"The siege of Kikyo Mountain Fortress has been lifted." Uchiha Ling spoke as calmly as if he were commenting on the weather. "The Iwagakure forces have been driven back. Jonin Mimura Yome is leading the remaining troops in clearing the battlefield and reinforcing the defenses."
"W-what?!"
"It's... over?"
"You drove back Iwagakure?! How is that possible?!"
The shinobi in the support force were stunned. The crowd erupted into a commotion.
They looked at one another, seeing the same shock and disbelief on every face.
The Jonin commander thought he must have misheard. He stepped forward and stared at Uchiha Ling. "Captain Ling, did you just say Iwagakure was driven back? Who drove them back?
"Did Lord Orochimaru arrive in person with the main force?
"But that can't be right. We were the first unit to set out..."
Uchiha Ling shook his head. "It wasn't the main force. After our squad arrived, we joined forces with the defenders and drove the enemy back."
"Y-you mean your squad? Just... just the three of you?!" The commander's voice rose sharply, full of disbelief.
The shinobi behind him erupted into even louder chatter.
"Three people drove back five hundred elite Iwagakure shinobi? You've got to be kidding!"
"That's impossible! Even the Sannin couldn't do that, could they?"
"Hey, there's a limit to how much you can joke around!"
Doubt and discussion rang out from every direction. It wasn't that they didn't want to believe it; the news was simply so astonishing that it lay completely beyond their understanding.
Just then, Mimura Yome stepped forward from the middle of the group. "Captain Ling and his squad really did drive back Iwagakure's elite! Their force was led by Kitsuchi himself, but even he couldn't withstand Captain Ling's ninjutsu. They withdrew just a short while ago!"
Mimura