The sun set in the west.
At this moment, the sounds of slaughter on the battlefield gradually subsided. The ground was cracked, the soil soaked in blood, and everywhere there were broken corpses and scattered Ninja tools.
"Dodai, you have lost. Withdraw. Continuing this will only result in meaningless casualties."
Nara Shikaku was in tatters, covered in burn marks and puncture wounds caused by Lightning Release, staring at the other side with a solemn expression.
Dodai looked at his subordinates who were still struggling to attack. Ever since he saw the Konoha Ninja blocking them with a disregard for their own lives, he knew this offensive would likely end in failure.
Yet he was unwilling to accept it; he did not want the Raikage's plans to fall short. He had held onto a glimmer of hope that they might succeed this time, but unfortunately, it all came to naught.
"Hmph! Don't get cocky. The Raikage will not give up. Wash your necks and wait for us."
Dodai glared at him and shouted:
"Kumogakure Ninjas, withdraw!"
The voice pierced through the entire battlefield. It was as if a pause button had been pressed, and the battlefield fell instantly silent.
The Kumogakure Ninjas took the opportunity to put distance between themselves and their opponents. The Konoha side did not pursue, as both sides were already exhausted, fighting only on sheer willpower.
A strange scene unfolded on the battlefield; the opposing sides stopped fighting one after another and began to retreat.
While retreating, both sides took their wounded and the corpses of their companions. As for those who had been shattered into pieces, they could only be left behind to fertilize the soil.
Next year, the vegetation here would grow exceptionally lush.
Konoha Camp.
Everyone was injured. The few medical Ninjas were overwhelmed. Aoki Yoru and Kenta, who were less severely injured, began assisting Yui after a simple bandage job.
There were too many wounded, and the camp was currently short on medical supplies. They could only prioritize those with severe injuries; those with missing limbs were simply bandaged, as long as they were still alive.
"Hyuga Taiichi is dead."
Just after saving a classmate whose intestines were spilling out, Yui suddenly broke the news.
Aoki Yoru and Kenta fell silent upon hearing this. They knew that people they were familiar with would inevitably die, but they hadn't expected the first to be him.
Aoki Yoru remembered that when they first entered the Ninja Academy, Hyuga Taiichi had been full of vigor, saying during his self-introduction that he would become the pride of the Hyuga Clan.
A year later, he suddenly put on his headband, becoming gloomy and withdrawn. Afterwards, he trained desperately, graduating at the top of his class, and became a man of few words.
"I wonder how many more will survive." Kenta's tone was low; he had truly realized the cruelty of war.
Before coming here, he had sworn to his younger siblings that he would definitely make a name for himself in the Ninja World. Thinking about it now, how laughable that was.
"We'll know in time." Yui walked directly toward other patients.
...
"Bang!"
The table shattered instantly, wood chips flying everywhere.
The Raikage had just received an urgent message from the front line. Thinking they had won a battle, he opened the report with a smile, only for his face to turn livid. His Chakra surged, and he smashed his fist onto the table in front of him.
"Raikage, that is the tenth table you have smashed this year." Mabui, the secretary wearing a short skirt, bent down to pick up the report that had fallen to the floor.
Having been the Raikage's secretary for so many years, she had long since learned to hide her emotions, and she held up the report in her hand.
"Raikage, should we withdraw? Gathering so many supplies again puts a lot of pressure on the Village, and there are movements in the Land of Earth."
"Hmph! Ōnoki is only good at petty tricks. Send Nii Yugito to the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. Ōnoki won't make a move unless there's something in it for him."
As he spoke, he stood up abruptly and jumped out of the window, a voice drifting back.
"Mabui, prepare weapons and medical supplies. I will go myself. We will attack directly into the Land of Fire. If we run out of food, we'll just loot it. We can negotiate with that soft-hearted Hiruzen Sarutobi later."
...
Konoha, Hokage Office.
At this moment, the Konoha F4 were all gathered together. Danzo had originally been grounded by the Hokage due to last year's events, but he was released as soon as the war started; after all, the Root had superior infiltration capabilities regarding intelligence on Kumogakure.
Looking at the report sent from the front line, the Third Hokage puffed on his pipe with a smile. "Shikaku did very well. He not only burned down the enemy's supply point but also repelled their desperate offensive."
Danzo, sitting below, didn't even lift his eyelids. His voice sounded like gravel grinding as he spoke:
"Flying Ninja beasts are strategic weapons and must be kept in the Village's hands. Aoki Yoru must hand it over."
He was still holding a grudge about Aoki Yoru ruining his operation last year. Not only were his experimental materials confiscated by the Third, but he had also lost control of the Root. If it weren't for this war, he didn't know how much longer he would have been imprisoned.
The Third Hokage glanced at him, fully aware of his comrade's petty schemes.
"Don't even think about it, Danzo. This is Yoru's own opportunity. If everyone with a summoning beast had to hand it over, would other clans have to do the same? Wouldn't that cause panic in Konoha?"
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, releasing the tension of these past few days.
"Yoru is an heir to the will of fire. If the Village has a requirement, he will not refuse. Do not say such things again, Danzo."
Danzo snorted coldly. He didn't expect to actually take control of Yatagarasu; he just wanted to show his presence so that if there were a need later, he could use it to bargain with Hiruzen.
Seeing the two of them clashing as soon as they met, the nice guy Homura Mitokado quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"The Raikage's temper is such that he won't give up easily. The next offensive will be even more intense. Hiruzen, be prepared to fight at any time."
"I will arrange for the main army to depart and provide reinforcements as soon as possible."
The Third nodded and turned to look at the only woman in the office.
"Koharu, the collection of supplies must also be accelerated. Whether we can stop Kumogakure's offensive depends on this."
"Don't worry, Hiruzen. Although it's a bit difficult, we can still scrape it together if we squeeze."
Although the Nine-Tailed incident had caused heavy losses to the Village, ten years had passed, and the Village was slowly recovering its vitality. They could still scrape together the supplies for one battle.
At this, Danzo raised his head and looked at the Third. "Iwagakure is making moves; they are already assembling troops, even if we don't know who they are targeting."
The office fell silent instantly, the previous relaxed atmosphere gone. Everyone lowered their heads in thought.
After a long while, the Third slowly opened his mouth, his voice hoarse and old.
"Send all the remaining Jonin in the Village to the front line in the Land of Earth. Our four clans will all contribute personnel. The Sarutobi Clan will provide 500, and you three will provide 200 each. As for the others, I will go find the other Ninja clans and have them contribute."
"But Hiruzen..." Utatane Koharu's voice had not yet faded when she was interrupted.
"This matter is not up for debate."
Looking at the solemn Third, the three nodded helplessly. Although this was their foundation, seeing the Third's attitude, they knew they had to pay this price.
At this moment, Danzo, who had been sitting, stood up. "Hiruzen, as for the commander of the Land of Lightning front, let me take that role."
Danzo was full of ambition; he wanted to use this war to get back what he had lost with interest. Then, he would take the opportunity to force Hiruzen to abdicate, and he would use his military achievements to succeed as the Fifth Hokage.
The Third, having long since seen through his old friend, refused directly. "No need, Danzo. Jiraiya has already rushed over. As for the Land of Earth, I will go and oversee it myself."
Danzo's face turned livid instantly; this was giving him absolutely no chance.
"Bang!"
The door was slammed shut, and Danzo walked down the corridor with a gloomy expression.
"If only I had stepped forward first back then..."