Konomi''s eyes twitched as she insisted, "Yes, them. You know what I am talking about!"

    Fujin indifferently answered, "I really don''t know."

    Speechless at Fujin''s indifference, Konomi could only stare at him continuously. It was almost as if she wouldn''t leave until Fujin answered her. The situation was too serious to be ignored in her opinion. Finally, Fujin sighed and said, "Tell me, were they cremated?"

    Konomi nodded.

    Fujin replied, "Good, were their ashes dispersed?"

    Konomi nodded again.

    Fujin asked again, "Were our ninjas involved in the matter warned?"

    Konomi answered, "Yes, they know about the consequences if they open their mouths."

    Fujin instructed, "Good, you should forget about it too then. Don''t mention it in any reports and delete it from your brain. You shouldn''t stress yourself over such pointless matters. Now go back to your subordinates. They need their general to lead the way."

    Without waiting for her response, Fujin just flickered away. While he understood her concerns, he had no reason to worry about that issue. That was Shikaku and the Hokage''s job, and Fujin had zero intention of forcefully taking either of their jobs.

    Unaware of his true thoughts, Konomi was left dumbfounded. She couldn''t help but wonder, ''Is it really that simple? I know they have their issues, but would merely feigning ignorance be enough?''

    Her mind refused to accept that it was. However, she wasn''t the commander. She couldn''t refuse a direct command from Fujin. If she did, she could face the same consequences as others despite her rank.

    ——

    The Konoha army finally entered the Land of Fire and moved towards the Fire Capital. Hoka''s and Illumi''s divisions were also headed in that direction. Meanwhile, on the eastern borders of the Land of Rice, a force stayed with solemn expressions on their faces.

    C muttered in a grave tone, "It has been quite some time since we sent the orders. Yet, 206 ninjas have still not returned..."

    Darui and Samui stood silently. They were still in disbelief that Kumo suffered another massive loss in such a short span! Yugito said, "Maybe they were held back for some reason. They might return in a few more hours."

    Even though she said that Yugito didn''t have much confidence in her words. It would have been understandable if a few squads were held up. However, nearly two-thirds of the ninjas being late spelled trouble. There was no doubt that something bad had happened. However, it was a scenario they just couldn''t accept.

    ——

    In Iwagakure, Onoki read several reports and thought, ''The civil war in Kiri is finally in the ending stages. It''ll be interesting to see how this ends. The Fourth Mizukage is a perfect Jinchuriki. Even without the Tailed Beast, he''s a formidable shinobi. Do the rebels have the means to defeat someone like that?''

    Onoki thought a bit before shaking his head, ''It doesn''t matter. As long as the two factions don''t unite, Kiri would be severely weakened. Even though they have lost the most among any great village, their ninjas are also the most prepared for a war. So, despite their lower numbers, they could cause trouble to any major village. However, if a faction is completely wiped out, that would no longer be the case.''

    Onoki shifted his gaze to another report and a puzzled expression appeared on his face. He wondered, ''What is that Ay brat up to? Why are Kumo''s forces so erratic? It almost feels like he''s up to something, but it doesn''t feel like he''s preparing for war. Did he suffer some loss again?''

    ——

    Just like the reports stated, panic had gripped Kumogakure. Ay was facing endless headaches and he couldn''t even lash out in rage for the blame lay with him once again! 16 ninjas had died and 206 went missing. Kumogakure became the first village in the history of the ninja world to have 864 ninjas classified as ''missing'' at the same time, breaking their previous record of 658 ''missing'' ninjas!

    Sitting on his desk, Ay couldn''t help but wonder, ''Even though he didn''t have any proof, Darui said that he believed Suzuki Fujin was involved in the previous incident. This time, he is definitely involved. I can understand if my ninjas die. I could accept responsibility and take revenge. However, what do I do when they go missing? How do hundreds of ninjas even go missing???''

    The more he thought, the more enraged the Fourth Raikage became. Fujin''s actions had completely infuriated him. Unfortunately, he couldn''t act. The internal politics were a complete mess! He couldn''t afford to take a step outside the village.

    ——

    While Ay lost more than a few hairs due to the headache, Suna''s council met once again. In front of them was a scroll. Everyone looked at it solemnly. Finally, Goza muttered, "Konoha finally sent an official message. They want to talk with us in the Fire Capital."

    ————————————

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