"Retreat!"
"The Jonin Commander's unit will hold them off!"
"We've lost! We've lost!"
"It's been a one-sided slaughter!"
At the news of the retreat, the Cloud Ninja's morale collapsed. Their casualties had already neared the limit they could bear, and in an instant, their forces fell apart.
Toroi said to his subordinates,
"Get as many of the others out as you can."
"I'll hold them off."
His subordinates looked startled.
"But, Lord Toroi!"
"You're..."
Toroi had just exhausted his Chakra resisting Sarutobi Hiruzen's Great Barrage Technique. He was still weak and hadn't recovered at all; he could barely muster enough Chakra to perform a complete technique.
Toroi shook his head, his expression resolute.
"Someone has to take responsibility for this war."
"We've already lost a Jinchuriki."
"We can't afford to lose any more Cloud Ninja."
One of his subordinates opened his mouth, wanting to say that this defeat wasn't their fault. The Cloud Ninja hadn't even wanted to start a war.
Who could have known that the Third Hokage would play dirty, launching a thousand-mile surprise attack in person and catching the Cloud Ninja completely off guard?
But seeing Toroi's expression, ready to face death without hesitation, the subordinate couldn't bring himself to speak.
That was the will of the Cloud Ninja: never compromise, never give up, and fight to the death.
"Have the Cloud Ninja retreat along the route, throwing down all their Kunai and Shuriken."
"Send the young, lower-ranking Ninja ahead. The Jonin will stay behind to hold them off..."
Toroi's orders were relayed across the battlefield in moments. Though the Cloud Ninja had been thrown into disarray, they did their best to retreat in an orderly fashion.
On a Ninja battlefield, without a rear guard to hold off the enemy, turning your back on them was little