On the Land of Earth's side, Tsuchikage Ōnoki was in the midst of a delicate "happy dilemma."
In the previous war with Konoha, Iwagakure had not achieved final victory, but it had plundered the wealth of several major strongholds. Coupled with what it had obtained earlier in the Land of Wind, it had enjoyed a truly bumper harvest.
Ōnoki was currently busy digesting these hard-won spoils. He needed time to turn the spoils into tangible military strength, so toward external affairs, he adopted a temporarily conservative stance and did not want to invite complications.
In his eyes, Konoha's appeal was nothing more than the wailing of a loser. It was not worth his attention.
As for Kirigakure, it had remained in a state of isolation from beginning to end. The reputation of the Blood Mist Village had grown increasingly notorious, while internal power struggles and bloody purges had never ceased.
Kirigakure's ninjas were indifferent to external affairs, as though the entire world consisted only of the land shrouded in dense mist that belonged to Kirigakure.
Whether Konoha's announcement could even reach Kirigakure's upper echelons was unknown, let alone attract their attention.
As a result, not one of the five great nations gave Konoha's appeal any substantive response. Every country had its own difficulties and calculations. Before resolving its own troubles, none was willing to offend Great Yan, which had just displayed formidable strength, much less get dragged into the conflict between Konoha and Great Yan.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was both furious and angry about this, but he could do nothing.
Thus, after experiencing that tremendous upheaval, the situation in the Ninja World temporarily sank into an eerie calm.
Time passed, and half a year vanished in the blink of an eye. Beneath the Ninja World's eerie calm, Great Yan's territories were