Chapter 756: Aftermath!
"Is Hokage-sama alright?" One of Hiruzen's Anbu Guard asked. Several other Anbu and Jounins had appeared on the rooftop as well.
Jiraiya answered, "He's fine for now, but needs to be checked upon urgently. Summon the best medical ninjas here."
Three Anbu Guards nodded and flickered away. The last one stayed and asked, "What of the Suna ninjas who escaped earlier? Should we chase and hunt them down while they are in the Land of Fire?"
Fujin answered, "No need. They have already lost their will. Chasing after them will just needlessly increase our casualties and spread our forces thin."
The Anbu Guard nodded and didn't ask anything else. Fujin thought, 'Considering the situation, chasing and eliminating them now would be more beneficial for Konoha. It'd allow us to inflict the highest damage to Suna before the negotiations begin. Unfortunately…'
The words Fujin spoke weren't his own. It was what Shikaku and Hiruzen told everyone they shared their plans with. Unlike Fujin's Kumo mission, where he was tasked to kill as many Kumo ninjas as he could, their focus was exactly the opposite in this war. They wanted to keep the casualties to a minimum.
While killing more enemies could send a strong message to other hidden villages, ensuring that Konoha stayed strong was a bigger deterrent to other villages. They didn't mind letting a few hundred enemies escape if it meant that fewer Konoha ninjas lost their lives.
Of course, the circumstances were quite different from what they imagined. Suna's morale was truly shattered. If Fujin chased after them, he could annihilate their entire forces with little trouble. Even if they dispersed, Fujin could hunt most of them down before they could leave the Land of Fire. Fortunately for the Suna ninjas, Fujin didn't have anything to gain by doing so. Hence, he just followed Shikaku's plan.
Other ninjas soon came to check up on Hiruzen. Realizing how serious Hiruzen's situation was, the atmosphere became solemn. The morale that was high due to Fujin's actions finally began dying down as the war was finally over. Even so, many ninjas looked at Fujin respectfully, something that didn't escape Jiraiya's eyes.