"Also, I was injured after fighting Chiyo, but my life is not in danger; I only have two or three broken ribs."
" Chiyo's right arm was severed by me, and her fighting ability is expected to decrease by more than half in the future."
"..."
At this point, the Jonin deciphering the code paused considerately, giving everyone in the tent time to process the explosive information in the letter.
"Phew, thank goodness..."
Upon hearing the Jonin who deciphered the code say that Orochimaru was safe and sound, with only a few broken ribs, Shin'un heard Shiina Kō breathe a sigh of relief behind him.
"Amazing, as expected of Orochimaru- sensei!" Yūichi clenched his fists, excited about his teacher's feat of severing Chiyo Chiyo's arm, after confirming that Orochimaru was safe and sound.
"It's good that Orochimaru is alright..."
Similarly, Shin'un breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing that his teacher was safe and sound.
After all, whether it's out of personal motives, the current state of the Shinobi World War, or personal feelings...
Shin'un didn't want Orochimaru to die like this.
Although Orochimaru, who would become the number one survivor in the Shinobi World, shouldn't die like this...
but.
Shin'un lowered his head, recalling the contents of the letter explaining the cipher to the Jonin. For no reason, Shin'un felt a sense of doubt.
Raising his head, Shin'un looked at Nara Shikahito, who was standing on the other side of the tent, frowning in thought.
Their eyes met, and each saw a hint of doubt in the other's gaze.
You've noticed it too, haven't you?
While the others in the tent were relieved that Orochimaru was unharmed, Shin'un walked up to Nara Shikahito and asked in a low voice:
"The casualties among the teaching staff are simply outrageous."
"And it's completely disproportionate to the casualties suffered by the Sand Ninja."
"You're right." Nara Shikahito nodded, glancing approvingly at Shin'un beside him. "This casualty ratio is completely off."
After saying that, Nara Shikahito rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"According to the report in the letter, Orochimaru's team suffered nearly 700 casualties, while the Sand Ninja who launched the surprise attack only lost 200 men."
Orochimaru's team only had 1,500 ninjas, and after just one attack, nearly half of them had been killed or wounded.
"Based on this, Orochimaru's medical and logistical support teams were almost completely wiped out, losing all their functionality."
After taking stock of the casualties in Orochimaru's team, Nara Shikahito, the battlefield commander of the Land of Rain, immediately looked grim.
"In this situation... even 'deeply tragic' doesn't fully describe it."
"Given Orochimaru's strength and the quality of our Konoha ninjas, even if we were attacked in the early morning, we shouldn't have suffered such heavy losses."
Hearing Nara Shikahito's words, Shin'un lowered his head, his brows furrowed, and he also sensed that something was wrong.
Given Orochimaru's previously reliable image, Shin'un simply couldn't understand how his teacher had managed to produce such a disastrous performance.
Shaking his head, Shin'un gave up thinking and turned to look at Nara Shikahito beside him.
"There's still most of the content in this letter; perhaps it will record the specific details of the battle later. Let's continue listening."
"That's right." Nodding, Nara Shikahito couldn't come to a conclusion, so he could only continue listening to the contents of the letter.
Turning his head, Nara Shikahito looked Jonin the Jonin holding the letter and said, "Continue."
Upon seeing this, Shin'un quickly turned around and looked behind him, his gaze immediately silencing Yūichi and the others.
Then, the sound of the Konoha Jonin deciphering the letter rang out.
"Okay, let's start with this line: ' Chiyo's right arm was severed by me...'"
After confirming, the Jonin raised his head and looked at the people around him.
The following is the deciphered content.
" Chiyo, with her severed arm, continued to fight me. After several close calls, she fired a signal flare, ordering all the Sand Ninja to retreat."
" Chiyo, with her severed arm, and all the Sand Ninja departed towards the Sand Ninja force. Since our forces were unable to pursue them, they ultimately escaped safely."
"At this time, it was nearly four in the morning."
"The team suffered nearly half its casualties, and the medical corps and logistical supplies were almost completely wiped out, making it impossible for them to reach the designated rendezvous point."
"After careful consideration, I have decided to lead the team back the way we came."
"If Nara Shikahito Jonin this letter, I need to apologize for failing to complete your plan."
"Furthermore, a new type of puppet appeared during this Sand Ninja attack, which warrants close attention."
"Our troops suffered heavy casualties, mostly due to this new type of puppet."
"So far, a total of sixty-one of these new puppets have appeared on the battlefield. Each puppet has demonstrated extremely high power, easily obliterating any ninjas advancing in its path."
"Furthermore, its defensive capabilities are excellent. To break through the outer defensive layer, it would take dozens of ninjas using Ninjutsu to bombard it for more than ten minutes, based on the standard of Chunin."
"To delay the advance of these puppets, I summon Manda."
"Unfortunately, a dozen new puppets swarmed in, Manda was no match for them. After fighting fiercely for more than ten minutes and destroying several puppets, she was seriously injured and had no choice but to leave."
"After the battle, based on a brief study of the damaged puppet remains left on the battlefield, I obtained some intelligence."
"This is a giant puppet that requires nine puppeteers to operate inside, standing over twenty meters tall, and shaped like a human, beast, or fortress."
"The puppet's exterior is no longer specially treated hardened wood, but a layer of extremely hard metal, half a meter thick."
"Furthermore, this puppet no longer uses Kunai, Senbon, or Explosive Tag as ranged attack tools."
"It was a condensed wind bursting forth from a metal pipe, resembling an enlarged version of Wind Release Ninjutsu."
"At the same time, based on descriptions from surviving ninjas on the battlefield, and my brief research, I discovered some of its weaknesses."
"First, because these puppets are extremely large, the nine puppeteers who control them each use a sealing scroll to carry a portion of the puppet's body and temporarily assemble it before the battle."
"Furthermore, based on its performance on the battlefield, it can be determined that this type of puppet consumes a great deal of resources."
"Often, after an hour of fighting, we need to stop in one place for ten minutes or so."
"Perhaps to avoid hindering the giant puppet's movement, the defenses at some of its joints are weaker than in other areas."
"..."
"This concludes my summary of all the information regarding the new Sand Ninja puppet."
"I hope this will attract the attention of the Jonin Nara."
"Finally, if possible, please give my regards to my three good-for-nothing disciples."
Sender: Orochimaru
"February 16th, Konoha Year 36, 4:00 AM."
"Report: The letter has been successfully deciphered."
The Jonin holding the letter flipped through the small sheet of paper, making sure nothing was missing, before straightening up and looking at Nara Shikahito.
After the Jonin finished deciphering the letter Orochimaru sent, an eerie silence fell over the tent.
Everyone's expression was very serious, finding the Sand Ninja's new puppet a formidable challenge.
In the tent, only Shin'un felt slightly different. When he heard Orochimaru's letter describing the "giant puppet," he inexplicably felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Damn it, Gundam!"