"Awesome, the Tailed Beast has been driven off!!"
"Long live Lord Takuya!!!"
With the Six-Tails lured away and the Three-Tails brutally forced to retreat by Takuya, leaving behind a tail and several broken horns as spoils of war, the Konoha shinobi cheered in joy.
Some of the ninja who knew Takuya shouted his name, and soon more and more people joined in, calling out Takuya's name.
This made Takuya feel like he had returned to the days of the Second Shinobi World War, during the battles in the Land of Rain. Back then, many people also shouted his name in this way.
Truly, all humans had a bit of vanity in them.
Takuya had to admit, it felt pretty good.
"Everyone, calm down! This is not the time to celebrate yet. The enemy could counterattack at any moment. Clean up the battlefield and retreat from the coastline as soon as possible," Jiraiya stood up immediately, taking control of the situation.
If they wanted to cheer and celebrate, it had to be at the right time. Konoha had suffered heavy losses, and Kirigakure could launch another attack at any moment. Without any defenses, they could suffer even greater losses.
Under Jiraiya's command, the Konoha shinobi began to clean up the battlefield, collecting supplies and organizing the bodies of both their comrades and the enemy.
The bodies of their fallen comrades would be sent back to the village for burial, while those of the enemy could still provide some valuable secrets; the rest, if too damaged, would simply be burned.
Just the fact that they weren't leaving all the bodies on the beach was a display of Konoha's relative mercy—no one should expect them to hold any funeral services for the enemy.
"It's strange. Tailed Beasts are supposed to be creatures made of pure chakra, yet parts of their bodies can still be cut off," Jiraiya commented.
The severed tail and several horns of the Three-Tails were Takuya's spoils of war, and Jiraiya had ordered some shinobi to help him seal them into scrolls.
"I heard that the Gold and Silver Brothers of Kumogakure, when trying to capture the Nine-Tails, were swallowed by it but survived by eating the Nine-Tails' flesh. They even gained the power to control its chakra. Want to give it a try?"
"Maybe this big turtle's tail tastes pretty good," Takuya teased, suggesting that Jiraiya take a bite of the Three-Tails' tail. Who knew, maybe he could get the Three-Tails' chakra just like the Gold and Silver Brothers.
Cut it out.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You really love to come up with bad ideas."
"Hahaha..."
As the main forces withdrew, Takuya and Jiraiya walked at the rear, covering their retreat and guarding against any enemy pursuers.
With nothing else to do, Takuya amused himself by teasing Jiraiya.
"It's a good thing you showed up when you did. Otherwise, dealing with these two giant beasts would have been nearly impossible. Kirigakure must be crazy to unleash Tailed Beasts on the battlefield like this. Their jinchūriki are even willing to sacrifice themselves just to deliver a fatal blow to us. This time, Orochimaru and I really took a hit," Jiraiya admitted.
So this is also a way to wage war?
He'd learned something new today.
In the past, all the Great Shinobi Villages kept their Tailed Beasts hidden. But now Kirigakure had set a precedent, releasing their Tailed Beasts onto the battlefield.
Jinchūriki fighting wasn't unheard of—like the jinchūriki from Iwagakure, who often joined battles.
But that was just the jinchūriki fighting.
Kirigakure's approach, sacrificing the jinchūriki and releasing the Tailed Beasts, was on a whole different level.
"Who could have imagined Kirigakure would go this far?"
Takuya glanced at the group ahead, which was steeped in a somber atmosphere, and sighed.
"The village took too big of a hit this time."
Just two Tailed Beasts had reduced Konoha's forces by a third, with many more injured. Essentially, Konoha's 3,000 elite shinobi had been cut in half. Such a loss would be painful for anyone, especially for Konoha, who had carefully assembled these troops.
When the news reached the village, the Third Hokage might very well have a heart attack.
"Sigh..."
All Jiraiya could do was sigh—there was nothing else to say.
The main forces moved thirty kilometers inland from the coast and established a new camp. Fortunately, Kirigakure did not pursue them.
Not long after, Orochimaru and Minato returned. Neither looked in good shape. Minato was too tired to speak, while Orochimaru seemed shaken, as if questioning his very existence.
But from the hateful glint in Orochimaru's eyes, it was clear that he'd been deeply angered by Kirigakure's tactics.
Inside the makeshift tent, Orochimaru gritted his teeth.
"I've already sent the report back to the village. The failure of this battle lies with me, and I will accept whatever punishment the village decides. Additionally, I've ordered all other forces to withdraw and regroup at the camp."
The losses were too great, and Orochimaru couldn't afford to keep his forces spread out any longer.
Jiraiya leaned back in his chair, silent. He didn't have to take the blame, but there was no joy in it for him either.
"Takuya, it's fortunate that you arrived in time," Orochimaru said, forcing a smile as he expressed his gratitude.
Takuya shrugged.
"No need for thanks. I did what I had to. If you feel guilty, just give me one of your Kusanagi Swords as compensation. The Sword of Raijin got damaged fighting the Three-Tails; it's about to break."
My losses were significant, so you should compensate me.
"Very well."
Orochimaru opened his mouth, and a thick white snake slithered out, spitting a scroll onto the table.
...
Looking at the scroll on the table, covered in slime, Takuya had the urge to swear.
Could you be any more disgusting?
"You can choose one," Orochimaru said.
The Kusanagi Sword wasn't a singular weapon, but rather a set. Orochimaru had collected three of them.
One was a double-edged sword he often used. The one in the middle, the longest and simplest, was the Kusanagi Sword he had given Sasuke in the original story.
The third was a short sword—or more accurately, a broken blade. Given how swords and blades were often confused in the shinobi world, it didn't matter whether you called it a sword or a blade.
"I'll take this one."
Takuya didn't like the one Orochimaru often used. He preferred the one Sasuke had wielded.
"It seems you've made your choice," Orochimaru said, his pale face breaking into a smile. He had offered Takuya the choice, but deep down, he'd hoped Takuya wouldn't pick the one he used regularly.
Picking up the Kusanagi Sword, Takuya flicked its single-edged blade, listening to its crisp ring. He nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad."
Orochimaru squinted, smiling.
"This sword suits you well, Takuya. It's called Sakura. It conducts and holds lightning chakra very well."
"Uh..."
Takuya, who was about to thank Orochimaru, suddenly had several veins pop on his forehead.
He quickly corrected, "No, it's not called Sakura. It's called Rai! Kusanagi Sword Rai!"
A single-edged sword, clearly made for a man, named Sakura?
Were you trying to mess with me?
Forget it—I'll rename it myself. No need for you to trouble yourself, Orochimaru.
I'm not about to go around wielding a sword called "Sakura"—that's just too much.
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FIRST BONUS CHAPTER
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
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