Hatake Sakumo led the ninja forces at the front. Seeing that nearly every Konoha ninja was wounded, as well as the pale-faced Uchiha Yū guiding them from ahead, he knew they had been through a grueling battle.
"I'll handle things here. You all go to the rear and rest."
The White Fang of Konoha personally entered the fray. The Iwagakure ninja who had just arrived had no time to react before feeling pain at their necks. Fine crimson lines appeared, and then their vision blurred as they vaguely saw their own bodies collapse.
His swordsmanship was like the Reaper's scythe. Wherever he went, lives fell in droves, forcing the Iwa ninja who had intended to press their attack and pursuit to halt.
Kitsuchi, positioned at the rear, wore an even more unwilling expression. Hatake Sakumo's arrival meant their pursuit plan had failed. He immediately ordered the surrounding Iwa ninja to withdraw. They could not clash with Hatake Sakumo now. This battle had consumed too much of their fighting strength, and the Tsuchikage was seriously wounded. With no top-tier expert overseeing the pursuit force, continuing would be extremely dangerous.
Watching the Iwagakure ninja leave, Hatake Sakumo likewise ordered the Konoha ninja not to pursue them. They needed to leave the border region of the Land of Earth immediately.
His gaze fell on Uchiha Yū. The stench of blood was obvious on him, as was the blood staining his clothes. Hatake Sakumo immediately asked, "Can you still make it back to Konoha in your current condition?"
"Me? Things are a little bad. I need to find somewhere to rest."
He had been hit by the explosion's shockwave. Even with prompt medical ninjutsu treatment, the tiny tears in his internal organs required a long period of recuperation. At the very least, he could