"It seems we're too late. I wonder if Konoha managed to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki..."
Samui rested one hand on her hip, accentuating her figure. Her bosom was in no way inferior to Tsunade's, and her fair face showed a look of worry.
"Strange. Why is the battlefield outside the village? Konoha itself doesn't seem to have suffered any damage." Karui, whose figure was the polar opposite of Samui's, tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Something unexpected must have happened," Omoi, who usually liked to mutter and was a bit narcissistic, said seriously.
Kumogakure had lost two Tailed Beasts, the village had suffered heavy losses, and his teacher was still recovering from severe injuries. He really wasn't in the mood for anything else.
"Let's go down and take a look."
Dodai said, then jumped off the cliff, stepping on the green branches along the cliffside as he rushed towards the western part of Konoha. The other three immediately followed.
The four of them didn't take long to reach the battlefield where Naruto and Hashirama Senju had fought, observing as they walked...
A moment later, Samui said in a deep voice, "It seems Konoha's losses aren't small either..."
Konoha was, of course, professional at creating battlefield traces. Having experienced the most wars among the five great ninja villages, they knew exactly what a real battlefield should look like.
"Normally I would be happy, but now this isn't good news."
"I hope the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is still in Konoha's hands. Otherwise, according to what B heard from Brother Eight-Tails, the entire ninja world is in danger," Dodai said with a grave expression.
The four crossed one battlefield and had just entered the battlefield where Kageyama Kogetsu and Obito Uchiha fought when they encountered Konoha ninja, led by Kakashi.
After some negotiation, they headed towards the main gate of Konoha together.
"Kakashi-kun, may I ask if your village's Jinchūriki is still here?"
"Yes. We paid a great price to repel the enemy," Kakashi said with a solemn expression.
Hearing this, Dodai and the other three breathed a sigh of relief. Good, he's still here. The situation hasn't deteriorated to an irreversible point; there's still hope.
"I have a question."
"Please ask," Kakashi said lightly, his hands in his pockets.
"Why is the battlefield outside the village?"
"Don't misunderstand my meaning, Kakashi-kun."
"Because the Masked Man invaded our Kumogakure using space-time ninjutsu, setting the battlefield directly inside the village, which tied our hands and caused heavy losses!"
"Logically speaking, the Masked Man should have repeated the same trick, as it would be most advantageous for him."
Kakashi nodded. "Ah, Dodai-kun has a point."
"Lord Hokage deduced that the Masked Man probably wanted to regain face for the Akatsuki's failed frontal attack last time, so he chose to attack frontally again."
"However, the Masked Man and his group underestimated Konoha's strength and determination to defend the village. Unable to win after a long time, they temporarily retreated."
Hearing this, Dodai and the others had mixed feelings. They felt both speechless and a little indignant!
The first time he came to Kumogakure, he was sneaky. The second time, he was still sneaky. Couldn't he fight openly and attack from the foot of the mountain?
Why the double standard?
"I see. That's truly a blessing in disguise," Dodai forced a smile.
"How is the situation in your Kumogakure?"
"Brother Eight-Tails was taken by the Masked Man, but the Jinchūriki, Killer B, is still alive."
"Casualties and property damage are still within acceptable limits, and morale is recovering..."
In front of ninja from another village, Dodai naturally wouldn't show weakness or reveal Kumogakure's true situation.
"Huh? A Jinchūriki can survive after the Tailed Beast is extracted?" Kakashi stopped and turned his head, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
"An ordinary Jinchūriki naturally couldn't survive, but Brother Eight-Tails is special among Tailed Beasts."
"I see. That really is a blessing in disguise."
"Eh? Does everyone in Kumogakure call Tailed Beasts 'brother'?"
Dodai shook his head. "No, Brother Eight-Tails is special. He sacrificed himself to save B and Lord Raikage, resolving a major crisis for Kumogakure. He has done a great favor for our village!"
"Lord Raikage is clear about gratitude and grudges, so he had the entire village address him as brother."
Kakashi looked amazed. "Lord Raikage is admirable for his clear distinction between gratitude and grudges. What surprises me most is the Tailed Beast's attitude. It's truly rare."
"Our teacher is a perfect Jinchūriki. He and Brother Eight-Tails are life-and-death friends who can entrust their lives to each other," Karui said proudly.
"I see. Impressive!" Kakashi praised.
"Thank you for the compliment. When will Lord Hokage receive us?"
"We have important intelligence to inform and important matters to discuss," Dodai said seriously.
"It might be difficult today. It's getting late, but more importantly, the battle just ended, and Lord Hokage has many things to attend to."
"It will probably be tomorrow. I'll go ask Lord Hokage later."
Although Dodai and the others were a little disappointed, they understood.
"Alright. We will wait for Lord Hokage to receive us at any time."
Kakashi smiled. "Thank you for understanding. By the way, there is one more thing I need to inform you of."
"Please speak."
"Konoha is currently under military control to prevent the Masked Man and his group from returning for a sneak attack."
"Now that you are here, we must be even more vigilant to prevent the Masked Man from framing us."
"If something happens to you, Konoha won't be able to explain it even with ten mouths, and the consequences would be unpredictable."
"Therefore, after you arrive at the guest hotel, three ANBU squads will protect the four of you around the clock."
"For the sake of peace between our two villages, please do not wander around. Just stay in the hotel."
"If you need anything, just tell the staff. Konoha will fulfill any request we can."
After a moment of silence, Dodai asked, "Is this Lord Hokage's intention?"
Kakashi spread his hands and smiled. "Yes. How would I dare to make such a decision on my own?"
"Even the elders wouldn't dare to make such a decision on their own. They couldn't bear the responsibility if something went wrong."
Dodai had no choice but to say, "I see. Understood. We will follow the rules."
Originally, Dodai wanted to go out and ask about the details of the battle and gather some intelligence, but now he had to give up that idea.
"Thank you for understanding. Please."
"By the way, please don't blame Konoha for being impolite."
"It's really because this is an extraordinary time. The high-ranking officials are all very busy, so only I can welcome you."
Chatting as they walked, the group arrived at the main gate of Konoha. Except for two gatekeeper ninja, there was no one else there.
What could Dodai say? He could only repeat himself like a broken record.
"Understood, understood. Everyone in our village is also very busy."
"Besides, Kakashi-kun has been famous in the ninja world for many years. It is by no means impolite for you to welcome us."
"Dodai-kun flatters me. You became famous much earlier than I did."
After registering, Kakashi led Dodai and the others to the guest hotel.
It was the first time for all four of them to visit Konoha, so they were quite curious, looking around along the way...
However, since Konoha was under military control, the lively evening scene was absent. The streets were relatively deserted, with few pedestrians, and patrolling Police Force and Root ninja were everywhere.
Even so, Konoha's prosperity was not inferior to Kumogakure's. Most of the Land of Lightning's population was concentrated in the plains, river valleys, and hills.
Kumogakure, which had a stronger military fortress character, didn't have many civilians, and commerce wasn't thriving. Ninja often had to leave the village and go to nearby towns for entertainment.
...
Around ten o'clock that night, in the northern part of the Land of Iron, beneath the Mountains' Graveyard.
Obito Uchiha, having mostly recovered his depleted chakra, walked out of his room for a meeting...
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