Late August.
In the Land of Wind, inside Kazami City, the envoy delegation from the Land of Demons arrived as scheduled.
According to the agreement, today was the important day when the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind would sign the armistice treaty and the reparations treaty.
For a meeting like this, Hakushi also attached exceptional importance to it. In order to ensure no accidents occurred midway through the signing, this time he dispatched Ayane to lead the envoy delegation.
With Ayane there as deterrence, presumably Hidden Sand wouldn't dare cause any incident at the treaty signing venue.
There wasn't much to say about the armistice; the key was the reparations treaty. The Land of Wind would cede to the Land of Demons the northwestern area of the Land of Wind starting one hundred and twenty li north of Kazami City, and would also permit the stationing of troops in Kazami City for the next thirteen years.
And having lost the war, the Land of Wind had no right to haggle.
With the signing of the two treaties, it also meant the Land of Demons' Neutral Country protected status would no longer be recognized internationally.
The Western Continent formally entered a situation where three military powers confronted and checked each other. The surrounding small nations naturally became even more fearful, feeling lost and uneasy about the future's stormy changes.
There was no shortage of small nations harboring such anxious, unsettled feelings. Even the defeated Land of Wind was still not something small nations could contend with; Hidden Sand's armed strength still left small nations far behind. And the Land of Demons, which had defeated the Land of Wind on the main battlefield, though not acknowledged as a "great nation," in the end "great nation" was just a label. As long as it possessed sufficient military deterrence, even if the Land of Demons wasn't a great nation, it was no less than one.
With the western balance so turbulent, the difficult situation and stance of the small nations caught between the three military powers could easily be imagined.
Inside the City Lord's Mansion in Kazami City, a spacious conference room was the site where the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind would sign the treaties.
Not only were Hidden Sand Village's senior Advisor Chiyo and elder Ebizo present, but several high-ranking officials belonging to the Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Wind had also gathered there.
The Land of Demons dispatched a similar lineup, with personnel from both the military and government sent to affix seals and signatures to the treaties.
Very quickly, Ayane took into her hands the two copies of the treaty that bore the Land of Wind's seals and signatures. These documents had already been verified by specialized staff beforehand and had no issues.
What they were doing now was merely going through the formal process.
"Speaking of which, the Hidden Sand unit that previously invaded the border town of the Land of Demons actually didn't get completely wiped out. Around two hundred plus people survived, and they're currently being held in the cells of Shion City. If your country is willing to ransom those two hundred-plus prisoners, we would be very happy to oblige. After all, that guy called Maki is one of your Hidden Sand's endlessly promising young Jonin, isn't he?"
Just as she was about to leave, Ayane suddenly stopped, smiled at Chiyo, and said.
"What did you say?"
Chiyo was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected there to still be prisoners from the original Hidden Sand forces that attacked the Land of Demons.
Previously, she had thought that unit had been completely annihilated. Not only she, but the rest of Hidden Sand Village's upper echelon had assumed the same.
In past Ninja Realm wars, both sides in battle aimed as much as possible at the total elimination of enemy ninja, and even ninja who had lost the ability to resist would be given a final blow.
Because ninja couldn't be judged by common sense; even on the verge of death, they still had the ability to use Ninja Techniques to kill.
"What's there to be surprised about? Based on international humanitarian principles, you don't swing the butcher's blade anymore at those who've lost the ability to resist on the battlefield… wasn't that a rule set by the Five Great Nations very long ago? Or is it that you all have already forgotten?"
Ayane spoke with a professional smile.
Then, ignoring the rich and varied expressions on the faces of Chiyo and the others, she led the Land of Demons' envoy out of the conference room, returning to the Land of Demons to report to Hakushi.
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"Old man, I'm coming in!"
After shouting, Ichihime directly pushed open the door and stepped into Hakushi's office where he was working.
As soon as she entered, she saw that Hakushi's expression seemed somewhat unnatural, as if beads of nervous sweat had appeared on his face.
"Uh, it's you, Ichihime. What brings you here?"
Hakushi placed both hands on the desk, apparently trying to maintain composure.
Ichihime eyed Hakushi suspiciously and asked, "Why are you so flustered? Old man, you weren't doing something shady in here just now, were you?"
"Ahem, that's a very rude thing to say. I've been diligently processing paperwork the whole time."
Hakushi's expression returned to calm, and he shot Ichihime a slightly displeased look.
"Really?"
Ichihime still held onto a bit of doubt, but didn't press further.
"Enough, let's drop it. What are you here for? As I recall, you've got a mission right now, don't you?"
Hakushi moved on to business.
"I came to pick up the detailed personnel list for the team heading to the Land of Waves. We're scheduled to depart this afternoon, after all."
Ichihime walked up to Hakushi's desk as she spoke of this matter.
After listening, Hakushi thought for a moment, then opened the drawer beside him and took out a sealed file envelope, which had a decent heft to it.
He placed the envelope in Ichihime's hands, then said, "The key personnel accompanying you to the Land of Waves this time total twenty-six. All of their information is inside here. You can get a rough understanding of them through these documents. As for how to handle things concretely, just proceed according to your own methods."
Ichihime nodded, then asked, "Got it. Anything else you want to instruct me about?"