Chapter 271: The Village Hidden In The Cloud Retreat

Morning light fell upon his bloodstained forehead protector and calm side profile, casting a silhouette as upright as a pine tree.

At the same time, on the other side of the Land of Frost, the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s main camp, in the command center.

The third Raikage sat alone before the command table, his sharp eyes that had once terrified countless enemies lowered as he silently stared at the words on the paper without moving for a long time.

The tent was deathly silent, with only the sound of his heavy and slow breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally raised his head and slowly swept his gaze across the division commanders waiting for orders inside the tent.

Rare exhaustion seeped into his voice: "Pass down the order to every division and unit... Withdraw the army."

Although the third Raikage was extremely unwilling, he also knew clearly that the war could no longer continue. Though their troop numbers were still enormous, but...

"Yes!"

The subordinates solemnly accepted the order and successively exited the tent.

The third Raikage sat motionless for a long time.

After a while, the corner of his mouth twitched, as if wanting to sneer, yet also like a faint self-mocking laugh: "What a... Lucky fellow."

Of course, he understood clearly that for that guy to rampage freely within the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s territory and repeatedly escape from certain death was definitely not merely luck.

That required monstrous battlefield instincts, supreme command and coordination ability, precise control over both enemy and ally psychology, and the mad courage to gamble everything even in desperate situations.

But... perhaps the excuse of luck could make Village Hidden in the Cloud, and himself, feel just a little better.

April 1, Konoha Year 47.

The Konoha and Village Hidden in the Cloud war that had attracted worldwide attention finally reached a turning point after a week of repeated major battles within the Land of Frost.

The Village Hidden in the Cloud side was the first to withdraw all troops from the Land of Frost, retreating back to the southwestern border of the Land of Lightning for defense.

Konoha likewise had no intention of expanding the conflict or continuing pursuit of the Village Hidden in the Cloud.

After all, Konoha’s primary objective from the beginning had been to force the Village Hidden in the Cloud out of this war, not to fight them to the bitter end.

Even though the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s logistics and medical systems had already suffered severe damage, if they were truly cornered and launched a decisive battle regardless of cost, Konoha would also suffer unbearable losses.

At that point, it would only allow Village Hidden in the Sand, still engaged in war, Village Hidden in the Stones lurking greedily nearby, and Village Hidden in the Mist, which had long been restless and on the verge of losing patience, to reap the benefits!

Thus, after confirming the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s withdrawal, under the orders of the supreme commander, the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Konoha expeditionary force deep within the Land of Frost also began an orderly retreat, embarking on the journey back to the Land of Fire.

The news spread through the Shinobi World like the wind.

......

The Village Hidden in the Sand, Kazekage’s office.

"Trash! That bunch of trash from the Village Hidden in the Cloud!" Fourth Kazekage Rasa slammed the intelligence report onto the table, rarely losing his temper. "That kid, Shinichi Higashino, really has such ridiculous luck? He actually made it back alive?"

He stared at the densely marked encirclement routes on the map of the Land of Lightning, drawn up by his subordinates based on various intelligence reports, and his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

Repeated escapes during pursuits involving tens of thousands of people could no longer be simply explained away by keen perception or outstanding strength.

For a moment, Rasa even suspected whether Shinichi Higashino was some kind of protagonist from a novel.

Otherwise, how could he survive every single time?

It had been the same with the Village Hidden in the Sand’s assassination attempts, and now the same with the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s encirclement from the north.

......

Land of Earth, Village Hidden in the Stones, high-level conference room.

He actually managed to escape even from that?

That kid’s luck really is good!

The same thought arose in Onoki’s mind.

After sighing inwardly, he looked toward the enormous map hanging on the wall.

The rich and fertile Land of Fire was certainly tempting, and the terrifying potential displayed by that Konoha kid named Shinichi Higashino was indeed deeply alarming.

But Onoki’s thinking was always realistic and utilitarian. War was a competition of overall national strength and immediate military power.

And after preparing for war for so long, what the village urgently needed now were tangible achievements that could immediately stabilize the interior, boost morale, and seize resources.

Even if Shinichi Higashino might one day grow into an existence like Madara Uchiha or Hashirama Senju, that would still be twenty or thirty years in the future.

As for what to do if Shinichi Higashino really became another Madara Uchiha by then?

Onoki could only express faith in the wisdom of future generations.

Thus, in the end, his gaze locked firmly onto the territory of the Land of Lightning.

Village Hidden in the Cloud had just suffered defeat. Their forces had taken heavy losses, and their logistics had been damaged. It was precisely the moment when they were internally unstable and externally weakened.

Compared to gnawing on the hard bone that was Konoha, tearing off a chunk of flesh from a wounded tiger clearly carried less risk and brought much faster rewards.

Thinking of this, a cold and pragmatic plan gradually formed in his mind.

......

Village Hidden in the Mist, Mizukage’s office.

The third Mizukage silently finished reading the report in his hands and remained silent for a long time.

"Mizukage-sama! How much longer are we going to wait?" A violent voice shattered the silence.

The Clan Head of the Kaguya Clan made no attempt to hide his impatience. "The bone blades in my clansmen’s hands are already thirsting for blood! Please declare war on Konoha immediately!"

Though he addressed him as sama, there was not the slightest trace of respect in his tone, only arrogance and impatience.

"Wait a little longer." The third Mizukage did not even raise his head and merely uttered those indifferent words.

......

Just as the Konoha expeditionary force embarked on its journey home and undercurrents surged within the great ninja villages, the telephone in the editor-in-chief’s office at the headquarters of World Weekly in the Land of Iron suddenly rang.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Peter Parker? What guidance do you have for us this time? Is it regarding the latest developments on the northern front..." Upon hearing the familiar voice, the editor-in-chief’s tone immediately became enthusiastic.

At present, the most closely watched event in the Shinobi World was undoubtedly the war between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Cloud.

And as one of the Shinobi World’s highest-circulation neutral newspapers, World Weekly had spared no effort in reporting on this focal war between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Cloud.

At the center of all recent discussions was undoubtedly the youngest genius Jonin in Konoha history, Shinichi Higashino.

At eleven years old, possessing strength comparable to famous powerhouses, and carrying out exploits behind enemy lines alone that stirred up the entire battlefield, every single one of those achievements was enough to ignite public opinion.