That night, the commander's tent was still lit.
Although the battle against Iwagakure had already ended, the work after victory was far from over.
Maps covered the long table. Several marked scrolls were pinned down by kunai, and small wooden tokens representing Konoha's units had already been rearranged more than once.
Nara Shikaku stood in front of the map with his arms folded, his brows slightly furrowed.
The surviving Iwagakure forces had surrendered, Han had been sealed under heavy guard, and the report to Konoha had already been drafted.
By all logic, this front no longer needed Yagami to remain here.
However, before Shikaku could finalize the next movement, hurried footsteps came from outside the tent.
"Report!"
A Konoha shinobi pushed open the curtain and stepped inside.
Shikaku turned his head.
"Speak."
The messenger immediately knelt on one knee and presented a sealed scroll.
"Urgent report from the Kumogakure front."
Shikaku took the scroll, broke the seal, and quickly scanned its contents.
The more he read, the heavier his expression became.
After a moment, he placed the scroll on the table.
"Troublesome."
After easing the tension in his brows with a light massage of his fingers, he waved his hand at the man, telling him to rest in the camp, then had someone else call for Yagami.
After a while, Yagami, who had been living leisurely these past few days, finally appeared.
"What happened?" he asked.
Shikaku did not answer immediately. Instead, he pointed at the map.
"Kumogakure has increased pressure on the front line. The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki has appeared. The Two-Tails' jinchūriki has also been confirmed."
Yagami's gaze turned thoughtful, and he sighed inwardly.
His lazy days were over, weren't they?
He could already picture what would come next.
"The Third Raikage himself has taken the field."
Yagami's thoughts were interrupted the moment he heard that particular name.
"The Third Raikage…"
Among the current Kage, the Third Raikage was an existence no village dared to underestimate.
A man who could clash with a tailed beast head-on.
A monster wrapped in lightning.
Shikaku continued in a low voice.
"And his son, A, is leading Kumo's elite assault unit. In other words, Kumogakure has sent out the Third Raikage, his son, the Eight-Tails, and the Two-Tails at the same time."
The commander's tent fell silent.
Even for Konoha, that lineup was too heavy.
Originally, Iwagakure had gathered a massive force in order to contain Kumogakure's advance.
Their conflict with Kumo had been severe enough that even the Third Raikage was forced to personally take action.
But Yagami's sudden appearance had shattered Iwagakure's battlefield far too quickly.
Ōnoki was dead.
Han had been captured.
Rōshi had already fallen into Konoha's hands before that.
With Iwagakure suffering such a crushing defeat, the forces that should have continued pressuring the Third Raikage were thrown into chaos. Their command structure had collapsed, and their army no longer had the ability to trap him in place.
The death that should have awaited the Third Raikage on the Iwagakure front never arrived.
Instead, the monster of Kumogakure had turned his strength toward Konoha's other battlefield.
Shikaku pressed his fingers against his forehead.
"What a drag…"
Yagami had ended one battlefield with overwhelming force, but because of that, another battlefield had become even more dangerous.
"Then I'll go."
Hearing those calm words, even Shikaku felt his heart ease.
Still, he asked the question anyway, though he had already guessed what Yagami intended to do.
"Alone?"
"Alone."
Yagami walked toward the map and glanced at the marked route leading to the Kumogakure front.
"If the army moves together, it'll take too long. If we bring the wounded and the prisoner, we'll be even slower."
He raised his hand and tapped the map lightly.
"I can get there much faster by myself."
Shikaku looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
"That is indeed the most efficient option."
Kushina, who had just arrived, had already heard the gist of the situation and immediately sprang forward.
"Shikaku!"
"I know," Shikaku said with a sigh. "I don't like it either. But strategically, he's right."
He pointed toward the markings around their current position.
"This front is already settled. Iwagakure has lost its Kage, two jinchūriki, and most of its command strength. What matters now is securing our gains."
His gaze shifted to another marker.
"Han has to be transported back to Konoha safely."
Yagami looked at Kushina.
"That's why you're going back with them."
Kushina's expression immediately changed.
"What?"
"You, Shikaku, and the main force will escort Han back to the village."
Yagami's voice remained casual, but there was no room for argument in it.
"The Five-Tails' jinchūriki is too important. Iwagakure may try to recover him. Kumogakure may try to take advantage of the chaos. Even smaller forces might get greedy if they hear the news."
He looked directly at Kushina.
"You're the best person here to protect that convoy."
Kushina clenched her fists.
"I can fight on the Kumo front too."
"I know you can and..."
Yagami did not deny it.
"That's why I'm leaving the prisoner to you."
