Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, the Fourth Raikage's still upright figure was revealed, though his breathing had become rapid and there were burn marks on his body.

Staring intently at Shimura Gengetsu, whose clothes were still intact, the Fourth Raikage, A, gave the order.

"retreat!"

Despite his overwhelming rage, the Fourth Raikage, A, made the right choice.

Nara Shikaku did not give the order to pursue, as Jiraiya was already injured, and the Raikage was clearly in better condition.

Shimura Gengetsu has also suffered heavy losses. Although pursuing him could expand the gains, the situation is one where victory is assured sooner or later, so there is no need to be so reckless.

Konoha's vitality can no longer withstand further depletion.

He wasn't just aiming to win, but to win at the lowest possible cost.

Upon hearing the order, the Cloud Village, which had long lost its will to fight, immediately scattered. Once everyone had escaped a certain distance, the Fourth Raikage asked:

"Kid, you're Shimura Gengetsu, aren't you?"

He didn't know Shimura Gengetsu, but he knew Shokuun.

"So you are the Fourth Raikage?" Shimura Gengetsu took a step forward and instantly appeared in front of a special kunai near the Raikage, confronting him without being at a disadvantage.

"Good, you're fine."

The Fourth Raikage revealed a sinister smile, "I'll spare your life. One day, I will kill you on this battlefield."

Genjuro Shimura looked at him mockingly, "You can't even get there yet, and you're already thinking about the future?"

"Wait until my birthday in two years, then I'll crush you with one hand."

Having lost the battle 3.0 and failed in his verbal sparring, the Fourth Raikage glared fiercely at Shimura Gengetsu before activating Lightning Instantaneous Body and disappearing.

Shimura Gengetsu raised the Kusanagi sword high, his voice echoing throughout the entire battlefield.

"we won!"

After a brief silence, the Konoha ninjas erupted in thunderous cheers.

"We win! We win!"

"Long live Lord Xuan Yue!"

"Long live Jiraiya-sama!"

"Long live Flying Thunder God!"

The battlefield instantly turned into a sea of ​​joy. Even the commander-in-chief, Nara Shikaku, had a smile on his face as he arranged for medical ninjas to treat the wounded and had intelligence personnel record the battle achievements.

It wasn't until two hours later that the plain returned to calm.

Back at the camp, Xuan Yue quickly crawled into her tent, took a shower, and then lay down and fell fast asleep.

Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai were heartbroken. The two stood outside the tent like gatekeepers, not allowing anyone to approach or make loud noises that might disturb Gengetsu's rest.

Inside the command center, upon seeing the report submitted by his subordinates, Nara Shikaku's face once again showed a look of shock.

"Twenty-four Jonin and one hundred and eighty Chunin."

"Such combat skills have already surpassed Minato's back then."

In the battle at Kannabi Bridge, Minato Namikaze single-handedly killed five Jonin and forty-five Chunin, thus earning the title of Yellow Flash.

Although Shimura Gengetsu had the assistance of others in this battle, he killed more people and of higher quality; there were more than twenty Jonin, not just any ordinary person.

"Yes..." Jiraiya was equally shocked, but having seen too many storms, he quickly calmed down.

"This little guy will soon have his own title, I wonder what it will be?"

Chapter 78: Overnight Riches, Multiple Physique Advancements, Surprise Attack on Cloud Hidden Village?

The Konoha camp was filled with laughter and joy this evening.

In this battle, a total of 460 Cloud Ninja were killed, nearly half of whom were killed by Shimura Gengetsu. The other Cloud Ninja who died in the battle were also affected to varying degrees.

It can be said that this battle was a victory for one person, but also a victory for a group of people.

However, after learning that Shimura Gengetsu had exhausted himself and went to sleep and rest after returning, everyone subconsciously lowered their voices and slowed down their pace when passing by his tent.

"Lord Xuan Yue is truly amazing."

Inside a small tent, Uchiha Shisui was applying ointment to his burns.

Thinking about today's situation, he still couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"This is the true power of the Flying Thunder God Technique, capable of turning the tide of battle. If the Fourth Hokage were still alive, and both Speedsters were still alive, Konoha would have achieved complete peace."

Uchiha Itachi remained silent.

He was certainly happy to have won the war, but seeing the gap between him and Shimura Gengetsu widen once again left him with mixed feelings.

