As the new year began, Kirigakure Ninja Village announced that it would cease hostilities, bringing the larger and longer Second Shinobi World War to an end. Compared with the situation after the First Shinobi War, the balance of power throughout the shinobi world had changed considerably this time.
The Third Hokage of Konoha Ninja Village had proposed establishing the Shinobi Alliance, but the Five Great Nations had not unanimously endorsed it. Only countries such as the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Rivers expressed support, while major powers such as the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water made no statement. This meant that an alliance encompassing the entire shinobi world could not be established.
Kazemori Masaki therefore began contacting supportive countries such as the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, proposing that they establish an alliance of their own. Composed of countries in the southern part of the shinobi world, it would be called the Southern Alliance for short. It would implement the Shinobi Alliance's Construction Principles internally as a trial model, and if it proved successful, the model would surely be extended to the entire shinobi world.
With Konoha Ninja Village taking the lead, the details of the alliance were settled one by one. Its purpose was to safeguard the peace won through victory in the Second Shinobi World War, maintain friendly relations among member nations, encourage cooperation and exchange, and pursue progress and development together.
On that basis, the countries within the Southern Alliance would unify their national defense forces. Any future act of aggression against a member nation would be considered a declaration of war against the entire alliance. That was the military aspect.
On the economic side, trade would be adjusted to meet