In the end, under Rei's guidance, the battle still ended in Cloud Shinobi's defeat.
Even with the Eight-Tails covering their retreat, the Cloud Shinobi forces left behind a pile of corpses.
Rei wanted to continue the pursuit, but Jiraiya, considering the possibility of an ambush, decided to take a steady approach and slowly capture Bellflower Mountain.
The next morning, Nara Shikaku stood next to Jiraiya, lightly tapping the table.
"Master Jiraiya, the casualty report from last night is complete."
"Huh?"
Jiraiya stirred from sleep at the sound of Shikaku knocking on the table.
He had only just fallen asleep after handling the night's affairs.
But there was no way around it—he was the commander. Everything on the battlefield required Jiraiya's personal attention.
He rubbed his eyes and muttered,
"Shikaku... Where's your uncle, Lu Ming?"
Shikaku scratched his head.
"My uncle was injured in the battle last night. I'm temporarily serving as your assistant."
Jiraiya nodded, now understanding. "Is Lu Ming alright?"
Shikaku fell silent for a moment.
"He lost a leg. If Rei hadn't arrived in time and summoned Lady Katsuyu for medical support, he might've lost his life."
Jiraiya's expression turned serious, and he gave a faint nod.
He didn't say much—on the battlefield, this kind of tragedy was always a possibility.
Still, he had to admit, Katsuyu's arrival last night was perfectly timed.
Without the medical supplies brought and Katsuyu's support, Konoha's losses might've more than doubled.
As a result, the name "Katsuyu-sama" began spreading among the troops.
After all, who wouldn't love a cute little slug that could save your life at a critical moment?
"Did I hear someone say my name?"
Rei walked into the tent, yawning as he pushed the flap aside.
Jiraiya glanced at him and snorted.
"You brat, you slept more than I did last night. Why do you still look half-asleep?"
Rei yawned and stretched lazily like a wolf waking up from a nap.
"Doesn't matter. So, how bad were the casualties yesterday?"
He slumped into a chair and muttered,
"I really just want to finish this mission and get back to Konoha for a proper rest. Who knows how long this damn war will drag on..."
Jiraiya massaged his temples.
Only after becoming commander did he realize how troublesome Lord Hiruzen's daily work really was.
Handling a battlefield like this was exhausting.
Becoming Hokage must be even worse.
Rei seemed to share the same thought.
Shikaku looked at the two of them and sighed helplessly.
"Can I report last night's battle results now?"
"Oh, yeah, go ahead," Jiraiya replied, leaning back.
Rei slouched even more into his chair.
Shikaku pinched the throbbing vein in his forehead before starting.
"A total of 189 Konoha ninjas were killed last night. Most of them died before Rei arrived.
There were 556 wounded."
Generally, there wouldn't be so many wounded on a ninja battlefield.
Ninja fights are often lightning-fast. Once you're injured and show a weakness, your opponent won't hesitate to finish you off.
Even if you're lucky enough to avoid a killing blow, you're still likely to die from the indiscriminate barrage of ninjutsu.
The only reason there were so many wounded instead of dead this time was thanks to Rei.
He summoned Lady Katsuyu and saved countless lives.
"In comparison, Cloud Shinobi lost 1,167 men, including 27 registered Jōnin."
Without a doubt, it was a massive victory.
Nearly ten times the enemy's casualty rate.
This was enough for Konoha to reclaim the advantage on the battlefield of Mount Kikyo.
Although Konoha suffered over five hundred wounded, as long as the limbs weren't severed, Katsuyu's healing ensured most could recover.
In short, the actual manpower loss in the Battle of Kunwenchang was only around 300.
Jiraiya, being experienced, quickly spotted a pattern in the numbers.
He stroked his chin.
"It seems Tsunade's proposal really was necessary..."
After the Second Ninja World War, Tsunade had proposed establishing a full-scale medical ninja system.
Although the idea received some support and the Third Hokage approved the creation of a medical ninja training center, results had been minimal.
Ninja Academy students were taught to aspire to strength—to become powerful warriors.
To them, a medical ninja, someone who relied on others for protection, was a path for cowards.
Because of that, Konoha's medical corps remained underdeveloped.
