When the battle ended, Natsuki immediately used Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to take everyone back to the main headquarters.
The first thing, of course, was to eat a proper meal.
After all, Natsuki had been fighting Madara for a long time, and everyone else had been watching for a long time too. Their stomachs had been growling ages ago, so naturally they needed to replenish themselves properly now.
And after eating, Natsuki and Tenten went to take a thorough bath as well.
Once they were done washing up, they climbed into bed together, held each other close, and fell into a peaceful sleep.
Tomorrow was definitely going to be a brutal fight, so some things were better left undone—so they wouldn't end up with shaky legs at the critical moment.
But if the two of them could rest, the Kage couldn't.
When Gaara saw that everyone had returned safely, he truly let out a huge sigh of relief.
He felt guilty that he couldn't go to the front lines and fight, but he also understood that not getting captured in the rear was itself a major strategic objective, so he could only accept the arrangement and swallow his pride.
Still, he had been working hard in the rear in every way he could—information relay, intelligence analysis, and decision discussions. He participated actively in all of it.
It could be said that while the commander wasn't at headquarters, it was Gaara's efforts that kept the entire camp running in an orderly manner.
After the meal, a new strategy meeting began. The Five Kage and all other key figures attended—everyone except Natsuki and Tenten—and no one thought anything was strange.
Natsuki and Tenten had been more than active enough today, with the greatest achievements and the greatest exhaustion.
No one had the nerve to disturb the top contributors. At worst, they could brief them on the conclusions tomorrow, and if they had objections, they could raise them then.
"Tomorrow is the full moon, the time Madara and Obito most want to activate Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi)," A said heavily. "Right now, the five jinchūriki—Gaara, Sasuke, Fu, Killer Bee, and Naruto—are all under our protection. And the four Edo Tensei jinchūriki—Yugito, Roshi, Han, and Utakata—have been sealed inside the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot). You could say all nine tailed beasts are in our hands, but we can't get complacent because of that. Tomorrow is going to be a hard fight across the board."
Tsunade agreed. "Exactly. Madara and Obito are both extraordinary. If they intend to activate Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) tomorrow night, then they'll launch a fierce assault tomorrow during the day—or even tonight. We have to prepare for everything!"
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Especially at the point about those two being extraordinary—no one objected.
Even though Obito kept getting forced into setbacks, his Kamui intangibility was extremely difficult to deal with, which was exactly why he had managed to escape again and again.
On top of that, Obito had the Rinnegan. He simply wasn't using it well yet. Who knew whether he might suddenly master some terrifying technique and catch everyone off guard? If that happened, it would be a serious problem.
As for Madara—there was no need to even say more.
That man was genuinely strong. Right now, only Natsuki could hold him back.
But Natsuki's chakra was limited, while Madara, as an Edo Tensei body, didn't need to worry about chakra at all. Once Natsuki ran out, that would be the moment Madara cut loose and slaughtered everyone.
What frightened them most was that Madara had clearly been hit by the kotodama curse of the Six Paths tools, yet he could still hold out for so long without being sucked into the red gourd. It was absurd.
Tenten had nearly shut down over it, because it was simply too hard to comprehend.
"So… has anyone considered telling them the truth?" Gaara suddenly said. "If they knew Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi) is Black Zetsu's scam, would they wake up?"
Onoki shook his head decisively. "They won't. In fact, Kakashi already told Obito a lot of the truth long ago, and he didn't believe it. Natsuki told Madara during the fight too, and Madara didn't believe it either. They think we're deliberately feeding them lies to shake their resolve and conviction, so they refuse to believe us."
So that was it. What a pity.
Gaara was disappointed. He'd never imagined he'd learn such a thing in the first place.
But it wasn't surprising. Those two had been plotting for years—how could they change their minds over a few words from someone else, or start doubting their own beliefs?
And for Black Zetsu to deceive both of them, his ability to disguise himself had to be exceptional.
Even Madara had never once suspected Black Zetsu was deceiving him. It could only be said that Black Zetsu's planning and acting were far too masterful.
At that moment, Mei spoke up. "Then how do we arrange things next? This is the top priority. Or tomorrow, let Gaara go over there too, and take the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot) with him. That way the enemy won't get even a single tailed beast?"
"No, no." Neji spoke up in opposition. "If the location gets exposed, wouldn't that mean we get wiped out in one net?"
The others all nodded. In truth, even though the island turtle's location was concealed, it wasn't impossible to find—especially with someone like Black Zetsu, whose abilities were hard to predict. They had to be cautious.
If they really sent all the jinchūriki to the island turtle, and it was discovered, then it would truly be over.
During the meeting, they didn't even dare to say the island turtle's name out loud, afraid Black Zetsu might have some special way of listening in.
Gaara thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped the table and said solemnly, "Everyone, forgive my shamelessness. I've decided to hide at Mount Myōboku!"
Swish. Everyone looked at Gaara—surprised, relieved, and even admiring.
Clearly, Gaara understood the stakes. Even though the Allied Shinobi Forces seemed to have the upper hand, they still had to guard against Madara's violent counterattack.
The best approach was to hide the jinchūriki properly.
If the island turtle might be discovered, then they should go somewhere far harder to find: Mount Myōboku!
That was why Gaara called it shameless. He felt that while everyone else was fighting, he—as the Allied Forces' overall commander—was going to hide, which was genuinely embarrassing.
But he also knew the strategic meaning of doing so was enormous.
Because even Madara didn't know where Mount Myōboku was!
If a single jinchūriki was hidden at Mount Myōboku, then how would the enemy capture him? How would the enemy assemble the Ten-Tails? How would the enemy activate Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi)?
They couldn't! They simply couldn't! They were doomed to lose!
Onoki nodded in approval. "Good kid. You're very impressive. Before, I looked down on you for being such a young Kazekage. Now I dare say this—your Kazekage is far better than your father, Rasa."
"Agreed. Gaara's method is excellent," A affirmed. "In that case, immediately have Gaara take the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot) to Mount Myōboku. I refuse to believe we can still lose after that!"
The others all voted in favor. A immediately handed the scroll containing the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot) over to Gaara.
Jiraiya directly summoned Fukasaku and Shima.
The two Great Toad Sages also understood that the shinobi world faced catastrophe, so they decisively reverse-summoned Gaara to Mount Myōboku.
"Everyone, the peace of the shinobi world depends on your efforts!" Fukasaku left those words behind, and he and Shima departed.
At that, everyone finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.
It really felt like, with this, the Allied side simply could not lose!
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]