28, Mountain-Shaking Cheers

The unceasing slaughter had left Hiruzen Sarutobi feeling somewhat drained, even mentally dazed.

But there were too many enemies. No matter how many he killed, they just kept coming.

He constantly swung the Adamantine Staff in his hand and continuously unleashed ninjutsu, yet an endless stream of Stone Ninja still charged at him.

After killing another Stone Ninja before him, he could not help turning to look back. All he saw was a sea of enemies, not a single Konoha ninja in sight.

Konoha's green combat uniforms could only be seen on the corpses scattered across the ground.

Were they all dead... Were they really all dead...

Sarutobi's heart, once cold and numb, began to tremble.

He swung his staff like a madman, wanting to slaughter every enemy around him. But such disorderly attacks were riddled with openings, and his desire for death drew even more Stone Ninja toward him.

At that critical moment, several black shadows suddenly swooped in from nowhere, pouncing upon the Stone Ninja.

Sarutobi caught sight of them and saw that they were giant snakes.

"Have you already decided to die, Teacher Sarutobi?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him, and Sarutobi's body instantly stiffened upon hearing it.

He turned around and saw an all-too-familiar figure standing not far away, watching him with a faint smile.

Sand Ninja poured onto the battlefield in overwhelming numbers, instantly scattering the formation of the Stone Ninja, who had already been exhausted by the prolonged battle.

The ground beneath their feet inexplicably turned to sand, causing them to sink deep with every step. Countless snakes also slithered out from all corners of the forest, waiting for chances to bite the enemies around them.

"Where did these Sand Ninja come from?! Where did these Sand Ninja come from?!"

Ōnoki was consumed by fury and nearly crazed. He waved his hands, and countless rocks under his control hurtled toward every enemy around him.

Yet while flying through the air, those enormous boulders inexplicably shattered into fine sand, drawn together by some mysterious force.

A young man appeared before Ōnoki. The sand floated at his side as he stood with his arms folded, calmly watching him.

"This ends here, Tsuchikage."

The arrival of reinforcements greatly lifted the Konoha ninja's spirits. One after another, they saw hope amid this desperate situation and joined the Sand Ninja in launching a desperate counterattack. The Stone Ninja were unable to hold them back and began retreating again and again.

"Father!" Kitsuchi rushed to Ōnoki's side at that moment.

"The Sand Ninja are advancing too fiercely. We should retreat first!"

Ōnoki's gaze was filled with hatred and unwillingness. Just a little more! Just that little bit more! He had been on the verge of success! He had been about to destroy Konoha and achieve Iwagakure's great ambition!

"Father!" Kitsuchi's voice was incomparably urgent.

"Father, look at our comrades around us!"

Those words made Ōnoki's heart tremble violently. He clenched his teeth, suddenly formed hand seals, and sent Chakra through the yellow sand deep underground.

Earth Release: Golem Technique!

With his furious roar, the earth and yellow sand began to shake. One rock giant after another rose from beneath the sand.

"Retreat! Get out of the forest!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The Stone Ninja immediately scattered at the sound of their Tsuchikage's voice, turning and retreating in the direction from which they had come.

The Sand Ninja and Konoha ninja wanted to pursue, but the rock giants blocked their way. The giants were impervious to blades and weapons, and they could not be destroyed for the moment.

Fortunately, there were not many of them. More Sand Ninja and Konoha ninja took advantage of the Stone Ninja's panicked flight to pursue and kill them. The tide of battle had turned, and their defeat was like a mountain collapsing.

This forest was vast. The Stone Ninja had not noticed it when they first entered, but now that they wanted to escape, the road ahead seemed endlessly long.

"Don't pursue too far! Don't pursue too far!" Shikaku repeatedly shouted from the rear. Every life in Konoha was precious now, and none could be carelessly lost again.

About half an hour later, the Stone Ninja had all scattered and fled the area.

Rasa, the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage, looked at the remaining Konoha forces before him, his expression shifting slightly.

Countless corpses were piled across the ground, leaving nowhere to step. They all bore witness to how brutal the earlier battle had been.

Everyone cheered for this hard-won victory. Some Konoha ninja danced with joy, while others lifted corpses from the ground, crying and laughing at once.

A breeze blew through the forest, stirring everyone's clothes.

Minato finally could not hold on any longer. He found a random spot, leaned against a tree trunk, and sat down to rest.

Kakashi came over from somewhere and sat beside him.

"Kakashi, you're still alive," Minato said slowly.

