Not long after the Konoha shinobi withdrew, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Ōnoki, arrived at Tenchi Bridge with two thousand Iwa shinobi.
Floating in midair, Ōnoki looked down at the ground covered with the corpses of Iwagakure ninja. His expression turned extremely grim.
Ever since he learned that the Kikyō Mountain Fortress battle had ended in defeat, Ōnoki had been anxious beyond measure. He immediately assembled two thousand troops from Iwagakure and rushed to the Land of Grass, hoping to receive and escort the retreating Iwa forces.
Those were more than two thousand shinobi of Iwagakure—among them was even his son, Kitsuchi.
Ōnoki had skipped nearly every unnecessary procedure and discarded anything that might slow him down. Yet despite rushing here with all his might, he was still too late.
Judging from the situation at the scene, the battle had ended no more than an hour ago.
And in just that short hour, over two thousand Iwa shinobi had been wiped out. Naturally, Ōnoki's mood was anything but pleasant.
"Report!"
At that moment, several ninja from Iwagakure's reconnaissance squads emerged from the forest on the opposite side and shouted toward Ōnoki from the ground.
Ōnoki slowly descended, his voice icy.
"Speak."
The scout reported in a deep voice,
"We pursued them all the way to the border of the Land of Grass. The Konoha forces have already retreated into the Land of Fire and are currently establishing defensive lines along the border."
"Additionally, Konoha appears to have received reinforcements. Their total force now numbers around three thousand."
"We also found a surviving Iwa shinobi. According to the intelligence he provided, the Konoha side included Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin, as well as an unknown Uchiha powerhouse."
Ōnoki's expression grew even darker upon hearing this. He knew that this loss was something he could only swallow for now.
With several powerful figures guarding the enemy side, there was no chance for retaliation. If he acted rashly, both he and the two thousand troops he had brought might be buried here as well.
He already understood that this war could only end here.
"…Clean the battlefield. Gather the bodies."
Then he paused briefly before giving the final order.
"After that… we return."
Meanwhile, after the battle ended three days earlier, the reinforcements sent by Shikaku Nara soon arrived. Together they guarded the border, remaining vigilant against a possible sneak attack from Iwagakure and constantly monitoring the movements of the Iwa army.
It wasn't until Ōnoki finally withdrew with his forces and returned to the Land of Earth that Konoha truly breathed a sigh of relief and began arranging the withdrawal of its troops.
Three days later, Uchiha Ren and Minato Namikaze led more than two thousand Konoha shinobi back to Konohagakure, welcomed by cheering villagers lining the streets.
When Uchiha Ren had left the village, he had taken four squads of the Konoha Military Police Force, totaling more than 470 Uchiha shinobi.
Now, only a little over one hundred returned alive.
In just a few days, the losses exceeded those suffered over several years during the Third Shinobi World War.
Of course, in terms of strength alone, this might actually count as a considerable increase for the Uchiha clan.
The hundred or so surviving Uchiha were all elites.
At the very least, every one of them possessed the two-tomoe Sharingan, and more than half had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
But that didn't mean the matter could simply be brushed aside.
The one hundred seventy or so Uchiha who had died each represented a family behind them.
After assigning the remaining matters to Minato Namikaze and the others, Uchiha Ren returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound with the surviving Uchiha shinobi.
However, after dismissing them to return to their homes, Ren himself did not go home.
Instead, he went straight to the Konoha Military Police Force Headquarters, sending word for Elder Uchiha Setsuna, Elder Uchiha Ya, and Fugaku Uchiha to gather there.
Just as Uchiha Ren entered his office, a member of the Military Police knocked on the door and stepped inside.
Ren sat down in his chair and asked,
"What is it?"
The Uchiha ninja replied respectfully,
"Captain, Homura Mitokado and Shimura Danzō from the Hokage Tower have arrived. They say they have urgent matters to discuss with you."
"Homura Mitokado and Shimura Danzō?"
Ren raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"They came quite quickly."
"Bring them in."
"Yes!"
The Uchiha ninja bowed and withdrew from the office.
Before long, Konoha Elder and Hokage Advisor Homura Mitokado, along with Shimura Danzō, entered together.
Although both wore expressionless faces, a closer look would reveal that Homura's eyes held a trace of urgency, while Danzō's gaze openly carried curiosity and probing intent.
Ren smiled faintly.
"Two distinguished guests—please, have a seat."
"Captain Ren," Homura Mitokado said first with polite courtesy, "our sudden visit is rather abrupt. You've only just returned from the battlefield and should be resting for a while. But the matter is urgent, so I had no choice but to come immediately."
Ren waved his hand dismissively.
"No matter. May I ask what matter requires the two elders to visit personally?"
Since this visit was meant to test Ren's attitude, Homura did not beat around the bush.
"It concerns the three billion ryō subsidy from the Fire Daimyō."
At these words, Ren suddenly showed a look of realization.
"So that's what Elder Homura is referring to."
"The Fire Daimyō's court indeed allocated three billion ryō in subsidy funds to the Uchiha clan."
"Is there some problem?"
Homura frowned slightly.
"Captain Ren, your words must be made clear."
"That subsidy from the Daimyō's court was allocated to the village, not to the Uchiha clan."
"For now, it is merely being temporarily held in custody by your clan."
Ren smiled.
"Elder Homura is not wrong."
"But that is only part of the truth."
"The Daimyō's court not only entrusted the funds to the Uchiha clan for safekeeping…"
He paused slightly before finishing calmly:
"It also entrusted the Uchiha clan with the authority to distribute those funds."
"And not just this one sum."
"From now on, every fund allocated by the Daimyō's court to Konoha will follow the same arrangement."
The moment those words were spoken, Homura Mitokado's expression instantly darkened.
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