The Kazekage arrived in Konoha.
As the leader of one of the major nations closest to the Land of Fire, and nominally an ally of the Hidden Leaf, the Kazekage, Rasa, was the first of the Kage from the four great ninja villages to arrive.
For this occasion, Kakashi personally led a group of high-ranking Konoha officials to welcome him.
Beneath the Hokage Residence, the streets on both sides were packed with people. Everyone watched the meeting between the Hokage and the Kazekage with eager anticipation.
"Lord Hokage is indeed young and promising. To become one of the Five Kage at such a young age... I, Rasa, am truly impressed."
Dressed in the blue and white robes of the Kazekage and wearing the traditional conical hat, the man in his thirties shook hands with Kakashi, who was similarly dressed in his Hokage robes.
Two Kazekage bodyguards followed behind him.
Kakashi recognized one of them; it was Baki, a Jonin from the Hidden Sand Village. The other was completely unfamiliar.
"The Kazekage is too kind. The wind is strong out here, but we have some humble tea prepared inside. If Lord Kazekage does not mind, please come inside for a chat."
Kakashi shook Rasa's hand and gestured toward the Hokage Residence behind him.
"Eh, no rush. This is a wedding gift prepared by my Hidden Sand Village for Lord Hokage."
As Rasa spoke, Baki stepped forward from behind the Wind Shadow and retrieved a scroll from his robes. As the scroll was unsealed, a light mist rose up. When the smoke cleared, the surrounding crowd instantly gasped.
Before them stood a golden tree, nearly two meters tall, with luxuriant branches and leaves glittering brilliantly in the sunlight. It was dazzling to behold. Furthermore, beneath the golden leaves hung numerous crystal-clear fruits.
Upon closer inspection, they were distinctly colorful pearls.
"I originally intended to use jade instead of pearls to capture the sentiment of 'golden branches and jade leaves.' Unfortunately, the Land of Wind does not produce jade; only our coastal regions are rich in pearls."
"I hope Lord Hokage does not find it lacking."
Rasa looked at the golden tree, cast from his own Gold Dust, clearly quite satisfied.
At this point in time, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had not yet cut the Hidden Sand Village's funding. The vast desert was rich in gold deposits, so naturally, Rasa could afford such an extravagant gesture to boost his village's prestige.
Upon seeing this golden tree, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh internally. Rasa's Magnet Release Gold Dust was truly a "filthy rich moneybags" type of Kekkei Genkai. When can I find an opportunity to sell this thing? he wondered, though his eyes smiled warmly.
"The Kazekage is truly generous. Someone, move Lord Kazekage's gift to my office. With such a heavy gift, my own hospitality seems rather shabby in comparison. Please, let us talk inside."
Seeing this, the Kazekage smiled and replied, "I shall defer to the host. Everything is, of course, up to Lord Hokage."
As Kakashi and Rasa entered the Hokage Residence first, someone immediately moved the golden tree inside.
After the two Kage had left, the onlookers immediately broke into a heated discussion.
Most were exclaiming over Rasa's wealth and extravagance.
Who was spreading rumors before that the Hidden Sand Village was a poor place?
This is clearly a wealthy landlord!
That afternoon, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki the Fence-Sitter, also arrived in Konoha with his entourage. As the oldest among the current Five Kage, Kakashi welcomed the little old man alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was a gesture of respect toward the elder.
Like Rasa, Onoki brought two bodyguards. One was his son, Kitsuchi, and the other was someone Kakashi didn't recognize.
"Hahahaha, Lord Tsuchikage, I don't know how many years it has been since we last met. I have missed you greatly."
Compared to Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually quite happy to see Onoki.
In a time when the old generation was gradually fading away and new figures were constantly rising to power, seeing a former rival from the battlefield made Hiruzen feel as if those eventful years were vivid before his eyes again.
"Hmph, I didn't expect you, Old Monkey, to select a Fifth Hokage so quickly."
"You were certainly willing to let go."
Onoki glanced at Kakashi standing beside Hiruzen, his tone carrying a hint of complexity.
He was the same age as Hiruzen Sarutobi, yet Konoha had already passed the torch to the Fifth Generation, while his Hidden Rock Village didn't even have a candidate for the Fourth settled yet.
"Well, one must eventually hand the village over to the young. It is us old men who should have let go long ago."
Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to know exactly what Onoki was thinking. He touched upon the very subject Onoki wanted to avoid, effectively rubbing salt in the wound.
"Hmph, as always, nothing good ever comes out of your mouth."
Onoki retorted, then turned his head to look at his son behind him.
Seeing this, Kitsuchi didn't hesitate to take a scroll from his robes.
Accompanied by a puff of light smoke, a black, wordless stone stele, over ten meters high, appeared before everyone.
"This stone is the hardest rock found in the Land of Earth. This old man used Particle Style to whittle it down to this shape."
"I originally wanted to carve the character for 'Longevity' on it to congratulate the Fifth Hokage on his wedding. But after thinking it over, it would be more meaningful if Lord Hokage carved the character himself."
Onoki glanced lightly at Kakashi, a hint of provocation surfacing in his calm words.
This old thing...
Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed silently in his heart upon seeing this.
If it required Onoki to use Particle Style to shape it, one could imagine the hardness of this stone.
Asking the Hokage to carve it in front of this large crowd was essentially roasting Kakashi over a fire.
Even if he carved it successfully, it was still just a gift brought by Onoki.
If he couldn't carve it, it would be a clear admission that the current Hokage lacked ability.
"Since Lord Tsuchikage has invited me to do so, naturally, I cannot decline."
"It's just that my wedding is imminent, and Your Excellency has only sent a stone. Isn't this a bit too simple?"
"You must know that Lord Kazekage presented a heavy gift—a tree made of gold with pearls for fruit. Although I don't care about material things—after all, 'like sending a goose feather from a thousand miles away, it's the thought that counts'—right?"
Kakashi stroked his chin, walked up to the stone stele, and reached out to knock on it.
It didn't budge an inch, and even the sound it produced was incredibly dull and dense.
The saying "it's the thought that counts" works fine for individuals, but right now, Kakashi had invited the four Kage to his wedding in his capacity as Hokage. This was no longer a gift exchange between individuals.
This was diplomacy between nations.
Sending a useless rock was indeed quite shabby.
Of course, if there hadn't been the Wind Shadow, Rasa, setting a high standard beforehand, no one could have called the Earth Shadow stingy.
Hearing this, Onoki's face stiffened slightly.
Damn you, Kazekage, for stabbing this old man in the back!
So what if you have money?!
Compared to Rasa's golden tree, his stone stele was indeed a bit stingy.
"For Lord Hokage to think this way... you are focusing too much on the surface."
"How can the sentiment contained in my stone stele be compared to those vulgar material things?"
The little old Tsuchikage spoke without blushing or skipping a beat, praising his own sentiment while belittling the Kazekage in the process.
Kakashi smiled at this and didn't say anything more.
It seemed impossible to force Onoki to bleed some cash using reverse psychology.
After all, having been the Tsuchikage for so many years, the man had seen everything.
Looking at the stone stele in front of him, Kakashi struck it with a seemingly light and airy palm.
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