Chapter 46 - The Aftermath of Battle
"Look around you! Look at how many of our shinobi are left!" Orochimaru's voice cut through the heavy silence, his piercing gaze sweeping across the battlefield.
Blood and bodies littered the ground, the once-vibrant battlefield now reduced to a graveyard. The acrid scent of scorched earth and iron filled the air, mixing with the low groans of the wounded who had yet to succumb to their injuries.
Orochimaru shifted his gaze toward Uchiha Syōma, who had been standing rigid with frustration, his hands clenched into fists. Seeing the Uchiha's lingering defiance, Orochimaru exhaled sharply before turning to face the remaining Konoha forces.
"Look," he ordered.
Syōma hesitated, but eventually followed Orochimaru's command. As he took in the scene before him, his eyes darkened with disbelief.
When they had first marched into battle, Konoha had nearly 2,300 shinobi. Now, fewer than 500 remained standing.
The full weight of their losses sank in. Bodies of fallen comrades stretched as far as the eye could see. Some had died with weapons still gripped tightly in their hands, their expressions frozen in determination. Others lay motionless in pools of blood, their dreams and ambitions forever lost to war.
Many of the elite jonin Syōma had once fought beside were gone.
For all of Iwagakure's losses, it was clear that Konoha had paid a devastating price for this victory.
"Han is a perfect jinchūriki," Orochimaru continued, his tone firm yet measured. "If we had pushed him any further, he would have unleashed the full power of the Five-Tails. Even if we managed to take down the rest of their forces, how many of us would still be alive? Maybe just a handful. What meaning would victory hold then?"
His words hung in the air, forcing Syōma to swallow his anger.
"We've already won. Iwagakure has lost—that's enough."
Orochimaru's golden eyes flickered as he cast one last glance at the fallen. Despite his usual detached demeanor, even he could not ignore the overwhelming cost of war.
The fragility of life had never been more apparent.
A thought crept into his mind—an idea that had crossed his thoughts before but now felt more urgent than ever.
Immortality.
The concept took root, but he forced it aside for now. There were more immediate matters to attend to.
"Search the battlefield," he ordered, turning to the nearest group of shinobi. "See if any of our comrades are still breathing. We need to bring our fallen heroes home."
The remaining Konoha forces nodded solemnly before dispersing to carry out their duty.
Orochimaru stood still for a moment, the cold wind rustling through his cloak as he watched the shinobi work. His mind, however, was already drifting elsewhere.
---
Led by Orochimaru, Konoha's forces crushed the Iwagakure army commanded by Kitsuchi. News of the battle quickly spread across the ninja world.
This war had brought several rising stars into the spotlight, drawing the attention of every major shinobi village.
Among them, none stood out more than Kazane .
At only twelve years old, he had slain one of Iwagakure's top combatants—"Iron Fist" Kitsuchi—and instantly became a name that shook the ninja world.
After unleashing both the Eight Gates and Lightning Chakra Mode, his black-clad figure—wrapped in a powerful, dark aura—cut down Kitsuchi with a single, overwhelming slash. Witnesses described him as a demon incarnate, and from that day on, he was dubbed the "Asura Swordsman."
Meanwhile, Namikaze Minato earned his place among the ninja world's top elites after killing Iwagakure's Tōshirō. No longer just a prodigious jonin, he was now feared by every major village.
Because of his blinding speed, which left trails of golden light whenever he attacked, he earned the title "Konoha's Yellow Flash."
Other young geniuses also emerged, with Hatake Kakashi from the Hatake clan and Uchiha Shisui from the Uchiha clan shining particularly brightly.
Both had slain Iwagakure jonin during the battle, proving their worth on the battlefield. While Kazane made it look effortless, killing jonin was no easy feat—most shinobi never even reach that level in their lifetime. Jonin were the true high-tier combatants of the ninja world.
But with their rise came danger—both Kakashi and Shisui were immediately placed on the most-wanted lists of every major shinobi village.
One surprising survivor was Uchiha Obito.
Unlike Nohara Rin, who had been stationed at the camp as a medical ninja, Obito had fought on the front lines and lived.
Even more astonishing—he had awakened his Sharingan, evolving from single tomoe in both eyes to double tomoe in the heat of battle. This earned him a place in the Uchiha clan's list of priority prodigies for future cultivation.
---
Meanwhile, at the borders of the Land of Fire—
On the side facing Kirigakure, within a small town, Danzo had secretly established a hidden base beneath the ground.
Inside the meeting chamber, Danzo sat before a table, staring at the intelligence reports on Kazane and Kakashi.
"Sarutobi, you're far too soft," Danzo muttered, his eyes cold.
"If you had entrusted those two to me for training, I would have forged them into our sharpest blades. Instead, you handed Kazane over to Orochimaru, allowing him to grow out of control!"
Danzo firmly believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi had made a grave mistake.
If the goal was to keep Orochimaru in check, then Danzo himself should have been the one to handle it. Instead, Kazane had been handed over to Orochimaru, and now, with Kazane 's rise, Orochimaru had slipped beyond control.
At the Fire Nation's border, Danzo had already clashed with Kirigakure shinobi multiple times.
Any enemy scout sent to probe Konoha's defenses had been met with swift and brutal execution—no mercy, no survivors.
But Kirigakure's movements had only become more frequent.
Danzo's biggest regret was not having a top-tier combatant like Kazane under his command. If he did, he could wage war against Kirigakure with overwhelming force.
Unlike Hiruzen, who hesitated and restrained himself, Danzo would have crushed Kirigakure the moment they made their first move.
Hiruzen was too weak-willed, too indecisive—unfit to be Hokage.
"If I were Hokage," Danzo thought, "the ninja world would have been unified long ago."
Whoosh!
Just as Danzo was cursing Hiruzen in his mind, a Root shinobi suddenly appeared beside him.
"Kirigakure has made a move?" Danzo asked, immediately sensing something was off.
The Root ninja only approached him directly if the situation was urgent.
"We received intelligence—Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen have vanished. Even our spies cannot locate their whereabouts."
The shinobi's voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were merely a tool relaying information.
Danzo's eyes narrowed.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
This was no ordinary situation. Even though Danzo knew his subordinates wouldn't bring him unreliable information, he still needed confirmation.
"Are you certain?"
"The information is verified. Multiple informants have confirmed it—it's all the same report."
The Root ninja spoke with absolute certainty.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were among Kirigakure's deadliest forces. Each one was an elite jonin, handpicked for their combat prowess.
With their legendary weapons, even Kage-level shinobi had to tread carefully around them.
For them to disappear entirely during such a critical period?
Danzo knew this was not good news.
"Find them. Even if you have to dig up every inch of the Land of Water, track them down."
This was too important to ignore.
For now, even Kazane had to take a backseat.
---
Meanwhile, in Konoha—
Inside the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, pipe in hand, exhaling a slow stream of smoke.
On his desk lay Kazane's latest battle report.
When Orochimaru's first report had come in, Hiruzen had already begun questioning his decision.
Had he made a mistake?
Had he been wrong to entrust Kazane to Orochimaru?
His original plan had been to let Orochimaru struggle, forcing him into a corner.
Then, at the critical moment, he would send Minato to the battlefield, allowing him to turn the tide and secure victory—paving the way for Minato's future as Hokage.
But now… things had changed.
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