Perhaps Sunagakure, too.
They might all seize this opportunity to claim a share.
"Iwagakure wants a ceasefire?"
A no longer maintained his harsh attitude, and his tone softened somewhat.
"Fine. Show us your sincerity first."
That settled it!
Kitsuchi's taut nerves immediately relaxed.
He took a scroll from inside his clothes and offered it with both hands.
"This is Iwagakure's Ceasefire Agreement. Please review it, Lord Fourth Raikage."
A accepted the scroll and unrolled it.
"Earth-Lightning Ceasefire Agreement."
Its contents were outrageously simple-
Article one: effective immediately, Iwagakure and Kumogakure shall cease all forms of military action.
Article two: both parties shall withdraw all troops within their respective national borders within seven days.
Article three: both parties pledge mutual nonaggression for the next five years.
That was all.
The agreement demanded no reparations, no territorial concessions, and no admission of defeat from either side.
It was a pure ceasefire agreement between equals.
"That old bastard Ōnoki..."
A's brows drew tightly together. He cursed, but he was not truly angry.
Had this been before...
He would absolutely have thrown this Ceasefire Agreement straight into Kitsuchi's face, then punched this Iwagakure rock man out of the Kumogakure camp.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure had fought for so many years.
So many ninja had died.
So many supplies had been consumed.
And now they wanted to turn the page with one flimsy "agreement"?
Ōnoki might be ugly, but his dreams were certainly pretty!
But the situation now was indeed different.
Kumogakure had suffered devastating losses on the Land of Woods battlefield. The Two-Tails had been taken, their supplies destroyed, and more than half their elite troops lost.
If Iwagakure continued its offensive, Kumogakure would probably truly be unable to hold out.
The price of war was too great.
So great that even A, the Fourth