Three days later, the secret envoy from Iwagakure no Sato returned to the camp with the preliminary drafted terms. Onoki immediately called the envoy over to review the terms firsthand.
Just as Onoki expected, because the Land of Earth had not fallen to the same extent as the Land of Wind, even as a defeated nation, Konoha still offered terms that were neither overly harsh nor too lenient. This was within Onoki's psychological expectations, but even with his mental preparation, he still felt a pang of heartache.
Konoha did not demand any territorial concessions from Iwagakure, only a staggering indemnity. Besides what was for Konoha, some of it was designated for smaller nations like the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass. According to Konoha, these smaller nations had suffered losses through no fault of their own due to the Second Shinobi World War, and as the aggressor nation, Iwagakure should compensate them.
Onoki naturally disagreed in his heart. In his opinion, what were these small nations? The Land of Rain had Hanzō the Salamander—who now had a reputation in the shinobi world, his immense strength causing even the Land of Earth to be wary—while the Land of Grass, true to its name, was just a fence-sitter, swaying with the wind. What value did it have to be helped?
Of course, Onoki understood that this was Fumori Masaki's way of trying to win over other small nations, a protective measure he had shown towards the Land of Rain in the past and some goodwill towards other countries. This time, the act of securing compensation for other countries would surely influence their choices.
To be honest, Onoki really didn't want to agree, but there was nothing he could do. Since there were no territorial cessions, he had to bleed a little on the reparations. Fortunately, Konoha at least gave the Land of Earth some face, not explicitly stating that the compensation was for the smaller nations, but rather including their compensation under the pretext of reparations to the Land of Fire.
Onoki reviewed the terms one by one. Aside from the monetary compensation, there were also detailed clauses about when troops would withdraw, and so on. Iwagakure thankfully hadn't fallen to the point where even its internal structure needed to be reorganized, like Sunagakure, because Iwagakure still retained considerable strength.
However, what made Onoki frown slightly was Konoha's statement that this was a ceasefire agreement with the Land of Fire. Although after the Land of Earth declared a ceasefire, for the sake of peace in the shinobi world, Kumogakure should also stop fighting, the compensation for Kumogakure should be negotiated between Iwagakure and Kumogakure, and not be decided by Konoha.
"Tsk. So it's not that easy to trick them, huh?" Onoki muttered under his breath. "But, since Konoha has chosen to cease fire, we can now concentrate our forces on Kumogakure. Kumogakure should also choose to cease fire very soon, but their terms will definitely be harsher. However, no matter what, it might not satisfy everyone in Kumogakure."
Onoki was very aware of the people of the Land of Lightning.
Due to the Kin-Gin Brothers' rebellion incident years ago, the high-ranking officials of Kumogakure were highly wary of the expanding hawkish faction. People led by the Third Raikage were doing their best to weaken their influence.
However, the pursuit of martial prowess was deeply ingrained in the bloodline of the people of the Land of Lightning. Due to geographical and historical factors, the Land of Lightning was a relatively chaotic and warlike place during the Warring States period. It was precisely because of this that the people living there developed a tradition of valuing martial arts.
No matter how much the Third Raikage weakened it, this long-standing ideological culture had already permeated every aspect of the Land of Lightning and could never completely disappear. It might even resurface one day. In fact, according to the information Onoki received, there were indeed such signs within Kumogakure.
Therefore, Onoki had previously believed that Kumogakure would definitely join the ranks against Konoha, but he didn't know what nerve the Third Raikage had misfired, nor how this guy had convinced the opposing factions in the village, to actually make Kumogakure join Konoha's side.
If Kumogakure had joined their side, Onoki believed they wouldn't have ended up in this situation today. Konoha would have been even more overwhelmed, and perhaps even Sunagakure wouldn't have needed an internal reorganization. Sunagakure, in its current state, had already lost all hope of vying for supremacy.
"Lord Tsuchikage, should we sign this treaty?" someone asked cautiously.
"Sign it! Why wouldn't we sign it! The sooner we withdraw from the war with Konoha, the sooner we can reorganize our forces and get better terms with Kumogakure," Onoki said irritably. "Right now, it's about cutting our losses as quickly as possible. Although the reparations are astonishing, compared to the situation after continuing the war, this is already the best outcome."
"What is the Daimyo's stance?" Onoki turned to another person. This person was in contact with the envoy who went to the capital to inquire about the Daimyo's preliminary intentions.
"His Excellency the Daimyo stated that as long as it is a treaty you, Lord Tsuchikage, have secured, he will formally sign it. He trusts that Lord Tsuchikage can secure the best ceasefire agreement for the Land of Earth," the other party said.
Onoki nodded slightly. He had pledged his loyalty to the Daimyo, and the Daimyo, in return, also greatly trusted Onoki in other aspects. The Land of Earth had maintained this relationship between its ruler and Kage to this day. It was precisely because the Daimyo supported Onoki so much that Onoki would never entertain the thought of betraying the Daimyo. For people from other countries, he could use various means to harm them, and even if he felt guilty, he had to fight for the interests of the Land of Earth to repay the Daimyo's trust.
Ultimately, Onoki was just a stubborn man, not an ungrateful villain. As a ninja loyal to the Daimyo, as long as the Daimyo did not betray Onoki, then whatever the Daimyo requested, Onoki would certainly fulfill it.
"To think that with His Excellency the Daimyo's trust, I return with such a result. I truly let him down," Onoki sighed deeply. "Thinking about it, if I hadn't been so impulsive back then, I wouldn't have been tricked by Kumogakure, and perhaps wouldn't have ended up in this situation today. I could have even gotten a share of the spoils. Now, Konoha and Kumogakure have become the biggest winners of this war."
