Chapter 34: Aftermath of the Raid

The dim light of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the small room in Kumogakure's hospital. Ei lay in bed, her body still recovering from the overwhelming exhaustion that had claimed her after the raid on Uzushiogakure. Though physically unscathed, her chakra reserves were still depleted, and the strange power she had received during her vision of Raiden Mei—the Gem of Conquest—remained a mystery, pulsing faintly within her.

The door creaked open, pulling Ei from her thoughts. A and B entered, both wearing serious expressions. A's towering form moved with the confidence of a warrior who had seen victory in the chaos of battle, while B's usual carefree demeanor was replaced by a quiet solemnity. They had come to debrief her, and Ei braced herself for what was to come.

"Ei," A began, his voice low but firm as he sat down in the chair next to her bed. B leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, watching her closely. "There's a lot we need to talk about—the aftermath of the raid."

Ei sat up slightly, adjusting the pillows behind her to give her a better view of them. "What happened? After the explosion... I don't remember much."

B was the first to respond, his tone serious. "It was chaos, yo. The explosion wiped out almost everything—Uzushiogakure is gone. We barely made it out alive. But what came after? Well... that's where things got interesting."

A nodded, leaning forward slightly. "Kumogakure and Amegakure ended up with the biggest gains. Out of all the villages involved, we were the ones who managed to loot the most from the ruins before they were completely destroyed."

Ei's eyes widened slightly. "What did we get?"

"A ton of scrolls," A replied. "Mostly on basic sealing techniques. Uzushiogakure was famous for its sealing arts, and even though we didn't manage to recover the most advanced techniques, we still got our hands on enough material to train our shinobi in the basics of sealing. It'll be a huge asset for Kumogakure in the future."

B chimed in, his expression lightening just a bit. "Yeah, tons of scrolls, baby! Sealing techniques up the wazoo, you know? We can take those basics and build on 'em, make 'em our own."

Ei nodded thoughtfully. Sealing techniques were incredibly valuable, especially to a village like Kumogakure, which had long relied on raw power and force in battle. The ability to integrate sealing techniques into their repertoire would give them an edge in future conflicts. "What about Amegakure?" she asked.

A's expression darkened slightly. "Amegakure got their hands on something dangerous. They recovered scrolls on how to create explosive seals, along with a stockpile of leftover explosive seals from Uzushiogakure's reserves. That village was known for using explosive seals to devastating effect, and now Amegakure has the knowledge to produce them on a large scale."

Ei frowned, understanding the implications. "Explosive seals… That could give Amegakure a significant advantage in the war."

B nodded. "Yeah, but it ain't all bad. They may have the know-how, but they still need the resources to mass-produce those seals. They ain't gonna flood the battlefield with 'em overnight."

A crossed his arms, his gaze hardening. "Still, it's something we'll need to keep an eye on. Hanzo isn't one to waste opportunities. He'll use those explosive seals when it suits him."

Ei shifted in her bed, her mind racing as she processed the information. Kumogakure had secured valuable knowledge on sealing, and Amegakure had gained the means to create dangerous weapons. But what of the other villages? "What about Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure? What did they manage to recover?"

"Kirigakure got their hands on some summoning seals," A said, his tone neutral. "It wasn't as much as what we or Amegakure got, but it's still something they'll find useful. From what we've gathered, they found a technique that allows them to create summoning seals with greater efficiency. It might give them a bit of an edge, but nothing too game-changing."

B snorted, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, they got some summoning stuff, but nothing compared to what we got. Honestly, they're probably just happy they didn't lose more of their forces in the explosion."

Ei nodded, but she could sense there was more to the story. "And what about Sunagakure and Iwagakure?"

A's expression turned grim, and B's usual lightheartedness faded. "Sunagakure and Iwagakure… well, they didn't fare so well," A said slowly. "After the explosion, the rest of our army, led by me, went after the Iwagakure forces. Kitsuchi was injured from the blast, and his forces were scattered. We took the opportunity to push them back, forcing them to retreat. Iwagakure barely managed to escape with their lives, let alone any spoils from the raid."

Ei blinked in surprise. "You attacked Iwagakure after the explosion?"

A nodded, his gaze steady. "It was the right moment. They were vulnerable, and we couldn't let them regroup. If they'd managed to recover and loot anything of value, they would have had the resources to extend the war with us even longer. So we hit them hard and drove them off."

B gave a nod of approval. "Yeah, we couldn't let them walk away with anything. Kumogakure needed those resources more than they did."

"And Sunagakure?" Ei asked, curious about the fate of the desert village.

A's lips pressed into a thin line. "Sunagakure didn't fare much better than Iwagakure. They were hit hard by the explosion, and although Rasa managed to protect some of his elite shinobi with his Gold Dust, they didn't recover anything of real value from the ruins. By the time they regrouped, most of the usable scrolls and techniques were already gone, either in our hands or Amegakure's."

"So, in the end," Ei murmured, "Kumogakure and Amegakure were the real winners of this raid."

"Exactly," A said firmly. "The raid may have cost us, but the rewards were worth it. We've secured the knowledge we need to strengthen Kumogakure's forces, and with the sealing techniques we recovered, our village will be in a much stronger position moving forward."

B grinned, his usual swagger returning. "Yeah, we cleaned up real nice, yo! We'll take what we learned and make Kumogakure unstoppable!"

Ei leaned back in her bed, her mind swirling with thoughts of what had transpired. The raid had been a costly endeavor, but the rewards—particularly the sealing techniques—could change the course of the war for Kumogakure. She knew that the Gem of Conquest inside her would play a role in the battles to come, but for now, she was content to let her body recover.

As A and B continued to talk about the specifics of the raid's aftermath, Ei's thoughts drifted back to the vision she had experienced. Raiden Mei—the Herrscher of Origin—had given her incredible power, but with that power came great responsibility. The Gem of Conquest pulsed faintly within her, a constant reminder of the path she now walked.

Her journey was far from over.

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End of Chapter 34