Developments after the battle

"Look around you! Look at how many shinobi we have left!"

Orochimaru glanced at Uchiha Kageyama in front of him, then turned to look at the Konoha Ninja Army.

At his words, Uchiha Kageyama turned to look as well. Once he took in the situation around them, disbelief flashed in his eyes.

Nearly 2,300 Konoha shinobi had marched out of camp, but now fewer than 500 remained standing.

Many of the jonin he knew had vanished from the battlefield as well.

Clearly, Konoha had paid far too steep a price in this battle.

"Han is a perfect jinchuriki. If we truly push him into a corner, even if we manage to wipe them all out, only a handful of us here would likely make it back alive. What meaning would victory have then? We've already won, and the Iwa Shinobi have already lost. That's enough!"

Orochimaru spoke heavily. Looking at all the lives lost around him, he realized just how fragile human life was. He couldn't help entertaining the idea of pursuing immortality.

"Check carefully for any shinobi on the ground who are still alive. We must bring our heroes' bodies back to Konoha."

This wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Orochimaru gathered his thoughts and spoke gravely as he surveyed the bodies strewn across the ground.

The Konoha Army led by Orochimaru had crushed the Iwa Shinobi Army led by Kitsuchi. The news soon spread throughout the Shinobi World.

Many young shinobi had distinguished themselves in this battle, and from that day onward, they officially drew the attention of the major hidden villages.

The most outstanding of them was undoubtedly Chihane. He had now made it onto every major hidden village's blacklist.

At just twelve years old, he had slain one of the Iwa Shinobi's strongest fighters, "Iron Fist" Kitsuchi, making his name resound throughout the Shinobi World.

With the Eight Gates of Death and Lightning Release Chakra Mode activated, and black haki coiling around his body, he had looked like an asura. Combined with the enormous sword-energy slash he had used to kill Kitsuchi, this earned him the title of Asura Swordmaster.

After killing Higashishibito of the Iwa Shinobi, Minato Namikaze was also moved from the ranks of the younger generation's elite jonin onto the major hidden villages' blacklists of top-tier fighters.

His speed was so great that his attacks left nothing but streaks of yellow light in his wake, earning him the name Konoha's Yellow Flash.

Many gifted shinobi had also emerged among the younger generation. The most impressive were Kakashi Hatake of the Hatake Clan and Shisui Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan.

The two had shone on the battlefield by killing Iwa Shinobi jonin. Just because Chihane cut down jonin as easily as chopping vegetables didn't mean jonin were weak. In fact, the vast majority of shinobi never rose above chunin in their entire lives. Jonin were unquestionably among the Shinobi World's high-level combatants.

At the same time, however, both of them had landed on the major hidden villages' kill lists.

It was also worth noting that, unlike Rin Nohara, who had been left in camp because she was a medical ninja, Obito Uchiha had actually survived the battlefield.

Moreover, hovering between life and death on the battlefield, he had evolved the Sharingan in both eyes from one tomoe to two. This earned him a place among the talents the Uchiha Clan would prioritize nurturing.

Meanwhile, on another stretch of the Land of Fire's border...

Near the border facing the Mist Ninja of the Land of Water, Danzo had established a small base directly beneath a nearby town.

Danzo sat in the base's conference room. On the table before him lay files on Chihane and Kakashi.

"Sarutobi, you're far too weak. If you'd handed those two over to me to train, I would have made them into two sharp blades for us to wield. Instead, you gave Chihane Hatake to Orochimaru, and now Orochimaru has slipped beyond our control!"

Danzo muttered as he studied the photograph in Chihane's file.

In his view, Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision had been a mistake.

If the goal was merely to keep Orochimaru in check, he could have handled it himself. Yet Hiruzen had insisted on handing Chihane Hatake, whom Danzo had his eye on, to Orochimaru. Now that Chihane Hatake had fully come into his own, Orochimaru was completely beyond their control. Meanwhile, here on the Land of Fire's border, Danzo had already clashed with Mist Ninja many times.

He had used ruthless force against every Mist Ninja who came to test Konoha, slaughtering them all without the slightest mercy.

But the Mist Ninja were appearing more and more frequently. What he wanted most now was a top-tier fighter like Chihane under his command, someone who would obey his orders.

In his eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been far too cautious. Had Danzo been in charge, he would have mobilized Konoha's forces the moment the Mist Ninja began probing them, launched a war, and crushed them outright.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is far too indecisive. He doesn't deserve to be Hokage at all. Our teacher made the wrong choice!

If I were Hokage, the Shinobi World would have been united long ago!

Whoosh!

Just as Danzo was inwardly complaining about the Second Hokage, a Root shinobi appeared beside him.

"What are the Mist Ninja up to now?"

Danzo looked at the shinobi who had appeared beside him. He knew the man wouldn't come to him unprompted unless there was a problem. The Mist Ninja must have made another move.

"We've received intelligence that all seven members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have disappeared. Even our spies can't locate them."

The Root shinobi spoke in a calm, utterly uninflected voice, almost like a machine.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

Danzo repeated the Root shinobi's words in surprise and suspicion.

"Is the information reliable?"

This news was too important. Though Danzo knew a Root shinobi wouldn't deceive him with unverified information, he couldn't help asking for confirmation again.

"The information is reliable. We've confirmed it with several spies, and their reports all agree."

The Root shinobi answered firmly.

Every member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was a carefully selected elite jonin. With all seven fighters and their seven ninja blades together, even an ordinary top-tier shinobi would keep his distance.

They were undeniably the core of the Mist Ninja's fighting strength!

Their collective disappearance at this critical point in the war was anything but good news for Danzo.

"Investigate. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find them."

Faced with this development, Danzo could no longer spare any thought for Chihane. He immediately ordered the Root shinobi to locate the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist at all costs.

Meanwhile, back in Konoha...

The Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, pipe in hand, puffing out one cloud of smoke after another.

On the desk before him lay information on Chihane as well.

When Orochimaru's first battle report had arrived, he had already begun wondering whether handing Chihane Hatake over to Orochimaru had been a mistake.

His original plan had been to wait until Orochimaru had nowhere left to turn, then send Minato Namikaze to save the battlefield, paving the way for Minato's future.