Amid the lush forest, in the last glow of the setting sun, the departing Rock Ninja could be seen.
Deep in the forest, Sosuke stood atop a thick tree trunk. He gave Konoha one last sidelong glance, his expressionless face turned toward the village. A moment later, he vanished.
In Konoha.
A mournful atmosphere hung over the entire village.
The Rock Ninja's attack had inflicted enormous losses on Konoha.
In the fight against the Rock Ninja, dozens of Konoha Ninja had lost their lives. Every ninja was a precious asset to the village; the losses were undeniably severe.
And that was not all. Konoha was now in ruins.
Although the Rock Ninja had failed to achieve their goal of destroying Konoha, they had nearly completed their preparations for Earth Phenomenon Divine Punishment.
The preparations, which had begun with tremors like those of a powerful earthquake, had already destroyed nearly half the houses in Konoha. Fortunately, once the fighting began, the civilians evacuated quickly and were not put in danger.
That was a rare stroke of luck amid misfortune.
In the northwestern corner of Konoha, the battlefield lay in ruins.
Rubble and splintered wood littered the ground, and enormous craters pocked the area. The scene was a chaotic mess, unmistakably the site of a fierce battle.
Shimura Danzō lay on the ground, covered in wounds. His crimson blood had soaked through nearly all of his kimono, and his right arm was twisted at a grotesque angle, practically useless. His injuries were clearly severe.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi, was half-kneeling nearby, a sharp stone blade embedded in his right leg. Blood streamed from the wound without stopping.
His expression was grave, though he paid little attention to his own injuries. Instead, he gazed toward the distance with a complicated look in his