The relentless killing had pushed Sarutobi Hiruzen to the brink of exhaustion, leaving him feeling disoriented and dazed.
But the enemy forces seemed endless—no matter how many he struck down, more swarmed toward him.
He swung his Ruyi Staff repeatedly, unleashing jutsu one after another, yet there seemed to be no end to the Iwa-nin advancing upon him.
Once again, he slew the enemies before him.
Unable to resist, he turned to look back.
All he could see was a sea of enemies—no trace of any Konoha ninja.
The green combat uniforms of Konoha could only be found on the lifeless bodies strewn across the ground.
"All dead… Have they all died already?"
Hiruzen's once cold and numb heart trembled uncontrollably.
He began swinging his staff wildly, desperate to cut down every enemy surrounding him.
But his attacks, driven by frenzied despair, were chaotic and full of openings.
His apparent intent to die drew even more Iwa-nin to close in.
At this critical moment, several dark shadows suddenly darted out of nowhere, pouncing on the Iwa-nin surrounding Sarutobi.
Hiruzen caught a glimpse—it was a swarm of snakes.
"Have you already resigned yourself to death, Sarutobi-sensei?"
A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him, causing Hiruzen's body to freeze on the spot.
He turned to look, only to see a figure he knew all too well standing not far away, a faint smile on his face as he gazed at him.
A tide of Suna-nin flooded the battlefield, breaking through the exhausted and overextended formations of the Iwa-nin in an instant.
The ground beneath their feet inexplicably turned to sand, trapping their steps and making escape impossible.
Countless snakes emerged from the forest, slithering forward to sink their fangs into the surrounding enemies.
"Where did these Suna-nin come from?! Where did they come from?!"
Ohnoki, overwhelmed with rage and disbelief, teetered on the edge of madness.
He swung his arms wildly, commanding an endless barrage of rocks to hurtle toward every enemy within range.
But the massive rocks shattered inexplicably mid-air, breaking into fine sand that, under some mysterious force, gathered together.
A young man appeared in front of Ohnoki, the sand hovering around him.
His arms were crossed over his chest as he calmly gazed at the Tsuchikage.
"It ends here, Tsuchikage."
The arrival of reinforcements reinvigorated the Konoha shinobi.
One by one, they saw hope in this desperate situation and fought alongside the Suna-nin with everything they had.
The Iwa-nin, unable to withstand the sudden resurgence, were pushed back, retreating step by step.
"Father!" Kitsuchi leapt to Ohnoki's side.
"The Suna-nin are coming in full force. We must retreat!"
Ohnoki's gaze was filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Just a little more! Just a bit more!
He was so close to success!
So close to destroying Konoha and achieving glory for Iwagakure!
"Father!" Kitsuchi's voice was anxious and pleading.
"Father, look at our comrades around us!"
Ohnoki's heart trembled violently at these words.
Gritting his teeth, he suddenly formed hand seals, channeling chakra through the yellow sand deep into the earth.
"Earth Release: Golem Technique!"
With his roar, the ground and sand quaked, and one massive stone giant after another emerged from beneath the sandy terrain.
"Retreat! Withdraw from the forest!"
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Hearing their Tsuchikage's command, the Iwa-nin scattered instantly, turning back and retreating in the direction they came from.
The Suna-nin and Konoha shinobi attempted to give chase but were blocked by the towering stone giants.
These colossi were impervious to weapons and jutsu, making it impossible to destroy them quickly.
Fortunately, there weren't too many of the giants.
Most of the Suna and Konoha forces seized the opportunity to pursue and kill their fleeing enemies, turning the tide of battle.
The attackers were now the defenders, and the retreating Iwa-nin fell into chaos, their forces crumbling like a mountain avalanche.
The forest was vast, something the Iwa-nin hadn't noticed when they first entered.
But now, as they tried to flee, the path seemed endlessly long and arduous.
"Don't pursue too far! Don't pursue too far!" Shikaku shouted repeatedly from the rear.
At this moment, every life in Konoha was immeasurably precious, and none could be lost so carelessly.
After about half an hour, the Iwa-nin had completely scattered and fled the area.
The newly appointed Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, observed the remaining Konoha forces before him, his gaze subtly shifting.
The countless corpses piled on the ground left no room to step, a stark testament to the brutal intensity of the prior battle.
The survivors cheered for this hard-fought victory.
Some Konoha shinobi danced with joy, while others held the lifeless bodies of their comrades, crying and laughing in a mix of sorrow and relief.
A gentle breeze blew through the forest, ruffling everyone's clothes.
Minato finally couldn't help but find a random spot to rest, leaning against a tree trunk.
Kakashi appeared from somewhere, sitting down beside him.
"Kakashi, you're still alive." Minato said slowly.
In the heat of the earlier battle, he hadn't had the time to check on his student.
"A lot of people are still alive." Kakashi replied.
