CHAPTER 144
The atmosphere was so tense that it felt almost tangible.
Before long, however, the deathly silence was finally broken.
From the Iwagakure side, one of the commanders strode forward.
He possessed a physique comparable to Akimichi Torifu's.
Equally broad and powerfully built, though clearly much younger.
The moment he arrived, his sharp gaze rapidly swept across the devastated battlefield.
His eyes first landed on the mud covering the ground, remnants of an enormous Water Release technique.
As he took in the scene, the uneasiness in his heart grew stronger and stronger.
Then he saw the scattered corpses of countless Iwagakure shinobi.
His expression immediately darkened.
Finally...
His gaze landed on the headless corpse dressed in a purple battle outfit, lying several meters away from its severed head.
His face changed drastically.
Dead.
Roshi...
Iwagakure's weapon of war.
The Four Tails Jinchuriki.
Was truly dead.
Both the Konoha reinforcements and the Iwagakure forces that had arrived at Outpost No. 8 had rushed here after witnessing the brief projection of the Four Tails that had appeared in the sky moments earlier.
That enormous ape-shaped phantom was formed by the overflowing Tailed Beast chakra after the death of a Jinchuriki.
Although none of them had witnessed such a phenomenon before...
The terrifying appearance of that giant ape, its violent aura, and the way it rapidly dissipated afterward...
Had allowed nearly everyone to guess what had happened.
That was why both sides had abandoned their original battlefields.
They all rushed toward the source of the projection.
Outpost No. 8.
Although the Iwagakure shinobi had already prepared themselves mentally...
Actually seeing Roshi's corpse with their own eyes...
Caused the mixture of shock, fury, panic, and disbelief in their hearts to explode completely.
"Who did this?!"
The younger, heavily built Iwagakure commander roared with bloodshot eyes.
His chakra erupted violently as he prepared to charge forward.
Boom!
Akimichi Torifu stepped in front of him.
His mountain-like frame instantly blocked the man's path.
The Iwagakure commander's expression darkened.
"Akimichi Torifu!"
"Our village's Jinchuriki is dead!"
"Do you have any idea what consequences this will bring?!"
Torifu's expression remained unchanged.
His voice was as steady as an immovable mountain.
"If Iwagakure dared to deploy a strategic weapon like a Jinchuriki onto the battlefield..."
"Then you should have already been prepared for his death."
"This is war."
"Since when has war ever guaranteed that people won't die?"
"You...!"
The Iwagakure commander was left speechless with rage.
His fierce glare locked onto Torifu before shifting past him toward Uchiha Feiquan.
His eyes settled on the bloodstained sword still held in Feiquan's hand.
In his mind, the culprit had already been confirmed.
It was Uchiha Feiquan who had killed Roshi.
His teeth ground together with an audible creak.
Word by word, he forced the words through clenched teeth.
"Akimichi Torifu!"
"If you don't want Konoha and Iwagakure to descend into an all-out war..."
"Hand over Uchiha Feiquan..."
"And Roshi's corpse."
"Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?"
Torifu calmly took another step forward.
The pressure emanating from his enormous body became even heavier.
He completely shielded Uchiha Feiquan behind him.
"Uchiha Feiquan is a shinobi of Konoha."
"I will never hand him over."
"As for Roshi's corpse..."
He paused briefly.
His tone became incomparably resolute.
"That is equally impossible."
His gaze slowly swept across every Iwagakure shinobi standing opposite him.
His voice suddenly rose.
"If Iwagakure wants to continue this war..."
"Then Konoha will fight."
"And we'll see it through to the very end."
The Iwagakure commander's face shifted repeatedly.
It was obvious he was weighing the consequences.
Launching an all-out war against Konoha...
Would come at an enormous cost.
Especially now that their own Jinchuriki had fallen and the morale of their forces had already suffered a devastating blow.
After struggling internally for several moments...
He finally forced out a compromise.
"Fine."
"Uchiha Feiquan can stay for now."
"But Roshi's corpse must be returned to us."
"If not..."
"Konoha will face Iwagakure's endless wrath!"
Roshi's corpse...
Torifu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Without anyone noticing...
His gaze briefly drifted toward a nearby figure.
Standing there was Inoichi Yamanaka.
His expression was equally solemn.
The Yamanaka Clan possessed secret techniques capable of probing the memories of the deceased.
It was an advanced application derived from the Mind Body Switch Technique.
As long as the target had not been dead for too long...
And the brain remained relatively intact...
There was a considerable chance of extracting fragmented memories and residual intelligence.
As the Four Tails Jinchuriki...
Roshi occupied an extremely high position within Iwagakure.
The intelligence stored within his memories would undoubtedly possess extraordinary strategic value.
The enemy's desperate insistence on reclaiming the corpse...
Was most likely because they feared Inoichi would recover vital information from it.
In that instant...
Torifu had already made his decision.
The corpse absolutely could not be returned.
However...
Before he could refuse...
A cold, hoarse voice resembling the hiss of a snake suddenly echoed from the shadows beside the battlefield.
"You want the corpse?"
"Then have Ōnoki come and take it himself."
The moment the words fell...
A tall, slender figure slowly stepped out from the darkness.
His pale complexion appeared almost ghostly beneath the moonlight.
His golden vertical pupils gleamed with an eerie light.
A faint, chilling smile curved across his lips.
The newcomer was one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin.
Orochimaru.