But just as the Hidden Cloud army abandoned their camp, a Ninja Corps from Konoha caught up with them.
Under the leadership of Uchiha Yoichi, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo, they launched an assault directly on the retreating Hidden Cloud Ninja.
A, in anger, wanted to order a decisive battle, but Dodai firmly persuaded him otherwise, leaving behind three hundred Hidden Cloud Ninja to block the enemy while the main force hastened the retreat.
This was the Land of Fire, and reinforcements for the other side might be on their way. Engaging in a battle here could incur heavy losses for them.
Abandoning a small group of ninjas to gain a chance for the main force's retreat, allowing A and Killer Bee to return to the Hidden Cloud Village, was their most crucial task at the moment.
After Dodai gave the order, three hundred Hidden Cloud Ninja broke away from the retreat path, turned, and prepared to block the Konoha pursuers.
These three hundred were essentially sent to their deaths, but even if they could buy just two hours, it would allow the other Hidden Cloud Ninja to retreat smoothly to the Land of Hot Water, then back to the Hidden Cloud Village.
The three hundred Hidden Cloud Ninja split into two groups to block pursuers from two directions. They immediately set up traps and then braced themselves to use their lives to hold off Konoha's pursuers.
One of the teams happened to encounter Uchiha Yoichi's vanguard, and the explosive tag traps activated immediately; however, while these traps were effective against other ninjas, they had little effect on Uchiha Yoichi.
With Susanoo's skeletal covering, 99% of the traps lost their lethality; Uchiha Yoichi then ordered the Konoha Ninja to first remove the traps while he went to kill the enemy.
Yet not a single Hidden Cloud Ninja retreated. Even when faced with the fearful Konoha Lightning Fang, they charged forward as if sacrificing themselves.
The slaughter continued for nearly an hour. When the last Hidden Cloud Ninja rushed to Uchiha Yoichi, only to be stabbed through the heart by his Lightning Fang, all the Hidden Cloud Ninja left to block had been killed.
"Lord Yoichi, should we continue chasing the Hidden Cloud Ninja?"
"Tend to the wounded while being cautious of traps, but continue the pursuit. If we reach the border of the Land of Fire, cease the chase."
Ordered Uchiha Yoichi. Despite most of the enemy being killed by him just now, the traps and a small number of Hidden Cloud Ninja still caused some casualties among the Konoha Ninja.
Especially when facing the death-defying Hidden Cloud Ninja, who almost intended a one-for-one trade, rushing at Konoha Ninja with explosive tags hidden under their clothing.
On the other side, Orochimaru met with the same treatment and only managed to kill all obstructing Hidden Cloud Ninja after a fierce battle.
Hatake Sakumo had already reclaimed the camp, but even in retreat, the Hidden Cloud Ninja were well-prepared, leaving almost nothing behind, not even a shred of intelligence.
After daylight broke, the battle gradually came to an end. Uchiha Yoichi and Orochimaru stopped pursuing at the border. They hadn't brought many people, so continuing was pointless.
They left a patrol squad and had the remaining ninjas return to the camp.
Next was the task of clearing out the remaining Hidden Cloud Ninja still within the Land of Fire. With the border sealed, Hidden Cloud Ninja wishing to escape alive would need to find another way.
Hidden Cloud Ninja who hadn't received the retreat order or were slower in action were all found and killed by the Konoha Ninja.
It took more than ten days for Konoha's side to clear out the Hidden Cloud Ninja remaining within the Land of Fire, almost completely.
The Hidden Cloud were considered defeated this time, though not in a sudden collapse on the battlefield. However, from the subsequent body count, nearly four hundred Hidden Cloud corpses were left behind in Konoha.
Adding those previously killed by Uchiha Yoichi on the battlefield, their initially slight advantage in the battle tally turned into equal casualties and even greater losses compared to Konoha.
The main reason was that the Third Generation Raikage had died, and of the Hidden Cloud Ninja who went to the Hidden Rock Village, only one remained.
Once it was confirmed the Hidden Cloud had retreated, Mitokado Homura started arranging for the guards and patrol ninjas. Although the Hidden Cloud had withdrawn, there remained the need to guard against them sending Hidden Cloud Squads to infiltrate and wreak havoc.
