At night, the Konoha camp
The Shadow Clones of the ninja on the mountain were destroyed, and their memories and pain quickly transferred to their originals. At first, the originals felt dizzy and nauseated, even vomiting, but once they adjusted, they regained control of their bodies.
They immediately reported, "Reporting, Lord Danzo! The plan went smoothly. The enemy's attack force on the mountain numbered over a thousand. We killed five hundred, and the other five hundred were severely wounded and can no longer fight!"
A flash of delight crossed Danzo's eyes. He turned to Kō and said, "Excellent! Now the Third Kazekage is left with no troops at all!"
Uchiha Kō first comforted the ninja who had been injured when their Shadow Clones burst, then replied, "That's right. However, Lord Danzo, with the Three Mountains back in Sunagakure's hands, our earlier advantage has been wiped out."
"Our only remaining advantage is that our ninja forces suffered few casualties. Even if the enemy sends reinforcements, we shouldn't have much trouble." After thinking it over, Uchiha Kō gave his assessment.
Danzo nodded and had Aburame Shikuroo take the wounded ninja away. Then he turned to Uchiha Kō again and asked, "So what should we do now?"
Uchiha Kō gave a single-word answer. "Wait."
"Wait? Why wait?" Shimura Danzo was puzzled. Would waiting really defeat the Sunagakure forces? Would it really defeat the Third Kazekage?
"That's right." Uchiha Kō looked at Shimura Danzo. "Lord Hokage's forces should arrive soon. Until then, we should avoid a head-on battle as much as possible."
"Kō! I think we can afford to be more aggressive!" Shimura Danzo frowned. He understood that once Sarutobi Hiruzen took over, he'd have fewer chances to earn merit, and Hiruzen would claim more than half the credit!
Naturally, he wanted to strike