That evening, in the northeastern part of the Land of Lightning.
The setting sun, like blood, spilled over the rolling mountains, dyeing the world in a tragic and vivid crimson.
The lush forest stood silently in the deepening twilight, like dark green barriers. The mountain wind wailed through the treetops, as if even this land was weeping.
At the junction of these mountains and forests, the remnants of Kumogakure hastily constructed a defense line, relying on treacherous terrain. In the camp, sparse bonfires illuminated tired and numb faces.
This unit was the Ninja army commanded by Third Raikage A.
After a devastating defeat, the original force of 1,300 men had lost nearly half, including a large number of wounded.
Under these circumstances, A naturally dared not remain in the Land of Frost and led his army to retreat into the Land of Lightning. However, the return journey did not bring any relief; instead, it felt even heavier.
In stark contrast to the jubilation in Konoha, the Kumogakure camp was filled with an lingering sorrow and grief.
Suppressed sobs occasionally emanated from between the tents, and even more heartbreaking than the fallen were the painful groans of the severely wounded survivors.
Medical Ninja bustled between the tents.
However, Kumogakure's medical Ninja were already scarce, and the hasty retreat caused them to lose most of their supplies and medicine. The earliest supplies from the Village would arrive tomorrow evening... In the center of the camp, in a tent indistinguishable from the others, Third Raikage A was hunched over a crude wooden desk.
The man, as sturdy as a brown bear, now had his brows tightly furrowed, his thick fingers gripping the pen, leaving clear yet heavy handwriting on the document.
Soon, he put down the pen again.
"Furui!"
The tent flap was lifted in response, and a familiar young figure quickly entered, kneeling on one knee, respectfully responding:
"Raikage-sama."
Furui's expression was somewhat downcast, and his eyes no longer held their usual sharpness, but to have survived the previous extremely brutal war was, in itself, a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
"Don't use Ninja eagles."
A rolled up the newly written document, carefully sealed it with special sealing clay, and handed it out.
His voice was low, yet carried an undeniable resolve: "You will immediately return to the Village on my behalf and deliver this document to Kurogiri Jonin. Tell him to do his best to mobilize available personnel from the Village to support the front lines."
"Remember, hand it to him personally!"
"Yes!"
A trace of worry flashed across Furui's face, but he said nothing more, took the document, bowed, and exited.
Watching the shadows of the tent flap sway, A's brows furrowed even tighter, almost knitting together.
He, of course, knew what Furui was worried about, and the situation was even more serious than he could imagine.
This war against Konoha was originally initiated by him to establish absolute prestige within Kumogakure and to divert the conflicts within the Village that could erupt at any time after the assassination of the Second Hokage.
He had originally hoped to consolidate power and unite hearts with a victory, but he never expected such a crushing defeat.
He could even imagine the immense chaos and commotion that would ensue when this mobilization order and the news of the defeat reached Kumogakure.
But he had no choice.
At this point, A no longer cared if it would affect the stability of the Village. With Konoha's army pressing down, he had to mobilize more Ninja to cope with the difficult situation at hand.
'I hope nothing unexpected happens in the Village...'
A muttered to himself, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes, which was immediately replaced by determination... Meanwhile, the temporary camp of Konoha presented a different scene.
The camp was brightly lit, bonfires flickered in the night, illuminating the neatly arranged tents with warmth and brightness.
Blood-stained bandages were neatly stacked to the side, the scent of herbs and the aroma of cooking smoke intertwined in the air, and soup pots simmering over several bonfires gurgled, with steam from the hot food slowly rising...
Although Ninja with bandaged wounds could be seen resting by the tents everywhere, their expressions showed no dejection; instead, they carried the unique relaxation that comes after battle.
Occasionally, whispers came from between the tents, accompanied by a few suppressed yet cheerful laughs. The entire camp was filled with a tired but invigorated atmosphere, and even the night wind carried a intoxicating warmth.
In the center of the camp, it was still the same temporary command post.
Senju Mori had just put down his pen and handed two still-wet documents to Nara Shikaku, who stood by his side.
"Send this victory report back to the Village as soon as possible."
His voice was calm and clear. He then lightly tapped another scroll: "This one is a troop increase order. Another thousand Ninja will be drawn from each of the Ninja Clans, to be personally led by Advisor Shikatsune and Advisor Hiruzen."
Nara Shikaku respectfully took the two scrolls and could not help but smile, "Now, the Raikage won't have even the slightest bit of hope left."
"He'd better not."
Senju Mori stood up and slowly walked to the stand where a large map was hung, his gaze deep and sharp, firmly fixed on the territory of the Land of Lightning on the map.
"Since we have gained the initiative in the war, we will never easily give it up again. When the war ends and how it ends is never decided by the loser."
It should be known that although the conflict on the battlefield had temporarily concluded, the war between Konoha and Kumogakure was far from over.
Senju Mori would never make such a foolish mistake—
To easily let go of an opponent who had already suffered heavy losses, after his side had finally achieved a decisive victory on the battlefield, for the sake of so-called "yearning for peace" or any other reason.
In front of the Kumogakure envoys and countless Konoha Ninja, Senju Mori had previously proposed three ceasefire conditions—a public apology to the entire Ninja World, payment of a huge indemnity, and recognition of Konoha's ownership of the six paths sage tools.
He wanted to take the opportunity to take a large bite out of Kumogakure, to make Kumogakure pay a heavy price for starting the war, and to let every Konoha Ninja taste the sweetness of this victory.
Besides, even without considering the issue of replenishing troops, Senju Mori also hoped that more Ninja would go to the front lines.
After all, seeing is believing, and allowing more people to witness the birth of this victory with their own eyes was by no means a bad thing for him.
After this glorious victory, Senju Mori was not carried away by the joy of triumph and remained very cautious.
He knew that he did not yet have absolute power and could not dominate the Ninja World like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
The ability to defeat Kumogakure this time was the result of the combined effects of intelligence, strategy, timing, and many other factors.
Therefore, Senju Mori was not in a hurry to pursue Kumogakure. Instead, under the careful investigation of the sensing Ninja, he prepared to slowly lead his army towards the Land of Lightning while waiting for the arrival of reinforcements.
The next stage of the war had already quietly begun amidst silent marching and confrontation.