"Last one, last one! Cat lovers' favorite, the big blue kitty! Gentle, obedient, cuddly, sweet voice and soft body, pet it as much as you want~"

Holding up the last remaining Nibi card, Uchiha Gin shouted with all his might.

But no matter how sweet he made it sound, he couldn't cover up the Nibi's flaws:

Too few tails. No kekkei genkai.

"Too weak, no bloodline limit, who'd buy that?"

Iwa's first Tsuchikage, Ishiwa, snorted, holding his three freshly secured Bijū cards.

Gin sighed inwardly. He had predicted that the Nibi would be hard to sell—these Kage weren't fools. When buying a Bijū, they wanted practicality first.

Looks were just a bonus. Unlike the Kyūbi, who had both strength and beauty.

Looks like it's time to pull out my secret weapon.

Just then, Gin's sharp eyes landed on Kazekage Retto, face red and silent throughout the meeting. His mind turned quickly.

"Kazekage-dono, your Ichibi is also a cat. How about bringing Nibi back to pair them up? They might breed a whole litter—you'd be rolling in profit~"

"Eh…"

Gin thought Retto would flip the table, but to his shock, the man was actually calculating, eyes flashing with golden fantasies.

One tail was worth a hundred billion. Breed seven or eight more, and Suna would rise overnight!

Thankfully, his monk advisor leaned close, whispering:

"Kazekage-sama, Ichibi is a tanuki…"

"Ahem, I knew that."

Almost blinded by greed, Retto forced a calm cough, straightened his face, and coldly said, "Not needed. Shukaku is the strongest!"

Gin: …Still acting tough. As expected from someone who grew up eating sand.

He tucked the Nibi card back into his chest and turned to Hashirama.

"Prison bro, maybe you should say a few words?"

"Ah?"

Hashirama's eyes sparkled like gold coins, his speech about peace long forgotten. Called on, he just stared blankly, mouth opening and closing, not a word coming out.

"…Since Hokage-sama has nothing to say, how about we inspect the goods?"

Raikage had long been itching to ride Gyūki.

"Exactly."

Mizukage Byakuren and Tsuchikage Ishiwa, eternal rivals, nodded too, even glaring at each other with the unspoken promise of Bijū battles to come.

The conference was a jackpot for Konoha.

Every village gained something… except Suna.

"Wait!"

Retto couldn't take it. He had been brushed off at the start, and now he could only watch Konoha fill sacks with gold while Suna was left empty-handed.

"Wind Shadow-dono, what else?"

The impatient Raikage scowled. Poor people always made the most trouble.

"Everyone here profited. Only Suna was left with nothing. Isn't that unfair?"

Retto's face was like he'd been cheated out of millions.

"You couldn't afford it, now we can't buy either?"

Byakuren sneered, showing open disdain. Retto's teeth nearly cracked.

"In that case, Suna won't sign the peace treaty!"

Barefoot men don't fear shoes. If Suna couldn't win, no one could have peace.

"Peace treaty? I almost forgot that."

Ishiwa slapped his forehead. He had been so dazzled by the Bijū that he had tossed that out of mind. Stroking the three cards in his robe, he smirked.

"Iwa also thinks the treaty shouldn't be rushed. Let's delay it for a year or two."

Now it was three against two. With Kusa's Nanabi card in hand, Iwa had even more leverage.

"Hmph!"

Byakuren caught on instantly, eyes sharp, refusing to yield an inch.

"Everyone, don't lose sight of the main purpose of this meeting."

Raikage rose, two meters tall, his glare sweeping the room.

"I agree with Raikage-dono!"

Hashirama echoed eagerly, guilt biting at him—how could he let gold distract him from his dream of peace?

But before things could spiral, Gin patted Hashirama's shoulder.

"Don't panic. They're all peace-loving people. We'll talk treaty after inspecting the goods."

The Kage accepted that and followed Hashirama toward the forest where the Bijū were held.

On the way, Gin slowed his pace and winked at Raikage Ai. The big man, puzzled but curious, slowed too.

"Brother Gin, what is it?"

"Brother Ai, want a ticket?"

Gin opened his cloak to reveal the shining Nibi card.

"Ah—thanks, but no. Hachibi is enough for Kumo."

So he really was scalping… Raikage shook his head.

"Tch. Since we're such good brothers, I'll share something with you."

Gin leaned close, voice low and mysterious.

"The power of a Bijū isn't so easy to control. Otherwise, why would Konoha sell them instead of keeping them to crush the world?"

"…Go on."

The Raikage's face grew serious.

"I'll give you a two-percent discount on this card. What do you think?"

"…Fine. I'll buy. Consider it supporting a brother's business."

With a pained heart, Raikage took the card.

Gin grinned and pulled a small gray device from his bag, handing it over.

"What's this?"

"Shh! A driver I painstakingly developed. Works with the Bijū cards. Tiny side effects, but worth it."

Raikage turned it over curiously. Transparent crystal, card slot on the side—it fit perfectly.

"Didn't expect you to be such a genius, Brother Gin. Respect."

"Haha, later I'll show you how it works. For now, let's see the Bijū."

——

In the forest, the massive forms of Bijū loomed. The sheer size alone made the Kage sweat.

Waiting there, arms crossed, was Madara, annoyed at being left alone with Tobirama.

"You're too slow, Hashirama!"

"Here I am, here I am. Dinner's on me tonight."

Tobirama frowned, already suspicious of Gin's chatting with the Raikage.

Hashirama admitted, "One Bijū wasn't sold."

"I knew it. That curly-haired fraud, calling himself Konoha's top salesman, what a joke." Tobirama sneered.

But Gin arrived, smiling.

"Good news. I sold it. Gave a small discount, hope you don't mind."

"Really?!" Hashirama beamed.

"Eighty percent price. A bit of a loss."

"Not at all!"

Tobirama's eyes bulged when he realized Gin had sold each tail for a hundred billion. For once, he admitted defeat.

Madara, meanwhile, was already scheming how to borrow money from Gin to cover his debts.

——

The Kage marveled at the slumbering Bijū.

"Why are they all asleep?"

"Because only my cousin can keep them subdued with his Sharingan. A tough job, as you can see from how drained he looks."

Gin's story was airtight.

"Alright, you've seen them. Time to pay."

"Wait, how do we take them back?"

"Pickup only. Konoha doesn't do delivery."

——

(End of Chapter)

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