This time, after taking over battlefield command, Mitokado Homura was berated as a fool by the Daimyo. With Hidden Cloud Squads wreaking havoc across the Land of Fire, messages sent by the Daimyo Mansion to Konoha Village went unanswered, so they eventually sent someone to the front lines to have Mitokado Homura address the issue.
But Mitokado Homura was unable to resolve it, lacking the capability.
He could only agree to the request and then try to dispatch people to hunt down the ninjas within the Land of Fire, but aside from Uchiha Yoichi, other Ninja Squads achieved little success.
The Daimyo Mansion sent one messenger after another every couple of days—sometimes even before the previous one left, the next would arrive.
Ultimately, Mitokado Homura simply refused to meet the messengers from the Daimyo Mansion, which brought him some peace, though this action also meant he had offended the Daimyo.
During this period, Uchiha Yoichi carried out his missions with minimal effort; apart from strategies involving Tsunade, he did nothing extra, to the point that even Mitokado Homura could not command him.
When it was finally time to return to Konoha, all the Konoha Ninja breathed a sigh of relief. This battle was over, and they had survived!
Tsunade treated the last group of wounded, stabilizing their injuries before preparing to leave.
"Shizune, let's go."
"Eh? Lady Tsunade, are we leaving now? Won't you tell the others..."
"What do I need to say to them? There are no more wounded needing my treatment, and they can recover slowly once returned to the village. If I tell that advisor old man, he will definitely want me to go back to the village."
Tsunade grumbled irritably. Recently, Mitokado Homura had been insisting she return to Konoha along with them. The war was nearly over; she had no reason to go back.
Don't think she didn't know. The battle on the other side was also nearing its end. After the Hidden Rock Village's supplies were cut off, their offensive had slowed. Furthermore, Hidden Rock and Grass Village seemed to have had some discord; by the time she got there, the war might be over.
Shizune asked after hearing that, "Shouldn't we inform Lord Yoichi?"
Tsunade, pinching Shizune's face, said, "Why tell that shy little ghost anything? Shizune, have you been bribed by the food he's been giving recently?"
Shizune retorted defiantly, "Lady Tsunade eats more than I do!"
"What did you say?"
Tsunade saw Shizune didn't dare retort, so she continued packing her things.
However, Shizune's words made Tsunade a bit conflicted. Not telling that shy little ghost made her feel guilty... Sneaking off seemed rather like she was doing something shady.
But that shy little ghost had been too excessive lately, wantonly playing with her senior dignity. It should be noted she was more than ten years older than Uchiha Yoichi, yet she saw no semblance of respect from that shy little ghost!
"Ignore him, let's go, Shizune!"
Tsunade and Shizune quietly slipped out of the tent; as one of the Sannin wandering freely within the camp, no one dared stop her.
But just as Tsunade was leaving the encampment, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
Upon hearing Uchiha Yoichi shouting her name, Tsunade felt unsure whether she was nervous or relieved, but when she turned around, her expression was fierce as she clenched her fists, gesturing at Uchiha Yoichi, "Brat, what do you want?"
"This is for you, the Celestial Honey Shochu you didn't finish last time, there are three bottles left."
Uchiha Yoichi tossed a Storage Scroll her way. After Tsunade caught it, he continued, "The kunai I gave you last time, you haven't lost it, have you, Lady Tsunade?"
"Hmph!"
Tsunade, feeling a tinge of delight, lightly snorted. That shy little ghost actually doubted her, as if she would carelessly lose someone else's things.
"Let's go, Shizune."
After neatly storing the scroll, Tsunade, without answering, merely called for Shizune and left, though Uchiha Yoichi knowing she still had it with her, returned to the camp.
He would also follow the Konoha troops back to the village. After this battlefield, the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock should experience tranquility for a long time.
Konoha Ninja suffered significant casualties on the other side of the battlefield. Uchiha Yoichi wasn't fully informed, but in the summary of the war against Hidden Cloud, over 900 Konoha Ninja died, and even 13 members of the Uchiha Race perished.
But, fighting with fewer people against more, with the other side having three fully controlled Tailed Beasts, and still causing such massive losses to the Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud, it was all thanks to Uchiha Yoichi.
His fame in the war against the Hidden Cloud had already surpassed that of Konoha's White Fang.