The following day, news that shocked the entire Shinobi World emerged.
The Third Raikage was ambushed by the Iwagakure and perished in the Land of Earth.
This news left everyone in the Shinobi World utterly stunned.
This was the first Kage Level shinobi to die in the Third Shinobi War World War, and he was the leader of Kumogakure, one of the Five Great Nations.
At this moment, on the battlefield in Kumogakure, as the most crucial party in this major event, they received the news far faster than other ninja villages.
Upon receiving news of the Third Raikage's death, A immediately summoned all the high-ranking officials from the battlefield.
Looking at the ninjas around him, A said with a sorrowful expression, "The old man was killed by Iwagakure, and news has come from the village that those bastards from Iwagakure have already set sail for the Land of Lightning. The village is now leaderless and in chaos, and we urgently need to go back and take charge. So we must withdraw from the battlefield immediately."
We lost this war against Konoha. However, even in defeat, we cannot tarnish the reputation of Kumogakure. Therefore, I plan to leave behind some elite troops after the main force withdraws to harass and launch attacks against Konoha. Once I have driven Iwagakure out of the Land of Lightning and stabilized the situation in Kumogakure, we will then discuss announcing peace with Konoha.
"But Lord A, even if we wanted to retreat, Konoha might not be willing. They currently hold a huge advantage and might not let us off so easily. Moreover, now that the Third Raikage is in trouble, they are even less likely to let us go so easily."
Although Ai's idea was good, it was too idealistic; Konoha might not necessarily follow his plan.
"Don't worry, I've received word that Kirigakure has begun its attack on the Land of Fire. Our retreat actually eases the pressure on Konoha. They fought Sunagakure first, then us and Iwagakure, and now they're about to fight Kirigakure. Even if Konoha is strong, it can't withstand such attrition, so there's no need to worry about Konoha."
"Of course, if Konoha really isn't willing to give up easily, then I'll risk severely damaging Kumogakure's strength to drag Konoha down with me. At that time, Sunagakure might see Konoha's predicament and then make another move. I'll see if Konoha can afford to suffer any more losses." As he finished speaking, A's eyes were filled with ruthlessness, as if he was prepared to perish together with Konoha.
After hearing Ai's explanation, the Kumogakure members had no more objections.
Ai is right. Given Konoha's current losses, they might not be willing to suffer mutual destruction with Kumogakure.
Therefore, under Ai's orders, the Kumogakure troops retreated to Kumogakure at an extremely fast speed, leaving only an elite squad of about a hundred men running around on the battlefield.
This behavior seemed very strange to Orochimaru and the others.
However, news from Konoha soon dispelled their doubts.
" Lord Orochimaru, now that the Third Raikage has fallen and the Kumogakure is weaker than ever before, we must press our advantage and not let Kumogakure get away so easily." At this moment, Konoha Ninja already knew the reason for the Kumogakure's retreat spoke up and suggested.
He believed this was a golden opportunity to completely crush Kumogakure and shouldn't be allowed to slip away.
However, his proposal was not approved.
"The village has abandoned its plans to pursue Kumogakure. The most important thing now is to reach the Land of Bears and stop Kirigakure's invasion. So, let's leave things as they are for now regarding Kumogakure."
For Orochimaru, the hope was naturally to continue pursuing Kumogakure, because this was truly a Kumogakure. Even if Konoha suffered some losses, those losses would be insignificant compared to the gains from utterly defeating Kumogakure.
But then he thought of the weak, complacent attitude revealed in the orders Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him.
He then realized that the teacher he remembered, known as " the Shinobi Hero," had grown old, become soft-hearted, and lost sight of the bigger picture.
"Time is indeed the most ruthless blade in the world; even Shinobi Hero cannot escape it. This just proves that my ideals were correct."
With that thought in mind, Orochimaru began arranging preparations for the Konoha troops to march towards the Land of Bears.
Kōki had remained silent in his seat, was also quite surprised. He never expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi would make such a decision despite having such a huge advantage.
In his mind, even if the third generation became weak and only compromised in the future, that would only happen when they were too old to continue.
The Hiruzen Sarutobi in his memory still retains a trace of the Shinobi Hero's spirit, so why would he make such a decision?
In fact, Kōki didn't know that Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision was largely due to him.
Because the younger generation of Konoha is rising rapidly. People like him, Minato, or Kakashi all have extraordinary talent and have shown remarkable strength.
Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to end the war as soon as possible so that they could have a good environment to grow up in.
Another aspect is that the recent chaos in the Shinobi World has frightened him.
Not to mention anything far away, the mysterious organization that suddenly appeared in the Shinobi World has already slapped Konoha in the face, and Konoha has been unable to do anything about it. Now, the Third Raikage, the leader of Kumogakure, has died in battle in the Land of Earth.
Each and every one of these incidents demonstrates the utter chaos that currently grips the Shinobi World.
In such a chaotic situation, who would want to be the one to initially gain the limelight?
Continuing to pursue Kumogakure would indeed bring huge benefits, but it would also draw the attention of the entire Shinobi World to Konoha.
At that time, Gyuki, or all kinds of wicked tricks, from the Shinobi World may very well appear in Konoha.
One wrong move could cause Konoha to suffer significant losses.
It's completely a losing proposition.
Therefore, considering all these factors, Hiruzen Sarutobi issued the order not to pursue Kumogakure.
Of course, all these reasons cannot mask the most fundamental factor: Hiruzen Sarutobi has indeed become weak.
Perhaps it's related to age; despite having many good cards in his hand, he still chooses to act cautiously, completely lacking his former drive.
Unlike his previous ambitions, he is now more concerned with how to smoothly navigate this chaotic period and peacefully hand over the Hokage position to a more outstanding young person.
Therefore, the image of the Shinobi Hero Hiruzen Sarutobi that Kōki disappeared, and in its place appeared the " Shinobi Bear " Hiruzen Sarutobi. This change, apart from causing a slight disappointment in Kōki's heart, did not cause any further ripples.
After all, he was more familiar with the " Shinobi Bear " Hiruzen Sarutobi of Shinobi Hero " Hiruzen Sarutobi.
However, no matter what form Hiruzen Sarutobi, the promise he Hiruzen Sarutobi at the beginning will not change.
He's been working tirelessly to make Konoha even greater.