It wasn't until this battle that everyone truly recognized the importance of medical ninjutsu.
Turns out, medical jutsu was incredibly powerful!
That resolved Jiraiya's doubts.
After the war ended, he would push Lord Hiruzen to fully support Tsunade's vision for the medical corps.
While he was deep in thought, Kato Dan walked into the tent.
As one of Konoha's Elite Jōnin, Kato Dan had taken down two Cloud Jōnin last night using his eerie Spirit Transformation Technique.
Still, compared to Rei's contribution, it was almost nothing.
After all, even Erwei's (Two-Tails) achievements were credited to Rei as the summoner.
And Erwei alone had killed more than two Jōnin last night...
Not to mention that Rei had blocked the Fourth Raikage's assault by himself.
Without him, Ai might've broken through Konoha's lines and wiped them out.
Kato Dan gave Rei a respectful nod.
No doubt about it—Rei's performance last night had earned the admiration of everyone.
Then he turned to Jiraiya.
"Master Jiraiya, Cloud Shinobi has abandoned several nearby strongholds. Their army has fully retreated to the northern high ground of Mount Kikyo."
Jiraiya waved dismissively and muttered:
"Come on, you're Tsunade's man. Don't call me 'master.'"
He deliberately emphasized man.
But everyone in Konoha knew about the relationship between Tsunade and Kato Dan.
No matter how much Jiraiya disliked it, there was no changing that fact.
As for trying to sow discord?
Jiraiya didn't have the scheming type of mind for it—he only used his brains in battle.
Kato Dan chuckled.
"Still, you're the commander. Gotta show proper respect."
Jiraiya stopped trying to argue and moved to analysis:
"Cloud Shinobi won't give up so easily."
"But now that Rei's eliminated their demon cat troops, they can't rely on guerrilla tactics anymore."
"As long as we keep supplies steady, it won't be long before we take Mount Kikyo."
After all, the Land of Fire was still the old superpower.
Although the Cloud Shinobi have been on the rise in recent years, the loss of their two sharpest weapons—Fourth Raikage and the Demon Cat Troops—means they are no match for Konoha in a head-on confrontation.
The next phase was about to enter counterattack mode!
Things went just as Jiraiya expected.
With Simu pinning down the Raikage, Konoha's forces quickly gained the upper hand in direct combat.
Supplies and reinforcements were continuously sent to the frontlines.
The warriors fought bravely, and soon, all of Cloud Shinobi's strongholds were wiped out—only their main base remained.
Simu and the Two-Tails clashed with Killer Bee and the Raikage several times.
Each time ended in a draw.
"Damn it all, buckle up, Noah!"
Killer Bee looked at the corpses littering the battlefield and couldn't help but curse.
"That Hanyu Simu… he's really a pain to deal with."
Just earlier, Simu and the Two-Tails stormed Cloud Shinobi's camp again. After wreaking havoc, they used the Two-Tails' speed advantage to retreat without a scratch.
Although the Raikage could keep up with Simu and the Two-Tails' speed, Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails couldn't.
If Killer Bee rushed in alone, he'd be facing a 1v2 situation.
Fighting Simu alone was already tough enough. Add in the Two-Tails? The chances of winning were slim.
As a result, the entire battlefield situation was flipped.
At the start, Cloud Shinobi had used their speed to raid Konoha's camp and flee before retaliation.
Now, it was Simu and the Two-Tails doing the same to them.
For the past six months, the Cloud Shinobi forces had been suffering.
Many ninjas were sent back to the village for psychological treatment.
After all, no one could handle hearing a creepy voice whisper in their ear every night while trying to sleep.
"Cloud Shinobi, we're back again!"
"If this keeps up, we'll have to retreat," Killer Bee said, frustrated.
The Cloud Shinobi had invested a massive amount of troops on this front.
Over 4,000 dead, and even many Jōnin had fallen…
If they retreated in such disgrace, it would be a heavy blow to the Third Raikage's prestige.
But the Land of Thunder isn't like the Land of Wind, where the Kazekage can fight in person.
Though not as wealthy as the Land of Fire, the Land of Thunder's conditions are still decent.