"Itachi, you have to believe in yourself."

Uchiha Shisui reached out and poked Itachi's brow, smiling as he said, "Xuan Yue-jun is a genius, and you are a genius too. It's just that everyone's opportunities and circumstances are different, and the time when their strength explodes is also different."

"Keep going, and you'll eventually reap the rewards."

“I am far inferior to Shimura Gengetsu.”

In front of his closest older brother, Itachi Uchiha still showed the emotions that one would expect at his age, saying with disappointment, "He is too strong, so strong that it almost makes me despair. Even if I awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan, there is no way I can catch up with him."

"Itachi!"

Uchiha Shisui's expression turned serious. "You've worked so hard to train and gain strength, just to compare yourself to Shimura Gengetsu?"

"Of course not." Itachi Uchiha hurriedly shook his head in rebuttal.

"Then why are you so fixated on Xuan Yuejun's strength?" Uchiha Shisui looked at him helplessly. "I know you two have some past grievances and conflicts, but they are insignificant in the face of the village's interests."

"Don't let narrow-minded thinking limit your vision."

"Just like this war, everyone is fighting for Konoha. You and Xuan Yue are both giving it your all for Konoha. In this respect, you two are equal, understand?"

“Okay.” Itachi Uchiha nodded. “I’ll get over it, Shisui-nii. Please give me some time.”

Uchiha Shisui smiled, thought for a moment, and decided to give Uchiha Itachi some motivation.

"Actually... the three-tomoe Sharingan is not the limit; there are even higher levels beyond that."

Itachi Uchiha was gradually drawn in by Shisui Uchiha's words.

On the other side, at the Cloud Village camp.

Affected by the rout, after retreating, the Fourth Raikage led everyone to retreat nearly a hundred kilometers from their camp, and after retreating any further, they would soon be in the territory of the Land of Lightning.

Bang—crack!

Inside the command tent, the Fourth Raikage, A, angrily smashed the table in front of him.

"Why!"

"Why is it that brat Gengetsu Shimura is able to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?!"

"Could he be even more of a genius than Minato Namikaze? Why are there so many geniuses and monsters in Konoha?!"

Inside the room, several members of the Yotsuki clan, as well as Jonin such as Tsuchidai, all kept their heads down and remained silent.

Those who had followed the Raikage knew that the Fourth Raikage had a habit of slamming his fist on the table when he was angry, smashing it to pieces with each blow.

And often, after smashing the table, the anger gradually dissipates.

As expected, the Fourth Raikage regained his composure before everyone had to wait long.

"Taiwan."

He looked at the few strategists in Yunyin and said, "What should we do now? You come up with a plan. I want that brat dead!"

Tsuchida had been thinking of a plan to fight Konoha even during the retreat, and when the Fourth Raikage asked the question, he immediately stepped forward.

"My lord, you and Shimura Gengetsu clashed one last time today. Who won and who lost?"

The Fourth Raikage frowned. A proud man like him disdained to lie, so he said bluntly, "It's a draw. That brat's Scorching Release is terrifying. It can break through my chakra armor and damage my body."

"Of course, he can't defend against my attacks either, but he has the Flying Thunder God Technique, and he's as slippery as an eel."

"Can't you keep up with your speed?" Tu Tai asked nervously.

"No."

The Fourth Raine shook his head, his face ashen. "His reaction speed is no less than Minato Namikaze's; he can definitely react before I can hit him."

"Unless... I predict his landing point correctly and launch a surprise attack."

“That’s troublesome…” Tsuchida felt very troubled. “Either we set up a barrier in advance to restrict his Flying Thunder God Technique, or… we might need Killer Bee to take action.”

"Only with the two of you working together can we have a chance of winning."

His original plan was to replicate Konoha's tactics from today, with him and Darui holding off Jiraiya, and then having the Fourth Raikage kill Shimura Gengetsu to eliminate Konoha's remaining forces.

However, the Fourth Raikage explicitly stated that he could not defeat Shimura Gengetsu, which completely disrupted the balance of power between the two sides.

"Let the contestant come over?"

The Fourth Raikage frowned. "That's possible, but what if that old bastard Onoki takes advantage of the village's vulnerability and launches a sneak attack?"

"We have no choice but to take a gamble and make it quick."