Three days later.
Outside Iwagakure.
Inside a temporarily erected military tent, a long table and three chairs were set.
Representatives from the three parties had gathered.
The Land of Earth was represented by the Daimyo of the Land of Earth's special envoy.
The Land of Fire was represented by Minato.
The Land of Wind was represented by Rasa.
"Gentlemen," the special envoy of the Land of Earth began, "today, we are here to officially sign the ceasefire agreement and end this war."
He took out a document. "As previously agreed upon."
"The Land of Earth will relinquish all interests in the Land of Lightning."
"The Land of Earth will compensate the Land of Fire for war damages, totaling one billion ryo."
"The Land of Earth will compensate the Land of Wind for war damages, totaling five hundred million ryo."
The envoy's tone was hurried, as if afraid something might go wrong.
"Furthermore, Iwagakure pledges never to initiate hostilities against the Land of Fire or the Land of Wind."
After speaking, he looked at the representatives from the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
"Gentlemen, do you have any objections?"
Minato sat on the left, his fingers lightly tapping the table. That signature smile of his was on full display, showing that he was in high spirits.
He truly was happy. The end of the war meant his comrades in Konoha would no longer have to risk their lives.
Across from him was Rasa.
The Fourth Kazekage's expression was unpleasant, but he dared not object to his own Daimyo's decision.
Seeing that no one responded, the Land of Earth's envoy spoke again.
"If there are no objections, please sign."
"Alright." Minato nodded, picked up the pen first, and smoothly signed his name. Then he looked up at Rasa.
"Kazekage-dono?"
Rasa snorted, grabbed the pen, pressed his name heavily onto the paper, and then flung the pen onto the table.
Clatter.
The pen fell to the ground.
"Done." Seeing that both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind had signed, the envoy let out a long sigh of relief. He quickly tucked the document into his robe, as if afraid someone might grab it and tear it apart.
"Now that the agreement is signed, the alliance forces may withdraw immediately."
Not wanting to remain a second longer, the envoy got up and left.
Rasa also turned and walked out of the tent without looking back.
As the curtain was blown open by the wind, Orochimaru's figure appeared in the tent.
"Signed?" Orochimaru asked.
"Signed," Minato replied.
Orochimaru glanced at the pen on the ground, bent down, picked it up, and twirled it twice in his hand.
Snap.
The pen snapped in two between his fingers.
"Ah. Good."
…Iwagakure.
The news of the ceasefire instantly spread through every street and alley.
The tension that had filled the Village broke.
Some people wept bitterly in the streets. Some collapsed where they stood.
All of them wore the expressions of survivors who had just escaped a catastrophe.
On the rooftop of the Tsuchikage Building.
Ōnoki hovered in midair, listening to the commotion below. His wrinkled face looked even older than before.
"Father." Kitsuchi walked up to the rooftop and called out.
"It's over?"
"Yes. It's over." Ōnoki replied with a deep sense of fatigue.
His back ached more than it ever had.
"Let everyone rest," Ōnoki waved his hand and slowly walked toward his office.
"I need to rest too. This battle nearly sent this old man to the Pure Land."
…In the allied forces camp.
On Suna's side, there was no cheer.
Everyone was silently packing their ninja tools. They put their kunai back into their pouches and stuffed explosive tags into their gear.
A heavy silence lingered in the air.
Iwagakure had been within reach. With just a bit more effort, they could have taken the Village.
Now they were being told the war was over.
It felt like throwing a punch into cotton. There was no resistance, and their strength had nowhere to go. All they could do was swallow their frustration.
Rasa stood on high ground, the swirling wind making his Kazekage robe billow.
"Kazekage-sama." His adjutant ran over. "The retreat order has been issued."
"Hm." Rasa nodded and glanced at Iwagakure.
That Village nestled among the mountains felt particularly eye-catching at this moment.
"Let's go." He exhaled and turned to leave.
Since the Daimyo wanted a ceasefire, then a ceasefire it would be.
Five hundred million ryo in compensation wasn't a wasted trip.
Besides, there was still Kumogakure waiting to be claimed.
On the other side.
Konoha's camp was not filled with the bustle of breaking down camp.
The shinobi were indeed moving, but not to pack up. They were focused on re-tallying battle losses.
Minato, Jiraiya, and Fugaku had gathered in Orochimaru's tent.
"Orochimaru, why did you call us here?" Jiraiya frowned, confused. "Suna's already preparing to withdraw. Why haven't we started moving?"
"And you told all units to stand by and tally battle losses again? What are you planning?"
It was suspicious.
The war was already over, and losses had already been tallied. Doing it again now felt completely unnecessary.
Orochimaru didn't even look up. His eyes remained fixed on the map.
"Jiraiya, you're too impatient."
"With an army of several thousand, supplies and wounded need to be sorted properly."
"Going back in a mess like that, do you want the Feudal Lord to laugh at us?"
Minato interjected, "But standing by isn't necessary just to count supplies."
Reports from the field had already indicated.
All combat personnel still had weapons in hand. This was not the posture of an army preparing to retreat.
Orochimaru finally looked up, amusement flashing in his golden slit-like pupils.
"This is an order."
"No one is to disarm until the official command is given."
"Order?" Minato was surprised. "Whose order? Could it be…"
Orochimaru nodded, remaining silent.
The three looked at each other, seeing the same surprise in one another's eyes.
Jiraiya asked, "Then why did you summon us here?"
"Of course, for something important." Orochimaru pulled a sealed letter from his robes.
"This is a secret order from the Feudal Lord. See for yourselves."
He handed the letter to Minato.
Minato opened it with surprise, while Jiraiya and Fugaku leaned in to read together.
A few moments later, all three had extremely serious expressions.
"This…" Minato's frown deepened. "This is what the Feudal Lord wants?"
"Exactly," Orochimaru said. "This is the Feudal Lord's true objective."
"From the very beginning, it was never the Land of Earth."
"It was the Land of Wind."
Jiraiya sucked in a breath. "This…"
"How can this be? Sunagakure is our ally."
"Ally?" Orochimaru sneered. "Jiraiya, you're far too naive."
"Between nations, there are no eternal allies. Only eternal interests."
"Now that Sunagakure is severely weakened, this is the best time to annex them."
Minato fell silent.
He felt like he had failed as Hokage.
Not only had the war not truly ended, but another one was about to begin.
And such a major matter, he was only learning about it now.
"But…" Jiraiya still wanted to argue.
Orochimaru waved his hand, cutting him off.
"Jiraiya, I know you're soft-hearted. You yearn for peace and hate bloodshed."
"But the Feudal Lord once said that true peace will only come when everyone belongs to one family."
It was rare for Orochimaru to say so much, but Jiraiya still hesitated. "Still…"
"No 'still'." Orochimaru's tone turned sharper.
"Why don't you go ask Rasa if he's willing to become part of our family?"
"Or do you want Rasa to be the one leading our family?"
The three were speechless.
Orochimaru sighed, the chill in the air around him dissipating slightly.
"During all three of the previous Great Ninja Wars, it was always the Land of Fire that forgave first."
"But what was the result? The war never ended."
(To be continued.)
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