Chapter 81 – Ceasefire
At the border where the Land of Fire met the Land of Hot Water, the Kumogakure army was stationed.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
A series of piercing sounds cut through the air as the Fourth Raikage arrived at the camp with Yugito Nii, Darui, and dozens of others.
"Lord Raikage."
Several Kumogakure jōnin were already waiting outside the camp.
Dawn had just broken. The camp still bore the scars of battle, and fatigue was evident on the faces of the Cloud shinobi.
"Konoha launched the attack last night?" the Raikage asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping across the camp.
"Yes, Lord Raikage! Not long after Lady Yugito departed yesterday, Konoha's Orochimaru led a force in an assault. We suffered several hundred casualties."
Yugito frowned, about to speak, but the Raikage raised a hand to stop her.
"Withdraw."
"…Yes!"
The order stunned those present for a moment before the jōnin bowed in acknowledgment.
It was clear from their tone—many of them did not wish to continue the war.
After the others departed, Yugito spoke angrily, "Lord Raikage, are we just giving up? Konoha was already close to collapse!"
As Kumogakure's perfect Jinchūriki, she was proud by nature and unwilling to accept such an outcome.
"Konoha may be near its limit—but so are we.
You saw the damage those four from ANBU Squad Eleven inflicted. We lost over a dozen elite jōnin.
Meanwhile, Konoha still has Orochimaru and Jiraiya intact as top-tier combat power. Continuing this war of attrition serves no purpose.
Ōnoki wants to sit back and reap the benefits. I won't let that old fox have his way."
When speaking of Ōnoki, the Raikage's voice carried both hatred and caution.
During the Third Shinobi World War, it had been that same Ōnoki who schemed to exhaust and ultimately kill his father—the Third Raikage.
As the leader of a hidden village, the Fourth Raikage was no reckless brute.
Although Kumogakure had initiated this conflict, it was in response to the deaths of Konoha's Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Now that Konoha had proven far from weakened, there was no reason to persist in a costly struggle.
By noon that day, thousands of Kumogakure shinobi withdrew completely from the battlefield, retreating from the border of the Land of Hot Water.
Inside the Konoha army's command tent, Ryuya stepped in to meet Orochimaru.
After a night's rest—and after consuming massive amounts of food to convert into life energy—Ryuya's injuries had largely recovered.
"Lord Orochimaru."
He bowed respectfully.
As supreme commander, Orochimaru's tent was strangely quiet.
"Ryuya-kun, instead of enjoying your treatment as heroes, what brings you here?" Orochimaru's golden eyes flickered with interest.
"I came to thank you, Lord Orochimaru. Without your intervention, we likely wouldn't have returned."
Orochimaru smiled faintly. "There's no need to thank me. I simply dislike seeing interesting things perish prematurely."
His tone was casual, expression unreadable.
Then his gaze sharpened slightly.
"Ryuya-kun… your growth rate has exceeded even my expectations. Butterfly Mode—few in the Akimichi clan's history have mastered it."
"It was merely luck," Ryuya replied humbly, lowering his head.
"Luck?" Orochimaru's lips curled subtly.
Ryuya keenly sensed Orochimaru's eyes linger briefly on the faint gray strands at his temples.
Silence hung in the tent for several minutes before Ryuya raised his head again.
"Lord Orochimaru… I want to know. Who truly orchestrated ANBU Squad Eleven's mission?"
Orochimaru regarded him with faint amusement.
"Merely the tricks of outdated politicians. If you possess sufficient strength, why concern yourself with such things?"
It was an answer that wasn't an answer.
But it was enough.
Ryuya bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Behind him, Orochimaru murmured softly, "Ryuya-kun… just how much have you yet to reveal? What an intriguing youngster."
Outside, beneath the star-filled sky, Ryuya's eyes darkened with a mixture of coldness and melancholy.
Some people had truly disappointed him.
Though Orochimaru had spoken indirectly, the implication was clear.
The battle in the valley had too many suspicious coincidences.
An absurd mission. Too many "accidents."
When combined, they were difficult to dismiss.
In the end, Konoha had undeniably profited.
In his previous life, the shinobi world had been nothing more than a passionate fictional universe on a screen.
From that distance, truths were blurred like flowers glimpsed through mist.
But now, living within it, Ryuya understood far more clearly.
The seemingly righteous old man in power—
Ryuya had already formed his judgment.
It seemed his own plans would need to accelerate.
Clenching his fists, he silently made his resolve.
Several days later, with Kumogakure's full withdrawal, Konoha's northeastern border forces also began to retreat.
The two great hidden villages officially entered a ceasefire.
Among the returning ranks, ANBU Squad Eleven departed for Konoha as well.
Of the four, only Ryuya had recovered enough to walk independently. His condition had nearly returned to pre-battle peak.
The lifespan depletion caused by twice forcibly activating his Body Activation Technique had been partially replenished by extracting life energy from food at all costs.
Within days, the gray at his temples showed signs of darkening again.
Kakashi, Shisui, and Guy, however, remained on stretchers.
Under the treatment of military medical-nin, Kakashi's injuries had improved and would fully heal with rest.
Shisui and Guy were far worse.
For now, the medical corps could only stabilize them to prevent deterioration.
Whether they would fully recover… remained uncertain.
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