Dozens of corpses were laid out together—some intact, some not. The Kiri ninja who had already gone to report to the Pure Land expressed that they did not mind.
We tried. We couldn't win. We were wiped out in one wave. What's there to say?
The Konoha ninja who had gathered but had not participated in the battle began to clean up the battlefield, treat their comrades, or collect the bodies of their fallen companions.
War never comes without deaths. Even in an encirclement battle that held an absolute advantage, the enemy's desperate counterattack could still inflict considerable losses on Konoha.
But this was, in the end, a victory.
At a minimal cost, Konoha had eliminated more than forty high-end elite Kiri ninja. This made the situation faced by Kirigakure—already barely holding on at the Land of Fire battlefield—even more dire.
The accompanying medical ninja were treating the wounded. This time, Makoto did not need to step in. To be honest, he was quite tired. He had been continuously expending chakra throughout the entire day; even if his body could still endure it, his mind would inevitably grow weary.
He sat off to the side to rest with Hayate and Yūgao, watching the Konoha ninja bustle about. Those enemy corpses were laid out there like pork at a marketplace.
Search, inspection, recording—then they were sealed away and collected, awaiting further arrangements.
Even after death, a ninja's body was still a tremendous asset. Not only could intelligence be extracted from it, but through special methods, certain ninjutsu secrets from before death could also be analyzed.
As he watched, Makoto suddenly leaned back and fell onto his back, lying on the grass.
Yūgao was startled. "Makoto, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"Huh? No. It's just that after being busy all day, we finally took down the enemy and won. I want to relax a bit."
"As long as you're fine. You scared me to death!" After hearing that, Yūgao let out a sigh of relief and patted her flat chest.
"Yūgao, sensei said Makoto's real strength is even greater than his. How could he possibly be hurt?" Hayate offered a word of comfort, then looked at those Kiri corpses. "Hey, Makoto—don't you think war is really boring? I feel like those Kiri ninja died without any meaning. They, like many others, lost their lives in this war, but what did they gain?"
Makoto replied offhand, "They gained freedom. Their souls can go to the Pure Land and rest in peace. From now on, they won't have to risk their lives for some village, some country, or things like hatred."
"I really don't understand why the other ninja villages started a war. They paid such a huge price—did they get any benefits?"
"Plenty of benefits…" As Makoto spoke, he tilted his head and glanced at Hayate. What was up with this guy today? He was starting to think about grand questions like Shisui.
Did the shinobi profession also have a newbie wall? After getting used to killing, would you naturally enter a period of confusion?
He looked at his friend and asked seriously, "Hayate, you're not feeling sorry for these Kiri ninja, are you?"
"Ah? No, I'm not!" Hayate immediately shook his head in denial.
"Good. You need to be clear about your position. They are invaders. No matter what reasons they had, since they dared to invade another country, they must be prepared to be killed."
"Imagine this—if Konoha were the one that lost today, the ones lying on the ground as corpses would be you, me, and Yūgao, as well as most of the ordinary civilians of the Land of Fire in the nearby town. At that point, no one would come to pity us."
Yūgao also chimed in, "Exactly. Those bastards invaded the Land of Fire—serves them right to die. The other ninja villages too—best if they all died out."
"Ahem!" Hayate coughed awkwardly twice and looked at his teammates, who wore relaxed expressions. "Makoto, why do I feel like you seem to like war?"
"No, I don't like war. I just like fighting. I like an exciting, thrilling life, that's all!"
"Is that so? It's best if you don't like war. I think no one would like it."
"Who says that?" Makoto pointed toward the distance, where Fugaku was energetically discussing something with Suzaku and the other jōnin. "Look—doesn't our Fugaku-sama like it very much?"
Hayate: "…"
Fugaku actually did not like war either. But for the Uchiha clan, this war was indeed a rare opportunity, and he had to seize it.
In the earlier battles, the person in charge was Orochimaru, with Nara Suzaku serving as military adviser, and there was also Hyūga Hiashi, who did not see eye to eye with him.
