章節 67: Data

"Everyone"

After Jiraiya and the other leaders departed, he took a deep breath before continuing: "Clear the battlefield as quickly as possible. If you find any Iwagakure ninja alive, make sure to send them on their final journey. And don't forget to count Iwagakure's casualties."

"Understood!" The response was immediate and unanimous.

The ninjas dispersed across the battlefield, their faces reflecting a mixture of joy and excitement.

For many, this was a surreal experience. After countless battles where every moment was a struggle for survival, they now found themselves in an unimaginable position: simply cleaning up the remains of a crushing victory, with no danger to their lives.

As the Konoha ninjas scattered to carry out their orders, Luo Lei remained alone in the center of the battlefield.

Stretching, a smile of satisfaction crossed his face. "This is really good"

Half an hour later, Jiraiya, Minato, Shikaku, Chōza, and the others returned, each carrying several heads of Iwagakure ninjas.

Jiraiya held Akatsuchi's head, while Minato carried those of twelve ninjas.

A closer examination revealed that Minato and Jiraiya's faces were shadowed, reflecting the internal conflict that tormented them.

Luo Lei's order had been clear: pursue the Iwagakure ninjas who had escaped and take no prisoners. This directive had forced them to commit acts that went against their principles and the rules established by Hiruzen.

The Third Hokage had clearly stipulated that if an enemy ninja surrendered and gave up resistance, Konoha should treat them humanely, demonstrating the spirit of the world's greatest ninja village.

However, the reality on the field had been very different. The terrified Iwagakure ninjas had fled only to beg for mercy when caught. Some had even knelt, pleading to be taken as prisoners.

Jiraiya and Minato, after repeatedly hesitating and watching Shikaku, Chōza, and the others decapitate those who had surrendered, finally yielded to the pressure. With gritted teeth, they began executing everyone, leaving no survivors.

"What hypocrites we are" was the bitter thought that crossed Jiraiya and Minato's minds after the massacre.

The powerlessness they felt was overwhelming, aware that, once again, everyone seemed to be under Luo Lei's control, following his orders without question.

"Luo Lei-sama, it's done" Shikaku reported, his voice tense.

"All the Iwagakure ninjas who escaped have been eliminated" Chōza added.

"The Iwagakure army has been annihilated. There are no survivors," Inoichi concluded.

The Konoha leaders threw the heads on the ground and stood in front of Luo Lei, their gazes laden with conflicting emotions. Jiraiya and Minato, exchanging a look of resignation, reluctantly joined the group.

Luo Lei nodded slightly. "You have performed well," and said meaningfully, "You really didn't leave anyone alive."

"Yes..." The responses were muted murmurs. Shikaku, Chōza, Inoichi, and the others showed expressions of barely disguised shame. Jiraiya and Minato's faces contorted into grimaces of disgust.

They all understood the implication in Luo Lei's words. They had violated Hiruzen's rules, massacring ninjas who had surrendered and begged for mercy. Guilt and remorse weighed heavily on them, but fear of Luo Lei kept them silent.

Fwoosh!

While Jiraiya, Shikaku, and the others remained in tense expectation, a jōnin approached Luo Lei. With a deep bow, he pulled out a document and spoke cautiously:

"Luo Lei-sama, the battlefield has been cleared. These are the casualty data for Iwagakure."

"Inform me," Luo Lei responded with curiosity. Despite everything, he felt some interest in knowing the exact extent of his own feat.

The Jōnin swallowed:

"The Iwagakure army had 1,300 regular troops, plus a thousand elite forces that were going to reinforce them in secret, totaling 2,300 ninjas."

He paused, as if he still had trouble believing what he was about to say. "We have only been able to recover 830 bodies. A large number of Iwagakure ninjas cannot be accounted for: they are buried deep in the ground, were disintegrated by Luo Lei-sama's attacks, or simply... turned into a mist of blood."

The Jōnin continued, his voice barely a whisper: "We also inspected the Iwagakure camp. It was empty, suggesting they had detected something and evacuated part of their forces."

Swallowing again: "According to our estimates, Luo Lei-sama has eliminated at least 2,000 Iwagakure ninjas. In addition, he has taken out their high-level operatives, including the ANBU captain and commander-in-chief Shibito, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi, and the jōnin Sumashi and Gari, among others."

A sepulchral silence fell over the group.

Luo Lei remained silent.

Jiraiya, Minato, Shikaku, and the others felt their minds spinning. What could they say in the face of such figures? Although they knew that Luo Lei had practically annihilated the Iwagakure army, hearing the concrete statistics left them horrified.

Compared to the Battle of Kikyoyama against Sunagakure, this massacre far exceeded the number of casualties. More importantly, the elimination of key figures such as Rōshi, Han, Shibito, Sumashi, and Akatsuchi marked a devastating blow to Iwagakure.

When this information spread, the entire world would tremble in terror.

"After having killed so many Iwagakure ninjas, will he become famous throughout the world again?" Minato's voice broke the silence, laden with reluctant admiration and barely disguised envy.

Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, felt a pang of frustration in his heart. Fame, recognition... who didn't crave them?

He certainly did. However, in this battle, his role had been reduced to eliminating a few terrified Iwagakure ninjas at the end.

The feeling of uselessness gnawed at him from within.

Jiraiya, beside him, let out a heavy sigh.

His original plans had crumbled. He had hoped to give Minato the opportunity to shine on the battlefield of the Land of Grass, to polish his resume for the future. Instead, not only had they failed to achieve anything significant, but Jiraiya himself had been humiliated with a slap, and both had been forced to violate Hiruzen's ethical principles, massacring ninjas who had surrendered.

But Luo Lei followed no plan, no strategy. He simply acted according to his whims, playing with lives and destinies.

"Alright, that's all," Luo Lei's voice cut through their reflections.

With a careless wave of his hand, he continued: "Hand over the statistics to Jiraiya. Have him sign them personally and report to Konoha's high command."

Then, as if something had occurred to him, he added with a cold smile: "By the way, the ANBU ninjas I killed, count them as Iwagakure casualties. In war, there are always some... unforeseen losses."

The Jōnin nodded hastily.

.....

Meanwhile, hidden behind a rock not far from the battlefield, Black Zetsu observed this.

His eyes were now wide open, unable to fully process the massacre he had just witnessed.

Over and over, his mind replayed the scenes of Luo Lei tearing apart the Iwagakure army as if they were paper dolls.

"Impossible," he muttered. "I never imagined... never believed he had such power."

The terror he felt was not just for Luo Lei's strength, but for the implications this demonstration of power had for his plans.

"No," he told himself, his resolution strengthening. "I must inform Madara-sama immediately."

Without wasting another second, he merged with the earth, his dark form disappearing as if it had never been there.

________

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