To reduce the casualties, Torifu had sent many clones to mix in with the soldiers. Otherwise, there would have been many more deaths.
"Pile up the bodies. I will freeze them and take them back to Konoha."
Many of the bodies were incomplete because of the battle, so everyone could only do their best to piece them back together. Fortunately, Torifu's Ice Release could grant them a final bit of dignity. All the ninja were very somber. Four hundred-plus people was nothing to an army of ten thousand, but they were still citizens of Konoha. Someone's husband or father could be among them. Torifu had tried his best, but he couldn't save everyone, nor did he have the energy to save everyone.
The ninja didn't blame him, because compared to the other villages, the casualties for Konoha were the lowest. The total casualties for Sunagakure and Iwagakure combined were probably over five thousand people, while Konoha only had around five hundred. This was already a reason to be thankful.
"Hanzō has escaped. Let's all return to our homes."
"Take care, Hokage-sama!" Onoki and the Kazekage said together. Torifu nodded and bowed in return.
The Land of Rain had been defeated, but Torifu wasn't particularly interested in the one-third of the land that belonged to the Land of Fire. Still, he had to write a letter to the daimyo's mansion and ask them to govern the people of the Land of Rain. With the daimyo handling this mess, Torifu had no more pressure on him.
Torifu actually thought that it would be a good idea to develop the Land of Rain into a tourist destination. The scenery here was beautiful, with all sorts of lakes and endless rain. It was a shame he didn't have the energy to do it. Plus, the Land of Rain was quite a distance from Konoha. The travel back and forth would take up a lot of time, and there were many other things that needed to be built in Konoha. He couldn't put the cart before the horse. Konoha was Torifu's base of operations, after all.
While Torifu was thinking about how to report to the daimyo's mansion, he suddenly remembered that his organization still didn't have a base of operations. All of the members were just following Kakuzu, running all over the place, and they hadn't gotten anything good out of it for so many years. He might as well operate things so this area of the Land of Rain could be handed over to them to manage. He would just need to explain it to the daimyo, who he was sure would be happy to do him this favor.
Hashirama, Tobirama, and a number of clan heads had already gathered, waiting for Torifu's command for the army to return to Konoha immediately. Although they had just been through a battle and the army would be exhausted, this wasn't a good place to rest. The storm clouds had already gathered again in the sky, and it looked like it would rain very soon.
"Everyone, the battle has ended. While the enemy was not killed, I don't think they'll dare to cause trouble again."
"We've won this battle!"
Upon hearing this, the ninja erupted in deafening cheers! Even the lakes trembled slightly.
"Let's go. We're going home."
Torifu wrapped the bodies of the fallen ninja in ice and put them in his spatial ring. Four hundred-plus ninja sounded like just a number, but when piled up, they were as tall as a wall. These once vibrant lives were now just lying there quietly. Torifu didn't know how to face the looks of their families. He also didn't know how to comfort them. With this heavy heart, the Konoha army returned to the Land of Fire.
On the way, Hashirama patted him on the shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. Casualties are common during a war. Many of my family members also died in the war, but we who are still alive have to be strong."
Torifu didn't know what to say and just nodded. Hashirama also understood that Torifu was feeling bad because he was a person who was very emotional. Even though these villagers weren't related to him by blood, as the Hokage, he had long become one with the village. They were as good as family.
Along the way, no one had a smile on their face. The closer they got to home, the heavier their hearts became. Torifu forced himself to get his spirits up because he was the pillar of the village. His faith was what held everyone together.
The rain of the Land of Rain ultimately couldn't hold them back. When Torifu's feet touched the soil of the Land of Fire, he suddenly felt a sense of relief. There was no rain here, no puddles or lakes everywhere. There were only endless forests.
"Everyone, let's rest here for the night. We'll continue our journey tomorrow. We should be back in Konoha tomorrow evening."
After receiving the command, the ninja immediately set up camp. The logistics department finally had time to bandage the ninja with light injuries. The Land of Rain was too humid, and if the wounds weren't properly treated, they might fester and leave scars.
"I wonder how the village is doing. I hope Sensei's wife can handle it."
Hashirama laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Don't you underestimate my wife. She has a lot of wisdom. If she didn't dislike such a busy life, she might have become the Second Hokage."
Torifu looked at Tobirama, who just shrugged helplessly, as if to say, "Don't listen to him boast."
The battle had ended much faster than expected. They had originally planned for it to end in about a month, which would have been a blessing. But they never expected the person behind Hanzo wouldn't be as invincible as they had feared. She only had powerful chakra and a few troublesome tricks. Although she was arrogant, she had underestimated the combined power of so many Kage, so her defeat was to be expected. They were returning to the village in less than half a month. This speed was almost on par with the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The logistics department boiled some hot water and distributed it to every ninja. This was Torifu's request. He also put some ginger and sugar in it to ward off the cold. And it could be consumed with the military ration pills so they weren't so dry. After eating military ration pills for so many days in a row, Torifu still hated them. He hadn't gotten used to them at all. But seeing the other ninja eat them with relish, Torifu forced himself to eat his.
And so, the army rested for a night at the border of the Land of Fire. The ginger soup warmed every ninja's body. The next morning, everyone was full of energy and vigor! Torifu once again gave the command to march toward Konoha!
The great army of ninja once again began its journey. This time, they weren't heading for a battlefield; they were heading home. Home, where their loved ones were waiting for them day and night. The ninja moved very quickly. They must all have been homesick. The battlefield was too brutal. The thousands of ninja from Amegakure were unilaterally slaughtered. Any who resisted were all killed. Only the cowards who surrendered were let go. But this was only because of Torifu's command. If Torifu hadn't ordered them not to kill prisoners of war, these ninja would have devoured them alive.