Inside the Hidden Leaf's Hokage Office, scrolls formed a small mountain on the desk.
All of them were urgent intelligence reports sent back from the Eastern Front.
The people in the room stood rooted to their spots. None of them moved.
One ANBU messenger had barely left when another hurriedly pushed open the door.
This was already the sixth report of victory delivered in half an hour.
"Report! The follow-up battle report from Blackwater Marsh has arrived!"
The ANBU knelt on one knee, holding up a top-secret dispatch tube sealed with wax in both hands.
"The A-B Combo has suffered devastating injuries, and Hidden Cloud's frontline forces have been completely routed!"
"A suffered eight broken ribs. His personal guards fought desperately to carry him out of the encirclement."
"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, suffered mental trauma and has fallen into a deep coma."
"The Seventh Special Guerrilla Corps has opened the canyon passage and reclaimed the lost territory on the Land of Hot Water's Eastern Front!"
"A total of five hundred and sixteen Hidden Cloud Chunin and Jonin were captured in this battle!"
The ANBU's voice was sharp and piercing.
The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.
Standing beside the desk, Mitokado Homura reached for the battle report.
His facial muscles twitched, and his eyes widened behind his glasses.
"Over five hundred prisoners..."
Mitokado Homura's voice was dry.
"Those were Hidden Cloud's elite troops, not roadside bandits."
"How many days has it even been?"
"The positions the Land of Lightning spent months establishing on the Eastern Front are just gone?"
Utatane Koharu leaned over to look as well.
After reading every word of the report, cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
"It wasn't just Hidden Cloud. Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen lost two members as