Meanwhile, deep within the Rinkai City that had already become completely ruined, in a corner, buried beneath layers of rubble and broken wooden beams.
"Am... Am I going to die?"
A young girl wearing a blue robe and possessing long reddish-brown crossed curls lay helplessly in the cold, muddy water.
She looked only a little over ten years old. At this moment, her youthful face was covered in mud and bloodstains, while the lower half of her body was pinned firmly beneath a collapsed stone slab, leaving her unable to move at all.
Her consciousness drifted in and out of darkness.
Cold rain continuously seeped through every crack and struck her face, repeatedly dragging her back from the edge of unconsciousness only to push her away again.
The surrounding air grew colder and colder while her body became increasingly numb, making the girl vaguely realize that she was probably really about to die.
'Wuwuwu... I haven't even experienced a sweet romance yet...'
At the final chaotic moments of her life, facing imminent death, the thought that surfaced in her mind was neither fear of death nor reluctance to leave life behind, but rather this seemingly random thought.
...
The village Hidden in the Mist retreated, and Yagura's group had suffered devastating losses, with their condition falling to rock bottom.
Naturally, they were no longer a match for Konoha.
They could only fight while retreating, slowly withdrawing toward the coastline amid the raging wind and torrential rain.
After discovering the catastrophic incident at the temporary headquarters, the scattered Village Hidden in the Mist units operating nearby also began rushing back one after another.
However, as they arrived, Konoha forces coming from every direction also reached the battlefield almost simultaneously.
At this point, the balance of forces had already completely reversed due to the destruction of Rinkai City and the death of the Three-Tails Jinchuriki.
The first reinforcements to arrive were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, led by Fuguki Suikazan.
Although unwilling to accept defeat and still wishing to continue fighting, Konoha's momentum was now overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the Village Hidden in the Mist's side, especially the ninja stationed at headquarters, had completely lost their morale.
With gritted teeth, Fuguki Suikazan could only order to abandon the battle and instead focus on covering Yagura's retreat toward the coastline.
Fortunately, amid the misfortune, a typhoon was currently passing through.
Rain poured endlessly from the sky, and the weather had become unimaginably harsh.
Konoha's forces were not accustomed to fighting under such extreme conditions.
Village Hidden in the Mist's ninja, however, who had grown up amidst storms and ocean waves, were much better suited to this environment, especially when utilizing various Water Styles.
The irony was undeniable.
It was this very typhoon that had allowed Shinichi to wield the might of heaven and earth, delivering a devastating blow to the Village Hidden in the Mist's temporary headquarters.
It had killed and injured thousands of Kirigakure ninjas, yet now, that same typhoon had become the final shield protecting these defeated remnants and enabling their successful retreat.
Heaven and earth may be indifferent, but they are impartial.
Several times, Konoha attempted to keep the corpse of the Three-Tails Jinchuriki behind, yet each attempt was desperately blocked by the Village Hidden in the Mist, especially by Yagura, who fought with his life on the line to force them back.
The main armies of both sides slaughtered one another all the way from the ruined Rinkai City to the shoreline.
Towering waves and driving rain battered the fighting crowds.
The roar of Ninjutsu and the clash of blades were torn apart by the howling winds.
Blood from both sides dyed the ground along the route a dark crimson.
Only when part of Village Hidden in the Mist's support forces stationed in the Land of Waves arrived in an emergency and jointly cast a massive Hidden Mist Jutsu, engulfing the entire coastline and nearby sea, did Village Hidden in the Mist finally manage to completely disengage from battle, yet they left behind a field of corpses.
Blood stained the sand and reefs of the entire coastline red before being washed away again and again by the raging winds and crashing waves, leaving not the slightest trace behind.
A short while later, at the ruins of Rinkai City.
The rain still poured heavily, but the winds had noticeably weakened.
Standing atop a relatively intact platform, Shinichi slowly surveyed the city that had become ruins.
Minato Namikaze stood beside him.
Earlier, Shinichi had only rested briefly in the rear, swallowing several secret medicine pills that he had personally formulated before insisting to Minato to bring him back.
Unable to persuade him otherwise, Minato had no choice but to comply.
"Shinichi, a city can always be rebuilt."
Following his gaze toward the ruins, Minato assumed the other party was thinking about the destruction of Rinkai City and carefully said, "I think once the Daimyo learns what happened in this battle, he will understand. This isn't your fault. It's the cost of war."
Shinichi slowly shook his head.
"Senior Minato, that's not what I'm thinking about."
"What I'm thinking about is..."
He suddenly raised his right hand, bit his thumb, and performed the Summoning Technique.
A massive cloud of white smoke exploded amidst the rainstorm.
Within it appeared a gigantic slug over thirty meters tall, its entire body crystal-clear.
"It's little Shinichi."
The Slugs lowered her head, her soft voice carrying its usual gentleness.
"Do you need something?"
As she spoke, she slowly turned her enormous body and looked around.
There were no enemies left here, and the wounded ninjas from Konoha had already been properly treated.
She could not help feeling puzzled.
At that moment, there seemed to be no place where she was needed; however, the words that came from the young man next to her completely exceeded her expectations.
"Big sister Katsuyu, there are still many Kirigakure ninjas alive beneath these ruins. Please help treat them and do your best to preserve their lives."
The attack Shinichi had unleashed using the power of the typhoon had indeed possessed tremendous destructive force and an enormous range.
It had destroyed the entire city in a single strike, but just like the future super Shinra Tensei, the wider the area covered, the less concentrated the power at any single point.
Aside from those at the point of impact and the surrounding region who had been killed almost instantly, a considerable number of Kirigakure ninja had merely been knocked unconscious by the shockwave or buried beneath collapsed buildings.
At this moment, they remained trapped beneath layers of rubble in various conditions.
Some were unconscious, gravely injured, and lacked the strength even to struggle.
The fates awaiting them were few; either they would slowly die beneath these cold ruins, or Konoha ninja would eventually search them out and finish them off.
Or they would be taken to laboratories and used as research material.
The luckiest among them would merely be imprisoned in Konoha's prisons, subjected to round after round of interrogation while hoping that one day they might be exchanged, yet even such cases were extremely rare.
And unless prisoner exchanges occurred between the two sides, death would still likely be their final outcome.
Upon hearing this, Katsuyu froze for a moment.