And right next door is the Land of Earth—an old enemy.
If too many troops were dispatched here, the Land of Earth would undoubtedly get ideas.
So the Third Raikage couldn't leave Cloud Shinobi Village easily.
His main concern was guarding against a sneak attack from the Land of Earth.
Just as the Raikage was contemplating whether to retreat, Nanami, the Third Raikage's secretary, entered his tent.
He looked at her. "Did my father send you with new orders?"
Nanami had lightly curled blonde hair, fair skin, black-rimmed glasses, and wore black stockings—an elegant and intellectual beauty.
"Yes. Lord Raikage asked me to deliver this," she said, handing over a document.
The Fourth Raikage took it, brows knitting together as he read—then gradually relaxing.
The intel seemed to surprise him.
"Is this information accurate?"
"Yes," Nanami replied without hesitation.
The Raikage sneered.
"So the Daimyo of the Land of Fire is really at odds with the Hokage…"
"Trash."
Of course, the "trash" he was referring to was the Fire Daimyo.
As a direct and strong-willed man, what the Raikage hated most was someone stabbing him in the back.
Meanwhile, in Konoha's camp, Jiraiya slammed his fist on the table.
"To pull something like this at a time like this...!"
Jiraiya was truly furious.
Simu yawned lazily—he had just been called into a meeting in the middle of the night.
As the appointed strategist, Nara Shikaku frowned.
Because of his exceptional performance, Jiraiya had specifically requested the Third Hokage allow him to remain on the frontlines as a staff officer.
"What happened?" Shikaku asked, puzzled.
Despite Jiraiya's often unreliable personality, he had always remained calm during battle.
It was precisely his and Simu's laid-back demeanor that gave the army confidence.
If the main commander looked so relaxed, it must mean the battle was in the bag.
But this letter had clearly shaken Jiraiya.
Something very serious—something extremely unfavorable to Konoha—must be written in it.
Jiraiya stared at the envelope on the table and said coldly:
"Lord Third wants us to withdraw our troops now."
"Withdraw?" Shikaku was stunned.
Even Simu found it hard to believe.
Cloud Shinobi was on the verge of complete defeat, and that old man Sarutobi wanted them to retreat?
Simu frowned, deep in thought.
After suppressing the power of the Mito faction, and dealing with Danzo, Koharu, and a whole host of troublesome ninjas, Sarutobi had firmly consolidated his control.
Right now, Hokage wielded the strongest military force in the entire Land of Fire.
So why was this happening?
If Konoha itself wasn't the problem, then the issue must lie elsewhere—likely with the Fire Daimyo.
Sure enough, Jiraiya held back his anger and said:
"The Fire Daimyo claims financial constraints and is delaying both supplies and funding originally meant for Konoha!"
"And with the Land of Earth watching our border like hawks, if this war drags on, without the Fire Daimyo's support, Konoha will be in danger."
"So, Sarutobi-sensei has decided to strategically abandon the Kikyo Mountain front and shift to full defensive operations."
Shikaku tapped his pen thoughtfully and said:
"It seems the Hokage's strength and Konoha's growing influence have made the Daimyo uneasy. He wants to keep them in check."
As the son of the Nara Clan's patriarch, Shikaku had been familiar with politics since childhood.
After all, from the Daimyo's perspective, Kikyo Mountain was just a remote border area with maybe a few thousand residents.
Even if it was lost, it wouldn't matter much.
But if Konoha—his military force—got out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Hah, even now they're still fighting over power and politics…"
Simu sneered.
Jiraiya knocked on the table again, serious now.
"In any case, we have to retreat."
"If Cloud Shinobi reinforcements arrive, we'll be on our own."
Simu glanced at the map.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I have an idea."
He pointed to a bridge that spanned the canyon in northern Kikyo Mountain.
It was already within the territory of the Land of Thunder.
"I'll go there and cut off their supply line."
"Destroying that bridge will drastically reduce their resupply rate."
"It'll make defending Kikyo Mountain a lot easier."
But Jiraiya instantly rejected the idea.
That was enemy territory—too dangerous.
Simu just smiled faintly.
"Did you forget how fast I am?"
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