By dawn, the combined forces of Konoha and Yugakure shinobi had finally defeated the Kumo ninja under the command of four leaders.
Chasing down fleeing enemies was exactly what ninja should do.
Yet none of the four gave orders to pursue the escaping Kumo ninja.
One reason was their own heavy casualties; perhaps more importantly, Yi's death—still standing upright—had earned their respect.
Jiraiya and Sakumo took charge of clearing the battlefield.
Tsunade handled healing the injured shinobi.
Orochimaru carefully tidied Yi's corpse before sealing it into the scroll.
He looked toward the scroll that held the corpse, his eyes revealing a subtle sadness.
Perhaps he understood Yi's belief—or perhaps not.
Across the plains, corpses lay scattered everywhere. The once golden grassland had been partly stained crimson with blood.
After finishing a tally in one area, Jiraiya glanced at Sakumo beside him. "The Cloud won't launch another attack anytime soon, right?"
Sakumo paused briefly before staring toward the Land of Lightning. "Our reinforcements should arrive any minute now. Kumogakure suffered nearly four thousand losses total—this area will probably just return to standoff status like at the beginning."
Jiraiya nodded, essentially agreeing with his answer.
After surviving so many wars, both of them found themselves longing for the peaceful, joyful Konoha they once knew.
"Sakumo," Jiraiya said, "do you think Kid Shen might throw a grand EDM Festival before the battle starts?"
"No way," Sakumo immediately rejected such an unreliable guess.
Then thinking seriously for a moment, he admitted the possibility actually existed. "Well… I guess he might play DJ on the battlefield."
Originally just joking around, Jiraiya almost did a full face-fault when he heard a guess even more outlandish than his own.
"Although Shen acts pretty wild normally, when it comes to actual combat…" His voice gradually lost confidence, so he simply shut his mouth completely.
Seeing Sakumo's lips twitch with suppressed laughter, Jiraiya slapped his shoulder. "Honestly, I kind of feel like hitting a rave now too. After we return to the village, want to check it out together?"
Jiraiya's face instantly turned pale white. "No thanks. Old man won't let us go."
Seeing his reaction, Sakumo stopped joking around further.
At the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth,
Shen, who had won the bet, directly handed over command authority to Mamba, who wore a confused expression.
He calmly patted the other's shoulder while giving strategic advice. "Captain Mamba, work hard! I really believe in your Sunagakure guys!"
Mamba clenched his jaw tightly; his heart was filled with bitterness right now.
Losing wasn't shameful—it was just part of the game.
But tossing the command responsibility to him like some hot potato definitely felt unpleasant and nauseating.
Mamba—himself—would absolutely never sink that low!
"Don't worry, I'll handle things with the Third. As for the Kazekage? [Cough], you know what I mean."
"I understand." Instantly changing his demeanor, Mamba warmly invited Shen to examine the topographical map together.
True to its name, the Land of Grass sprawled across endless meadows.
The Land of Earth needed no introduction—rolling hills and steep slopes were just part of the landscape.
"This is going to be tough," Shen muttered, deeply feeling the sorrow of small countries as he observed the situation here, similar to that of the Hot Water Country.
Terrain that's easy to defend and difficult to attack is essential for large nations.
Whether it's the great desert of the Land of Wind, the forests everywhere in the Land of Fire, or the remote islands of the Land of Water, all these geographical advantages make invasion extremely difficult.
As for smaller countries, they're either flat plains or areas with extremely harsh living conditions. It's no simple task for them to turn their fate around.
"According to intelligence reports, the Iwa ninja haven't gathered their forces together. Instead, they've scattered three thousand operatives and hidden them near the border." Mamba pointed toward the southern part of the Land of Earth, explaining the enemy's specific arrangement.
"They must be afraid of repeating the disaster that struck the Hot Water Country." Shen, resting his chin in one hand, naturally knew that the current Tsuchikage, Onoki, was an extremely cautious man.
If they wanted to engage in guerrilla warfare, they'd likely end up surrounded before managing to eliminate many enemies.
Seeing the thoughtful expression on Shen's face, Mamba offered a suggestion: "Then our best strategic direction would have to be a war of attrition."
"No, there's another way." Shaking his head, Shen shared his idea: "We can still fight guerrilla warfare, as long as we attack quickly and then withdraw just as fast."
The Iwa ninja could detect enemies using their sensor techniques by sensing vibrations through the earth beneath their feet.
However, aside from the current Tsuchikage Onoki, who possessed sufficient speed, most Iwa ninja were rather slow.
"It's time to show off Team One's reputation!"
Mamba, originally confused, suddenly widened his eyes upon hearing "Team One."
With the Byakugan of the Hyūga, the Sharingan of the Uchiha, and the Senju known for exceptional endurance and stamina, Team One was widely recognized among those in the know.
A unit capable of assassination, stealth operations, and direct combat, Team One was undoubtedly the perfect choice for guerrilla warfare.
Before finishing his sentence, Shen spun around and walked off, giving Mamba quite a shock.
Hastily taking a few steps forward, Mamba grabbed Shen's shoulders: "Shen, this kind of operation is far too dangerous—"
Before the word "dangerous" could leave his lips, Shen had already vanished.
"So this won't be dangerous then?"
Mamba quickly turned around, stunned by the speed Shen had just displayed.
Nodding, he agreed to this high-risk but potentially high-reward operational plan.
Seeing Mamba's nod, Shen wore a satisfied smile as he left this time without any further interruptions.
"Hyūga? If you dare, come find someone in the Land of Earth!" He placed both hands behind his head, walking with a noticeable swagger.
Nawaki, who'd had a rough night with diarrhea, couldn't help but feel his anger flare as he saw Shen's cocky attitude.
"Uchiha Shen!"
This furious shout startled Shen into turning his head to look.
As soon as he looked, he gasped inwardly.
Nawaki's face was unusually flushed red, and his running posture resembled something straight out of a bizarre scene involving some massive "abnormal species" (kyōkō-shu).
Without even considering whether Nawaki had undergone any genetic mutation, Shen took off running joyfully around the campsite.
His running style was even funnier than Nawaki's!
"Puh!" Nayou, who was eating breakfast, immediately sprayed out a bit of milk when she saw the two figures—one chasing the other—pass by outside the tent.
Her lips pressed together instantly, and she made a "slurp" sound as she sucked the milk from the corner of her mouth.
Just as she settled back down, trying to take a sip to calm herself, Shen suddenly appeared and snatched the cup away.
"Thanks, Nayou. Perfect timing — I skipped breakfast."
Nayou rubbed her eyes, only realizing then that her own breakfast, barely touched, had vanished into thin air just like the milk.
A white blur shot past an odd-type creature in an instant, closely chasing the black figure ahead.
"Nayou, what are you—"
"I'm really angry!"
"Serves you right! You're done for today, you bastard!"
"I, Shen Uchiha, will never be anyone's slave!"
The three figures shot past like whirlwinds, leaving the entire camp in total chaos.
Mamba had just arrived, planning to join Angel for breakfast, but was completely shocked by such surreal chaos.
"Tsk tsk, that's just Team One's usual morning chaos," Gerissen said, suddenly appearing beside him.
Doubting his life choices, Mamba finally understood why he kept getting startled.
So, Team One's whole vibe is on a completely different level from the rest of us normal people!
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