Minato tilted his head back, gazing at the light filtering through the dense foliage above.
The leaves swayed, the shadows danced, and while so many had died, thankfully, many were still alive.
After the battle, the Suna-nin kindly stayed behind to help Konoha clean up the battlefield.
Looking at the rows upon rows of fallen Konoha ninja—over two thousand in total—Rasa couldn't help but feel deeply shaken.
Sarutobi Hiruzen approached Rasa to speak face-to-face, expressing heartfelt gratitude for Suna's timely support.
He assured Rasa that Konoha would forever remember this bond of friendship.
Rasa responded that it was Orochimaru's sincerity that had moved him, and he also emphasized that Suna and Konoha's interests were intertwined, making mutual aid a matter of shared fortune and adversity.
Hiruzen kept his words brief, avoiding excessive formalities.
His gratitude toward Suna was genuine and heartfelt, thankful for their intervention during such a critical moment.
Rasa also commented on how continued war brought only disaster to the ninja world.
He stated that all parties now needed peace and condemned Iwagakure's actions as contrary to natural justice, calling on the entire ninja world to unite in opposition.
As for the Iwa forces, the Suna-nin refrained from pursuing them too far.
Once they exited the forest, the pursuit ended.
Ohnoki regrouped his scattered remnants, finding that Iwagakure had also suffered heavy losses.
Despite his overwhelming anger and sorrow, he understood that it was no longer possible to wage war against Konoha at this time.
A period of rest and recovery was now essential.
As Ohnoki contemplated his next strategy, a messenger ninja suddenly arrived in a hurry, reporting that the eastern border of the Land of Earth had been attacked by forces from Kumogakure.
"What did you say?!" Ohnoki's son, Kitsuchi, was visibly alarmed, grabbing the messenger by the collar and questioning him anxiously.
Ohnoki's heart sank into the depths, but he found himself becoming unusually calm, far from the impulsive anger he had shown earlier on the battlefield.
Looking at the troops around him—once nearly ten thousand strong, now reduced by more than half—Ohnoki took a deep breath.
"Retreat. We're going home."
The morale of the Iwa forces was at an all-time low.
When they had set out, they believed they would easily crush Konoha.
Instead, they encountered a desperate resistance, suffering heavy casualties and ending in defeat.
Ohnoki cast one last look back at the forest.
He knew he would never forget this place for the rest of his life.
But after this battle, how long would it take Iwagakure to recover its strength?
Would he ever have the chance to set foot on this land again?
Pushing these thoughts aside, Ohnoki began to focus on the challenges awaiting him once he returned to the village.
In times like these, military deterrence was more crucial than ever.
Ohnoki considered employing a newly established mercenary organization from the Land of Rain to help strengthen Iwagakure's forces.
What Ohnoki didn't expect, however, was that during their journey back home, as they passed through the Land of Grass intending to rest briefly, they were met with a hostile rejection from Kusagakure.
This enraged Ohnoki once again.
A village that he could have easily crushed like an ant now dared to insult them.
Yet, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and lead the Iwa forces back to the Land of Earth under the cover of night.
In truth, Kusagakure, though it had secretly pledged its allegiance to Orochimaru, did not dare to openly confront the Iwa forces.
After all, even a starved camel is larger than a horse, and the Iwa forces, despite their losses, were far from weak.
After the battle concluded, Konoha immediately sent reports of their victory back to both the village and the Fire Daimyo's palace.
Shortly thereafter, supplies were brought in from nearby towns, providing Konoha's forces with much-needed resources for recovery.
The Suna forces, ever tactful, refrained from any actions that might arouse suspicion.
After assisting Konoha in clearing the battlefield, they withdrew on their own initiative, not taking even a single kunai as spoils of war.
Initially, Sarutobi Hiruzen worried that Iwa might launch a counterattack.
However, after Rasa informed him of the situations in Kumogakure, Kusagakure, and the Land of Rain, the Hokage finally felt reassured.
The Daimyo's actions were swift.
That very evening, a large convoy arrived, bringing with it vehicles, food, and a large quantity of medical supplies.
By the next morning, the bodies of several thousand fallen comrades were loaded onto carts, and the Konoha ninjas, carrying the heavy burden of this bittersweet victory, began their journey home.
Along the way, some wept uncontrollably, while others sat next to the bodies of their fallen comrades, lost in a daze.
Hiruzen and Minato were both deeply somber; despite their victory, there was no joy to be found.
"Long live Lord Orochimaru!" suddenly someone shouted.
They believed that it was Orochimaru's reinforcements who had saved them, who had saved the village.
Soon, others followed suit, shouting in unison, "Long live Lord Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru sat at the front of the convoy, unfazed by the chants around him.
On the cart behind him lay the countless bodies of his comrades.
Yet, his eyes revealed a hint of satisfaction.
End of chapter
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