A Huge Loss

Pashira put down his brush, his expression complicated as he looked at the young man before him.

No matter how much he loathed this brat, his words were correct—Kumogakure had to protect these shinobi no matter what.

They were the village's present and future.

Even if the odds were slim, he had to save as many as possible.

He had considered breaking through the encirclement, but how many could actually manage it?

He lifted his head, watching the gasping remnants of the Cloud shinobi standing back-to-back, kunai in hand, glaring warily at the hungry Sunagakure forces. But no matter how fierce their eyes, they couldn't hide their weakness.

In this state, even if they broke through the encirclement, how far could they flee through enemy territory?

And if they surrendered, would the other side turn on them?

Even if not, could this kid handle the Sunagakure Elder Council?

After all, Sunagakure's traditional conservatism was as infamous as the Blood Mist Village's.

But his instincts told him this young man could handle everything—just as he had handled this elite unit.

It was ridiculous—a shinobi entrusting everything to instinct.

A defeated general always had too many thoughts but too few choices. He could only choose to believe.

"I'll have them put down their weapons."

Saying those words seemed to drain all the strength from this powerful shinobi, his once-proud head bowing slightly.

"By all means."

Hoshino Maki clasped his hands behind his back and made a 'go ahead' gesture, watching calmly as the man walked over to the still-resisting Cloud shinobi.

"Sir, should we tighten the encirclement?"

The man beside him was still wary of a desperate last stand.

"No need. Call the Medical Corps over and prepare to treat the wounded."

"Yes!"

The surrounding jonin nodded with respectful expressions—something unseen before.

Earlier, their respect had come more from Hoshino Maki's status as a Medical Ninja, a lifeline for shinobi. Combined with his position as commander, the Reinforcement Unit dared not act presumptuously, but inwardly they still saw him as a support-type shinobi.

In other words, he wasn't Rasa or Pakura—he couldn't decide the battlefield's course.

But now, no one would underestimate this Medical Ninja, or rather, this puppeteer skilled in medicine.

This combination carried special meaning in Sunagakure.

Not to mention he came from Sunagakure Hospital—even if Hoshino Maki didn't say it, others had already branded him with Chiyo's mark.

On Pashira's side, the persuasion wasn't smooth, but in the end, they accepted the irreversible reality. Faces ashen, they despairingly dropped their kunai, letting the Sunagakure shinobi seal their Chakra.

Hoshino Maki, not trusting it, personally reinforced each seal—after all, these were to be sent to the village. If something went wrong halfway and they caused havoc in the Land of Wind, it would be a huge mess.

"You... what's your name?"

Hoshino Maki looked at the girl with short golden hair, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

The girl simply turned her head away, utterly ignoring him.

"Hey! Can't you hear when an adult asks you a question?!"

The jonin guarding Hoshino Maki moved to teach this clueless little girl her place.

Hoshino Maki raised a hand to stop him.

"Samui."

The girl's head snapped around, eyes wide, face full of disbelief.

"How do you know my name?"

Hearing Hoshino Maki speak her thoughts, the girl shut her eyes in fright, trying to empty her mind, thinking of nothing.

Hoshino Maki spoke: "Relax, I don't know Mind Reading."

Seeing she still had an 'I'm not listening, I'm not listening' attitude, Hoshino Maki smiled without a word and waved for someone to take her away.

Young Samui lacked her cold beauty aura, instead seeming somewhat cute.

After Hoshino Maki finished reinforcing the seals, Kojima came to his side.

"What are the casualties?"

Hoshino Maki spoke first.

"85 dead, 231 wounded. The Medical Ninja have stabilized their lives."

Hoshino Maki was silent for a moment.

He hadn't expected such heavy losses after a round of Explosive Tags.

Without the Medical Ninja, how many of those 231 would have survived?

Even comforting himself with excuses like 'the enemy jonin were elite and numerous,' it was still hard to accept.

Just moments ago, he had seen a corpse—a genin who had been sitting by the campfire listening to his stories. Hoshino Maki remembered he was only twelve years old.

Now his life was forever frozen at twelve.

"Any good news?"

Hoshino Maki felt inexplicably irritated that things had exceeded his expectations, and his tone turned somewhat sharp.

Kojima didn't mind. He knew what it felt like to see so many of his comrades' corpses on the battlefield. Hoshino Maki hadn't been at the border long, and that period had been peaceful—he'd never witnessed such a scene of bodies strewn across the field. Being able to control himself on his first exposure was already commendable.

"Great results. 71 prisoners—43 jonin, 28 chunin. 189 kills—21 jonin, 168 chunin."

Kojima's excited tone involuntarily rose.

He could swear on his honor that this was the greatest victory Sunagakure had achieved against the Four Great Ninja Villages on the front lines in the past decade.

Especially considering this was an elite force composed entirely of jonin and chunin, while their own side was just an ordinary unit with only 30 jonin—a massive disparity that made this battle's value even more remarkable.

According to Sunagakure's intelligence, Kumogakure had around 300 jonin total.

After deducting those protecting important figures like the daimyo, maintaining regional stability, guarding the village, and handling ANBU duties, they could normally deploy only 120 to 150.

That was under ideal conditions. In reality, jonin also took missions, taught students, and many belonged to their own clans and wouldn't serve the Raikage. Unless the village's safety was at stake, these people wouldn't all mobilize.

Even though Sunagakure's intelligence network had been paralyzed for a time due to the Kazekage's disappearance, the margin of error wouldn't be too large—after all, training jonin wasn't something accomplished overnight.

If Hoshino Maki truly had the heart to kill these people, conservatively speaking, Kumogakure would be set back ten years!

In fact, Kojima was already considering whether to erect a monument in front of this forest commemorating Sunagakure's great victory.

What?

You say this is the Land of Rain's territory? Who cares (bear shrug)?

Ask that old man Hanzo if he dares leave Amegakure now.

Hoshino Maki nodded. "Treat the Kumogakure wounded."

"Lord?!"

Kojima found it hard to understand. This was wartime—there was no logic in aiding the enemy. But before he could speak, he heard Hoshino Maki continue:

"Remember to charge medical fees. Hmm, 1 million ryo for a chunin, 5 million for a jonin. We'll take a loss, but what can we do? We're friendly, mutually prosperous villages after all."

Hoshino Maki waved his hand grandly, wearing an expression of having suffered a great loss.

"Will Kumogakure agree to that?!"

Kojima apologized for his earlier misunderstanding. Lord Hoshino was just crazy for money.