For a moment, Kushina could not answer.
She hated the feeling of being left behind.
But she also understood the situation.
Han was not an ordinary captive. He was a jinchūriki. If anything happened during the return journey, the victory they had just won could turn into another disaster.
Shikaku folded his arms.
"I'll organize the escort. We'll take Han, the wounded, and the sealed intelligence back to Konoha. Yagami will move ahead and reinforce the Kumogakure front alone."
Orders spread through the camp soon after.
The relaxed atmosphere left behind by victory disappeared. Shinobi moved quickly between tents. Sealing squads were called to reinforce Han's restraints. Sensory shinobi were assigned in rotations. The wounded were gathered, and the escort route back to Konoha was marked.
Kushina stood outside the commander's tent, watching the camp return to motion.
Yagami walked out behind her.
"You're angry?"
"Of course I'm angry."
She turned around and glared at him.
"You just finished one battlefield, and now you're throwing yourself into another one alone."
Yagami tilted his head.
"You know how fast I am. Besides, don't you know my strength? What could possibly happen to me?"
"That's not the point you idiot!"
Kushina grabbed the front of his clothes and pulled him closer.
Her blue eyes stared straight into his.
"Don't get careless. I don't care how strong you are. The Third Raikage isn't some random shinobi, and two jinchūriki together aren't something you should treat like a game."
Yagami looked into her eyes.
Although they seemed fierce, the worry hidden inside them made his expression soften as well.
"I know."
"I'll come back."
Kushina released him with a click of her tongue.
"You better."
Yagami smiled and kissed her.
Although Kushina blushed, she still wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as fiercely.
Amid the kiss, golden light began to gather around Yagami's body.
His figure turned into countless photons and scattered, leaving Kushina kissing empty air for a brief moment.
When she finally came back to her senses, she saw Shikaku standing nearby as if he had just arrived and wanted to say something.
But after seeing her kissing the air, the corner of Shikaku's mouth twitched.
Silently, he turned around and left.
Kushina stood there, her face flushed red as she clenched her fists.
That idiot had tricked her.
Meanwhile, on the Kumogakure front, the battle was raging at full force.
Kumogakure's forces pressed forward with aggressive attacks, while Konoha remained firmly on the defensive.
At the center of the battlefield, a golden flash cut through the forest.
Minato Namikaze appeared above a broken boulder, one hand already throwing three tri-pronged kunai in different directions.
The moment the kunai left his fingers, a bolt of lightning crossed the ground.
A appeared in front of him.
His body was wrapped in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, blue lightning roaring around him like a living beast. His eyes were sharp, his muscles tense, and the killing intent around him made the air feel heavier.
"Don't run, Yellow Flash!"
His fist tore through the space where Minato had been standing.
The boulder exploded.
Minato reappeared beside one of his kunai several meters away, his expression calm, but his gaze did not relax for even a second.
So fast...
A's straight-line speed was terrifying.
Even with the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato could not afford to be careless.
Because A was not alone.
"Yo! Don't blink, don't think, here comes Bee with the killer sync!"
A shadow fell from above.
Killer Bee spun through the air with several blades tucked between his arms, elbows, knees, and mouth. His movements looked wild at first glance, almost ridiculous, but every blade aimed for Minato's blind spots with frightening precision.
Minato's eyes sharpened, his figure vanished.
One of Bee's blades grazed the edge of his coat before Minato appeared behind Bee, a Rasengan forming in his palm.
But before the technique could land, A arrived.
His elbow, wrapped in lightning, smashed toward Minato's ribs.
Minato immediately disappeared again.
A's strike passed through empty air and crashed into the ground, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Bee landed beside him, spinning his swords back into position.
"Bro, he's slippery, real slick, real clean. But even a yellow flash can get caught between!"
A snorted.
"Stop singing and watch his hands."
Bee grinned behind his sunglasses.
"Already watching, already knowing. His marks are the way he keeps on going."
Minato's gaze shifted slightly.
As expected.
Killer Bee was not just strong... he was just as observant.
During their earlier exchanges, Bee had already noticed that Minato's movement depended on the marked kunai scattered across the battlefield. A relied on overwhelming speed, while Bee covered the gaps with unpredictable attacks.
The A-B Combo.
One charged head-on.
The other cut off the escape route.
Against any normal shinobi, it would have been over in a moment.
Minato slowly raised another kunai.
His breathing remained steady.
"Two-on-one against me. I should feel honored."
A lowered his stance.
"Hmph. You should already feel like a dead man."
Lightning erupted beneath his feet.
In the next instant, he disappeared.
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