Because Chiyo and the others retreated in a hurry, they failed to take the camp Sunagakure had been using.
So, on Yūhi Shinku's orders, the Konoha shinobi immediately began dismantling the Sand's camp. Then the unit, carrying off every usable supply, moved straight toward the border of the Land of Fire.
Before night fell, a temporary camp was erected along the border between the Land of Fire and the neighboring country.
Inside the newly set-up command headquarters, the assembled Konoha jōnin commanders began summarizing the battle and filing their reports.
Yagami, meanwhile, pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed into the meeting room inside the Hokage Building.
"How is it? How did the battle go?"
The moment the call connected, Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice rang out.
And the Den Den Mushi—faithfully copying him—showed the Third Hokage's anxious look so vividly it was almost like he was right there.
"Hahaha."
"Sensei, don't worry. Sunagakure's main force has been driven out of the Land of Fire by us."
Seated in the commander-in-chief's position, Orochimaru answered with a relaxed smile.
On the Den Den Mushi's face, the Third Hokage's expression finally loosened in relief.
And from the other side of the line, bursts of cheering could be heard.
"Alright. Report the detailed results."
After a short while, the commotion on the other end finally settled.
Orochimaru lifted a hand and gestured toward Yūhi Shinku.
"Yes!"
Shinku answered crisply, his face serious as he rose and picked up the report sheet that had already been tallied long ago.
Back in the Hokage Building's meeting room, the clan heads and senior officials all leaned in, ears practically perking up.
They already knew Sand had been repelled—but they still didn't know the exact outcome.
Shinku glanced down at the numbers on the paper.
Even he couldn't help drawing a slow breath, his expression tightening with excitement.
Because what was recorded here… was the kind of result that could shock the entire village.
"Cough."
"In this battle, we killed a total of 1,761 enemy shinobi and captured 309."
Shinku cleared his throat and reported, his voice carrying a restrained thrill.
"Good!!"
"Hahaha—well done!!"
"Killing that many in one battle… Sand took a massive hit this time!"
"And what if they did? They started this war. This is the price for provoking Konoha!"
The moment Shinku finished the enemy casualty count, the Den Den Mushi's side erupted into noise again.
Praise, laughter, excited voices—one after another, spilling out without pause.
For a moment, even the jōnin commanders inside the command post couldn't help breaking into wide smiles.
"Cough."
"Everyone, settle down. Shinku hasn't finished yet."
The cheers continued for minutes without stopping, until the Third Hokage finally raised a hand and forced the meeting room back into order.
Even Hiruzen looked genuinely pleased hearing those numbers.
But at the same time… a heavy feeling pressed down in his chest.
Because if the enemy casualties were that high, it meant the fighting must have been brutal.
And that usually meant Konoha's own losses wouldn't be small.
Shinku cleared his throat again, his tone turning noticeably heavier.
"Our wounded: 401."
"Our dead: sixty-seven."
The moment he said it, the atmosphere shifted.
This was a victory—yes—but when speaking of their fallen, there was no room for celebration. It was the bare minimum respect for those who didn't come back.
But even then—
He was interrupted again.
And this time, it was Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.
"Sixty-seven dead…? Shinku. Did you read that wrong?"
The Den Den Mushi perfectly copied the Third Hokage's stunned expression.
Inside the Hokage Building, the high-level officials wore the same look.
If that number had been ten times higher, it would still have counted as a major victory by wartime standards.
War always took lives. Everyone in that room had been prepared for that reality.
But this number—
This number was so low it made them wonder if the report itself was mistaken.
Shinku's throat tightened. He suppressed the excitement threatening to rise again, and answered carefully, keeping his face solemn.
"…No. Our losses really are sixty-seven."
Even so, a trace of pride still slipped through his voice despite his effort to bury it.
After that confirmation, the Hokage Building's meeting room fell into a silence so complete you could hear a pin drop.
Konoha had fought through war after war.
But never—not in the First Great Ninja War, not in the Second—had they seen a battle where over a thousand enemies died… while Konoha lost fewer than a hundred.
For a long moment, nobody spoke, as if their minds refused to accept it.
"…What happened out there?"
At last, after the silence stretched on, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, utterly baffled.
Because during the pre-battle meeting, the higher-ups had listened in through the Den Den Mushi as well.
There had been no tricks. No hidden "cheat" strategy.
It had been a direct, frontal fight.
So how had they achieved this—suffering only such minimal losses?
The clan heads and senior officials all had the same question burning in their eyes.
Shinku exhaled, then turned his head and glanced at Yagami.
"Because before the battle…"
"Captain Yagami developed a new technique—one that's… extremely powerful."
After he saw Yagami give a slight nod, Shinku continued, preparing to explain it to the Third Hokage and the others.
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