It was night.
After training outside for several hours, Qian finally returned to Black Stone Outpost.
Back at his quarters, Qian pushed open the door and saw a figure inside.
It was none other than his Shadow Clone.
The two met each other's eyes, and the Shadow Clone vanished on the spot.
What followed was a long stretch of memories.
Among them were not only scenes of him tailing Kirigakure back to Flying Fish Town, but also memories of being dragged into a meeting by Sano Nobuhisa after he returned.
Qian only skimmed roughly through the former, then paid it no more attention.
Osawa Yuki had not pulled any tricks. After issuing the order to retreat, he had obediently led the surviving Mist Ninja back to Flying Fish Town.
As for the latter...
There was likewise not much of substance.
The battle had only just ended, and Sano Nobuhisa still had plenty to deal with. The meeting had merely given a general report on the gains and losses of this battle, as well as the situation on the other three battlefields.
From him, Qian learned that the breach located on the Southern Defense Line was the true focus of Kirigakure's attack this time.
That also explained why Osawa Yuki had retreated so decisively—not only because of the pressure Qian had exerted, but also because they were not the main assault force.
As for that breach...
Even now, neither side had decided a victor.
However, because it had dragged on for too long, the fighting over there had already turned into a tug-of-war. The personnel on the field had rotated through two rounds, and they were still fighting there now.
Sano Nobuhisa wanted them to be ready to provide support at any moment.
Although the village had already agreed to dispatch