The smoke from the defense of the Forest Barrier had yet to clear completely. The air still reeked of char, blood, and the distinctive, choking fumes of burning wet wood.
Treating the wounded, repairing fortifications, tallying losses... the base was a hive of activity, suppressed grief mingling with relief at surviving on every face.
Inside the command room, the atmosphere was heavy enough to wring water from.
Commander Shimura Kensuke listened to his subordinate's report, his face ashen with anger.
"...Seventeen confirmed dead, fifteen seriously wounded, and countless minor injuries. The eastern and western fortifications suffered severe damage. The breach blasted into the western side alone will take at least two days to patch up. The supply warehouse escaped disaster, but some of the reserve Explosive Tags and ninja tools near the fighting were damaged or exposed to moisture..."
"What about the enemy?" Shimura interrupted, his voice hoarse.
"Based on Hizashi Hyuga's Byakugan observations and the traces left on the battlefield, Kirigakure left at least twenty bodies behind when they withdrew. Their wounded are unaccounted for. But... their retreat was orderly, and their main force remains intact. Also, Captain Hatake's report, the markings on the bodies, and their fighting styles suggest that the main force behind this raid was most likely Kushimaru Kuriarare's unit-wielder of Nuibari and a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"Kushimaru Kuriarare..." Shimura Kensuke rolled the name over his tongue, his gaze darkening further.
He was an elite Jonin renowned even within Kirigakure for his cruelty and efficiency, skilled in Water Release and all manner of insidious assassination techniques.
His Steel Wire Technique could reportedly dismember people without a sound, making him a true "human meat grinder."
"He actually led them himself... It seems Kirigakure is determined to pull out this thorn in