"Lady Tsunade!"
Just then, a figure appeared on the now melted ice wall. It was Minato Namikaze.
After receiving the news from Shikaku Nara, he rushed over, not daring to delay along the way. Because of this, he managed to arrive shortly after the battle ended.
"Minato, you've come at a good time. Inform Shikaku and the others that it's time to clean up the battlefield." Tsunade turned around, saw Minato Namikaze standing on the melted ice wall, and immediately spoke.
Good timing, excellent timing. You go and inform Shikaku and the others; the battlefield needs to be cleaned up.
Minato Namikaze: "…"
It's already over?
He was a little incredulous.
But the facts were laid out before his eyes, and he couldn't help but believe them.
Oh, and the Fourth Raikage of the Cloud Village. Minato Namikaze had seen a corpse on the road, so he was shocked as to who killed him.
Uchiha Byakuya!
Could it be him?
Minato Namikaze took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and then asked, "Lady Tsunade, has Cloud Village been completely routed?"
Tsunade replied, "Their Fourth Raikage is dead, slain by Byakuya, and their main base on the front lines has also been destroyed. The three thousand elite Cloud ninjas are few in number; although some escaped, most of them are here."
Listening to Tsunade recount Byakuya's great achievements, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but fall silent. He truly hadn't expected Byakuya to single-handedly slay the Fourth Raikage and destroy the Cloud Village's main forces on the front lines.
Although this might be a bit exaggerated, Tsunade couldn't possibly be lying, so it was basically true. However, it also couldn't have happened without the help of those two Ice Release kunoichi.
Of course, Lady Tsunade's power was equally indispensable.
For Minato Namikaze, it wasn't about jealousy; he was simply shocked. He truly hadn't expected Byakuya, so young, to be able to consecutively slay two Kage.
The Third Mizukage, the Fourth Raikage.
Those were two Kage... Such strength was undeniable.
Minato Namikaze wasn't jealous, but rather found it exaggerated. It was truly too exaggerated; he actually killed a Kage so easily… Although he didn't know if it was easy, judging by the current situation, Byakuya's expression was very relaxed, without any pressure at all. So what else could it be but easy?
In any case, Minato Namikaze didn't feel any pressure, so this young man was truly impressive.
However, with such high-end combat power appearing in the Uchiha clan, he didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse for the village. Minato Namikaze wasn't completely ignorant of the internal affairs of the village.
Of course, Minato Namikaze knew it was best not to get involved. The waters were too deep, and for his own sake and Kushina's, it was best not to meddle.
Really, it's not suitable!
"Lady Tsunade, is Cloud Village no longer able to fight?" Minato Namikaze asked this question as a matter of course. In reality, with the successive deaths of the Third and Fourth Raikage, especially the Fourth Raikage dying shortly after taking office, the blow to Cloud Village was unimaginable.
To be honest, if they were to continue fighting, civil unrest would surely break out within Cloud Village.
Tsunade waved her hand, saying calmly, "Yes, we have achieved a great victory this time. However, as for whether the war can end by the end of the year? That still depends on the battle in the Land of Rivers between the Sand Village and the Konoha army led by Orochimaru."
Lord Orochimaru?
If needed, I'll have to make a trip.
Minato Namikaze became pensive, feeling that he might have to make a trip regarding this matter. After all, who was the most active figure during the Third Great Ninja War?
It was the Yellow Flash!
In the original plot, he shone brightly on the battlefields of Stone Village and Cloud Village, performing exceptionally well, thwarting Stone Village's invasion plan and frustrating Cloud Village's offensive.
Most importantly, Minato Namikaze, by himself, forced Stone Village to issue an order: if the Yellow Flash was encountered during a mission, the mission could be abandoned directly without penalty.
However, the current Minato Namikaze can no longer shine on the Cloud Village battlefield, because Byakuya has completely crushed Cloud Village, and even A, the newly appointed Fourth Raikage, has been killed. So the current situation is that if the situation on the Sand Village side is unfavorable, Minato Namikaze will definitely be dispatched there.
Byakuya had no objections to this. He was well aware that after gaining fame on the Mist Village battlefield, slaying the Third Mizukage, and utterly defeating Mist Village, and then engaging Cloud Village within the Land of Frost, slaying the Fourth Raikage and crushing three thousand Cloud ninja, it would be enough to make all of Konoha tremble.
The Konoha higher-ups, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, would absolutely not allow Byakuya to gain further fame and dominate the ninja world. Even if the situation on the Sand Village battlefield was unfavorable, they would not let Byakuya intervene; they would rather dispatch Minato Namikaze.
Of course, Byakuya knew very well that Minato Namikaze's urgent rush to the Cloud Village battlefield this time probably meant Kakashi and Rin were in danger. Madara Uchiha was waiting for an opportunity, so Obito Uchiha should have successfully blackened, and thus Madara Uchiha was dying… Konoha camp.
Shikaku Nara was speechless, and looking at the others in the tent, they were the same. His face was filled only with a bitter smile.
Indeed, when the news of the Fourth Raikage's death and the near annihilation of the Cloud Village army came back, Shikaku Nara's heart was filled only with deep helplessness and fear.
Uchiha Byakuya, had he become so powerful?
And after further inspection and cleanup, the things reflected on the battlefield made the Konoha jōnin at the front lines even more speechless.
Strong, truly too strong.
"Minato, given this situation, we need to inform the Hokage-sama as soon as possible. We need the Hokage-sama's instructions on what our next step should be."
Shikaku Nara was well aware that the front lines here were no longer a place where anyone could make decisions. They needed Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, to make the call.
Furthermore, he was also afraid, afraid that Tsunade and Byakuya would have some aggressive approach again. They just arrived and resolved Cloud Village, even killing the Fourth Raikage. If they continued… ugh, he didn't dare to imagine, truly didn't dare to imagine.
"I understand, but this time, there isn't even a single captive, which is a bit…" Minato Namikaze said softly, his eyes filled with worry.
To be honest, with such immense and tragic casualties, Cloud Village would never let it go. Currently, they were simply unable to fight further, so they chose a ceasefire, but once Cloud Village recovered, the situation would be different.
"Yes, not a single captive. Cloud Village's casualties this time are too great, and this means their hatred for us will intensify. But the better news is that Cloud Village won't have the strength to launch another war for at least ten to fifteen years of recovery…"
Nara Shikaku was equally shocked and surprised, but the benefits it brought were also immense. At the very least, Kumogakure would have to lie low for a very long time, and that time would be very, very long.
Because the losses this time were truly devastating.
Kumogakure not only lacked a pillar of support, but more importantly, their high-level combat power suffered severe losses. The number of jōnin and chūnin lost was definitely the highest among the Five Great Nations. Moreover, they had lost two Raikage, one of whom was a young and powerful individual who had just taken office and was the absolute ruler of Kumogakure in the future. Yet, he died on the battlefield. This loss, this blow, was absolutely fatal.