Chapter 21 Deaths, Injuries, and Missing Persons

During the chase, Yu Xian not only broke away from the main force of Konoha, but also got lost.

Unable to hear any sounds from the battlefield in the Land of Grass, Yuzuru is most likely currently in the Land of Rain. The border... over there?

Regardless, he was temporarily safe after dealing with the pursuing Iwagakure enemies behind him.

The enemy's relentless pursuit finally yielded a result, though it might not be what he wanted. Yu Xian calmed himself down a bit, regained some strength, and returned to the body of the slain enemy, retrieving some usable ninja tools.

"You were blown up pretty badly. Although it wasn't completely painless, the pain only lasted for a moment... You just closed your eyes and opened them again and it was over. You don't need to make such an ugly struggle."

"Shuriken, ration pills, smoke bombs... and you're out of explosive tags."

After selecting some usable ninja tools, Yu Xian showed no intention of continuing to clean up the battlefield's remains; he wasn't that leisurely.

Yu Xian was worried that the explosion would attract other enemies, so she decided to leave the area quickly.

Now that he had escaped the pursuit of the Iwagakure ninjas and the organization of Konoha, for a moment, Yugen considered the probability of survival as a wandering ninja. However, after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he was overthinking it... Even if he were to wander, he could not possibly wander in the Land of Rain.

Returning to the battlefield in the Land of Grass is also difficult. Firstly, Yugen is in very poor condition. Although he did not have serious injuries thanks to Tsunade's previous treatment, continuous battles have made him extremely tired and his chakra is depleted.

Secondly, he couldn't be sure of the actual situation on the other side, whether Konoha had won or lost. The battle was closer to Iwagakure, and if Iwagakure were to send reinforcements and eventually repel or defeat Konoha, then if Yugen went back at that time, he would be walking into a trap.

For a ninja like him, it seems to make little difference whether he returns to the battlefield or not.

Yugen wasn't a native of Konoha, and he didn't have a strong sense of belonging to the village. If he hadn't been homeless, leaving Konoha would definitely have been an option. However, as mentioned before, this was the Land of Rain, filled with ninjas from Amegakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure. Yugen couldn't consider long-term consequences; his best course of action at this moment was to return to the Konoha front.

He appeared to be able to move freely, but in reality, he was still trapped by the entire battlefield environment.

Okay, before taking the next step, Yu Xian needs to find a place to hide, get a good night's rest, and recover some strength.

So Yu Xian mustered his strength and moved cautiously in the night, not only to be wary of enemies who might be hiding in the shadows, but also to be careful of the various traps set by ninjas from all sides, whether they were explosive tags or poisonous fog, they were all equally deadly.

However, Yu Xian was lucky. After walking a distance, he found a dry tree hole. He carefully concealed himself from the outside before hiding inside.

Without his captain by his side, Yu Xian certainly didn't dare to light a fire in the night. He simply took off his coat, which had been soaked by the rain, and then nestled in the corner of the tree hollow, covering himself with withered leaves that smelled of decay to avoid hypothermia... After making these preparations, he closed his eyes to rest.

Yu Xian had no intention of falling asleep; this was the Land of Rain, and he intended to remain vigilant. However, he did fall asleep soon afterward.

The battle, which lasted for half a day, had depleted his chakra, and the exhaustion of his body and the depletion of his spirit made it impossible for him to remain conscious.

For ninjas, excessive chakra consumption is definitely not a good thing. The resulting mental and physical exhaustion is difficult to relieve in a short period of time. If a ninja frequently and recklessly drains chakra, a short lifespan is almost inevitable.

…………

Meanwhile, this battle that had inexplicably broken out was finally coming to an end. The night provided an opportunity for both sides to disengage. After nightfall, Konoha and Iwagakure ceased their fighting, and both sides tried to take the wounded and the bodies of the dead with them as they withdrew from the battlefield under the cover of darkness... This battle had neither tactical purpose nor strategic objective; it was simply a matter of one side reinforcing the other, and then the fighting broke out.

Konoha didn't come away empty-handed; they captured a high-ranking Iwagakure spy, ensuring the security of their intelligence. If things had ended there and Konoha's fishing squad had been able to withdraw, Konoha would have made a huge profit.

Unfortunately, the battlefield does not change according to individual will.

A quick count afterwards revealed that over 40% of the Konoha ninjas who participated in the battle were seriously injured or died. In other words, after the battle, about 200 of the 500 ninjas were basically unable to stand up, and almost everyone who remained was wounded... The war between ninjas was far too cruel.

Iwagakure was not to be outdone. Konoha had its share of toads, snakes, and slugs. Although they had not yet earned the title of "Sannin" at this time, their battlefield destructive power far exceeded that of ordinary ninjas.

The remaining three members of Akimichi Torifu's team have already retreated to the eastern part of the Land of Grass.

"What about Yugen? Still haven't found him?" Akimichi Torifu asked, finding it hard to accept that the ninja he had high hopes for had come to an end.

However, that's how war is. Many talented and gifted ninjas have no room to grow, and any battle could take their lives.

"No, at least we haven't found his body," Uchiha Hazuki said.

"His disappearance is the best news. In this battle, the Iwagakure ninjas used too many ninjutsu to divide the battlefield... It's very likely that Hagen was scattered," said Omori Kairi.

"Yugen's movement skills are quite good, there's still a possibility." Akimichi Torifu wiped the dried blood from his face, still willing to believe that Yugen might survive.

Whether you say he has confidence in his teammates or he's just deceiving himself, he doesn't want to lose hope easily.

At the Konoha front-line command post, Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo quickly received the battle briefing. The casualty figures on it were shocking, almost causing Mitokado Homura to lose control of his emotions.

"The spy has been found, and all we need to do is provide support and evacuate. Why did it turn into an encounter battle?"

"They must have been influenced by the atmosphere of the battlefield and blinded by hatred... Whether it's us or Iwagakure, some ninjas are too young and not rational enough." Shimura Danzo felt that the young ninjas were too inexperienced.

"Atmosphere? We've inexplicably lost so many ninjas, how are we going to explain this to the Hokage?"

It must be admitted that the Shinobi World War, which was restarted after 20 years, was as brutal as ever, but in addition to being brutal, it was also a case of weaklings fighting each other in many places.

"Flame, we are fighting the Ninja World War, not playing house. If we were to act with absolute rationality, we shouldn't have sent Akimichi Torifu's team in the first place. Once their identities as spies were confirmed, we shouldn't have sent ninjas to provide support... We should have let them withdraw on their own."

"Danzo, you... this is tantamount to abandoning that squad outright."

"I'm talking about interests, not morality."

Well, Danzo is indeed that kind of Danzo... Morally speaking, abandoning one's own ninjas is despicable, but it does prevent significant losses.

Konoha staged a "rescue of Jonin Akimichi," but what was the result?

Of course, on a larger time and space scale, ninjas on the battlefield are always expendable resources. If they are not consumed in this battle, they will be consumed in the next battle. The Ninja World War will not stop until most of the resources in hand are used up.

"Report the battle situation to Hiruzen; he'll understand."