"Rasa... no! Lord Kazekage, something seems to have happened!"
Inside the separate residence prepared to receive the Sunagakure delegation, a sudden cry rang out. The urgency in the speaker's voice nearly made him forget his manners.
"What happened?"
Clearly, the Sunagakure delegation was far more at ease than the Iwa delegation. Although Rasa, as Kazekage, wanted to sign the Restoration Alliance agreement as soon as possible and confirm deeper cooperation, thereby preventing Konoha from reneging after dealing with Iwa, he still appeared rather relaxed for now.
At the very least, when his senior Monobe let out that urgent cry, Rasa had been leisurely enjoying tea brewed from tender leaves nourished by Konoha's fertile soil and its ample, pleasant sunlight. There was little anxiety on his face.
Even after hearing that urgent shout, Rasa showed no great concern. He merely set down his teacup gently.
After all, the crucial ceasefire agreement had already been signed, and they had paid a minimal price. While the Restoration Alliance was also important, and the deeper cooperation currently under discussion would be enormously beneficial to Sunagakure, with Konoha offering truly generous terms, it was ultimately secondary to Sunagakure. The most important matter had been the peace talks. Now that peace had been established and both sides had ceased hostilities, there was no need to remain so tense. Besides, maintaining a calm state of mind was essential. They were in Konoha, after all. No matter how much they wanted to finish the Restoration Alliance phase and end the war completely, if Konoha had no such intention, there was nothing they could do. Rather than act irrationally out of impatience and damage the Restoration Alliance process, it was better to remain relaxed—both to regulate their emotions and to avoid making things worse.
Thud, thud, thud!
Before the