"This is really a good thing!" Fugaku exclaimed. "With this, we who have the Mangekyo will be able to appear on the battlefield more frequently."
Faced with this clear insinuation, Funan did not give it much importance and simply threw another bottle of potion at Fugaku.
"I may not be by your side in the next battle, so be careful, you also know the weakness of the potion."
"Thank you! Don't worry, I will use it properly." Fugaku put away the potion with a smile on his face. For a Mangekyo user, this potion was a true treasure.
Soon, the senior officers entered the main store.
Funan looked up and asked: "Do you have the casualty report?"
"Yes, it's ready!"
One of Funan's deputies, Nara Naoto, stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Hokage-sama, of our three thousand shinobi, more than three hundred have fallen in combat, and around 1.2 million explosive tags have been used."
Everyone in the room felt a chill upon hearing this, and some even held their breath.
"What about Kumogakure?"
"At least 3,000 people died in the battle, and the number of injured cannot be determined. It is definitely a lot." Naoto said in a deep voice: "The Eight-Tails is seriously injured, and at least ten elite jonin have lost their combat capabilities. We have won a great victory!"
Funan fell into deep thought. The results were impressive. But the state of his troops was not the best either.
Guy wouldn't be able to fight for a while.
Fugaku used his Mangekyo excessively, after all, his opponent was the Eight-Tails. Although thanks to the potion he was able to mitigate the impact, it would take some time to recover before returning to the fight.
As for Katsuyu, that was another story. Although Funan had summoned a clone over a hundred meters long, it meant nothing to Katsuyu's main body.
For the next battle, she could be counted on without any problem.
"Rest. For a while, there will be no more fighting."
"Hokage-sama!"
Hearing Funan's decision, the people present exclaimed.
For them, this was the ideal moment, with their spirits high and the absolute advantage. They could not understand why they should stop advancing.
Funan said firmly: "Do as I say, remember, I am the Hokage!"
"...Yes!"
People present sometimes feel puzzled. For some reason, Funan always likes to repeat I am the Hokage!
Funan remained in the main tent, without leaving.
He was waiting for reports from the other battle fronts.
Although he knows that the actual results will not be much different from the expected results, he is still worried.
Orochimaru and Danzo will appear here, so will there be any accidents in other areas?
It wasn't long before the latest reports came in.
On the Kirigakure front, Shisui had displayed impressive strength, repelling Terumi Mei.
Itachi had also entered the battle, confronting and containing the Six-Tails.
The Kiri-nin relentlessly attacked Konoha's defense but were repelled by Konoha's explosive tags strategy.
In the end, although Konoha lost close to a thousand shinobi, Kirigakure left behind more than two thousand corpses.
Reading the reports, a spark of fury flashed in Funan's eyes.
On the Iwa front, the tired Onoki no longer had the strength to continue fighting. Although he tried to attack, he was repelled by Jiraiya.
In fact, Jiraiya and his troops managed to advance directly into the territory of the Land of Earth.
As for Sunagakure...
Kakashi had set traps beforehand, luring the Suna-nin into them and killing over a thousand in one fell swoop with explosive tags.
Sunagakure had to retreat in shame.
This was the official version.
In private, Rasa and Funan had collaborated to eliminate certain disobedient or unstable shinobi from Sunagakure, consolidating Rasa's total control over the village.
"Huh!"
After reading all the battle reports, Funan breathed a sigh of relief.
They had won! A total victory!
Funan closed his eyes, beginning to recover his chakra.
Inside, the intense battles had produced a large amount of vital energy, forming various fruits of different levels.
As he meditated, these fruits quickly dissolved, releasing pure chakra that flowed through his body.
Funan felt his chakra rapidly restore itself, and at the same time, each fruit strengthened his body.
The fruits enhanced his dojutsu, fire release, and even his mastery of Sage Mode.
Funan enjoyed how his power grew.
"Hokage-sama."
A voice called from outside the store.
"Come in."
Uchiha Fugaku walked in.
Funan looked at him and said: "Elder Fugaku, what's the matter?"
"This is the best time to attack Kumogakure." Fugaku said unwillingly.
