The Sand Village’s elite squads were being led back to the village. At this point, the handful of Sand Village members still capable of moving were, under Chiyo’s command, beginning rescue and recovery work throughout the damaged areas.

Although the invading force had been only an elite Cloud Village squad, the damage inflicted on the village was considerable. Fortunately, the Third Raikage and his group had come for medicinal resources rather than simply to destroy the Sand Village. Otherwise the damage would have been far worse.

But the current situation was deeply unfavorable regardless.

During the Great Ninja War, the Sand Village had already been reduced to only a few hundred soldiers remaining in the village itself.

After this battle, gathering even a few dozen capable fighters would be fortunate. This was unavoidable. The Land of Wind’s population had always been unstable, and the number of Sand Village ninja was far below that of the other major ninja villages.

Furthermore, the village’s economy had only officially begun improving in the past year or so. Although the Second Great Ninja War had ended long ago, the Third Kazekage’s series of decisions had caused the village to recover its strength at a pace far slower than any of its counterparts.

This had led directly to the current situation, where the majority of capable forces had been dispatched to the front lines, leaving almost no one behind.

Fortunately, the Hidden Cloud Village’s attack this time had not targeted civilians. The civilian population had been passively caught in the situation as bystanders rather than deliberate targets.

After briefly managing the immediate situation, Chiyo dragged her injured body to Ebizo’s side. Ebizo’s injuries were not light, but he had still managed to surround five Uchiha and one Hyuga clan member who had suddenly appeared within the village.

The six figures were wearing Konoha combat uniforms and headbands, with several of them in Jonin undergarments, all of which pointed to unusual origins.

Chiyo stared at the outsiders standing motionless like puppets in the hospital area, completely bewildered.

She had rushed over because the situation here was difficult to manage and bordered on bizarre. Konoha people, inside the Sand Village. When had they entered? And what exactly was their current state?

It appeared that these six had been the ones who killed the two Hidden Cloud members operating within the hospital area. And in the face of questioning and the open hostility from the surrounding Sand Village ninja, these six showed no reaction whatsoever.

But if anyone dared to approach them, they immediately dropped into fighting stances and radiated an extremely dangerous presence.

The scene was tense.

"What do we do now?" Ebizo asked, his face pale, looking at Chiyo.

"Do not act rashly for now. Wait until Yuji returns," Chiyo said, taking a slow breath.

Instinctively, she felt that these people were connected to Yuji.

Thinking of Yuji made her even more worried. He had rashly given chase after the Third Raikage and Ai as they left the village. While it had appeared to be a matter of driving dangerous enemies away, she understood clearly that the Third Raikage was not someone who held back when given an opportunity.

Once he had the chance, he would not hesitate to eliminate Yuji.

This was the Raikage. The man carrying the title of Strongest Spear in the ninja world. She had led several hundred people against him and had barely managed to hold him at bay.

If Yuji had not arrived when he did, she had already been mentally preparing herself for the possibility of her own sacrifice. Facing someone who stood at the absolute pinnacle of the ninja world’s power pyramid, the danger was beyond what mere fate could describe. It was a walk along the edge of death itself.

Against someone like the Raikage, even Blood Doctor Yuji was still very much at risk. Therefore Chiyo’s mind had been somewhat unfocused from the moment Yuji had given chase. Her face remained clouded and grim throughout.

She had already mentally prepared herself for the worst. She had sent several Sand Village ninja after them, and they had returned with terrible news.

But as experienced and battle-hardened as she was, she could not allow herself to panic. She understood clearly that the immediate priority was stabilizing the mood within the village.

She looked around. The despondent aura hanging over every Sand Village ninja present was palpable.

On the streets in the distance, villagers being led out of their shelters were still in visible shock, their faces filled with sorrow. The smoke of war had settled over the village again, as it had during the previous Great Ninja War, enveloping everyone in its familiar and terrible weight.

The village that had worked so hard to rebuild its economy and prosperity was showing signs of collapse from the Third Raikage’s devastating strike.

"The hearts of the people are what matter most right now," Chiyo thought, her own chest heavy with bitterness.

And the problem extended beyond the villagers themselves. At this time, numerous foreign merchant caravans were still present within the village. There was no way to silence these people.

Rumors would inevitably spread outward. And even setting aside the merchants, the Third Raikage, upon returning to the Hidden Cloud Village, would certainly publicize what had happened here in whatever way served him best.

Then the entire ninja world would know that the Hidden Sand Village had been raided by the Raikage personally with a Hidden Cloud elite squad, that most of their medicinal resources had been seized, and that the village was left exposed and vulnerable.

This would make the Sand Village a target for every opportunistic party watching from the sidelines.

Most critically, the Raikage’s action this time might be a signal for what was coming next. The Hidden Cloud Village’s next step, without any surprise, would be to organize a large-scale offensive against the Sand Village.

And currently, with forces already committed to managing the Hidden Stone Village, the Leaf Village, and maintaining vigilance against the Hidden Mist, the village’s military strength was nearly exhausted. If the Hidden Cloud Village appeared in force on top of all this...

Chiyo’s vision darkened. Her body swayed and she nearly lost her balance. A quick-thinking Sand Village ninja nearby caught her.

