Casualties

After a moment of silence, Luo Lei flashed a mischievous smile. "Orochimaru," he said, "Do you think Hiruzen will call me back after this?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "The old man? Nah," he replied, his tongue sliding over his lips in a characteristic gesture. "Knowing him, he'll probably try to keep you busy by sending you to other battle fronts. You know how he is, always trying to avoid problems instead of facing them."

Deciding not to give it much importance, Luo Lei shrugged. "Bah, as if that mattered," he said disdainfully. "I'll go back when I feel like it."

"Hahaha..." Orochimaru's dry laugh rang out. "Oh, Luo Lei-kun," he said between laughs, "you never cease to amaze me."

In his mind, he couldn't stop thinking. The power that Luo Lei had demonstrated on the battlefield was undeniable. At this moment, it seemed that there was no force in the world capable of stopping him. 'I just hope the old fools in Konoha have the sense to see reality and adapt,' he thought. 'For their own good.'

As they conversed, the battlefield around them was transforming. The Konoha ninjas, still visibly shaken by recent events, worked diligently to clean up the remains of the carnage. Bodies were removed, craters filled, blood washed from the earth.

A Konoha Jōnin approached with hesitant steps. Upon reaching them, he bowed respectfully, his hands trembling slightly as he held a document.

"Orochimaru-sama, L-Luo Lei-sama," he began. "The battlefield has been cleared. Here I have the approximate statistics of our troops and those of Sunagakure."

He noticed the tremor in the Jōnin's voice when mentioning Luo Lei's name. Orochimaru, with a malicious smile, decided to inquire further.

"Interesting," he said, ignoring the document. "Tell us the details. How many enemies fell to Luo Lei-kun?"

The Jōnin swallowed. "The... the statistics are shocking, Orochimaru-sama," he replied, his voice almost a whisper. "Of the 3,100 Sunagakure troops, approximately 1,900 died, 800 were captured, and the rest... possibly escaped in the chaos."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "And the specific details?"

Taking a deep breath before continuing. "Among the fallen from Sunagakure, we count more than 110 Jōnin, 1,100 Genin, and 700 Chūnin." He paused, glancing at Luo Lei. "Of these... Luo Lei-sama was responsible for more than 100 Jōnin, 620 Chūnin, and 1,030 Genin."

A heavy silence fell over them. Even Orochimaru, accustomed to violence, seemed impressed. He looked at Luo Lei, who remained impassive, as if the numbers meant nothing to him.

"Incredible," he murmured, his mind processing the implications. "Luo Lei-kun, you've decimated decades of Sunagakure's accumulation in a single battle."

The Jōnin, still trembling, added: "There's... there's more, Orochimaru-sama. Some bodies were incinerated or... reduced to rubble. The real number could be even higher."

At that moment, Orochimaru's mind began to buzz, left speechless by the magnitude of the destruction. The annihilation of so many ninjas undoubtedly meant the crumbling of decades of strength accumulation by Sunagakure.

The Genin, Chūnin, and Jōnin constitute the fundamental pillar of each ninja village. This Sunagakure offensive, which had mobilized more than 3,000 troops, represented practically the entirety of the Wind Country's military force. Which was the fruit of years of recovery after the Second Ninja War.

The result of this battle was, from a certain perspective, impressive. With a single confrontation, Sunagakure had been returned to a state prior to its peak, almost to its beginnings.

'It will take decades before they can recover from this blow', he thought, weighing the long-term implications of this crushing victory.

"Haha..."

Luo Lei flashed an indifferent smile. Homelander's heat vision was perfect for large-scale conflicts.

Ignoring this laugh, Orochimaru asked, "What about our casualties?"

The Jōnin hesitated, his eyes moving nervously between Orochimaru and Luo Lei. He opened his mouth, but the words seemed to stick in his throat.

"Don't worry," Luo Lei intervened with interest.

The Jōnin exhaled in relief, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "In the battle against Sunagakure," he whispered, "our army suffered only slightly more than thirty casualties, but..."

"It's okay, no need to continue," Luo Lei interrupted him, his face suddenly turning solemn. "Attribute all casualties to Sunagakure. Orochimaru and I will personally sign the report for Konoha."

The Jōnin's face paled even more, if that was possible... Beads of cold sweat pearled on his forehead as he nodded frantically.

"You may leave," Luo Lei ordered with a wave of his hand.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, walking away with evident relief.

Once alone, Orochimaru turned to Luo Lei, his narrowed eyes gleaming with admiration. "Luo Lei-kun, I'm truly impressed," he said with excitement. "You're a god of slaughter. Fortunately, you're on Konoha's side. Otherwise, I wouldn't even dare to imagine facing you."

Luo Lei smiled enigmatically. "I simply don't want to be limited. I can do whatever I want and follow my heart," he replied, his tone loaded with meaning. "I've always wanted to be a member of Konoha and protect the village well."

"You just want to be Konoha's hero, I understand," Orochimaru replied, his expression suggesting he had deciphered Luo Lei's true intentions. "Don't worry. After this defeat of Sunagakure, you'll be Konoha's Homelander, a hero recognized throughout the ninja world."

As they conversed, news of Luo Lei's feats spread. Like Orochimaru, many Konoha ninjas were stunned to learn the real numbers. Despite knowing that Luo Lei had finished off many Sunagakure ninjas, the magnitude of the massacre left them breathless.

Luo Lei's impact on the battle had been so overwhelming that it made the contribution of the rest of the Konoha army seem insignificant.

________

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