Although the Uchiha clan had contributed the most on the eastern front and suffered the greatest sacrifices, they did not have much say. Even if victory was achieved, people would still think it was Orochimaru's credit.
But now it was different. Orochimaru was habitually absent; even when he returned, he hardly managed affairs. Hiashi had been transferred to the northern front. Suzaku was only an adviser. Of those remaining with decision-making authority—wasn't it him?
Today's annihilation battle had been won under his leadership. Not only were dozens of elite ninja from Kirigakure eliminated, but the hidden dangers behind the defensive line, along with Kirigakure's schemes, were completely cleared away.
Next, it was time to take advantage of Kirigakure's weakened state, drive them back to the Land of Water, and secure the final victory.
When that happened, the greatest credit for the eastern front's victory would belong to him—Fugaku.
When would the glory of the Uchiha be restored? In this very battle—right here, in this battle!
The clan head's thoughts began to spread uncontrollably.
...
After returning to the command camp, night had already fallen.
After dinner, Makoto and the other two washed up and went to sleep early. Their exhausted bodies and minds needed sleep to recover.
All the teams that had participated in the battle were the same.
The unfortunate Kumomi was dragged to the command room for a meeting, because he was a jōnin.
A jōnin was not only part of a ninja village's upper ranks, but also its most important fighting strength. There were not many on the eastern front, so any major meeting had to be attended.
Inside the command room, the lights were brightly lit.
Fugaku had also participated in the fighting during the day, and as one of the main forces. Although his body was exhausted, his spirit was extremely high.
If he were to open his Sharingan now, it would probably be even more vividly red than before.
Fugaku looked at the Konoha colleagues present and said, "Everyone, this war with Kirigakure is about time to end."
"After discussions between myself and Jōnin Suzaku, we unanimously believe that now is when they are at their weakest. We should press the advantage, completely defeat them, and restore peace to the southeastern region of the Land of Fire."
"So, what do you think?"
The assembled jōnin whispered among themselves for a while, and in the end, all agreed with this decision.
The war had lasted far too long, and they were exhausted as well. Some jōnin had been fighting in rotation against several major ninja villages without pause ever since the war began.
Watching people around them fall one after another, while newcomers kept joining, their bodies and minds were already worn out. Being able to end the war sooner was something they were very willing to accept.
In a great ninja war, even jōnin could die at any time. Over these past few years, many familiar faces around them had disappeared forever.
If this continued, who knew whether the one to die tomorrow would be themselves?
Someone asked, "Fugaku-sama, when exactly will we begin, and from which direction will we attack?"
Fugaku pointed at the map and said, "The direction of attack will be the various strongholds that Kirigakure has established within the former Land of Whirlpools."
"According to intelligence, Kirigakure's remaining main force is still within the peninsula. As long as this place is cleared out, the Kirigakure forces in the Land of Waves will no longer pose any threat to us. If they don't want to die, they can only withdraw back to the Land of Water."
"When that happens, we will achieve the final victory in this war with Kirigakure.
And the time of attack is set for two days from now."
At this time, a Sarutobi-clan jōnin who was leading Asuma's team raised a doubt. "Jōnin Nara, does Orochimaru-sama know about this decision?"
Fugaku was somewhat unhappy. This question—couldn't he ask it in private?
After glancing at Fugaku, Suzaku said to the Sarutobi jōnin, "Orochimaru-sama knows about this matter, and has already entrusted Clan Head Fugaku and me with full responsibility."
With that, no one questioned anything further.
Fugaku swept his hand. "Good, then it's decided. All of you go and make preparations. In two days, we launch the counterattack!"
"Yes!" xN
Watching the jōnin leave the command room, Fugaku felt a sense of loss.
Commanding the village's jōnin felt different from commanding the clan's ninja. Perhaps this was the power of the Hokage.
Unfortunately, it was only temporary. If only it were permanent—then he could not only grasp the village's highest authority, but also fulfill the Uchiha clan's long-held wish.
He himself did not have that strong a desire for power, but sitting in the position of clan head, even if he did not want it, the clansmen would still push him toward that position.
Sometimes, he felt it was not up to him.
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