"Haven't found any trace of Kurotsuchi's father—no sign of Huangtu."
"He likely used the main force as bait to draw our attention while breaking out with a smaller unit. He never intended to fight here."
"A handful of Iwa shinobi escaped downstream along the river as well. Fewer than a hundred."
After the battle, Uchiha Jin, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi, Namikaze Minato, and Orochimaru stood beneath a large tree while Konoha shinobi cleared the battlefield. Hyūga Hizashi approached after gathering preliminary reports and delivered the summary calmly.
Huangtu was no ordinary shinobi.
He was a pillar of Iwagakure — and the son of the current Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. His status alone made him a priority target.
Clearly, he had seen through Konoha's strategic intent from the start and refused to follow the main retreat toward Grass Country.
And so, he lived.
Jin clicked his tongue lightly.
"Huangtu may not have a kekkei genkai, but his Earth Release has reached an astonishing level. He took my arrow head-on and survived. Then he used an Earth Clone to pull a cicada's shell trick on me. Slippery bastard."
Back at Hill Two near Kikyōzan Fortress, Jin had intended to kill him with a single shot. Huangtu had used Earth Release: Hardening Technique to mitigate most of the damage. Gravely injured, he still managed to deceive Jin with an Earth Clone and escape underground using Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage.
Jin had been busy commanding the hill's defense and couldn't pursue.
He had hoped this extermination would settle unfinished business.
Instead—
Huangtu had used the entire Iwa remnant army as bait.
Even White Zetsu surveillance lost him.
Cunning.
Minato smiled faintly.
"Our results are already decisive. We don't need one more name on the tally."
"Let's withdraw. Iwa reinforcements are close."
Jin nodded and turned to Hizashi.
"Stop clearing the field. We don't need scraps. Recover the wounded. Retrieve the bodies. We leave immediately."
Hizashi bowed and departed.
Jin watched his back thoughtfully.
He seemed distracted.
Minato noticed.
"Jin… You don't hold a personal grudge against Huangtu, do you? No need to be so fixated."
Jin shook his head.
"I'm not thinking about killing him."
"The problem is that Huangtu's value isn't on the battlefield."
The others turned toward him.
Jin didn't bother with suspense.
"The Battle of Kikyōzan has massive consequences. Konoha urgently needs a Hokage to stabilize things."
"When we return, the election for Fourth Hokage will begin."
Minato stiffened slightly.
Jin continued calmly.
"The Fourth Hokage's first challenges won't be war."
"They'll be aftermath."
"Internally — compensation for the fallen. Pensions for the wounded. Reconstruction of damaged districts. Reinforcement of Fire Country's defensive lines."
"Externally — negotiations with Iwa, Kumo, Suna… possibly even Kiri."
"This will be the Fourth Hokage's first act on behalf of the village."
"If handled poorly, it will destroy his authority before it begins."
Minato felt a chill.
He hadn't thought that far ahead.
Now that he had—
The weight pressed heavily.
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"Jin-kun sees straight to the heart of it."
"We hold the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki hostage. Negotiating with Kumogakure won't be difficult."
"Sunagakure is weakened. Konoha's foundation easily suppresses them."
"Kirigakure remains isolated and politically unstable."
"But Iwagakure…"
His golden eyes narrowed.
"They are powerful, stable, and lack leverage against them."
"Negotiations with Iwa will be the most difficult."
"If Huangtu were captured, the situation would be far simpler."
Minato's expression darkened further.
He briefly wondered whether it was too late to pursue Huangtu.
Jin raised a hand.
"Relax."
"Whether it's internal reconstruction or external negotiations, everything boils down to one word."
He paused.
"Money."
Silence.
Then—
Minato considered it carefully.
He realized Jin was right.
Internal problems required spending money.
External problems required demanding money.
If Konoha, as the victorious nation, could extract sufficient compensation—
Then internal burdens could be solved cleanly.
A perfect report card.
Jin's voice remained steady.
"Problems that money can solve aren't real problems."
"I already have preliminary ideas. I'll refine them once we assess the situation in the village."
Minato nodded.
He trusted Jin completely.
If Jin said there was a way—
There would be.
Orochimaru suddenly spoke again.
"By the way… Itachi and I won't be returning immediately."
Jin blinked, then understood.
Tenchi Bridge.
Orochimaru's hidden research facility was nearby.
Orochimaru didn't conceal it.
"There's a laboratory close to here. Itachi's experiment has reached a critical phase. If we leave now, valuable data will be lost."
No one pressed further.
They merely reminded Orochimaru to be cautious.
When the Konoha forces finished regrouping—
Jin gave the signal.
Without delay, they began the march back toward Fire Country.
The war was over.
The real battle—
Was about to begin.
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