "it was not our common enemy that killed Kakuzu. The fact that your shinobi attacked Hidan, while belated, likely to achieve nothing but increase casualties as indeed it did, and an AMITY violation in itself, was at least understandable. However, by both accounts, Kakuzu had been attempting to de-escalate, then to make his escape with far less harm to his attackers than you must realise he was capable of. His death is not a matter of justifications or balances of evidence. It is not a matter for discussion. It can only be repaid, and I wish for you to cooperate with me so that the repayment is not made in blood."
Shikamaru opened his mouth.
Before he could speak, Kurenai finally pulled her arm free of Hinata's grasp. It was as if the act released her entire will.
"And will Hidan repay me for the murder of my husband?" she hissed.
Itachi's look was tinged with pity, which visibly infuriated Kurenai all over again.
"No."
Hazō was starting (well, continuing) to get the sense that Kurenai was a smouldering tag at this meeting, and it wouldn't be Itachi who suffered if she exploded.
Hazō gathered his nerve.
"What about punishment?" he asked. "You said the proper procedure is to arrest a suspect and interrogate them properly later. From Lord Hagoromo's testimony, and the others I've heard, it sounds like Hidan got fed up with questioning the Seventh and went straight for a psychic attack–which you say was his attempt at arrest–while Kakuzu was still trying to get to the bottom of things. Obviously, I wasn't there, and I'm not trying to relitigate who was at fault in that incident, but it sounds a lot like the Seventh might still be alive if it had been Kakuzu making the decisions and not Hidan. Aren't there going to be any consequences for Hidan after the way he handled the precedent for Akatsuki investigating a Kage?"
Kurenai gave him a look of approval.
"That would be an internal Akatsuki matter on which I am unable to comment," Itachi said with a meaningful double nod. Something in the way he looked at Kurenai, some message it probably took a social spec to read, seemed to at least take the edge off her fury.
"The hour grows late," Shikamaru said. "I suggest we focus on our core objectives before tempers fray further. It is my understanding that Kakuzu served as Akatsuki's treasurer. Is that correct?"
"It is."
"Then, on the assumption that Akatsuki finances will suffer short-term detrimental effects on his passing, I propose that repayment should be made in liquid assets, primarily ryō and other valuables that can conveniently be reduced to them. This will smooth Akatsuki's transition to new financial management and impose a meaningful burden on Leaf which will nonetheless not excessively threaten its existence or stability."
"Kakuzu would certainly appreciate the spirit of the offer," Itachi mused.
Hazō had been waiting for a suggestion like this, even been prepared to make it himself if he really had to. Most of his clan's resources were things that absolutely could not fall into Akatsuki hands, but with Earthshaping, money at least was no object.
Still, it would be better coming from someone else. Earthshaping was still a secret, if a shaky one, and the Gōketsu, regularly going from loaded to dead broke and back again, didn't have the kind of reputation for wealth that would make an offer from him plausible.
Hinata's attention was split between Itachi and Kurenai, and it took Hazō a couple of seconds to catch her eye. He subtly made a gemstone symbol with his hands.
She looked at him blankly.
"Is there something you would like to share with the class, Gōketsu?"
Ah, crap.
"I was just going to volunteer the Gōketsu's financial assistance," Hazō said honestly.
"I see," Itachi said cryptically. "Kindly work on such details in your own time; it matters not to Akatsuki where your money comes from. Now, if we were to estimate the income lost with Kakuzu's financial acumen over the coming years, together with his many unregistered income streams that we will be unable to recover, and of course his contribution to Akatsuki's standard mercenary work, and then add the actual repayment due for the fact that you murdered a member of Akatsuki…"
The sum he named after those seconds of thought was probably sufficient to buy the Fire Country. Repeatedly. It was big enough that Hazō lacked the sense of scale to figure out what that many billions would mean in "real" money.
Lord Motoyoshi burst into a shocked coughing fit.
"That amount," Shikamaru said calmly, "is physically not within Leaf's means to pay, even if we emptied each clan's private coffers and liquidated all assets not essential to national security. Needless to say, even if we could pay it, Leaf would be nearly as crippled as if Akatsuki destroyed us altogether."
Itachi arched an eyebrow.
"Assuming a reasonably generous payment plan and aggressive investment within the flourishing financial environment the Nara optimistically project if AMITY endures, we may be able to pay it by the end of the decade," Shikamaru admitted. "Or at least, that is all I can say without my papers in front of me and enough time for some excruciating calculations."