"If only the Third Raikage were still here," she sighed quietly.

A village Kage’s presence was truly irreplaceable. With a Kazekage present, the situation might not have changed dramatically, but it certainly would not have deteriorated this badly.

"Yuji has returned!"

At that moment, one of the Sand Village ninja Chiyo had dispatched to search came jumping back, landing in front of the group, his eyes bloodshot. His tone was one of barely contained excitement. His expression made it difficult to tell whether what he was feeling was joy or something else entirely.

"Where are they?" Chiyo asked instinctively, her stunned expression visible.

That he had returned safely was at least something to feel relieved about.

"At the main gate. Lord Yuji has summoned all the ninja from the village."

The ninja continued, unable to hold back tears that spilled freely.

"The common people, including the merchants, have all gathered there."

Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged a glance. Sensing something in the ninja’s reaction, they both felt a small spike of nervousness, wondering if the news was somehow even worse than what they already knew.

"Lord Yuji is also fine. You two will understand when you go."

The Sand Village ninja immediately realized they had misunderstood.

"Good news. This is great news!"

He wiped at his tears and said it with genuine excitement.

Chiyo looked at him with a face still pale from blood loss and exertion.

"The village is in this state. What good news could there possibly be?"

But even thinking this, Chiyo and Ebizo ran together toward the village’s main gate.

At the same time, they left the other Sand Village ninja behind to keep watch over the Uchiha members and hurried forward.

Chiyo reached the village gate shortly after. The area around it had been reduced to near wasteland by the battle. But in the open space beyond, people were gathered and moving about in large numbers, both Sand Village ninja and civilians.

More kept arriving after hearing the news, the crowd growing steadily larger.

At the very front of the crowd stood a figure in completely tattered clothing. Judging by his appearance, he had clearly just come through an extraordinarily fierce battle.

But when Chiyo’s gaze fell on the corpse lying beside him, her head reeled instantly and she froze where she stood.

Ebizo, beside her, parted his lips slightly. His mind went blank.

That was... the Third Raikage?

Not long ago this man had been moving through their village like a god of slaughter, cutting down everything in his path. And now he was a corpse lying on the ground.

Was this real?

Chiyo felt a sudden and overwhelming sense of unreality wash over her.

Killed?

"Everyone. The Cloud Village Raikage personally led his forces to attack our Sand Village. Because the ninja world is currently at war, our village’s defenses were limited, giving them the opportunity to exploit that and cause destruction within our walls, resulting in the loss of comrades and loved ones. For this, I, as a member of the Sand Village, offer my sincere apology."

"It is our fault for failing to protect everyone properly and for causing you all to be frightened."

"But in facing the enemy, the Sand Village will never show weakness or mercy. Since the enemy had the audacity to come here, we have the strength to ensure they never return."

"The corpse beside me is the Third Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village."

"The Cloud Village has lost one of their greatest figures. But this is the price they must pay."

"It is also the sworn declaration of the Sand Village, that we will leave a devastating mark on any enemy who dares to come, proving our resolve will never waver."

The voice carried across the open space to where the crowd had gathered.

Yuji spoke.

His words carried no excessive emotion, yet they revealed an unshakeable will that quietly inspired and moved through the entire assembled crowd like a current. In this moment he was neither arrogant nor self-pitying.

His youth displayed a kind of composure that belonged to someone far older, and his words reached into every person listening and steadied something that had been shaking.

Countless villagers began to cheer. The sound built and broke outward like a wave.

The Third Raikage’s death was like a life-saving stimulant injected into the severely wounded village at its most desperate moment. Rather than collapsing into despair, the crowd erupted with something stronger, a fierce and renewed spiritual presence that filled the open space with a sound that shook the surrounding ruins.

This kind of natural charisma and presence was something even Chiyo and Ebizo, veterans who had witnessed multiple generations of Kazekage, had never seen expressed quite this way. It was a completely different kind of bearing.

"Yuji!"

"Yuji!"

Among the crowd, whether villagers or ninja, voices began calling his name. Many were crying openly.

"Kazekage!"

"Kazekage!"

"Fourth Kazekage!"

Then within moments the shouting transformed, the crowd’s voices converging into a single thundering declaration that rolled across the wasteland like something unstoppable.

Yuji stood at the front of it all and felt his eyes narrow slightly despite himself.

This had gotten somewhat out of hand.

He had only intended to use the Third Raikage’s corpse to acknowledge what the village had suffered, to prevent the internal atmosphere and the newly established industries from being destabilized by despair.

And at the same time to send a clear signal outward to the ninja world that even without a Kazekage, the Sand Village was not a place anyone could simply enter and leave as they pleased.

But now...

He suddenly felt he could not bring himself to interrupt it.

"Cough, cough. That is all I had to say. Everyone please disperse."

Seeing the crowd’s emotions continuing to escalate toward something he genuinely could not control, he forced a composed expression, coughed several times with theatrical awkwardness, and then grabbed the Third Raikage’s corpse and quickly retreated from the front of the crowd.

Watching this, Chiyo felt some of the tension she had been carrying release slightly. She stepped forward and took over, managing the increasingly heated situation in his absence.

At the same time, glancing in the direction Yuji had disappeared, she made a decision.