Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 117: Reply The Letter
While Konoha had already issued orders to begin Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and voting for a new Hokage, the situation in the other villages was far from stable.
Their battles against Konoha had gone poorly, far worse than any of them had anticipated. Before the war, they had expected that maybe 2 village manage to penetrate the barrier and conquer several land.
But after barely a single day of a war, the invading forces were forced to fall back. Several shinobi that had advanced confidently were now scattered, wounded and disorganized.
Commanders ordered emergency retreats, pulling survivors away from the front lines to prevent total collapse.
Temporary camps were established hastily. Medical teams worked around the clock, treating injuries that should never have happened in the first place. Morale dropped rapidly as casualty reports were compiled.
This prove one thing, Konoha had not broken but it had endured, retaliated and now manage to save their village from being swallowed.
Just as the Kage from other village were attempting to regroup and reassess their strategies, messages arrived from their Daimyo and also Fire Daimyo.
The letter stated about their anger, disappoinment and their demand about the future which is they need to attack Konoha again and at least steal a few land.
For Fire daimyo, he accused their shinobi forces of incompetence, of wasting resources, of failing to exploit Konoha's supposed weakness. Orders were clear and absolute from him, which is launch another attack immediately.
He won't let delays, exused and he had no consideration for losses already suffered.
Village Kage read the letter in silence, their fists clenched. They understood the reality of the warfar better than distant nobles ever could. Another assault, launched in their current condition, would only lead to more unnecessary deaths.
Yet refusal was not an option, to disobey a daimyō meant political disaster, loss of funding, legitimacy and protection.
KUMOGAKURE SHINOBI POV
"Damn that useless daimyō," the Third Raikage growled, crushing the letter in his massive hand. Lightning crackled faintly around his arm as his anger leaked into his chakra.
"Raikage-sama," his assistant said carefully, stepping forward while keeping a respectful distance. "Please calm yourself. We still have a chance to destroy Konoha."
"I know that," the Third Raikage replied sharply. "I could kill those bastards myself if I wanted to." His voice lowered but filled with restrained anger. "But I refuse to let my people die needlessly in the process. That's why we fell back and regrouped."
He exhaled deeply, a long, controlled breath meant to release the rage boiling in his chest. After a moment, he looked toward his assistant again, his expression grim.
"I don't want a victory soaked in the blood of my own shinobi," he said. "Winning a war means nothing if it leaves Kumogakure crippled."
The assistant nodded silently. He had seen the outcome of the war firsthand. He had seen how terrifyingly fast the rumored young prodigy from Uzumaki Clan was during the fight, the newly risen Uzumaki clan leader, Uzumaki Raiken.
That man was a monster among the monster, not only did Raiken move with inhuman speed but his jutsu carried overwhelming destructive power. The assistant still remembered the moment he saw that blue sphere of condensed chakra hit the third Raikage, the technique that tore the earth apart and reshaped the ground in an instant. At that moment, he had truly believed the Raikage would fall and moment later it was his time too, after all if one side lost the other side would kill because this is the reality of the war.
"Fortunately," the assistant said quietly, "your body endured even that, Raikage sama."
The Third Raikage snorted. "If it couldn't, I wouldn't be standing here."
His lightning-hardened body are strong enough to tank that powerful jutsu. Years of tempering his flesh with chakra had turned him into a living weapon, one capable of withstanding attacks that would annihilate others.
"If that battle had been only between me and that bastard Raiken," the Raikage continued thoughtfully, "our elite squads could have crushed Konoha forces while we occupied him."
His fist clenched again.
"But that bastard didn't fight alone."
Raiken shadow clones were just as fast and deadly like the Raiken original body. They moved across the battle like phantoms, tearing apart formations and slaughtering shinobi before they could even react.
"That's what changed everything," the Raikage said coldly. "Not his strength alone but his ability to dominate the battlefield."
The assistant lowered his head slightly and didn't say anything, even third Raikage become quiet for a while remembering the war.
They had not lost the war but they didn't know either to retreat or attacking Konoha again.
IWAGAKURE POV
"That bastard Sakumo…" the Tsuchikage growled, his voice thick with frustration as he recalled the events of the war.
His Dust Release was feared across the shinobi world. Once fully activated, it could erase even the toughest metal within its range, body, armor, even terrain reduced to an atom in an instant. But its greatest strength was also its weakness because every time he activated it, It required time and that time is long enough for Shinobi to escape.
The Shinobi can cover 100 meter within a second and the bigger his dismantling jutsu, the longer time it would require.
Even a single second of preparation was a vulnerability on a chaotic battlefield.
Normally, he would have the space to activate it safely. His control over the terrain, his ability to float above the ground and his years of experience made him nearly untouchable. But this time was different.
The arrival of Hatake Sakumo and the Uchiha Clan had completely disrupted his rhythm.
They were too fast that his dismantling jutsu was useless, especially Sakumo he was even faster than Uchiha Clan.
Tsuchikage clenched his fist as the memory replayed in his mind. Every time he began forming the necessary hand seals, Sakumo was already there, blade flashing, forcing him to cancel the technique. The Uchiha, with their Sharingan, read movements before they were completed, predicting attacks and cutting down Iwagakure shinobi without any sympathy.
At times, it even felt as if they were flying. No… they weren't flying.
They were simply moving so fast, jumping from tree to tree, from rock to rock that it created the illusion of flight.
The battle drained him physically and mentally. Nearly twenty percent of his village's deployed forces had been killed. Elite shinobi and veterans didn't escape from it.
That loss was unacceptable.
Reluctantly, he ordered a retreat. Not out of fear but calculation. Losing the battle was better than losing the war.
Now, sitting alone in his camp, the Tsuchikage rubbed his forehead as he reread the Daimyō' letter demanding another offensive.
With a heavy sigh, he took out a fresh sheet of paper and began drafting his reply and choosing his words carefully.
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There is 30 advanced chapter on my patreon.
Chapter 143: New Plan
Chapter 144: Danzo And Hiruzen
Chapter 145: Political Reform
Chapter 146: Democracy?
Chapter 147: Minato Feeling
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