"Is there really no one who escaped?" Xiaogang Siri said bitterly, forcing a strained smile.
He already knew the answer.
All three exits of Bloody Valley had been sealed. Hundreds had fallen at each choke point, crushed by the Peacock King and the three summoned beasts. Among them, the Peacock King was the most terrifying—its chakra output far exceeded expectations. Its speed alone made escape nearly impossible.
"Captain… even if most of us die here, someone has to survive and report this," an elite Sand ninja said urgently while forming hand seals. His face was pale. "The leader of Celestial Shadow Village is far too dangerous."
"Wind Release: Storm Chaos!"
Blades of compressed wind tore through the air and struck Red See's crimson scales, carving shallow wounds and spraying blood.
The red lizard roared. Gravel and dust exploded outward as its massive claw slammed toward Xiaogang Siri.
---
– Total Annihilation
Xiaogang Siri barely evaded the strike. His expression darkened as he glanced at the surrounding Sand ninja.
He made his decision.
"Tian Village," he said to the elite beside him, "we'll break out. Anyone who escapes must report the Peacock King's true strength to the Kazekage."
"Yes!"
"I'll hold it here," Xiaogang Siri shouted. "Scatter and warn the remaining Sand forces!"
Several elite ninja immediately dashed off in different directions, spreading the retreat order.
Xiaogang Siri unleashed chakra relentlessly, forcing Red See to focus on him and preventing it from pursuing the others.
"Wind Release: Storm Break!"
The attack cut deep enough to draw more blood. Enraged, Red See abandoned all restraint and launched a ferocious counterattack.
---
But resistance was futile.
With three giant summoned beasts, Chen Xing's presence, and the Peacock King dominating the battlefield, Bloody Valley became a sealed killing ground.
For the Sand forces, only one fate remained.
---
By nightfall, the battle was over.
Chen Xing released the Summoning Technique, sending the beasts back to their realm. He stood silently amid the ruined valley, surveying the aftermath.
"Count the losses," he ordered calmly.
The results were soon compiled.
Celestial Shadow Village had suffered casualties, but fewer than one-fifth compared to the Sand forces. Thousands of Sand ninja—most of them elite—had been wiped out.
Chen Xing returned to Wild Spirit City, already preparing for the next phase of war.
---
That same afternoon, the news struck Sunagakure like a thunderbolt.
Thousands of ninja lost. Nearly seventy percent of them were jōnin and elite chūnin.
The Fourth Kazekage could scarcely believe it.
What was meant to be a decisive suppression had instead become a catastrophe. Such losses were unprecedented since the Third Shinobi World War.
Sunagakure's strength had been crippled.
Regardless of how the war ended, the village would take years to recover—if it ever could.
Outside the Kazekage's tower, chaos erupted.
"My brother only left the village two days ago!" "This has to be a lie!" "How could no one escape?"
Cries echoed endlessly.
Inside the council chamber, the Fourth Kazekage sat in silence, blood seeping from his clenched palm. The elders around him were grim, their expressions heavy with fury and humiliation.
"Kazekage-sama," one elder said harshly, "if Celestial Shadow Village isn't destroyed, Sunagakure will become a laughingstock."
The others said nothing—but their eyes carried the same intent.
After a long silence, an elder spoke again.
"We must first stabilize the village. If the unrest spreads, we risk internal collapse. Military retaliation can wait."
Outside, the noise grew louder.
"I'll go," the Fourth Kazekage said at last, standing slowly. "I'll calm them myself."
The cost of this war had already been paid in blood.
And it was far from over.
---