The moment Rasa fell, the yellow sand that had been protecting the Sand shinobi also collapsed.
As countless Sand shinobi pulled themselves free from the sand, Chiyo's exhausted scream rang out across the battlefield.
That was all it took.
They scrambled out in panic and immediately began fleeing to the rear.
"After them!!!"
Yūhi Shinku's shout suddenly thundered across the battlefield.
The Konoha shinobi who had survived Rasa's ultimate technique also turned at once and gave chase.
Everyone's hearts were burning with excitement.
At this moment, this war against Sunagakure could finally be considered over.
And they were the victors.
All that remained now was to push deep into the Land of Wind and force Sunagakure to sign a surrender treaty.
"Ah—!"
"Haaah—!"
Pa... pa... pa...!
Yūhi Shinku's voice soon reached the battlefield on the right as well.
The Konoha shinobi there immediately began chasing the retreating Sand shinobi too.
A fierce pursuit unfolded across the Land of Wind.
More than a thousand Sand shinobi fled in desperate panic at the front.
Behind them, Konoha's army of more than two thousand pursued closely, their roars echoing across the battlefield in waves.
The Sand shinobi, already terrified, could only run even faster.
The chase continued all the way until dusk, when Konoha's army finally came to a halt.
Night fell.
A new camp had already been established within the Land of Wind.
At the center of the camp stood the largest tent of all—Konoha's new frontline headquarters.
"Buru~ Buru~ Buru~"
"Buru~ Buru~ Buru~ Buru~ Buru~"
Inside headquarters, just as everyone finished counting the casualties from the battle, the Den Den Mushi in Yagami's possession suddenly rang.
Since this was the first time the higher-ups had called the Den Den Mushi at headquarters, it was also the first time the Konoha jōnin commanders had heard the strange dialing sound of a communication Den Den Mushi.
Everyone turned toward Yagami with curious eyes.
Only when he took out the Den Den Mushi did they finally understand.
"Buru~ Buru~ Buru~ Click!"
"Moshi moshi? Is Yagami-kun there?"
After Yagami picked up the miniature Den Den Mushi receiver, Mikoto's voice came through from the other end.
"Ahem…"
"Mikoto, I'm at frontline headquarters."
Hearing Mikoto's gentle voice, Yagami felt a little guilty.
At the same time, that sense of guilt only deepened in his heart.
He still had not figured out how he was going to explain things to the other two girls in the future.
"Yagami, how is the battle going?"
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi's originally gentle expression suddenly shifted.
It now wore the face of Sarutobi Hiruzen, looking grave and anxious.
Inside the Hokage's office, the clan heads and senior officials who had gathered around immediately raised their ears.
After taking some time to rest, their expressions had already recovered somewhat, and now all of them were listening intently.
"We've defeated Sunagakure's forces."
"And we've already advanced roughly two hundred kilometers into the Land of Wind."
"If nothing unexpected happens, Sunagakure should be coming to sue for peace soon."
Hearing the Third Hokage's question, Yagami answered truthfully.
The moment his words fell, a burst of cheers erupted from the other side of the Den Den Mushi.
Although Konoha's higher-ups had already long realized this battle was all but won, hearing the exact confirmation still filled them with joy.
"What are the exact casualty numbers?"
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage raised a hand to silence the noise before asking again.
"We've just finished compiling the numbers here."
"I'll have Captain Shinku report directly to you."
Yagami replied before placing the Den Den Mushi in front of Yūhi Shinku.
"Lord Third Hokage!"
Yūhi Shinku picked up the report from the table, rose to his feet, and straightened his posture.
"Mm. Shinku, go ahead. We're all listening."
"Yes!"
Hearing the Third Hokage's words, Yūhi Shinku respectfully acknowledged him.
Then he began his report in a steady voice.
"In this battle, we killed approximately 2,100 enemy shinobi. The number of prisoners captured is 193."
The moment Yūhi Shinku reported the number of captives, another wave of exclamations came from the Den Den Mushi.
However, the Third Hokage quickly silenced them again.
"And our casualties?"
The Third Hokage asked quietly, holding his breath.
"In this battle, the Sand shinobi fought fiercely from the very beginning. As a result, our losses are somewhat greater than in the previous engagement."
"The number of injured on our side is 712."
"The number killed in action is 384…"
After Yūhi Shinku finished speaking, the command tent fell completely silent.
On the other side of the Den Den Mushi, there was also a brief silence.
It was a moment of mourning for the comrades who had fallen in battle.
Even in victory, no one could cheer at a time like this.
"We understand."
The Den Den Mushi reflected the Third Hokage's heavy expression as his voice came through.
Then he began asking for more details about the battle itself.
Hearing the Third Hokage's inquiry, Yūhi Shinku gave a truthful report.
As the true field commander of the army during this battle, he had not personally joined the fighting at the front, but had instead been observing the entire flow of the battlefield from beginning to end.
No one understood the details of this battle better than he did.
From the opening clash to the final rout, he recounted everything one piece at a time.
Inside the Hokage's office, Konoha's senior officials and clan heads listened in silence.
When they heard that the Sand shinobi had not even dared to fight Yagami directly, and had instead vacated an entire unmanned zone around him, the higher-ups could not help but sigh in amazement.
Then, when they heard that the Sand shinobi had given Yagami the title of Konoha's strongest shinobi, everyone became even more curious.
After all, they had not witnessed Yagami's abilities with their own eyes.
That only filled their minds with even more speculation.
And when Yūhi Shinku reached the final part of the battle—how the last of the Sand shinobi had been so terrified by Yagami's personal action that their courage shattered completely—even the listeners in the Hokage's office were left shaken.
Yūhi Shinku also made sure to specially praise Nara Shikaku.
By borrowing Yagami's name to intimidate the Sand shinobi on the left battlefield, he had made a tremendous contribution to that side's victory.
The jōnin commanders inside the command tent also voiced their admiration for Nara Shikaku for a while.
In this war, that man had relied almost entirely on his mind.
And in terms of merit, he ranked second only to Yagami and Orochimaru.
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