"Lord Hokage, following our inventory check, aside from the supplies that were previously transported back to the Cloud Shinobi Village by enemy forces and a portion lost due to battle damage, the majority of the materials remain intact."
Receiving the freshly compiled inventory list from the reporting Konoha ninja, Uchiha Yue silently reviewed the figures, his gaze sharp and calculating. A sense of relief flickered through his expression as he scanned the detailed report.
After all, these resources—grain, medicine, weaponry, and provisions—had been ruthlessly looted by Cloud Shinobi during their raid across the Land of Fire. If the loss was too severe, not only would it harm Konoha's reputation, but it would also complicate post-war reparations and the process of returning supplies to their rightful owners.
Fortunately, Uchiha Yue and his forces had arrived in time. The fierce engagement had taken place largely outside the city's perimeter, sparing its inner structures from heavy destruction. As a result, despite some expected material losses, the situation was acceptable.
"Relay my orders," Uchiha Yue commanded, his tone firm. "Deploy our reserve battalions to begin a comprehensive sweep of any remaining Cloud Shinobi forces still scattered throughout the Land of Fire. Assign specialized units to coordinate the return of these materials to the affected towns and villages. Refugee assistance, logistics management, and security must be handled efficiently. These goods must be restored to the civilians from whom they were stolen."
Though the recovered cache represented significant wealth, Uchiha Yue harbored no interest in keeping spoils pillaged from his own people. His gaze turned cold.
To him, these were not trophies of war, but the evidence of the Cloud's transgressions. Compared to hoarding ill-gotten gains, he found the prospect of exacting a direct price from the instigators of this conflict—namely, the Cloud Shinobi Village—far more appealing.
Let them pay compensation, not just in supplies, but in kind.
He, Uchiha Yue, was no benevolent sage. He was a storm forged in the fires of revolution. Those who dared to challenge him would face the full extent of his wrath.
Meanwhile—
Just as Uchiha Yue began preparations to demand restitution from the Fourth Raikage, elsewhere on the battlefield, other branches of the Konoha army were also achieving decisive victories.
However, unlike Uchiha Yue's crushing success—where even the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki had fallen—most fronts found themselves embroiled in protracted conflict. After all, the Five Great Nations were not made great by name alone. Each Shinobi Village possessed Shadow-level combatants and deep reserves of trained personnel.
Without a figure of Yue's caliber to spearhead the assault, Konoha's other units, led by Mangekyō Sharingan users such as Uchiha Hei Tie, were forced to fight with caution. The Mangekyō's power came at a price: a toll on vision, chakra, and stamina. Reckless use risked blindness, and the costs could not be ignored.
Thus, these commanders pursued steady tactics—focusing on attrition and terrain advantage—to wear down the opposition. It was a grinding affair reminiscent of the Third Great Ninja War, slow and brutal, with no quick resolution in sight.
Time slipped by quickly.
With Killer Bee defeated and a large portion of the Cloud's elite forces scattered or crushed, the remaining Cloud Shinobi within the Land of Fire had lost cohesion. Their leadership gone, they devolved into disorganized raiders, seeking to salvage what little they could.
But with Konoha's forces now reorganized and pushing back hard, these fragmented units had no choice but to flee, dodging capture while attempting to send word back to their village.
Bang!
A deafening roar rocked the Raikage's office in Kumogakure, followed by the explosive sound of a fist slamming into solid stone.
The Fourth Raikage stood seething with rage, his chakra flaring wildly. Dust rose from the cracked floor beneath his feet.
"Damn it! How dare that brat trample all over us Cloud Shinobi? This is a disgrace!" he bellowed.
"What the hell is going on? How could Killer Bee—my brother—lose to some upstart Uchiha brat? Has this Yue really reached the same level as Uchiha Madara?!"
No matter how much he had dismissed the rumors before, the evidence was undeniable. Killer Bee, Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails and one of Kumogakure's strongest shinobi, had been defeated.
Raikage's expression twisted further as he recalled Tsuchikage Ōnoki's earlier warnings. For the first time, he felt the weight of those words.
"Lord Raikage," Mabuyi interjected, her voice low but urgent, "Uchiha Yue's strength is beyond doubt. What are your commands? Also… we must prepare a strategy to retrieve Lord Killer Bee."
Glancing at the broken rubble around his desk, Raikage gritted his teeth and inhaled deeply.
"What else is there to do? Mobilize the army," he growled. "I'll deal with this Yue personally. Let's see if he truly has the power of Madara. When I'm done with him, I'll bring Bee back myself!"
Though still boiling with anger, the thunderous fury in his tone had steadied. Having vented his rage with his fists, he now burned with singular focus.
There was no trace of doubt in his voice.
Mabuyi gave a quick, silent nod and departed to relay his orders. Like her Raikage, she had absolute confidence in his power. To her, the worst-case scenario was merely a draw.
Simultaneously, news of Uchiha Yue's overwhelming victory—of his subjugation of the Eight-Tails and scattering of the Cloud forces—rippled across the shinobi world. For those watching closely, the implications were staggering.
"Uchiha Yue…" Tsuchikage Ōnoki muttered as he read the report again. His fingers paused over a new scroll. "To defeat the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki so decisively… His Sharingan may truly rival Madara's."
Then he smirked bitterly.
"And the Raikage… that reckless fool will surely act without thinking. This may be my chance."
Having received no response from the Raikage to his earlier messages proposing cooperation, Ōnoki had continued corresponding with the other Kage—Rasa of the Sand and Mizuki Ryosuke of the Mist. Together, they had already begun discussing an alliance against Uchiha Yue.
Now, with the Fourth Raikage preparing for personal combat, the stage was set.
"If Raikage underestimates him and falls," Ōnoki murmured, his eyes sharp as ever, "he'll have no choice but to cooperate. When that happens, we'll gather the might of four Kage and unleash our combined strength. Not even Madara could withstand that."
Though a shadow of doubt flickered in his mind, it vanished quickly as an image of Madara loomed in his memory—terrifying and unstoppable.
No. He could not afford hesitation. Uchiha Yue may not be Madara reborn, but anyone capable of awakening such eyes must be dealt with accordingly.
With resolve solidified, Tsuchikage picked up his brush once more and began writing.
War was coming.
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