Chapter 805 : Authority!

“What in the fucking hell was that? First, they suddenly mellow down and start compromising on nearly everything. Just when the talks are going smoothly, that bastard just explodes and wrecks everything! Which fucking game are they playing at?” A Suna ninja let out his frustrations after they returned to their hotel.

Needless to say, the entire Sunagakure team was confused. The events in their meeting weren't just unusual but downright bizarre! No one had ever seen talks swing this wildly and abruptly before. They couldn't understand what Konoha's plan was.

After discussing it for a bit, an old Jounin said, “Actually, I was observing the reactions of Konoha ninjas when Fujin had his outburst. They too were caught off guard by his actions. And, I don't think any of them were acting.

I believe something happened, causing Konoha to soften their stance to reach an agreement with us quickly. However, Fujin may not have been satisfied by the sudden change and lost his cool due to the constant compromises they were making. Considering how he was staring at us before he went ballistic, I'm even more certain that this is the case…”

Arisa shook her head and said, “Don't underestimate him. He isn't just a brute. If he was truly the one behind our troubles in the West, then he's as good at scheming as he is at fighting. His actions, though bizarre, must serve a purpose. A purpose that would be very disadvantageous for us.”

Yura sighed and muttered, “Yes. I didn't think he'd use my words in such a manner…”

Arisa said, “While there is little doubt that Konoha was involved, we don't have any proof. Trying to use it in negotiations will only hurt us. Let's not mention it from here onwards.”

Everyone nodded. The old Jounin once again spoke, “Actually, there was another odd thing. Do you recall how the Sand Slayer referred to Lord Third's death?”

His words made everyone think. Within a matter of seconds, everyone's eyes widened. Another Suna ninja asked, “Do you mean to say he knows what happened to Lord Third?”
The old Jounin replied, “That could be the case. Otherwise, why would he mention it repeatedly? Of course, it may also be a move to distract us since we presume that Konoha was behind that incident. He could be trying to divert our hatred towards another great village.”

——

While Sunagakure ninjas wondered what Fujin's actions implied, some of the Konoha ninjas were absolutely livid. No one had any idea how the talks could proceed forward. The five council members walked towards Fujin's room.

Koharu said in dissatisfaction, “I knew he was too impulsive. That is why I didn't want him to lead. Shikaku must have known this too, which is why he switched our roles.”
Homura didn't say anything since he was the one who let Fujin be the aggressor. However, Hiromasa countered, “Let's not jump to conclusions so hastily. Fujinhasn't disappointed us so far. He should have a reason for acting in such a manner.”
Koharu replied, “Let's hope so.”

The five of them reached his room. To their surprise, the door opened even before they knocked. What shocked them was that it wasn't Fujin who opened the door. Instead, it was a bunch of servers who were quickly leaving while carrying several empty plates. They politely bowed slightly on seeing Konoha's elders and clan leaders before leaving quickly without giving them a second glance.

Before the elders and clan leaders could enter Fujin's room, another group of servers arrived carrying several freshly prepared dishes. They rushed into the room without even glancing at them. Without an exception, all five had dark expressions as they glanced at each other speechlessly.

They finally entered the room, only to see Fujin sitting in front of a table filled with exquisite dishes and stuffing his face without a worry in the world. If anyone were to look at him, they would never guess that he had just destroyed the peace talks between two great villages!

Homura thought, ‘They can't prepare such a luxurious meal in the blink of an eye…’
Koharu realized, ‘Which means that he must have pre-ordered it. However, how could he know that the talks would end at this exact time? Don't tell me???’
Others had the same realization. Hiromasa calmly said, “Everyone, leave now and close the door behind you.”

The servers immediately left the room, leaving Fujin alone with his food and 5 upset council members. Koharu asked strictly, “Fujin, what was that?”

Fujin gulped down the food, raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

In order to ease the tensions, Homura intervened, “She means to ask why you left the meeting and ended it prematurely?”

Focusing back on his meal, Fujin said, “I had asked the chefs to prepare and deliver my food at this time. If I had waited, it would have gotten cold. That wouldn't be nice, would it? Even though they aren't ninjas, we shouldn't be insulting their profession insensitively.”

Without even glancing at their dark expressions, Fujin dived back into his food. A tick mark appeared on Tsume's forehead as she thought, ‘He definitely has some issues! Sigh, I hoped we'd have a normal rank S ninja again like Minato. However, he is as weird as the Sannins.’

Hiromasa sighed and said, “Fujin, stop joking around. This matter is serious.”
Fujin muttered, “Well, I wasn't joking. But alright. Why are the five of you so concerned?”

Fujin's unserious reply angered Koharu, who scolded, “How will you salvage the negotiations after what you did?”

Fujin finally stopped eating, turned his head towards her and asked in a confused tone, “Isn't that your job? How can I play the role of an aggressor and a mediator at the same time? Those poor fellows may go crazy and kill themselves if I do that. What will you report to Sunagakure in that case?”

The five council members were left speechless once again. The last part aside, Fujin was technically correct. He couldn't play both roles. However, it was Fujin who shit the bed. They couldn't clean it up after how badly Fujin messed up the negotiations.

Stuffing his face once again, Fujin said, “Besides, I won't be joining the next round. So, it all depends on you guys anyway.”

Even before they could figure out what to do, Fujin dropped another piece of shocking information on them. Inoichi asked, “What do you mean you won't join?”

Fujin replied, “What's the use? I stared at them for over 2 hours straight. Even some rank S ninjas like Kitsuchi would have backed away. However, these bastards have truly given up on their lives. They don't care if they are killed or tortured. I can't intimidate them inside the meeting room, which makes my presence rather pointless.

Anyway, you don't need to worry too much. I waited until the terms reached a stage where they would be acceptable to the Sunagakure side. When you negotiate tomorrow, just force them to accept those terms. No need to compromise any further. After all, we won the war while they lost.”

Fujin's words puzzled the group. Homura said, “The next round will happen in three days from now…”

Fujin replied, “Well, I did say I would give them a sense of urgency, didn't I? I'm leaving the city once I'm done with this food.”

Hiromasa asked seriously, “What are you planning?”

——

A few minutes later, Fujin's room was quiet. Other than the sound of Fujin eating, no other sound could be heard as all the remaining council members were deep in thought.

Hiromasa analyzed, ‘This plan… It could work. However, it is very risky. We’ll be betting that Sunagakure doesn't want a war under any circumstances. But, if we’re wrong…’

Tsume glanced at Fujin and thought, ‘Outrageous… He’s completely outrageous! To think those bizarre actions were to set this plan in motion. I don't think even Shikaku would predict this particular move from those actions. However, this is the type of move I'd expect from Shikaku. The only question is whether Fujin considered every possibility to check whether his plans could go wrong or not...’

Hiromasa analyzed further, ‘Actually, even if our bet is wrong, it won't be entirely a bad thing. It’ll show us the extent to which Sunagakure is willing to go. In the future, we’ll know for sure not to trust Sunagakure.’

Inoichi and Homura looked unsure. Koharu said, “No, this plan is too risky. If it fails, we’ll face an all-out war with Sunagakure. It would result in Sunagakure agreeing to all demands of Iwagakure and Kumogakure and forming a three-nation alliance against us!”

Without even glancing at her, Fujin replied, “You misunderstand me, Elder Koharu.”

Koharu frowned as Fujin continued, “I wasn't asking for anyone's permission. Even though I'm negotiating here, my army hasn't been disbanded yet. As such, I'm still the Commander-in-chief. The only one who can order me is the Hokage or the Acting Hokage. If you have any issues, feel free to take it up with Shikaku-san.”