"Finished the meeting already?"
Before anyone could answer, Nagato lifted the curtain and stepped in, truly spoiling the mood.
"Done. Did you finish treating all the injured?"
Yahiko scratched his head awkwardly. Nagato sure picked a great time to arrive.
Couldn't he have waited until Yahiko finished his pep talk?
And made a few grand promises?
"Yeah, everything's taken care of."
Nagato nodded. He was currently in charge of medical supplies and logistics.
The reason he didn't attend the meeting was because he needed to treat the wounded ninjas.
Not that there was anything he needed to say at the meeting anyway.
"Alright then, everyone dismissed."
Interrupted by Nagato like that, Yahiko had no interest in continuing the meeting.
The main points were already covered, and the outcome of this war had essentially been decided.
The only difference lay in how much effort would be required from the five of them.
"Yes, Leader-sama."
Several commanders left one after another, leaving only the five of them inside the tent.
"Leader-sama, you're getting more and more impressive."
Konan yawned and stretched lazily before teasing Yahiko.
In public, he was their leader; behind closed doors, he was just her Yahiko.
"Konan-sama flatters me."
Yahiko played along, giving her a slight, respectful bow.
"When are you going to give me an important position to fill?"
Konan didn't have any specific responsibilities—this was entirely due to her nature.
She loved being free-spirited, not that anyone dared to look down on her.
"That's simple enough."
"How about I appoint you as the Leader's Lady? What do you think?"
With a mischievous grin, Yahiko took the empty seat beside Konan, striking back playfully.
"Get out of here, you never take anything seriously."
Konan's cheeks turned slightly red—when it came to cheekiness, she couldn't match him.
"The Leader's Lady~ That's quite a high-ranking title."
Nonou put on a look of exaggerated surprise, joining in with the teasing.
Nagato sat beside her, smiling faintly.
Power hadn't changed their dynamics. Everything remained as it was.
"You're all ganging up on me. I'm not talking to you anymore."
"Let's get to the point already—I want to go to bed."
Konan offered a weak excuse, ducking her head trying to change the subject.
But Nonou wouldn't let her off the hook so easily.
"Being the Leader's Lady means staying close to the Leader himself, right?"
"You're in such a hurry, huh?"
"Hahaha~"
After saying that, Nonou couldn't help but burst into laughter herself.
"Ah!!"
"Don't say another word."
Konan quickly covered her face, who knew what she was thinking—her blush quickly spread down to her neck.
"All talk—your body says otherwise."
Kakuzu watched her reaction with secret amusement, delivering the finishing blow at just the right moment.
That little girl must've been over the moon in her heart?
"I'll get you for this!"
Feeling her weakness exposed, Konan immediately lost her cool.
She shot up, furious and ready to pounce and scratch Kakuzu's face into ribbons.
"There, there, calm down."
Yahiko caught Konan around the waist mid-leap. Would this peacekeeper gig ever end?
"Getting flustered and furious all at once, huh."
Kakuzu shook his head smugly, adding fuel to the fire.
"Let me go. I'm taking him on today."
Just as she was about to calm down, Konan suddenly jumped up from Yahiko's arms.
If it weren't for Yahiko holding her tight, she would have already lunged at Kakuzu by now.
"Why don't you keep quiet for once? No one will mistake you for a mute."
Nagato gave Kakuzu a helpless glare. An old man picking on a child without shame.
"Fine. You all get along so nicely."
"I'll keep quiet."
Kakuzu pouted slightly, perfectly illustrating the saying "one thing subdues another."
Deep in his heart, he truly feared Nagato.
Even though he had regained his five hearts, he still wasn't confident about defeating Nagato.
As time passed, he increasingly sensed Nagato's terrifying power.
Those mysterious eyes possessed abilities far beyond his understanding.
Nagato reminded Kakuzu clearly once again: "In front of talent, effort is nothing."
Decades of hard work seemed like a joke before Nagato.
"Konan～"
Nagato called out to Konan, his tone slightly scolding.
He managed to remain fair, not blaming Kakuzu entirely.
"Hmph～"
Konan acted considerate enough, stomped her foot, and puffed back to her seat.
"Alright, alright. Let's get serious now."
After comforting Konan for a while, Yahiko steered the topic toward business.
"Tomorrow's outcome is destined."
"But we must still stay cautious."
"Kakuzu, tomorrow, just do whatever you want."
"I'll back you up with Konan."
"Nonou, you and Nagato handle medical support—minimize casualties as much as you can."
"We aren't saviors. Too easy a victory often gets forgotten quickly and never truly valued."
Yahiko spoke softly, these words meant only for their ears.
Not that he lacked compassion; sometimes sacrifice was necessary.
As he said, they weren't saviors.
The future stability of the Land of Rain wouldn't be nearly enough if they relied solely on themselves.
Only through pain could one truly cherish what they obtained.
"Understood."
Kakuzu twisted his neck, cracking it, his expression unchanging.
For him, killing was just a matter of whether there was a bounty or not.
"I've already organized a rescue squad."
Nagato had thoroughly prepared; after all, deep down, he remained kind-hearted.
If he couldn couldn't fight on the front line, then he'd do the rescue work to the best of his ability.
"I understand."
Konan responded impatiently only after noticing Yahiko looking her way, clearly still upset earlier.
Yahiko didn't mind; that little tantrum would blow over soon enough.
"All the scouts have been deployed. Everything remains quiet so far."
Nonou had also made prior arrangements. The wandering ninja still hadn't noticed their plans to launch an attack tomorrow.
Though a sneak attack might prove difficult, they could still catch the enemy off guard.
"Good. One battle will decide the fate of all."
"Afterward, we'll send good news back to Teacher."
Yahiko could already imagine Kawaki's relieved expression.
[Chapter not yet finished!]
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Although they couldn't see Kawaki's face, hearing his voice through Sage Katsuyu was still reassuring.
"Fine."
Nagato and Konan replied in unison.
It had truly been a while since their last contact with Kawaki.
Not that they didn't miss him—they just wanted to accomplish something first before sharing the news with their teacher.
So their teacher would know that his three disciples hadn't disappointed him.
"Don't call me when that time comes. I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from cursing him."
Kakuzu twitched his brow twice, practically snarling through clenched teeth.
If it were up to him, Kakuzu would never have anything to do with Kawaki Hatake again.
Just thinking about those endless days locked inside the prison cell made him wish he could kill Kawaki himself.
"Pfft—Who needs you anyway?"
Konan had already cooled down and started provoking again.
"Then I'll take your thanks."
Kakuzu no longer had the inclination to bicker with her. Talking about Kawaki truly enraged him.
"Enough. We're done here."
Seeing Konan about to speak again, Yahiko could only sigh helplessly and rub his forehead in clear exasperation.
Then one by one, the five departed. The pre-battle meeting was effectively deemed a success and concluded smoothly.
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