National Reactions and Halftime

December 31, Konoha Year 47: The Third Raikage led twenty thousand remnants in breaking through an unnamed valley on the eastern border of the Land of Earth. Alone, he remained behind to cover their retreat, holding back Iwagakure's army of one hundred thousand through the night.

At dawn on January 1, Konoha Year 48, Skywalker led a coalition army of one hundred sixty thousand and suddenly appeared on the valley battlefield. Using the twenty thousand captured Cloud Ninja as leverage, he forced the Third Raikage into a duel. The Third Raikage was defeated and captured.

Afterward, Iwagakure and Konoha's coalition forces fought a fierce battle in the unnamed valley. After several hours of stalemate, Iwagakure lost its position at the valley entrance and retreated in successive defeats. The Third Tsuchikage ordered a withdrawal, and Skywalker led his army of one hundred sixty thousand in pursuit for an entire day and night, penetrating thousands of li into the heartland of the Land of Earth before finally stopping.

In this battle, roughly thirty thousand Iwagakure shinobi were killed and around ten thousand were captured. Not a single soldier of Konoha's coalition army died.

On January 3, Konoha Year 48, Konoha's coalition army launched a pincer attack on the Land of Earth from the east and west, fielding a total force of five hundred thousand. Iwagakure was desperately short on troops and unable to defend both ends. Its main front collapsed across a vast stretch of territory, forcing it to split its forces into smaller units and adopt a full-scale guerrilla strategy.

After occupying large swaths of land, Konoha's coalition army returned to a defensive posture, fully consolidating its gains while preparing its next offensive. During this campaign, the eastern region originally seized by Kumogakure was entirely occupied by the coalition, then divided