Night, around 8:10 p.m., on the broad road several hundred meters from the village gates.
"Konoha is just ahead, Your Excellency."
Looking at Konoha's towering walls looming faintly in the distance, Sanada, the Konoha ninja assigned to guide the Land of Earth delegation, pointed ahead and turned to address the six people behind him.
"We've finally arrived. Thank you for your hard work, Sanada."
Iwama of the Land of Earth glanced at the distant walls, a relieved smile touching his lips as he spoke.
From here on, the losses suffered by the entire village and the entire country in this battle rested on our shoulders.
We must be cautious. Then more cautious still.
The preliminary negotiations for the Peace Alliance will take at least two weeks, perhaps as long as a month. We still have enough time.
We absolutely cannot be impatient here.
Yet his heart gradually sank as those thoughts flashed through his mind.
At the same time, when he spoke those words, every guard behind him except the elderly Rando could not help stiffening.
They knew that what lay ahead would be a hard battle, and a dangerous one at that. They would have no support, and they were entering the enemy's stronghold, where nearly all of the enemy's most formidable figures were currently gathered.
Even that monster, practically the nightmare of all Iwa, was in this stronghold. Though they had heard that he had recently resigned from his position as Konoha's assistant, so he probably would not take part in the Peace Alliance.
Still, they absolutely could not let down their guard.
That monster had been praised by the Third Tsuchikage as a "natural genius of war." Five thousand of them had failed to kill him. He could practically be called immortal.
Immortality would have been bad