The battlefield had been completely reshaped. What was once rolling terrain had turned into shattered ground stretching for miles, scarred by the clash of thousands of ninja. Bodies lay scattered everywhere, many twisted unnaturally, caught in the aftermath of techniques that continued even after death.
This battle had been especially brutal.
Ninja from both sides fought without hesitation, throwing themselves into combat with everything they had.
As time passed, a giant falcon swept across the sky, letting out a sharp cry. Moments later, several large signal flares burst into the air.
It was the order for Iwagakure to retreat.
Outnumbered and clearly at a disadvantage among their strongest fighters, their defeat had already become unavoidable.
Then, the voice of Iwagakure's commander, Fūga, rang across the battlefield.
"Retreat!"
"Withdraw!"
The command was quickly relayed through the jonin. Though their eyes still burned with killing intent, the Iwagakure ninja had no choice but to suppress it. After one last glance at their equally battle-worn opponents, they began pulling back.
According to their plan, the First Division stayed behind to cover the retreat.
As the enemy forces withdrew, Nawaki broke free from his opponents and rushed over to Sakumo.
"Big Brother Sakumo, should we chase them?"
Sakumo shook his head.
"No need. Our losses aren't light either. Driving them back into the Land of Earth is enough."
War was not about endless slaughter. There was no benefit in reckless pursuit. They had already secured a decisive advantage. As long as they maintained steady pressure, victory would come.
As the Iwagakure forces retreated, Fūga, still acting as rear guard, couldn't help but shout one last threat.
"This war isn't over, Konoha!"
Sakumo merely glanced at him, his expression unmoved.
In another part of the battlefield, Hayashi handed over the unconscious Roshi to the sealing squad in front of him. Roshi had been completely immobilized using Shukaku's sealing power.
"The seal on him is already stable. There's no need to reinforce it. Just keep him secured."
"Yes, Hayashi-sama!"
The sealing squad looked at Hayashi with clear admiration. As for Roshi, their reaction was calm. Having dealt with high-level targets before, they were no longer shaken by handling a jinchūriki.
With the battle over, Konoha's forces quickly began clearing the field before advancing their camp forward by dozens of miles.
They had won. More importantly, they had captured Roshi.
This was the perfect opportunity to tighten their control and force Iwagakure further back into the Land of Earth.
For now, Iwagakure had no choice but to retreat deep into their territory, unable to face Konoha head-on.
Even so, Konoha did not rush into another offensive.
The priority was recovery.
Injured ninja needed treatment, and the army needed time to regroup. Pushing too aggressively could easily give Iwagakure an opening, especially considering their familiarity with the harsh terrain of their homeland, filled with rocky mountains and barren lands.
Later, a meeting was held within the camp to discuss Roshi's containment.
By the time it ended, dusk had fallen, and the sky was painted with streaks of red clouds.
That night, the camp was unusually quiet.
Outside a tent, Hayashi and Nawaki sat on small stools, each holding a flask of sake, enjoying the rare peace after battle.
Dabai rested comfortably in Hayashi's arms, her eyes half-closed as she dozed.
Nearby, Samehada fixed its attention on the small, cat-sized Shukaku like a predator watching prey.
Even without eyes, Shukaku could clearly feel it.
That wide, jagged mouth, even dripping slightly, made it uneasy.
Shukaku wanted to lash out, but glancing at its current tiny form, it held back. For now, it could only glare.
Hayashi chuckled.
With a flick of his hand, he tossed out several small clusters of red chakra. Samehada immediately opened its mouth and devoured them eagerly.
After feeding, its body visibly grew slightly larger, and it wagged its hilt in satisfaction.
Hayashi shook his head.
"That's enough. Too much isn't good for you."
Samehada let out a low, dissatisfied sound but didn't argue. Instead, it kept its attention fixed on Shukaku.
Shukaku shrank back, pressing closer against Dabai for comfort.
Dabai lazily opened her eyes, glanced at the small tailed beast clinging to her, and said nothing. She simply adjusted her position and leaned more comfortably against Hayashi.
Hayashi laughed softly and reached out, casually patting Shukaku's head.
Most people kept pets like cats or dogs.
He was casually petting a tailed beast.
His gaze shifted back to Samehada. Looking at its sharp barbs and massive mouth, a certain thought crossed his mind.
A rather bold one.
Beside him, Nawaki laughed.
"You're feeding Samehada Shukaku's chakra. If anyone from Sunagakure saw this, they'd call it wasteful."
Hayashi smiled.
"A little chakra won't affect it. Besides, Samehada is picky. It doesn't like ordinary chakra. It prefers something stronger."
That was exactly why it kept staring at Shukaku.
Interestingly, it wasn't fond of every tailed beast's chakra. It had no interest in Roshi's, likely because of its intense heat.
So Shukaku became its favorite source.
Nawaki took another sip before speaking again.
"I heard you ran into Gari."
"Yeah," Hayashi replied. "He should've died years ago. Living this long was already more than enough."
Nawaki gave a small nod.
"If Yura were still around, she'd be glad to know he's gone."
The mention of that name made him fall silent for a moment.
After a pause, Hayashi asked, "What did you do with the body?"
"No point bringing it back," Nawaki said. "I've already settled things. I handed it over to Orochimaru-sama."
"Orochimaru-sensei?"
"Yeah." Nawaki let out a quiet sigh. "He said Explosion Release is worth studying."
Hayashi didn't respond immediately.
That sounded exactly like him.
Nawaki chuckled lightly.
"He doesn't drink, doesn't gamble, and doesn't chase after women. For someone that disciplined, this is his only interest. Might as well let him have it."
Hayashi rolled his eyes.
Collecting corpses as a hobby was one thing.
But taking it this far… it was hard to call it normal anymore.