Land of Earth.
Near Iwagakure.
"Finally, we're back."
An exhausted Iwagakure ninja looked at the city surrounded by towering mountains, relief appearing on his face.
After surviving a crisis like that, he was already satisfied just to be alive.
"Man, this was humiliating. We lost so badly," an Iwagakure ninja could not help but lament.
A force of two thousand ninjas had been reduced to just over three hundred. Even among the wars of recent years, it was likely one of the most disastrous defeats.
With their homeland within reach, most of the Iwagakure ninjas were filled with complicated emotions.
Even Rōshi, the Jinchuriki, was no exception.
I hope they send a more reliable commander next time, Rōshi lamented inwardly.
Rōshi was usually withdrawn and had few friends. He did not know most of the fallen Iwagakure ninjas, and even those he did know were little more than names to him.
But those sixteen hundred-plus fallen Iwagakure ninjas had ultimately been born and raised in the same village as him. It was impossible not to feel something.
The ninjas guarding Iwagakure's gates seemed to have received word in advance. They showed no surprise at the approaching Iwagakure force and let them pass after a brief inspection.
Normally, after a ninja force returned to the village, the commander or other important officials would report in while the remaining ninjas dispersed directly.
This time, most of the jonin holding important positions, including the commander, had died. The few survivors lacked both rank and experience.
Seeing that they were all conflicted and unable to come up with anything after discussing it, Rōshi simply supported Han and headed toward the Iwagakure ninja hospital.
Although the two of them were the strongest fighters in the Iwagakure force, their ranks were not high. They were merely