"We still have two thousand shinobi who can fight."
"I can continue fighting too." Fugaku added in a deep voice: "Let me take care of the Eight-Tails. This time, I'll leave an unforgettable mark on it."
"Hokage-sama, trust me. I'm sure I can..."
"Uchiha Fugaku, I have made a decision." Funan didn't want to listen anymore and interrupted him directly. "Remember, I am the Hokage."
Fugaku: "..."
Funan was too lazy to pay attention to him, and looked at the map, thinking.
Funan stared at the Kirigakure symbol on the map, a smile she couldn't hide.
"Hokage-sama!"
A ninja hurried in with a letter in his hand.
Funan took a stick and used it to poke the letter cautiously. Then, he used the shadow clone, letting the clone open the envelope for him.
"Stay away from me!" Funan shouted at the clone.
Fugaku, watching from the side, couldn't help but have veins of frustration appear on his forehead.
"Fugaku, don't take it lightly." Funan looked at Fugaku and said earnestly: "Do you know when it is easiest to fail? When you are about to win."
"That's why I have to be careful now. Very, very careful."
"After all..."
"I am the Hokage!"
The envelope opened. It was a letter from Orochimaru. He wanted to speak to Funan alone.
"Talk to you? Fuck you!"
Funan tore the letter into pieces.
…
That same afternoon, Funan arrived at the foot of a great mountain.
Orochimaru had been waiting for a long time.
"Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru, have you perfected that technique yet?"
Funan asked as soon as he came up.
Orochimaru laughed strangely and said: "Funan-kun, you seem to be very concerned about the Impure World Reincarnation Technique?"
"Nonsense!" Funan rolled his eyes. "Such a dangerous technique, how could I not care?"
With that, he looked at him seriously and asked again: "If you can summon the Second Hokage, what about the First Hokage? Or the Third and Fourth? Can you summon all of them?"
Orochimaru grinned. "Of course... um!"
Orochimaru stopped dead in his tracks.
Funan exclaimed in exaggerated astonishment: "Oh my God, this ninjutsu can even summon the strongest Hokage in history, the Third Hokage. It's too powerful."
The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched.
Orochimaru calmed down and said: "Funan, you should consider retreating. Continuing to fight will not bring anything good; the four shinobi villages have already allied themselves. For now, they are holding back, but if you force them beyond the limit, what do you think they will do?"
"Yo! Yo!" Funan looked at Orochimaru with interest. "So that's your purpose. It's surprising that they managed to convince you to come as an emissary."
Orochimaru smiled faintly and said nothing.
After all, everyone had wishes, and he, Orochimaru, was no exception.
The four shinobi villages had put something on the table that had tempted him enough to make him act as a messenger.
"If you want me to end the war, I have some conditions."
"Tell me about it."
"The consumption of explosive tags has been very high. At least they should cover those expenses, right?"
Even Orochimaru was speechless.
"Orochimaru-san, don't think I'm bullying others."
"They started the war."
Funan spread his hands innocently. "People always have to pay for their mistakes."
Orochimaru sighed. "I can't guarantee that they will agree to this condition. Funan-kun, you should also understand that even the five major shinobi villages may not be able to afford the amount of explosive tags you used."
Thinking about that amount of money, Orochimaru shuddered.
"It's strange that you see it like that." Funan smiled. "If it was just a small amount of money, do you think I would ask for it back? I am the Hokage of Konoha, the strongest and most prosperous village. Do you think I care about a few ryo?"
"I will bring this condition to them. Are there any other requirements?"
"They lost the war. Orochimaru-san, don't you think they should pay compensation?"
"…Yes, they should."
"Many Konoha shinobi have been injured, so they should cover the medical expenses as well, right?"
All of Funan's conditions had to do with money.
Now Orochimaru understood: Funan only wanted to squeeze every last cent out of them, to suffocate them financially.
Many people despise money, or at least they look at money lightly.
But, in the end, money is not everything…
Although without it, one is nobody.
"Funan-kun, I don't think they'll accept."
"Oh!" Funan smiled and said: "If they can't even spare a little money, does that mean they'd rather keep fighting?"
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