The Land of Grass.
A relaxed smile finally broke through Jiraiya's grave expression as he handed the intelligence to Kakashi Hatake, who stood beside him.
"Naraku sure works fast. He's already defeated Kumogakure!"
"The peace treaty will be signed soon!"
Kakashi Hatake read through the intelligence and breathed a sigh of relief as well.
Fighting two countries at once was still something of a strain for Konoha. Although its foundations meant it did not have to worry about defeat, the resources consumed would be staggering if the war dragged on.
Ever since the war began, the number of missions Konoha received had started to decline, and losing so much mission income had no small impact.
On top of that, because of the Konoha Crush Plan, the various countries' daimyo and nobles worried about their safety, which had also reduced the earnings of Konoha Hospital, previously a powerful source of revenue.
Fortunately, funds from the Land of Fire arrived in time, keeping Konoha from suffering serious damage.
Of course, the situation had not reached a truly critical point. Otherwise, Shihōin Naraku would have personally taken action long ago, slaughtering his way through the Land of Lightning's forces and forcing them into retreat after retreat to end the war quickly.
Besides, the outbreak of war was not without benefits. Once the war between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire subsided and news of Konoha's victory spread, trade routes began to recover as well. Merchants adjusted their approach to the circumstances. Since Konoha had won, that meant its ninja were stronger, so large numbers of missions began pouring into Konoha.
As such, Konoha would soon recoup its losses from this period.
If Jiraiya led his forces to defeat Iwagakure as well, Konoha would recover even faster.
"Naraku really is impressive."