Deep in the canyon, west of the Land of Fire.
The light from the massive Heavenly Transfer Technique finally faded completely.
Mabui's body swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground, barely supported by two medical-nin whose faces were equally pale.
"Lady Mabui, you…"
"I'm fine."
Mabui waved her hand, brushing off their support.
Her chakra had bottomed out, and the mental exhaustion made her feel like the entire world was spinning.
But she couldn't fall.
Behind her were the final batch of comrades just transported over.
Hundreds of Kumo shinobi, some still dry heaving from the ultra-long-distance teleportation, while others stood tall, quickly adjusting their gear.
Including those who had been sent earlier, nearly a thousand troops had gathered in the canyon.
They were the second echelon of Kumogakure.
The second blade that the Raikage would thrust into Konoha's heart.
"Where is the Raikage-sama?"
A Jōnin who had just recovered walked over and asked.
"Raikage-sama has already led the main force in an attack on Konoha," Mabui replied, forcing herself to stay alert.
"Excellent!"
"It's finally started!"
"For the glory of Kumogakure!"
A wave of barely restrained excitement erupted in the canyon.
Every face was filled with anticipation for victory.
They only knew that the Raikage had launched a surprise attack with three thousand elite troops.
But they didn't know that those three thousand had already surrendered.
Even more, they didn't know that the Raikage, who was unbeatable in their hearts, had already been defeated.
Mabui looked at her comrades' burning fighting spirit and let out a quiet breath of relief.
According to plan, she should have finished teleporting all subsequent forces by noon.
Then destroy the formation and lead this unit to rendezvous with the Raikage.
But it was already well past noon.
Mabui glanced up at the sky.
They couldn't wait any longer.
"Everyone, prepare explosive tags!" she ordered. "Completely destroy this formation!"
"Yes!"
Several shinobi immediately stepped forward and attached special explosive tags to key nodes of the formation.
A few minutes later, preparations were complete.
Mabui signaled to everyone.
"Retreat to a safe distance!"
The nearly thousand-strong force quickly withdrew from the canyon.
After confirming that everyone had evacuated, Mabui formed hand seals.
"Detonate!"
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed through the canyon.
Violent flames and shockwaves engulfed its depths.
Smoke and dust billowed into the sky, and boulders tumbled down.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique, which had cost Kumogakure immense effort and carried all their hopes, was reduced to scorched earth in the explosion.
Their retreat had been severed.
From here on, it was either victory or death.
"Move out!"
Mabui turned and gave the command.
"Target: Konoha!"
"Rendezvous with Raikage-sama!"
"Roar!!!"
Nearly a thousand Kumo shinobi roared in unison, turning into a torrent as they surged out of the canyon, advancing rapidly toward Konoha.
…
Outside Konoha.
Beneath the towering earth wall, the battlefield was still chaotic.
Deep craters and scorch marks were everywhere, the air thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder.
Minato's figure flickered continuously as he efficiently directed the Konoha forces in post-battle cleanup.
"Barrier team, immediately apply chakra seals to all prisoners!"
"Security forces, divide into squads and handle custody. Prioritize control over the Jōnin-level prisoners!"
One command after another flowed from his mouth, clear and decisive.
All the shinobi that could be mobilized within the village, including security units and standby Jōnin, totaled only around eight hundred.
They hadn't participated in the battle, so their chakra was full, and morale remained high.
Yet, every one of them wore a dazed expression.
They looked at the kneeling, surrendering Kumo survivors, then up at the figure atop the wall.
Throughout the entire process, they had done nothing.
Yet they had witnessed a single person crush an entire army, suppress a Jinchūriki, and defeat the Raikage.
It felt more surreal than if they had experienced the battle themselves.
"Minato, this is troublesome."
Shikaku approached with a rare headache on his face.
"There are just too many prisoners."
"Even though Kumo suffered heavy casualties, nearly two thousand remain."
"And every one of them is elite. Our village prison can't hold them all."
"Guarding them will require a huge number of personnel."
This was a good problem to have.
"For now, detain them all at the temporary camp," Minato said seriously. "As for what comes next… we'll consult with the Daimyo first."
"Understood!"
Arashi didn't take part in the cleanup.
He simply stood quietly atop the hundred-meter-high city wall, looking down at the bustling Konoha forces and the dense gathering of Kumo prisoners.
These were his spoils of war.
They were also his bargaining chips for negotiating with the Land of Lightning.
He raised a hand.
A Shadow Guard immediately appeared beside him. "My lord."
"Return to the Fire Capital."
Arashi didn't even turn around. "Inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the situation here."
"Also, send letters to the Daimyo of the Four Great Nations: Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning."
"Tell them I want to convene a Daimyo meeting."
"Yes."
The Shadow Guard's figure flickered, vanishing into the shadows.
After handling that, Arashi was about to leave.
But just as he turned around…
He suddenly paused, eyes narrowing in the direction of the Land of Fire's west.
A massive chakra presence was approaching at high speed.
Almost a thousand of them.
Target: Konoha.
"Heh." Arashi let out a faint chuckle.
So there were still more?
A follow-up unit?
It seemed Kumogakure had truly gone all in.
He looked down at Minato, who was still busy coordinating from below the wall.
"Minato."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Minato's ears.
Minato immediately looked up.
He saw Arashi waving at him.
Without delay, he teleported with Flying Thunder God and appeared beside Arashi. "Daimyo-sama, your orders?"
Shikaku and several others followed quickly, their expressions tense.
Arashi pointed westward, speaking casually as if discussing something trivial.
"Over there, another unit is approaching."
"From Kumogakure. About a thousand."
"At their current speed, they'll arrive within an hour."
What?!
Minato's composed expression instantly faltered.
Shikaku felt a buzzing in his mind.
Another thousand?
They weren't afraid of fighting. The eight hundred shinobi in the village were in good shape and full of energy.
But what was the current situation?
Right beneath them were more than two thousand elite prisoners who could revolt at any time, requiring significant manpower to monitor.
And now another enemy force was coming from the outside?
They simply didn't have enough shinobi to manage it all!
If a battle started and the prisoners took the opportunity to riot…
Wouldn't that just trouble Daimyo-sama again?
Unthinkable…
Seeing the hesitance in their expressions.
Arashi patted Minato on the shoulder. "Bring the Raikage and Killer B up."
Hostages?
Shikaku instantly understood and quickly ran down from the wall.
Arashi looked at Minato.
"If they don't surrender, then we'll use these two as sacrifices."
"Understood!"
(To be continued.)