The others remained silent. Compared to the First Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had truly suffered a great loss this time. As a victorious nation in the First Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had gained significant benefits. Fortunately, this war was cut short in time, and not too much was lost, leaving a chance for a comeback in the future.
"Go and confirm the detailed issues with Konoha again. Once both the Hokage and I have no objections, we will formally sign it," Onoki said to the envoy.
Although the ceasefire agreement had not yet been formally signed, the news that Konoha and Iwagakure were about to cease hostilities had already spread. The Land of Grass was naturally very happy. They lived in the cracks between the three nations of Fire, Earth, and Lightning. Because Fire and Lightning were on the same side, they openly supported Konoha and Kumogakure, but they also didn't dare to offend Iwagakure too much, so they never exerted too much effort.
Even so, the Land of Grass suffered immense losses. After all, the Land of Grass was the main battlefield for the three-nation war. No matter how much they tried, it was impossible to completely avoid it, especially with a war of such a large scale.
With the cessation of hostilities, the high-ranking officials of the Land of Grass could finally breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, Konoha expressed its intention to discuss measures for national reconstruction with the Land of Grass, which surprised the officials. They hadn't expected Konoha to have the idea of helping with reconstruction.
At this, some within the high echelons of the Land of Grass felt a tremor in their hearts. They didn't believe Konoha couldn't see the Land of Grass's fence-sitting, yet Konoha still chose to help, which made them feel somewhat ashamed.
Moreover, after this war, they saw the immense power Konoha possessed. Fighting on three fronts, it brought Sunagakure to the brink of collapse, not only reorganizing the ninja village internally but even replacing the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. Iwagakure also had no choice but to bow its head, and Kirigakure was likely in a similar situation.
The Land of Grass, which had always been a fence-sitter, now had some people beginning to consider whether to fully align with Konoha. Fumori Masaki's vision of a Shinobi Alliance was spreading domestically. If they could form an alliance with Konoha, it might bring greater benefits to the Land of Grass.
If you don't believe it, just look at the neighboring Land of Rain. Hanzō the Salamander chose to cooperate with Konoha early on. Not only did he gain more advanced knowledge from the students sent by Konoha, strengthening the basic capabilities of his ninja village, but through trade and development, the environment of the Land of Rain improved, and life became progressively better.
Although the Land of Grass had previously cooperated with Konoha, it wasn't as deep as the Land of Rain's, so the benefits it received were not very substantial.
Konoha's displayed strength and goodwill made some people in the Land of Grass feel that full cooperation with Konoha might be a better choice. However, due to the Land of Grass's "excellent tradition" of fence-sitting, these ideas had not yet gained the support of the entire nation, but they were beginning to become a prevailing thought within the country.
At the same time, Kumogakure also received this news. The Third Raikage first sent someone to Konoha's camp to confirm the authenticity of the matter, and then considered their own stance. Since they upheld the position of a righteous war, after Iwagakure chose to withdraw from the war, Kumogakure could not be overly aggressive and would certainly have to choose a ceasefire. However, how to achieve a ceasefire was a question worth deep consideration.
Soon, the Third Raikage received Konoha's reply: the news of a ceasefire was indeed true, but it was only a ceasefire between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. The ceasefire between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth would require discussion between the two countries. The implied meaning in the reply was keenly captured by the Third Raikage.
According to Konoha, Kumogakure would definitely have to choose a ceasefire and could not overly pressure Iwagakure to cause an escalation of the war, as that would violate the original intention of a righteous war. However, as a participant in maintaining the war, it had the right to receive reparations from the aggressor nation. As for the amount of compensation, that was for Kumogakure and Iwagakure to discuss.
"We cannot be overly aggressive, but we must also receive definite compensation," the Third Raikage said thoughtfully. "Konoha has given us the choice. This is good. There are some things Konoha cannot do, but we can!"
The Third Raikage was determined to weaken the Land of Earth as much as possible. Konoha's stance was relatively gentle, but the Land of Lightning's impression was more aggressive. Therefore, it seemed reasonable for their terms to be harsher than Konoha's, didn't it?
Of course, because Konoha demanded that the war not escalate, this harshness would definitely be limited. It might not satisfy many people within the village, but the Third Raikage felt it couldn't be helped. After a ceasefire with Konoha, Iwagakure would be able to dedicate more forces to Kumogakure. Without Konoha's support, it would be impossible for Kumogakure to completely overpower Iwagakure.
And with the war having reached this point, Kumogakure and Iwagakure couldn't possibly shake hands and make peace in a short time. Otherwise, how could they face the sacrificed ninjas?
Thinking this, the Third Raikage felt that weakening Iwagakure as much as possible was the best option. After securing enough benefits, he should start learning from Konoha. He had many ideas about new ninja tools, and also made some progress in exploring the former territory of the Kin-Gin Brothers.
The Third Raikage also knew about the Shinobi Alliance Fumori Masaki wanted to establish, but just as Onoki thought, although the Third Raikage chose to cooperate with Konoha, he had no intention of bowing to Konoha. If they were to join the Shinobi Alliance led by Konoha, Kumogakure would definitely be constrained, which was contrary to the Third Raikage's ideals.
The Third Raikage hoped to compete well with Konoha in the future, but that would be a competition between Konoha and Kumogakure.
Fumori Masaki's Shinobi Alliance just sparked an idea in the Third Raikage's mind. A full Shinobi Alliance couldn't appear immediately, but Konoha should establish a simplified version of it. According to intelligence, Konoha and Sunagakure had already begun establishing cooperative relations, and with the Land of Rain, that would be a Southern Shinobi Alliance.
And he could also create a Northern Shinobi Alliance on his side, so they could compete with Konoha. Iwagakure was a rather troublesome fellow, and the Third Raikage decided that he would thoroughly weaken Iwagakure, so he could contend with Konoha in the future.