During the earlier battle, he had had no time at all to look after his student.

"A lot of people are still alive," Kakashi said.

Minato tilted his head back and looked at the light filtering through the thick canopy.

The branches swayed, and shadows lay slanted across the ground. More people had died, but thankfully, many were still alive.

After the battle, the Sand Ninja kindly helped Konoha clear the battlefield.

Looking at the rows upon rows of Konoha ninja corpses, more than two thousand in total, even Rasa could not help feeling shaken.

Sarutobi came over and spoke face-to-face with Rasa for a long while, mainly thanking the Sand Ninja for coming to their aid. Konoha would forever remember this kindness.

Rasa said that Orochimaru's sincerity had moved him, and that Sunagakure and Konoha shared intertwined interests and should naturally stand together through hardship.

Sarutobi did not offer many polite words. From the bottom of his heart, he truly was grateful that Sunagakure had sent troops at such a time.

Rasa also said that continued war would bring nothing but disaster to the ninja world. Everyone now needed peace, yet Iwagakure had committed such an act against the natural order. Everyone in the ninja world should condemn them together.

On the Stone Ninja's side, the Sand Ninja did not pursue too deeply. Once they left that forest, no pursuers followed them.

Ōnoki gathered the remnants of his forces and discovered that they, too, had suffered grievous losses. Though his heart was filled with hatred and grief, he understood that they could no longer wage war against Konoha for the time being and needed to recuperate...

Just as Ōnoki was considering their next course of action, a messenger ninja hurried over and reported that the eastern border of the Land of Earth had come under attack from Kumogakure.

"What did you say?!" Kitsuchi, standing nearby, was horrified. He grabbed the man by the collar and demanded an answer.

Ōnoki's heart instantly sank to the bottom, but he became calm instead, no longer as impulsive and irritable as he had been on the battlefield.

Looking at the few thousand troops beside him, compared to the nearly ten thousand Stone Ninja they had brought with them, over half had already been lost. Ōnoki took a deep breath.

"Withdraw. We're going home."

The Stone Ninja were all demoralized. When they came, they had believed they could easily crush Konoha. Instead, they met the enemy's desperate resistance, suffered heavy casualties, and were defeated.

Ōnoki gave the forest one final look. He would never forget this place for the rest of his life.

But after this battle, how long would Iwagakure need to recover? Would he ever have another chance to set foot on this land?

Putting aside such thoughts, Ōnoki began considering what to do after returning to the village.

At a time like this, they needed military deterrence more than ever. There was a newly formed mercenary organization in the Land of Rain that they could hire to help expand their military strength.

What Ōnoki did not expect was that, while passing through the Land of Grass on their way home and intending to rest, they were driven away by Kusagakure.

This infuriated Ōnoki once more. Even ants he could once easily crush now wanted to humiliate them. Yet all he could do was swallow his anger and lead the Stone Ninja back to the Land of Earth through the night.

In truth, although Kusagakure had agreed to Orochimaru's proposal on the surface, they still did not dare attack the Stone Ninja. A starving camel was still larger than a horse, not to mention that this Stone Ninja camel was not dead yet.

After the battle ended, Konoha immediately sent news back to the village and the Daimyo's Palace.

Not long afterward, large amounts of supplies were transported from nearby towns, allowing the Konoha ninja to rest and recover for the time being.

The Sand Ninja also knew how to behave. They did nothing that would arouse suspicion. After helping Konoha clean up the battlefield, they voluntarily withdrew, not even taking a single kunai.

Sarutobi had originally feared that the Stone Ninja would return to attack, but after Rasa told him about Kumogakure, Kusagakure, and Amegakure, the Hokage finally felt at ease.

The Daimyo's Palace moved swiftly. That very night, a massive convoy arrived with wagons, food, and many medical supplies.

Early the next morning, they loaded the bodies of several thousand comrades onto carts. Carrying this hard-won victory, the Konoha ninja began their journey home.

Some wept uncontrollably along the way, while others lay beside their comrades' corpses as though they had lost their souls.

Sarutobi, Minato, and the others all felt heavy-hearted. Though they had won, they felt not a trace of joy.

"Long live Lord Orochimaru!" someone suddenly shouted. They believed that the reinforcements Orochimaru had brought had saved them and saved the village.

Others soon followed suit, shouting, "Long live Lord Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru sat near the front of the convoy. His expression remained unchanged amid the mountain-shaking cries around him. Behind him, the carts carried countless comrades' corpses, yet a hint of satisfaction gleamed in his eyes.