CH_61

Just before dawn, Tōji's squad received a distress signal. They had just finished their previous work…

『In this battle, we lost two more chūnin. The lead jōnin was severely wounded and had to be sent to the rear. The remaining chūnin was taken in by another Konoha squad…』 After the rescue operation ended, Tōji silently tallied the losses in his head.

Night raid battles had a death rate twice as high as daytime skirmishes. The Iwa-nin had also lost three chūnin here. Their lead jōnin, seeing that Konoha's combat support squad was about to arrive, had fled decisively instead.

Many Iwa-nin operated on the principle of "once you come, you don't plan on coming back." Unless they achieved their objective, they wouldn't retreat—they'd fight until every last one was dead.

A mid-battle escape was rare indeed.

『I wonder how our Konoha raiding parties are doing against Iwa…』 Tōji could only ponder these questions in his mind.

『I hope Kakashi comes through.』

These past two days, Tōji's greatest concern had been Kakashi's mission.

But before they could leave the rescue site—shortly after one Konoha squad had departed—another Konoha squad arrived.

"Jōnin Kokubō Kenji." The leader of that squad recognized all of Konoha's jōnin on sight, walking straight up to Kenji.

"It's you—news from command?" Kenji wasn't as formal as the other man, but he walked over to him anyway.

Though the two deliberately kept their voices low, they weren't exactly guarding against eavesdroppers.

"Jōnin Namikaze arrived at our battlefield two days ago and drew the attention of Iwa's main force… Yesterday, Kannabi Bridge was destroyed by a newly promoted jōnin named Hatake Kakashi. I hear he's only a teenager—quite impressive."

"And?"

"So the fewer than a thousand Iwa-nin deployed in the Land of Fire are now like weeds without roots. Without Kannabi Bridge, their supply transport will become difficult… But more importantly, the morale of the Iwa forces has been shattered."

"Any new orders from command?"

"Command's orders are to strengthen defenses. They're worried that some of those remaining Iwa-nin might fight to the death. Not everyone can accept defeat—even if it's through negotiation…"

"The backlash could be worse…"

"Exactly. Squads like yours need to be even more cautious in their movements."

The two men glanced at Tōji and the others…

"So we just hold out until Iwa makes its final decision."

"The duration is uncertain—and it'll probably be harder than we imagine. Due to the temperament of many Iwa shinobi, some would rather die in battle than become bargaining chips between the two villages… If negotiations go through, they'd be treated as prisoners of war."

"Has the main Konoha force made any other strategic adjustments, or are there new tactics we need to coordinate with or be aware of?"

"All logistics squads remain unchanged. Just be extra careful—some Iwa-nin may go all out in a desperate last stand. Combat squad assignments don't affect you."

"…"

"Alright, I can't say more. We'll catch up over drinks when we're back in the village. We still have other rescue squads to notify."

"Good. Hope that day comes soon—I haven't had a drink in months."

"I'm off—take care."

"You too—take care…"

That squad, sent out by command to spread the news, was gone in an instant.

The three genin had overheard the entire conversation.

Now the rookies started chatting.

"Hatake Kakashi—he's the last of the Hatake clan, isn't he?" Neru had clearly heard of Kakashi's reputation.

"Jōnin Namikaze is my idol—and his student is this amazing too!" Natchi's focus was on Minato.