Three days later, the secret envoy from Iwagakure Ninja Village returned to camp with the preliminary terms. Ōnoki immediately summoned him so he could examine them himself.
Just as Ōnoki had expected, since the Land of Earth had not fallen as far as the Land of Wind, Konoha Ninja Village had offered terms that were neither excessively harsh nor lenient, despite its status as a defeated nation. They fell within his expectations, but even with that preparation, he still felt a pang of pain.
Konoha Ninja Village demanded no territorial concessions from Iwagakure Ninja Village, only an astonishing sum in reparations. Aside from the portion going to Konoha Ninja Village, some would go to smaller nations such as the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass. According to Konoha Ninja Village, these small nations had suffered unprovoked losses during the Second Shinobi World War, and the aggressor nation ought to compensate them.
Naturally, Ōnoki was unwilling. In his eyes, what did those small nations amount to? The Land of Rain at least had Hanzo of the Salamander—Hanzō had now made a name for himself in the shinobi world, and his formidable strength had put even the Land of Earth on guard—but the Land of Grass was just like its name: grass bending whichever way the wind blew. What made it worth helping?
Of course, Ōnoki understood that these protective measures were Kazemori Masaki's way of winning over the other small nations. He had treated the Land of Rain this way before and had shown some goodwill toward other countries as well. This effort to secure reparations for them would surely influence their choices.
Truthfully, Ōnoki did not want to agree, but there was little he could do. With territorial concessions off the table, they would have to bleed money