Uchiha Jin wasn't surprised.
Five thousand Iwa shinobi weren't some expendable scouting force. If Iwagakure simply allowed them to be devoured, that would've been strange.
Nara Shikaku had anticipated reinforcements.
The remaining Iwa remnants could be crushed by:
The five hundred Konoha border guards stationed near Tenchi BridgeThe four pursuit squads led by Jin, Obito, Minato, and Orochimaru
And after the pursuit began, Shikaku had already mobilized another thousand shinobi from Kikyōzan to reinforce the encirclement.
The trap was layered.
What no one expected was Ōnoki himself taking command.
Generally speaking, a village's Kage didn't casually leave home soil.
Hiruzen rarely stepped outside Konoha except to report to the Daimyō.
Though…
Jin thought about it more carefully.
Sunagakure? Weak foundation — their Kazekage had to fight personally.
Kumogakure? The Raikage practically lived on the battlefield.
Kirigakure? Internal bloodline purges left the Mizukage with little choice but direct involvement.
…By comparison, maybe the Hokage staying home was the anomaly.
Ōnoki was no stranger to war.
For the sake of thousands of his shinobi, appearing personally at the front was entirely logical.
After dismissing Tobi — and refusing to answer his bizarre question about "what does needing to pee feel like?" — Jin regrouped.
When Hizashi finished coordinating logistics, the pursuit squad immediately resumed movement toward Grass Country.
They had only a few hours.
If Iwa reinforcements linked up before the remnants were eliminated—
The net would tear.
Dawn — Grass Country
The sky paled.
A battered thousand-strong Iwa force pushed desperately through the forest.
Though retreating, their formation remained disciplined.
Rear guard. Flank scouts. Rotational stamina control.
This was no rabble.
"Move! Just a little further!" the Iwa commander shouted while sprinting.
"Beyond this forest lies Tenchi Bridge!"
"Cross it — and we're free!"
"According to the latest intel, Tsuchikage-sama has already reached Kannabi Bridge! He'll rendezvous with us in less than two hours!"
"Once he arrives, we won't be the ones running!"
"We'll slaughter the Leaf bastards chasing us!"
That did it.
Even the most exhausted shinobi found a last reserve of strength.
Hope was oxygen.
And they were drowning.
Suddenly—
Several scouts rushed upstream through the formation.
"Captain!"
"Leaf shinobi spotted near Tenchi Bridge!"
"They've constructed defensive positions!"
"They're waiting for us!"
The words weren't quiet enough.
Shock rippled outward.
"Leaf? In front of us?!"
"They were behind us!"
"It's over… the retreat path is blocked!"
"We're surrounded…"
Panic spread like infection.
The fragile morale they'd scraped together collapsed instantly.
The commander shot the scout a murderous glare — but restrained himself.
"How many?" he demanded.
"And the bridge? Is it destroyed?"
"At least five hundred Leaf shinobi. Full battalion structure."
"As for the bridge… from a distance, it appears intact."
Relief flickered in the commander's eyes.
Good.
If the bridge had been destroyed, they would have to cross a canyon dozens — possibly over a hundred — meters wide.
That would take too long.
Long enough for the hunters to arrive.
Of course, he understood why the bridge wasn't blown.
Konoha was dangling hope.
A "way out."
They'd been herded since yesterday — running toward bones tossed ahead of them.
And each time they reached one—
More of them died.
He knew.
And yet—
What choice did he have?
That "bait" was survival.
The commander raised his voice again.
"You heard it yourselves!"
"The bridge still stands!"
"There are only five hundred of them!"
"We have over a thousand!"
"We still have the advantage!"
"Break through, and we live!"
"Think of your parents! Your wives! Your children waiting back home!"
"Will you die here?"
"Or carve your own path to survival?!"
He flipped the psychology.
If Konoha could use hope to prevent desperate resistance—
He could use that same hope to ignite fury.
"Kill the Leaf scum!"
"If I die, I'm taking one with me!"
"I won't die! My wife is waiting for me!"
The roar built.
Desperation sharpened into resolve.
Morale regained.
Good.
The commander slashed his arm forward.
"Full speed!"
"Target — Tenchi Bridge!"
Tenchi Bridge
Ahead lay the canyon.
Behind them, the hunters.
Above them—
Time.
They didn't know it yet.
But the bridge was never meant to save them.
It was meant to close.
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