Hokage Building, Hokage's Office.
"Whew..."
Minato Namikaze gently set down the scroll in his hand and let out a long breath.
It seemed the Kazekage truly wanted to come for peace talks and form an alliance. They had settled all the remaining alliance terms so quickly.
Now, there truly was nothing left to worry about.
After letting out that long breath, a thought flashed through Minato Namikaze's mind.
About an hour ago, after news of the deaths in Iwagakure had arrived, he had handed everything over to Chiba and gone to the residence where the Fourth Kazekage was staying. Without beating around the bush, he had intended to settle all the remaining alliance terms today, sign the alliance treaty, completely conclude the peace talks and alliance with the Land of Wind, and put an end to the matter once and for all.
After all, signing a ceasefire agreement and alliance provisions, rather than merely a peace treaty serving as a preliminary agreement for a ceasefire, meant that the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind had formally ceased hostilities in this war and become allies, presenting a united front against outsiders. If anyone provoked either nation, both nations would respond together.
This was worlds apart from the wartime alliances formed during the war. A wartime alliance was, after all, only an alliance concerning military operations, and its terms were comparatively loose. It was easy for one side to pay lip service while acting otherwise. For example, as the war neared its end, Sunagakure had clearly shown such behavior.
This alliance, however, had numerous provisions and involved extensive development cooperation. It would bring enormous benefits to both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. Whether in terms of trust or interests, it would firmly bind the two nations