Gen stepped inside the ceasefire line without guards.
He held two authentic documents in his left hand and the fractured rock core White Zetsu had brought back in his right.
Shisui stood on Iwatari Village's side.
The Konoha Military Police Force guarded Ashihara Village's side.
All of them stayed outside the Red Rope.
Their limited assistance permitted them only to protect civilians and evidence, not to force either side to sign on Gen's behalf.
Three hairline cracks had already appeared around the Wellhead.
Each turn of the Water-Lifting Wheel sent another layer of sand falling through the cracks.
The leaders of the two villages sat across a long table, their weapons still fifty paces behind them.
Gen placed the rock core between them.
"First, suspend use of the chakra-powered Water-Lifting Wheel for seven days."
Iwatari Village's leader immediately objected.
"Stopping the wheel will cut our daily water supply by at least forty percent. What are our villagers supposed to drink?"
"Seal the three return channels."
Ashihara Village's leader slammed the table too.
"Our shallow wells are already dry. Sealing the channels means cutting off our water first."
Both of them were stating facts.
Implementing either measure alone would give the other side more water.
Gen unfolded the first temporary plan.
The Water-Lifting Wheel would be slowed to the speed of an ordinary winch.
The three return channels would not all be sealed. Only two would close, while the remaining one would be fitted with shared measurement markers.
Well water would first be allocated according to the two villages' registered populations to meet minimum daily needs. All withdrawals for farmland, tea plantations, and caravan transport would be suspended.
Children, the injured, and those unable to travel far would take priority.
Any daily surplus would belong to neither side and would be