"It wasn't exactly a refusal. The Daimyo said he would give us an answer after discussing it with the Daimyo of the other nations."
The ninja responsible for communicating with the Daimyo of the Land of Water looked at Mei Terumi's incredulous, furious face and tactfully relayed his response.
After enduring the Bloody Mist Village era, Kirigakure's younger generation had suffered devastating losses. At the same time, they had also lost the trust of the Daimyo of the Land of Water.
Although Kirigakure had now put an end to the Bloody Mist Village era, getting the Daimyo to simply wipe the slate clean was no easy matter.
"Sigh. Let's leave it at that for now."
After hearing the full response, Mei Terumi sank helplessly into the Mizukage's seat.
All she could do now was hope that the other villages' discussions with their Daimyo went smoothly. Otherwise, Kirigakure would certainly receive no aid from the Land of Water.
"The Daimyo agreed?"
In Sunagakure, Baki, who had been responsible for communicating with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, returned with his written approval.
Kankuro rushed forward first and took the letter.
"He agreed. The Daimyo was a little hesitant at first, but once he heard that Uchiha Itachi would be the supreme commander of the allied forces, he immediately signed the letter authorizing the allocation of supplies."
Half resigned and half relieved, Baki reported the results of his trip. Although the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had not rejected Sunagakure's request to join the war, he had clearly agreed out of regard for their ally, Konoha.
That was hardly good news for Sunagakure.
"Baki, do you think the people of Sunagakure are living well these days?"
Gaara did not look at the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's written approval.