Things weren't looking great for Konoha, and that war cry was more than welcomed. They had taken advantage of the first part of the battle with Katsuro's opening, fighting hard and using the superior quality and numbers they suddenly had when 9000 Shinobi were temporarily unconscious even if they were rapidly waking. Including Katsuro's own figures from the deep forest emergence, Konoha had taken out over 1500 Shinobi of the 10,500 they faced. Lots of that number did include taking advantage of those who couldn't fight back when capture wasn't possible, but they did manage to capture nearly 300. But those who died were mainly those fighting after the initial shock wore off as Kumo and Iwa shinobi protected their vulnerable comrades.
However, once the flowers were destroyed and more and more people were woken up, the tide quickly turned, it was at this point as discussed the Leaf higher ups did everything they could to reduce that burden. Minato alone till point had worked tirelessly, exhausting himself by teleporting around with the Light Step styles which was a key factor to ensure they weren't overrun, and as a result his own personal kill count was by far the highest - nearly 2000. Of course these were mainly lower level Shinobi and weaker Jonin, but this contribution allowed Konoha's own ranks to compete. Elsewhere, Orochimaru was taking the role of on field commander, while using his giant summon Manda as a key threat to lead the attack. With his giant snake alone hundreds were eaten. Everyone stepped up, the clan leaders of every clan present led their clans to great effectiveness with others like Senju Kaito, and Katsuro's own disciples were making names for themselves. Kaito was becoming more and more recognised as the truly elite Jonin he was, time beside the strongest man in the Shinobi world had molded him, as it had for his disciples. Kakashi, the Uzumaki children, and even Uchiha Shisui were all seen as rising geniuses creating sparks of hope throughout the front.
Other members of Katsuro's clans, the Uzumaki and Senju, were showing skills a step or even two above the rest. His reforms gave a fundamental power boost to a clan that thrived off Ninjutsu, and the wave of shadow clones helped against the numbers. Certain Jonin-level fighters also used a Katsuro original technique that was as perfect as the Shadow Clone for them. The Shadow Clone explosion, which as the name implied allowed a Shadow Clone to explode dealing damage in a large radius. Unfortunately it was a difficult Jutsu to learn, limiting who could use it, but those who did found great value in such large scale battlefields. It was to the point that it wouldn't be incorrect to say that Konoha could have lost the fight much sooner before reinforcements could arrive without the Senju and Uzumaki clans and especially the large number of Jonin level powers they had.
As a result of these factors, the overwhelming number disparity that was all too common nowadays could be dealt with to some extent. But as time went on, and more and more chakra was used up to face what seemed light an endless tide of blue and red, the situation got worse and worse. This was till that major battle between Katsuro and the Kage took a clear turn which brought things back to a wary stalemate. The appearance of a massive wooden Guardian that subdued both Stone tailed beasts invigorated Konoha with a second wind, while Iwa and Kumo didn't know whether to keep pushing or not. This only got worse when rumours of the Raikage's demise and the Tsuchikage fleeing went around, which subsequently led to the Guardian moving towards clusters of Iwa and Kumo shinboi. Its sheer size became a metaphor for how they felt. Despite them winning, the morale and momentum didn't feel that way.
When the signs of reinforcements finally arrived, the tired Konoha shinobi were working on pure will and determination remembering the speech Katsuro had delivered. They had been reduced to 2500 and that number was rapidly decreasing which meant that there were over 3,000 dead or injured. But on the other side, Iwa and Kumo had lost nearly 6000 of their original 10,500. It did come at the reward that virtually all of Konoha was now exhausted completely but just 4,500 left from their army was ridiculous. The battle had been a bloodbath.
Therefore the war cry while being great for Konoha, was much much worse for Iwa and Kumo. Even if they too were exhausted physically, they still had a lot of their chakra, certainly much more than anyone fighting. Their charge meant that the 4,500 Iwa and Kumo shinobi would have to face 5,500.
As a result, when Katsuro looked back and smiled seeing that his stalling and the plans had worked out, Onoki realised that the only question he could still answer would be how many he could take back home. He steeled himself and flew back towards the Guardian with Katsuro no longer on it, using his Earth style and Heavy Weight Jutsu to bring it down before it could wreak more havoc with help from the Jonin that remained. Without Katsuro it lost its regeneration ability, and despite killing nearly a hundred Shinobi, it was finally taken down and caused a minor earthquake.
In that time, Sakumo's forces had arrived, sweeping through the forests and wastelands straight for the enemy. They took over fights, allowing their comrades to rest while Onoki called for a full retreat. Kumo with no option, listened to him as well. Sakumo used his blade, Thunderclap Impulse and Shunpo to effortlessly cut through as many as he could, at the forefront, while Tsunade had summoned more of Katsuyu that Katsuro had also done when he left his guardian.
Eventually they met with Tsunade seeking him out. He was fighting by himself in a secluded section, and Tsunade sensed his chakra and made her way toward him. She recognised it, but it was much 'dimmer' than she remembered, which made her speed up. When she finally saw him he was fighting by himself, clearly having intervened for a Konoha squad which had been against double their number. Strangely he was not using any of his usual techniques. There was no sign of his flickering lighting aura, wind armour or anything else. It looked like just plain Kenjutsu and skill, and that alone was letting his chop up these Kumo shinobi like vegetables.
But then Tsunade noticed the main issue, his sword was in his left hand and his normal sword arm was dangling uselessly like a sleeve. Not to mention there was huge amounts of blood on his clothes that were also in tatters. The Konoha injured squad shared Tsunade's observation and worry with their faces contorted, unsure whether to help or not. But their sheer belief in this man was unfathomable, even in his state they did not question his order. He had told them he'd handle it, and they believed him.
Tsunade charged headfirst, dashing past the surprised friendly Shinobi as she punched out. Katsuro ducked at the last second feeling the back of his hair stand up, just as he saw his wife fly over him and land a brutal smash to the chest of an Iwa Chunin who stayed in his dented position on one of Katsuro's trees for a moment before falling lifelessly.
But more than the enemy, the man who gulped was Katsuro himself. Looking at her back, he could almost feel the rage and worry radiating off of her. Luckily, it seemed that the last Kumo shinobi would become her punching bag. Katsuro sent up a short prayer for him, at least his sword would have made it relatively painless.
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