"The entirety of Higashimatsuyama has been reduced to an icy grave. Including Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the son of the Third Hokage, the Leaf suffered nearly four hundred casualties. At least sixty of them were jōnin."
A collective gasp swept through the war council room.
It was as if the temperature in the room dropped with the news.
The annihilation of an entire Konoha stronghold… even without witnessing it firsthand, the vivid report conjured up images of another place once consumed by frost—Jinnan Town.
Four hundred shinobi dead. One man had carved through Konoha's fortified line, killing the Hokage's own son, and razed Higashimatsuyama
Even though the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki perished in the process, this outcome was nothing short of historic.
When combined with Yoru's prior accomplishments, this campaign marked a war record so overwhelming that even Kirigakure's long history had never seen its equal.
Not even the one currently seated atop the Mist could claim such merit.
And the most shocking part?
Yoru was only fourteen years old.
At such a young age, with such power—and now this record of carnage—there was no question his future was limitless.
Some had already sensed it…
A day would come when there would be no rank left that could contain him.
He was already Vice Commander of the ANBU. With this feat, his rise to ANBU Commander—or even higher—was a foregone conclusion.
And if he kept stacking achievements?
"It's not much to boast about," Yoru said calmly under the burning stares of the council. "I failed to eliminate Namikaze Minato. That was a critical mistake."
"Minato is the lynchpin of this entire war. As long as he lives, no matter how many victories we win, the outcome is uncertain."
"Even though we've shattered Higashimatsuyama and torn open a hole in Konoha's defenses, we still can't afford a full-scale invasion."
The council fell into stunned silence.
"Why not?" Terumi Mei finally asked, confused. "Didn't we achieve exactly what we planned for—breaching the enemy's line? Why can't we push forward?"
Her question echoed the doubt in everyone's mind.
They had deployed the Three-Tails as a living suicide weapon. Even if it failed, Yoru had succeeded. The result was the same.
So why was he holding them back?
"Because of Namikaze Minato," Yoru said firmly.
"The reason the Three-Tails failed wasn't because of Konoha's forces—it was because of Minato. His spatial ninjutsu allowed him to teleport a Tailed Beast Bomb... and then send it back."
"The Three-Tails was defeated by his own Tailed Beast Bomb."
The room went cold again.
"If even a single Flying Thunder God seal was left among our ranks, we could be hit with a pinpoint Tailed Beast Bomb strike at any time. And if we mobilize for a large-scale assault… it would be a massacre."
A "targeted Tailed Beast Bomb strike"? That wasn't warfare—that was annihilation.
Until now, Tailed Beasts were considered last-resort weapons, nuclear deterrents of the shinobi world. Even in full-blown conflict, they were rarely used unless villages were at risk of destruction.
The Third Shinobi War was the first to see true battlefield deployment of Bijū. Iwagakure had deployed the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. Kumogakure had brought out the Eight-Tails.
But now Kirigakure was facing long-range, precision strikes?
This wasn't war—it was hell.
The Mist's commanders stared at each other, dumbfounded.
"So we just... sit on our hands?" Yagura frowned.
"We've breached their defenses. Are we really going to act like cowards now?"
"No," Yoru replied coolly.
Everyone perked up, eyes turning to him in hope—until his next words knocked the breath from the room.
"Not only will we hold our advance—we may need to withdraw from the Land of Fire entirely."
"In fact, we may even have to abandon our forward positions."
Silence turned to chaos.
With such a clear advantage, and after such a decisive victory, to suggest full retreat?
Surely not—even from Yoru.
Though no one voiced it, doubt flickered in their hearts. Could this be betrayal?
...No. That wasn't possible.
They had placed their faith in him for good reason. In just a month, he had secured victory after victory. Every decision he made carried weight.
"Crushing Higashimatsuyama opened a hole in Konoha's wall," Yoru said. "In a normal war, we'd be at their doorstep already."
"But Minato's teleportation techniques—and the Nine-Tails—give Konoha the confidence to risk it all."
"If this turns into an all-out war, we'll win—but the cost will be unacceptable."
"And Kirigakure... can't afford it."
That last line froze the room.
They all knew it.
Under the Bloody Mist Policy, Kirigakure's population had already dwindled. Despite being one of the Five Great Nations, its shinobi numbers were closer to a minor village.
"Also, consider this—Shinnosuke is dead. Minato watched as their stronghold fell. Hundreds of Leaf shinobi died."
"What do you think Hiruzen Sarutobi and Namikaze Minato will do?"
"They'll snap," Yagura said darkly.
A son murdered. Comrades slaughtered. A base lost.
Even a saint would be driven to madness.
"Exactly," Yoru said, eyes sharp. "And when Minato snaps—with the Nine-Tails in tow—and warps into our encampments… what do you think will happen?"
It'll be a bloodbath."
"Then what? Are we just giving up everything we gained? Just like that?!" a Kaguya clan elder shouted bitterly.
It felt like their hard-fought victory was being ripped away.
"I never said we're returning to the village."
Yoru turned his eyes to the war map, pointing to the line between Iwagakure and Konoha.
"What I'm saying is this—before Konoha can retaliate, we strike again."
"We break the boundaries between fronts."
"We coordinate with Iwagakure…"
"And crush Konoha in a two-pronged pincer."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin