With the granary destroyed, Iwa's frontline forces would soon face a crisis—running out of food.
Having completed their mission, Arashi and Jūzō's group quickly disappeared into the night without a trace.
Behind them, the fire at the granary had become completely uncontrollable.
Flames devoured everything, reducing the mountain of supplies and provisions to charred remains...
In the distance, an Iwa patrol finally noticed the towering flames and thick smoke.
"That's... the granary's direction!"
"Hurry! Go check it out!"
They sprinted madly toward the granary.
But by the time they arrived, only a field of ruins remained.
Several massive warehouses had been burned to the ground, leaving behind only scorched skeletons.
Bodies of the guards lay scattered on the ground.
Illuminated by the flames, each face was frozen in terror and unwillingness in their final moments.
"This... how is this possible...?"
The horrific scene sent chills down the spines of the patrol members.
The granary was gone.
Those were the supplies meant for the front lines, the rations for the entire Iwa army.
Now, all of it had been reduced to ash.
"Quick! Report to the Tsuchikage-sama!" the patrol leader shouted in panic.
A shinobi, not daring to hesitate for a second, immediately turned and sprinted in the direction of the western front.
The embers still glowed...
Western Front, Central Fortress.
It was just dawn.
Ōnoki stood atop the city wall with his hands behind his back, staring out at the distant Allied Forces camp.
Though he had used Dust Release to repel the Allied Forces in yesterday's battle and had temporarily halted their advance...
The Allied Forces had not retreated.
They still surrounded the fortress, watching like wolves.
"Tsuchikage-sama."
Ishikawa approached. "After the headcount last night, our current forces, including reinforcements, total just over two thousand."
"Hmm."
Ōnoki nodded.
Just over two thousand, against the Allied Forces' five thousand.
The disparity was still far too great.
"What's the status of our food and fodder?" Ōnoki asked.
"The provisions brought by the reinforcements are enough to last ten days," Ishikawa reported.
Ten days.
Ōnoki fell silent.
Ten days should be enough time for him to devise a new strategy.
Perhaps they could break out in waves under cover of night, or wait for reinforcements from the Land of Lightning and Land of Grass fronts.
In short, although the situation was dire, it wasn't yet hopeless.
Just then, a shinobi rushed over and whispered to Ōnoki, "Tsuchikage-sama! An urgent report from the Village!"
Ōnoki's heart sank. He quickly took the military report, and as he read, his expression darkened.
Last night, Iwagakure was attacked by Rōnin. The Village was looted, the Tsuchikage Building destroyed, with losses estimated at over three hundred million ryo in supplies and multiple jutsu scrolls stolen.
The Jinchūriki Roshi repelled the enemy, but they managed to escape.
Thirteen guards were killed or injured.
Slam.
The report slipped from Ōnoki's hand. For a moment, he stood completely frozen.
He had only just left... and the Village was already looted by Rōnin?
Over three hundred million ryo in losses?
This... how was this even possible?
"Tsuchikage-sama?"
Ishikawa noticed his reaction and felt an ominous premonition.
"The Village... something happened," Ōnoki said hoarsely. He bent down, picked up the report, and handed it to Ishikawa.
After reading it, Ishikawa's face turned pale. "This... how could this happen...?"
Just then, another shinobi ran over.
"Tsuchikage-sama! Bad news!"
"Report from the central granary!"
Ōnoki's heart clenched tightly, an even stronger sense of dread rising.
"Speak!"
"Last night... the central granary was attacked..."
The shinobi trembled as he spoke. "It was completely destroyed... all the supplies... burned to ashes!"
Boom.
The news struck like a thunderclap. Ōnoki's mind went blank, and he nearly lost his balance.
"Tsuchikage-sama!" Ishikawa shouted and quickly supported him.
Ōnoki forcefully shook him off, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the messenger.
"What did you say? Say it again!"
"The... the granary was destroyed..."
The shinobi's voice trembled. "All the guards were killed. The entire facility... burned to the ground. Nothing was left..."
"Nothing was left...?" Ōnoki's eyes were filled with blood.
The granary.
That was the largest food depot in the Land of Earth!
It held enough rations to feed the entire Iwa military and civilian population for three months!
Now, it was completely gone?
"Damn it!"
Ōnoki slammed his fist against the parapet, roaring in fury.
The solid rock shattered under his strike.
The surrounding Iwa shinobi fell silent, too afraid to even breathe.
None of them had ever seen the Third Tsuchikage lose control like this.
Ishikawa's face was equally grim.
The Village had been looted. The granary destroyed.
Both had happened just after Ōnoki left the Village.
This was clearly a premeditated strike.
"Tsuchikage-sama," Ishikawa said in a deep voice, "This was planned."
"Of course I know that!" Ōnoki gritted his teeth. "The Land of Fire! It has to be the Land of Fire!"
"Only they could gather such accurate intelligence!"
Ōnoki's eyes were bloodshot. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire... Chiba Arashi.
From the very beginning, that boy had been plotting against him. Plotting against all of Iwagakure!
First, he used the Allied Forces to tie down their main army.
Then, while the Village was left vulnerable, he sent people to raid it.
Step by step.
He was making a fool of him.
"Damn it!"
Ōnoki's furious roar echoed over the fortress.
Every Iwa shinobi could feel the Tsuchikage's seething rage.
But even more than that... they felt despair.
The Village being looted meant their war funds were gone.
The granary destroyed meant their supply lines were cut.
Without food, what could they use to fight?
Even if they managed to win this battle, without supplies, the army would starve on the way back.
"Tsuchikage-sama..." Ishikawa's voice trembled. "What... what should we do now?"
Ōnoki was silent.
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the distant Allied Forces encampment.
After a long pause.
Ōnoki finally spoke. "Pass on my orders."
"Send dispatches to the Land of Grass front and the Land of Lightning front immediately."
"Tell them... to withdraw to Iwagakure."
Ishikawa trembled. "Tsuchikage-sama, you mean...?"
"Abandon all fronts," Ōnoki said, his voice heavy with helplessness and sorrow. "Gather all our forces. Return to the Village."
"Prepare to fight... a final Iwagakure Defense Battle."
At those words...
All the Iwa shinobi nearby were stunned.
Abandon all fronts?
Full retreat?
That meant all their sacrifices... all their efforts... would be for nothing.
Everything gained in the Land of Lightning would be lost.
The southern and western regions of the Land of Earth would be left defenseless.
And now, they would pin all their hopes on defending Iwagakure.
It was a massive gamble.
If they won, the Land of Earth might yet survive.
If they lost... the Land of Earth would truly be finished.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)