"Is it over?"
The Iwagakure Shinobi watched the White Zetsu sink underground together. Only after they had all withdrawn did the focus finally fade from the Shinobi's bloodshot eyes.
Severed limbs and broken bodies littered the bloody battlefield. This battle had dealt Iwagakure a considerable blow.
"So, did we win? Or did we lose?"
The bewildered voice echoed across the battlefield and in the heart of every Shinobi there.
Had they won? They certainly had. They had driven back the enemy and protected their home.
Had they lost? They certainly had that, too. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki had been taken, the Five Kage were injured, more than half the Iwagakure Ninja were dead or wounded, and the terrain around the gate had been destroyed.
"Shinobi of Iwagakure!"
Just then, a figure flew into the air, casting a little potato-shaped shadow on the ground.
"I know we lost many of our comrades in the battle just now."
"I also know you must all feel lost right now."
"The truth is, I don't know what to say either. After all, my own heart feels heavy right now."
Ōnoki gave a bitter smile as he addressed the Shinobi on the battlefield.
"But what we can be sure of now is that we drove back the enemy. At least Iwagakure still stands."
"As long as the village stands, we have a future."
"..."
Watching Ōnoki shout to the Iwagakure Ninja from the air, the other four Kage fell silent.
"Hey, A, don't go attacking them while they're suffering losses."
Tsunade cast a sidelong glance at A, whom she was treating, and spoke half-jokingly.
"Under these circumstances, I wouldn't dare. But did your village's Two Ancestors win?"
After this battle, A's mood had shifted slightly from his initial bravado.
The smell of blood hung thick over