"We didn't find any trace of Kitsuchi. He likely used the main force to draw our attention while leading a small unit to break out."
"He probably never intended to participate in this battle at all."
"In addition, a small number of Iwagakure shinobi didn't fight to the death. They used the river to bypass our blockade and escaped."
"There weren't many—probably fewer than a hundred."
After the battle, Uchiha Ren, Obito Uchiha , Uchiha Itachi, Minato Namikaze, and Orochimaru stood beneath a large tree, watching as the Konoha shinobi cleaned up the battlefield.
After gathering some preliminary information, Hizashi Hyūga walked over and delivered his report.
Kitsuchi was not an ordinary shinobi.
He was one of the central pillars of Iwagakure, and more importantly, the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. Whether in status or influence, he far surpassed ordinary Iwa shinobi.
Naturally, he had been a high-priority target for Konoha.
However, it seemed that Kitsuchi had guessed Konoha's strategic intentions from the start. Instead of retreating toward the Land of Grass with the main Iwa forces, he slipped away early and avoided the encirclement entirely.
Uchiha Ren clicked his tongue lightly.
"Kitsuchi is a troublesome opponent. He may not possess a kekkei genkai, but his Earth Release techniques have reached an extraordinary level."
"He even survived a direct hit from my arrow."
"In the end, he used an Earth Clone to trick me while escaping underground with Earth Release: Underground Submarine Voyage (Doton: Dochū Senkō). A perfect case of slipping away like a cicada shedding its shell."
Earlier, during the battle at Hill No. 2 outside Kikyō Mountain Fortress, Ren had intended to kill Kitsuchi with a single shot.
However, Kitsuchi used Earth Release: Hardening Technique to reduce most of the damage.
Even while severely wounded, he forced himself to create an Earth Clone to distract Ren and escaped underground.
At the time, Ren still had to command the battle on Hill No. 7, so he couldn't pursue.
That was how Kitsuchi managed to escape with his life.
Ren had originally hoped to settle the unfinished fight during this encirclement battle.
But unexpectedly, Kitsuchi used the retreating Iwagakure army as bait and slipped away from the battlefield entirely.
He had even evaded White Zetsu's surveillance.
Truly a cunning opponent.
Minato smiled slightly.
"Our results this time are already more than sufficient. Missing one Kitsuchi doesn't change much."
"We should focus on withdrawing. The Iwagakure reinforcements will arrive soon."
Hearing this, Ren nodded.
"Let everyone stop cleaning the battlefield."
"We don't lack those supplies anyway."
"Take the wounded and the bodies of our comrades. Withdraw immediately."
Hizashi nodded and went to carry out the order.
As he watched Hizashi leave, Ren seemed lost in thought.
Minato noticed and laughed lightly.
"Ren, you don't seem to have any deep personal grudge against Kitsuchi."
"There's no need to obsess over killing him."
Ren shook his head.
"It's not about revenge."
"Kitsuchi's value goes far beyond battlefield achievements."
Minato frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Ren didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he glanced at Uchiha Itachi, as if recalling something.
At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly spoke.
"The impact of the Battle of Kikyō Mountain Fortress is enormous."
"Konoha urgently needs a Hokage to step forward and stabilize the situation."
"So after we return to the village…"
"There will likely be an election for the Fourth Hokage."
Minato fell silent.
Orochimaru continued calmly.
"Once the Fourth Hokage takes office, the problems he must face will be… substantial."
"Internally, he must handle the pensions for fallen shinobi, subsidies for the wounded, reconstruction of damaged homes, and the rebuilding of several defensive lines within the Land of Fire."
"Externally, he must negotiate ceasefires with Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and possibly even Kirigakure."
"This war has caused heavy losses for every village. None of them can afford to keep fighting."
"But signing a peace agreement is not so simple either."
Hearing this list of responsibilities, Minato suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Just listening to it made him break out in a cold sweat.
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"Fortunately, negotiations with Kumogakure shouldn't be difficult."
"We currently hold the Eight-Tails jinchūriki as a hostage."
"As for Sunagakure, their strength is far weaker. With Konoha's foundation, they can be handled easily."
"Kirigakure is isolated overseas and currently pursuing a closed policy. Whether negotiations are even possible remains uncertain."
"The real problem…"
"…is Iwagakure."
"They possess a foundation comparable to Konoha's and we hold no leverage over them."
"Negotiating with them will be extremely difficult."
"If we had managed to capture Kitsuchi, the situation would have been much easier."
Minato finally understood.
He rubbed his forehead, feeling even more exhausted.
Seeing this, Ren chuckled softly.
"Minato, there's no need to worry so much."
"Whether it's internal issues like pensions, subsidies, reconstruction, and defensive deployments…"
"Or external negotiations with the major hidden villages…"
"In the end, they all boil down to one word."
"Money."
"Konoha's internal problems require spending money."
"Konoha's external problems require getting money."
"If Konoha can demand sufficient reparations from the other nations as the victor of this war…"
"Then all the village's internal problems can be solved."
Minato thought about it carefully.
And realized Ren was absolutely right.
Ren continued calmly:
"If a problem can be solved with money…"
"Then it isn't really a problem."
"I already have a preliminary idea."
"But the exact plan will depend on the situation in the village after we return."
Minato nodded.
He trusted Ren completely.
If Ren said he had a solution, then things likely wouldn't go wrong.
At that moment, Orochimaru spoke again.
"By the way… Itachi and I won't be returning to the village with you for now."
"You should head back first."
Everyone turned toward him.
Orochimaru explained calmly,
"I have a secret laboratory nearby."
"The experiment involving Itachi has reached a critical stage."
"I intend to finish the experiment before returning to Konoha."
"Otherwise, a large amount of valuable research data will be lost."
Ren and the others didn't question him further.
They simply reminded Orochimaru to be careful.
Soon after the Konoha shinobi regrouped, Ren and the others began leading the troops back toward the Land of Fire.
The war was over.
But the real struggle…
Was only just beginning.
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