After returning to the Kumogakure Village's base with doubts in his heart, Ai didn't even try to calm the ninjas below. He immediately headed towards the meeting room in the camp with Killer B, because he knew that someone could explain things to him.
Meanwhile, inside the conference room, Raikage Dodai, who had not appeared on the battlefield, sat in his seat waiting for him.
Upon entering the conference room, Ai asked Dodai, "Brother Dodai, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly give the signal to retreat?"
After he finished speaking, Killer B, who was wearing black sunglasses, also asked in a strange tone, "I don't understand either. I almost got caught by that Wood Release brat!"
He was originally fighting well against the kid using Wood Release, and even felt he had a chance to defeat him, but all of that was ruined by Dodai's retreat signal. This made him somewhat dissatisfied.
That's right, the signal flare that resounded throughout the battlefield was launched from Dodai.
However, Ai didn't understand why Dodai would do this. He and Killer B were engaged in a fierce battle with Konoha, and this sudden signal to retreat interrupted his offensive rhythm, almost causing trouble for them in the midst of the battle.
Faced with the two puzzled brothers, Dodai said with a serious expression, " Yugito and the others are back. We suffered heavy losses in the Land of Wind, and we called you back for the sake of the future. Moreover, we didn't see any clear advantage on the battlefield this time; on the contrary, we were at a disadvantage. We were afraid that you would continue to fight the people of Konoha regardless of the losses, so we issued the order to retreat."
Dodai had a clear view from the rear that Kumogakure was indeed lacking in combat strength after losing Yugito, and the difference in strength became quite obvious as soon as they clashed with Konoha.
Moreover, as important combat forces on the battlefield, Ai and Killer B are not mature enough, and often get so engrossed in the battle that they forget about the casualties of their subordinates.
Upon hearing Dodai's words, Ai and Killer B's slightly angry expressions immediately changed, and they both showed embarrassed looks.
If Dodai hadn't sent the signal, they might have actually gone so far as to attack Konoha regardless of the losses. This left them speechless, unsure how to refute Dodai's statement.
However, Ai's mind worked better Killer B's. Seeing the accusatory tone in Dodai's voice, she immediately changed the subject, saying, " Yugito is back? How is she doing now?"
The experienced Dodai was naturally aware of A's abrupt change of topic, but he didn't pursue the matter further. After all, A would eventually inherit the position of Raikage, and he wanted to save face for him.
So, following up on Ai's topic, he said, "The situation isn't good. She suffered considerable injuries and is currently recuperating in the medical department. However, thanks to her Jinchūriki constitution, she's recovering quickly, and I estimate she'll be back on the battlefield in a few days."
This is actually quite good news for the Kumogakure right now.
Because Konoha now has Yuki, their attacks have been quite unsuccessful, which is why they ultimately decided to launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure as well.
After all, everyone knows to pick the weakest target. Since they know that Konoha with Kōki is not easy to deal with, Sunagakure without Shukaku naturally becomes their target.
However, the Sunagakure's tenacity exceeded their expectations; otherwise, their plan would have truly succeeded.
"That's good. Now that Konoha has a Wood Release kid, it's not as easy to deal with as before. We suffered a small loss against the Wood Release brat. But with Yugito back this time, we're more confident in dealing with Konoha."
Hearing Dodai's words, A's face lit up with joy. There was no way around it; the existence of Wood Release had indeed caused considerable trouble for the Kumogakure's attack, almost managing to control the Eight-Tails. If it weren't for his quick reaction, the Kumogakure would have suffered heavy losses.
Killer B, standing to the side, was somewhat indignant at A's words. It wasn't that he was angry at A, but rather that he himself felt his performance on the battlefield had been terrible, having carelessly been trapped by Wood Release brat. Such a mistake made him extremely dissatisfied. He secretly vowed to make Kōki pay in the upcoming battle.
"Oh, right, speaking of the Wood Release brat, because this Wood Release brat has grown too fast, exceeding the Lord Raikage's expectations, the Lord Raikage has decided to form an alliance with Iwagakure to attack Konoha together. The specific details will need to be discussed by the Lord Third at the Land of Earth's border in a while. So for now, let's do our best to hold off Konoha. Once the Raikage and Ōnoki have reached an agreement, we'll be in a much easier position." At this moment, Dodai suddenly remembered something and said to A and Killer B in front of him.
He received the news suddenly, and it seems that the Third Raikage made this decision after careful consideration.
This news immediately caught the attention of Killer B. With the cooperation of Iwagakure, their chances of defeating Konoha had increased once again.
In an instant, Ai and Killer B Bee were filled with excitement, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit. They were eagerly awaiting the next attack.
While the Kumogakure was gearing up for the upcoming battle, the Konoha were baffled by the Kumogakure's sudden retreat.
" Lord Orochimaru, is there any information in the village regarding the sudden withdrawal of Kumogakure?" At this moment, in the meeting room of the Konoha camp, a Jonin asked Orochimaru, who was sitting at the head of the table, with a worried expression.
The retreat of the Kumogakure Village was so sudden and bizarre that many Konoha ninjas were somewhat panicked.
This inexplicable feeling left many people feeling uncertain.
Seeing the uneasy expressions on the faces of the ninjas around him, Kōki sighed inwardly. To be honest, such behavior was somewhat out of character for Konoha Ninja, but the previous battle with Kumogakure had already broken Konoha's morale, and now many Konoha Ninja were filled with fear of the Kumogakure forces.
Orochimaru was aware of the situation, and the solution to this atmosphere was simple: a resounding victory. However, the Kumogakure was not engaging in combat with them at the moment.
Faced with this situation, even if he wanted to, he was powerless to change it.
"There's been no news of Kumogakure's sudden retreat in the village. However, the village's Anbu are currently investigating Kumogakure's situation with all their might. Therefore, for safety's sake, we must be extra careful in the upcoming battles. No one can be sure whether Kumogakure's retreat is hiding some other, more important conspiracy."
Orochimaru was somewhat helpless, but the fear his subordinates had of Kumogakure forced him to act cautiously. The lack of intelligence also meant that he had to pay close attention to every move Kumogakure made, since Konoha never wanted to experience the near-invasion of the Land of Fire Kumogakure again.
Therefore, figuring out the purpose of Kumogakure is of paramount importance to Konoha right now.
Fortunately, thanks to Kōki's presence, his immense strength and Wood Release rekindled the fighting spirit of many Konoha Ninja.