"They're retreating."
"Stop them!"
"Don't let them escape!"
Shouts echoed across the battlefield, as others also realized the Iwa-nin's intention to flee.
Some tried to pursue, but Seimei remained unmoved.
He had contributed enough to this battle, and with safety within sight, he wasn't eager to invite new complications. However, the fact that Iwa had ordered a retreat meant that Konoha's reinforcements were either here or very close.
Just as he thought that, a massive creature suddenly emerged from the distant cliffs.
It was a giant venomous snake, with horns on its head and a body covered in purple markings. Its menacing eyes radiated the aura of a top predator.
"Manda!"
Seimei muttered under his breath.
Indeed, the serpent was none other than the infamous Manda, a summon from Ryuchi Cave.
As for how Seimei recognized it? It was simple—standing between the two horns atop its head was a pale, sinister-looking man with golden slitted eyes and purple eye shadow.
Who else could it be but Orochimaru?
Given the serpent and its master, it was easy to deduce the identity of this beast.
If nothing else, this was the first wave of reinforcements.
What surprised Seimei, however, was that Orochimaru had come in person.
As the commander of Konoha's forces in the Land of Rain, it seemed ill-advised for him to leave the base so recklessly.
But considering Orochimaru's strength, Seimei quickly understood. As one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru's power was on par with any Kage-level shinobi. With his abilities, even a hastily launched attack wouldn't pose much of a threat. Besides, this battlefield wasn't far from Konoha's base in the Land of Rain. Even if ambushed, Orochimaru could hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Also, with Manda, he could reach the battlefield swiftly, asserting control with overwhelming force. This not only bought time for the rest of the reinforcements but also minimized casualties on Konoha's side.
With that, Seimei saw the situation more clearly.
Just as he expected, Orochimaru quickly shifted the tide of battle upon arrival. A few simple jutsu were enough to capture over ten Iwa-nin jounin. Including the others subdued by Konoha's shinobi, almost half of the enemy's jounin had been left behind.
Moreover, dozens of Iwa-nin chuunin were also captured.
Clearly, Orochimaru's arrival had thrown Iwa's plans into disarray, forcing them into an unanticipated retreat. Otherwise, with their preparations, they wouldn't have withdrawn so hastily.
Yes, it was a hasty retreat.
How else could so many of their forces have been left behind?
The whistle that had sounded earlier must have been an emergency retreat signal.
It explained why the Iwa chuunin Seimei was fighting had panicked and fled the moment they heard it.
This was the power of a top-tier shinobi. One person could change the course of an entire battle.
Just moments ago, the Iwa-nin were dominating the field, but now they were retreating like beaten dogs.
However, Seimei wasn't interested in kicking them while they were down. After confirming that the area around him was safe, he took out some ointment and bandages from his ninja pouch and began tending to his own wounds. Though none of his injuries were serious, he had sustained several superficial cuts. If left untreated, they could become problematic later.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Ryosuke and Shizuko Mizutani walked toward him from a short distance away.
Seimei glanced at them and saw that both were covered in injuries, their faces pale—not from blood loss, but from the shock of the scene before them.
The battlefield was strewn with dismembered bodies, blood, and shattered remains. The air was filled with the groans of the wounded. Just standing upright in such a place was a feat.
Seimei scanned the area and estimated that about two hundred Konoha chuunin and genin had survived, roughly two-thirds of their original number.
It seemed like a large group, but the battle had only lasted a little over ten minutes.
The Iwa-nin had specifically targeted Konoha's lower-ranking shinobi, so most of the surviving two hundred were chuunin. The death toll among the genin was over fifty percent.
And among that fifty percent, most were fresh recruits.
Just imagine: seeing the bodies of your classmates littering the ground—how would that feel?
Seimei was relatively detached from these people, so the impact was not as severe for him. But Ryosuke and Shizuko were different.
Ryosuke was sociable and had good relationships with many of his classmates, while Shizuko was meticulous and remembered everyone.
The emotional strain on them was unimaginable.
"Seimei, do you think we'll die on the battlefield one day too?" Ryosuke suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
Seimei almost said, "No," but the words caught in his throat.
When it came to the Third Great Ninja War, its intensity was no less than any other major conflict. They were still in the early-to-mid stages of the war, and casualties hadn't yet reached their peak. But when Konoha was pushed back to its gates, the real carnage would begin.
It wouldn't just be genin and chuunin; even jounin would fall in droves.
Seimei couldn't be certain he would survive until the end, so how could he promise Ryosuke that he wouldn't die?
After a long silence, Seimei finally said, "Don't think too much. Just do your best to stay alive."
"Do our best to stay alive…" Ryosuke murmured, repeating Seimei's words, and said no more.
Time passed, minute by minute.
About five minutes later, the second wave of reinforcements arrived.
This group included not only combat shinobi but also a considerable number of medical ninjas.
Konoha, having established a relatively complete system for training medical ninjas, had more of them than any other village.
As a result, Konoha's survival rate for injured shinobi far exceeded that of the other major villages.
Now, the medical ninjas, protected by some combat personnel, moved quickly across the battlefield, healing the injured with medical jutsu.
Those with lighter injuries recovered almost entirely on the spot, while those more seriously hurt had their lives temporarily saved.
Feeling his minor wounds rapidly healing, Seimei made a decision: he would learn some medical ninjutsu in the future.
Medical ninjutsu was simply too useful. As long as he had enough chakra, he could easily heal minor injuries or illnesses.
Seimei didn't think he would never get hurt in the future, so it was better to be prepared.
Of course, if he could raise his physique enough to grant himself some level of natural regeneration, that would negate the need for medical ninjutsu.
But that was a long-term goal. In the short term, learning at least one or two medical techniques would be a valuable safety net.
"All done!"
The medical ninja tending to Seimei's shoulder finished healing his wounds and instructed, "Don't get it wet for the next few days, and avoid intense physical activity. You should be fully healed in about three days."
"Thank you!"
Seimei sincerely expressed his gratitude.
"You're welcome," the medical ninja replied and hurried off to treat another injured comrade.
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