"So, Mr. Fugaku killed that Kumogakure ninja? And he is now escorting the sole remaining Iwa envoy toward the Border Line?"
As he listened to the Anbu Ninja kneeling on one knee recount the upheaval that had befallen the Iwa delegation a day earlier, Minato Namikaze's expression gradually darkened. By the time he finished asking, his face had become utterly grave.
"Yes. Mr. Fugaku rescued the last remaining Iwa envoy, and us as well. He instructed me to return ahead of the others and report the situation."
That was the Anbu Ninja's answer.
"Has everyone assigned to escort them returned?"
Minato Namikaze asked again.
"No. I was the only one who returned. Mr. Fugaku said this matter was too important, so he had me come back first. The others are following Mr. Fugaku and are planning to escort the envoy directly back to Iwagakure."
The Anbu Ninja answered truthfully.
"I see... Very well. Then what about the corpse of that Kumogakure ninja who disguised himself as an Iwa shinobi? Was it handed over to the Intelligence Division?"
Minato Namikaze nodded at this. Uchiha Fugaku's judgment had been correct. Only one Iwa envoy remained, and he might well have suffered an adverse psychological reaction from the death of his companions. If Konoha simply allowed him to return alone, that Iwa envoy might not make it back to Iwagakure at all.
Moreover, this Iwagakure envoy carried Iwa's copy of the peace treaty. If that treaty were lost, it would create no small amount of trouble for the Peace Alliance with Iwa. It would not invalidate the agreement already signed, but there would be many procedural complications. For example, Iwa might have to send another delegation, along with handwriting experts and the like, to verify whether the terms of Konoha's treaty were genuine