"It's the standard ridiculous opening offer," Tsunade said dismissively. "Now we have to bargain him down to what Akatsuki actually want us to pay, like children."
"There is no bargaining happening, Lady Hokage," Itachi said. "Recall that if we are unable to reach an agreement, I walk away and Leaf is destroyed. Nor is the sum that unreasonable when you consider that Kakuzu was an immortal–ageless as well as virtually unkillable and invulnerable–and thus all of his financial value to Akatsuki is multiplied by the fact that it would have been contributed every year in perpetuity."
Understanding dawned on several clan heads at once.
"Land," Lady Kei said. "What you really want is land."
The most precious thing Leaf owned, more valuable even than the lives of its ninja, which were regularly spent to defend it.
"Valuable in perpetuity," Itachi agreed. He slid a scroll–presumably a rolled-up map–across the table to Tsunade. "Konan has been hard at work developing Rain, but I understand that the abysmal weather greatly limits both the agricultural options and the materials usable in construction. Your overgrown borderlands will be one of the seeds of Rain's rejuvenation. The comparatively modest figure listed under the map will be used for initial investment."
Tsunade unrolled the map. Whatever it was she saw made her squeeze her fists so tight it instantly popped out of existence.
"I will, of course, send you a material copy," Itachi said, completely unfazed. "Now, that was Konan's repayment. Personally, I consider it quite generous of her, considering how little use Leaf has been making of the area."
From the murderous looks directed at Itachi from those who'd looked over Tsunade's shoulder, the clan heads weren't going to agree.
"By comparison, Sasori demanded a tithe of Bloodline Limit shinobi."
"Then he can fuck right off!" Lady Inuzuka exploded, followed shortly by clamour from Lord Hagoromo and several others. The air grew dangerous.
"I suspect that is no longer possible," Itachi said coolly. "However, I am confident of my ability to persuade him to settle for seals. One jōnin-tier seal he does not already know from each clan. Two from clans with an active sealmaster within the last five years and the Konoha Enlightenment Initiative. Needless to say, if he feels he is being fobbed off with inferior goods, that will be his veto against Leaf's survival."
Representative Shimura and Lady Kei looked oddly gratified at the KEI's inclusion in the ranks of Akatsuki's victims.
Still, that was… actually not as bad as it could have been. Every clan had had sealmasters before, even if it didn't now, and while giving away clan secret seals would certainly feel like getting surgery without willowbark, it would only be psychological damage to a clan like the Hyūga that had spent centuries gathering them. Besides, if Sasori really decided to research several dozen jōnin-tier seals, at least that would set his necromancy research back considerably.
"Only the clans represented here," Tsunade countered. "Many of the minors won't have any unique seals, never mind ones Sasori won't turn up his nose at."
"Are you ordering me to give Akatsuki my dad's life's work?" Naruto demanded incredulously.
"This isn't giving," Tsunade said grimly. "It's robbery at kunai-point. If I can sign away the land my grandfather spent his life gathering under Leaf's banner, then you can damn well do your part. How many seals do you even use?"
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"What else?" Tsunade snarled at Itachi.
"Kisame's demand is probably the most extreme," Itachi said. "I attempted to tell him that what he wants may simply not be within Leaf's power, but in the end, Akatsuki's will is the will of all its members."
He looked at Hinata. At Lady Minami, who seemed puzzled. At Kurenai, who glared back. At Ruri, who had a look of dawning realisation. At Hazō, who wasn't sure where this was going at all. At Tsunade.
"Kisame demands that each of the summon clans affiliated with Leaf create a permanent embassy with a competent ambassador on the borders of Shark territory within the next six months, and that the Shark Clan be formally accepted into the Seventh Path trade network."
The clan heads exchanged glances.
"Apparently, recent events have convinced him of the need to integrate the Shark Clan into the continental community."
"Whatever," Tsunade said. "Done." She seemed to completely ignore that the Hokage had no authority over what summoners did with their summon contracts, but that was probably because she was still running on Tsunade authority, which did not take "no" from anyone.
"Hidan demands that Jashinism be made a recognised religion in the Fire Country."
"Oh, he does, does he?" Tsunade's smile slowly stretched into something predatory, feral. "Done."
Everyone, including Itachi, looked taken aback.
"Tsunade?!" Kurenai screeched. "What the hell are you–"
"Of course," Tsunade spoke over her, "all Jashinists are going to have to have their names and addresses registered with the Tower for their own safety, and have their cult insignia in clear view at all times to make sure nobody forgets that they're allowed to exercise their religious freedoms. There may be trouble at first, but I'm sure the courts will take a reasonable view in any conflict between Leaf ninja and Jashin worshippers."
