"Lord Third Hokage…"
"Yagami went to the Land of Wind to carry out a mission, didn't he? He still hasn't returned yet?"
After the heads of the various clans finished their discussions and began to leave, Uchiha Mikoto hesitated for a moment before stepping forward, her expression carrying a trace of anxiety as she approached Sarutobi Hiruzen.
She had just heard that Sunagakure had officially gone to war with Konoha.
Her heart was already burning with unease.
At a time like this…
He was still out there.
Thinking of him made it impossible for her to calm down.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood quietly, watching the clan leaders depart one after another.
When he heard Mikoto's voice, he turned his head with a helpless expression.
ANBU had already reported to him before.
They mentioned that Yagami had been visiting the Uchiha compound frequently—but at the time, he hadn't paid much attention to it.
After all, Yagami's character didn't seem like someone who would get entangled in unnecessary relationships.
But only a few days later…
Another report reached his desk.
It claimed that Yagami and the Uchiha clan's Uchiha Mikoto had become closely involved.
When he heard that news, Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly choked on his smoke pipe.
His momentary carelessness had come back to bite him.
Yagami… and the Uchiha clan?
That realization had been giving him a headache for days.
After all, Yagami's strength was something he had personally witnessed.
That was genuine Kage-level power.
If Yagami ever leaned toward the Uchiha clan because of Mikoto…
That would be an extremely troublesome situation.
"Lord Third?"
Seeing Hiruzen momentarily lost in thought, Mikoto called out again.
That snapped him back to reality.
"…Yagami hasn't returned yet."
Hiruzen shook his head and answered truthfully.
In reality, he was even more worried than Mikoto.
Because Kushina Uzumaki—the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—was also with Yagami in the Land of Wind.
"I see…"
Hearing that Yagami was still away, Mikoto's eyes dimmed slightly.
She bowed respectfully to the Third Hokage, helped the elder beside her, and quietly withdrew.
Watching Mikoto and the elder leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out another long sigh.
Because Kumogakure and Kirigakure were far from Sunagakure, news of the war had yet to fully reach them.
But Iwagakure, like Konoha, had already received confirmation.
At this moment, an emergency meeting was being held inside the Tsuchikage Building.
The noise echoing from within was even louder than what Konoha had experienced.
Recently, the major clans of Iwagakure had been locked in constant conflict over village resources.
None of them were willing to back down.
And now—of all times—the war had broken out.
Ōnoki's fury erupted during the meeting.
In the end, he rejected every single proposal.
He slammed down one final decision.
"If you want to fight, then fight outside the village."
Iwagakure formally declared hostility toward Sunagakure and officially entered the war.
The next morning, at dawn—
The people of Rōran once again set out toward the Land of Fire.
This time, however, Yagami did not escort them.
After passing through Kikyo Pass, they were already considered safe.
And now…
This was the moment war truly erupted.
The perfect time for Yagami to earn prestige.
How could he possibly leave the front lines at Kikyo Castle?
Seeing that Yagami had no intention of returning to Konoha, Kushina took the initiative to stay as well.
As for Yūhi Shinku and the others—
They naturally welcomed Yagami's decision to remain and fight alongside them.
Before Konoha's main forces arrived, they had almost no confidence in holding Kikyo Castle on their own.
Yagami staying behind was like a stabilizing pillar.
It drastically boosted both morale and strength.
Inside the castle tower pavilion of Kikyo Castle—
"System, use an intermediate lottery."
Yagami chatted casually with Kushina while eating, activating the system silently in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: Wind Release · Rasenshuriken.]
Another batch of miscellaneous rewards appeared, with the guaranteed prize displayed at the end.
"…Another technique?"
Seeing the result, Yagami felt slightly disappointed.
Compared to techniques, talent-type or ability-type rewards were clearly more valuable.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
"Guess my luck's just average this time."
He sighed inwardly, fused the Rasenshuriken, and closed the system interface.
Then—
[Ding! System mission triggered: Defend Kikyo Castle until reinforcements arrive.]
[Mission Difficulty: ★★★★☆]
[Mission Reward: 20,000 Prestige Points.]
The sudden notification made Yagami's eyes widen.
Four-star mission?
Twenty thousand prestige points?!
This was his first four-star mission involving others and the reward was exceptionally tempting.
But after thinking about it, the reason became obvious.
In the original history of the Third Shinobi World War, Kikyo Castle had been destroyed and ultimately abandoned.
That alone proved how brutal the fighting here would become.
If the system wanted him to protect Kikyo Castle…
Then retreating was not an option.
Once he withdrew—
If Sunagakure occupied the castle, even temporarily—
The mission would immediately fail.
Realizing this, Yagami's expression grew serious.
Four-star rewards weren't something you could get easily after all.
"What's wrong?"
Kushina, who had been quietly watching him, noticed the change immediately.
"Why do you suddenly look so serious?"
"Ah… it's nothing."
Yagami scratched his head, pushing those thoughts aside for now.
After finishing their meal, the two continued chatting casually.
Kakashi had already been sent by Yagami to train beneath Kikyo Castle.
Tekuno, meanwhile, had been dispatched back to Konoha to take over the Rōran escort mission.
At this moment, the pavilion held only the two of them.
Yet—
Yagami felt a faint sense of unease.
Over the past few days, Kushina had clearly become gentler toward him.
After yesterday's battle, she had undoubtedly developed a favorable impression of him.
Their relationship had grown much closer.
But…
If Kushina were to find out someday that he also shared a deep bond with Uchiha Mikoto—
He didn't know whether she would walk away in anger.
The thought alone gave him a headache.
How is my future self supposed to solve something like this…?
This was a truly massive problem.
Thinking back to when he met Naruko—Kushina's daughter—in Rōran…
He really should have asked her for advice.
That thought left Yagami feeling inexplicably frustrated.
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