"Still not finished?"
Sakumo was finally convinced.
With these techniques alone, Nagato could easily conquer the Land of Rain—or at least remain unbeaten.
No wonder Kawaki looked so confident.
"Do you want to see more?" Kawaki asked. But now he hesitated. If these techniques couldn't beat Sakumo… then he'd have no choice but to use Planetary Devastation.
"Enough, enough. I agree."
Sakumo waved his hands frantically, staring at the forest that had once been lush and green but was now completely stripped bare.
All things considered, they had only exchanged two moves total.
His thoughts drifted off elsewhere, and even his eyes began to look hollow.
"That works then."
Kawaki exhaled in relief. He'd passed this test finally.
Planetary Devastation was just too destructive—he really couldn't demonstrate it properly here.
[Descent of the Forest Realm.]
Without much effort, Kawaki repaired the damaged area.
Seeing the forest regain its lush beauty, he clapped his hands in satisfaction.
"Teacher, are we continuing the fight?" Nagato braced himself—thinking Kawaki might attack again.
"Nope. Let's go home for dinner."
Kawaki patted Sakumo's shoulder and in the blink of an eye reappeared beside Nagato.
Before Nagato could even react, all three vanished and reappeared just outside the Hatake household.
"I never expected... never expected this..."
Sakumo muttered to himself like a man who'd lost his soul, shuffling toward the dining room, eyes hollow.
Once they reached the dining room and he managed to swallow a few mouthfuls of rice, he finally came to his senses.
"What the hell happened to you?"
Everyone was puzzled by Sakumo's behavior, until Natsuki finally spoke up to ask.
"It's nothing. Big bro must've just gotten too excited," Kawaki smiled brightly as he sat down next to Tsunade, already having restored his hair to its original style.
"Just don't act too showy when you go back out there."
"If you run into any problems, contact us immediately."
Sakumo steadied himself, his attitude now completely different from before.
He was practically a completely different person.
"We understand, Uncle."
Longmen and the others obediently nodded, while Yahiko and Konan exchanged confused glances.
Sakumo's transformation was simply too sudden—they were genuinely growing increasingly confused.
How come he came back seeming like a totally different person?
"Your uncle is right."
"If you run into problems, remember to contact us promptly—we've got Katsuyu Sage, so communication will be easy enough."
Tsunade smoothly picked up where Sakumo left off.
Nagato and his group had also formed contracts with the Katsuyu Sage thanks to Kawaki.
In their world, summoning beasts like Katsuyu had become twice as popular as in the original story.
"We'll remember, teacher's spouse," the trio replied, nodding obediently—there was no other choice.
"When will you come back?"
"In one month? Two months? Or maybe after three or five years?"
Natsuki couldn't stop them from leaving, so she could only hope they returned soon.
She knew this mission meant she wouldn't see the three boys for a long, long time.
Women tend to be more emotional.
Being away from active duty for so many years only made those feelings stronger.
Thinking about how sad things would get, Natsuki's eyes began to glisten with tears.
The somber mood spread, settling heavily over the entire dining room.
Even Kawaki slowed his chopsticks, eating a little slower.
This issue had seemingly been overlooked until now, finally surfacing.
Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to Kawaki—after all, everything had been his plan.
Missions, after all, must one day end.
The Land of Rain is their homeland, but this place has become their true home.
They were members of the Hatake family the moment they crossed the Hatake gates years ago.
"I didn't think this through properly," Kawaki admitted.
Putting down his bowl, Kawaki expressed his apology first.
He had only considered that Nagato and the others had the ability to achieve the effect he wanted.
But he forgot that this time, once they returned, those three might be forced to settle permanently in the Land of Rain.
"The mission's ultimate goal is to fully seize control of the Land of Rain."
"You should understand what that means."
"If you're unwilling, then we'll cancel this mission."
Kawaki's expression was serious, clearly not just saying it casually.
Taking full control of the Land of Rain couldn't be done by proxy. That meant Nagato and the others wouldn't easily be able to leave again.
In the end, emotions outweighed strategic interests—fine, they could just leave the Land of Rain in chaos.
Sending them back to the Land of Rain probably wouldn't make them happy either.
"That's great, you don't have to go anymore."
Minato hadn't even finished feeling relieved before Nagato spoke up.
"Teacher, is sending us really the best option?"
Nagato naturally understood exactly what Kawaki meant.
He didn't show any joy, instead responding with a question.
"I want to hear the truth."
Perhaps afraid that Kawaki would sugarcoat things, he added that line.
Staring unwaveringly at Kawaki.
"For now…"
"It's the most reliable plan I can come up with."
Kawaki paused, then honestly replied.
Kawaki would respect whatever choice Nagato and the others made next.
"Then we'll go."
"Not for Konoha—but for you."
Nagato spoke for all three of them.
He didn't want to leave Konoha either, but more than anything, he didn't want to disappoint Kawaki.
Maybe speaking so openly in front of Tsunade wasn't quite appropriate.
But right now, they were simply family—and nothing more.
"You really don't have to go."
Tsunade didn't show the slightest displeasure—her heart ached instead.
"It's fine, Teacher's Wife."
"We'll always have time to come visit."
Yahiko offered a forced smile—he and Konan wholeheartedly accepted Nagato's decision.
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"Do you all really want to do this?"
Even though Sakumo acknowledged Nagato's abilities, he still hoped they could stay.
"We've made up our minds."
Nagato and the other two nodded firmly, without hesitation.
The debt of upbringing and teachings could never be repaid.
Besides, this wasn't sending them off to certain death.
"Sigh…"
"Starting tomorrow, all of you will rest at home."
"Consider it spending more time with Kakashi and Ginji."
With a long sigh, Sakumo directly gave the three an extended leave.
From now on, there would no longer be a Kawaki Anbu unit.
"Big Sis Konan, Ginji is going to miss you."
Ginji pouted and flung himself into Konan's arms—the boy was clearly already a sucker for pretty faces.
"Big sister will miss you, too."
Konan let out a soft sniffle and pulled Ginji into her chest.
Kakashi remained seated, unmoving, but had completely lost his appetite.
He told himself he was too old to cry—unlike Ginji.
"Brat, don't you miss me at all?"
Whether out of jealousy or not, Yahiko gave Ginji a light tap on the head.
"I do miss you too—I just miss Sister Konan more."
Ginji looked up with an expression of pure innocence. Of the three, Yahiko had always enjoyed teasing him the most.
"What about me then?"
Nagato smiled gently at his little junior brother. After all, he had always been a kind person by nature.
"Senior Nagato comes in second."
Ginji shot Yahiko a mischievous grin, annoying him greatly.
"You little brat..."
Yahiko raised his hand again as if to hit him, sending Ginji darting behind Konan.
"Try touching Ginji and see what happens!"
Konan protectively pulled Ginji into her arms. When she shot Yahiko a fierce glare, he immediately backed off.
"Fine, fine, I won't hit him,"
Yahiko muttered under his breath, clearly frustrated.
"Nya nya nya~"
Ginji stuck out his tongue like a victorious general. Just moments ago, he had been sobbing, wiping his tears dry against Konan's chest.
His antics finally managed to lighten the heavy atmosphere a little.
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