"That said," Hinata went on thoughtfully, "we would have to ban them again if enough of them caused trouble."
"That assumes there'll be any left standing," Tsunade said dismissively. "What else?"
"If he isn't allowed to raze Leaf, Deidara officially doesn't care," Itachi said, in no way commenting on the plot against Jashinism taking place before his very eyes, "which leaves only me."
His gaze locked onto Hazō's with a purity of focus that seemed to lock him in place with no need for genjutsu.
"I demand that all of Leaf's research into dimensionalism be handed over to Akatsuki."
-o-
The meeting had ended. Leaf was still standing, at least unless anybody in Leaf reneged on their agreement or Akatsuki changed their minds. Somewhere out there, Sasuke was having his life changed, probably not for the better. Closer to home, shadow clones of Itachi were headed to the Gōketsu sealing facilities and to the notes kept at the main compound, with directions to bypass the traps in the former case and a letter to Mari instructing her to let him in and then stay the hell out of his way in the latter. Trying to bluff him had been a very brief non-starter. Hazō's own shadow clones were, sadly, still unavailable until his back wasn't a giant open wound, meaning he couldn't accompany Itachi to all the sites and make sure he didn't grab any notes Hazō didn't want him to grab.
Dimensionalism was a meaningless word to most of the Clan Council. Shikamaru had known instantly what Itachi was talking about, but there was little he could say to convince the others of the seriousness of the situation when he hardly believed it himself. A couple of other clan heads actually got as far as recognising the term before going, "Is that a thing somebody in Leaf is doing?" Nobody was particularly interested in keeping Akatsuki away from notes on an obscure discipline only Leaf's craziest sealmaster seemed to care about, especially when the alternative might be another go at everybody's clan secrets.
Meanwhile, Hazō stood facing what was probably Itachi Prime, the long, horrifyingly detailed interrogation over. He was fairly sure he was going to be killed now that Akatsuki had no further use for one of its worst enemies. He was torn between launching a desperate first strike and asking for permission to say goodbye to his family.
"Gōketsu," Itachi said after a too long, uncomfortable silence, "I have spent some time reflecting on our previous meeting, and what I was going to do to you when next the opportunity arose."
"O-Oh?"
Could he get his hand into his seal pouch before Itachi could react? Or should he summon a puppy and pray?
"I have decided that the best repayment for your insults would be… nothing."
"Nothing?" Hazō asked tentatively.
"Truthfully," Itachi said, "no one had spoken to me that way for a long time indeed. Even the others have a general sense of where to draw the line, and you crossed it with wild abandon. It was beyond suicidal. However… that is not the same as wrong."
Hazō stared.
"Scattered within your vitriolic, oddly alien ranting were a handful of points I may well have needed to hear, as Hidan put it. Nearly drowned out by the volume of the rest, perhaps, but not entirely silenced. Had I killed you as I originally intended, I would have missed out on the first words of value I'd heard since… well, since I found myself with only Hidan for company in the aftermath of the final battle. There is a part of me that resents you for your violation of the things most precious to me, and I suspect always will. The rest, however…"
Itachi bowed his head, very slightly. "You have my apologies. There was no need for the cruelty which prompted your extended outburst. You were not responsible for our situation, nor would killing you have solved anything."
Hazō continued to stare, then belatedly realised a response was necessary.
"Apology accepted," he said. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry too. I was terrified, and furious, and reaching for everything at hand during that speech, anything that could save my family, or at least be a parting shot if I couldn't. And… I wasn't entirely in control of myself, but that isn't an excuse for my own cruelty."
Itachi nodded.
"Your words from that time have convinced me that you have too much value to simply eliminate, either for your ongoing contribution to Akatsuki deaths or because you risk becoming an obstacle for our objectives. You may stay in Leaf and continue your work of Uplift. So long as you do not interfere with our plans, we will not interfere with yours.
"Or you can come to Rain and speak with Sasori. If he accepts you as his assistant, together you will reopen the rift that much faster. Once we rescue Nagato and usher in a true era of peace, his power and wisdom will create a world where your dreams and ours are within easy reach. Dedicating yourself to that rescue is your best way to earn his trust and ours. Of course, until that trust is earned, until Nagato is restored to us, communication with your fellows in Leaf will be out of the question.
"The choice is yours."
-o-
You have received 5 - 2 (Verbosity) + 1 (Fun-to-Write) = 4 XP.
