The Asura Path locked its piercing Rinnegan gaze on Gaara before finally vanishing in a puff of smoke.
This battle had been exceptionally grueling, but the outcome was better than Gaara had anticipated.
Expelling the massive sand prison far beyond the village left him severely depleted, not to mention the continuous drain of chakra throughout the fight. The battle was far from over, and he needed to rush and reinforce his allies immediately.
Gaara hoped Baki could last a bit longer because he intended to drive away the invaders completely before returning to the village.
******
A massive tower constructed from Konan's Paper Release techniques erupted onto the battlefield, resembling the control tower he once commanded from in Amegakure. Pain and his forces temporarily stationed themselves here, directing the assault against Sunagakure.
Cursed be you, Gaara. He couldn't unleash his full strength against Gaara or else he would lose Shukaku—nobody knew how long it would take to recapture Shukaku again. He'd nearly fallen into the same trap with Naruto during the invasion of Amegakure.
In truth, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had proven exceptionally hard to eliminate. Otherwise, he would've ended Naruto's life long ago, and his plans wouldn't have been delayed for years.
"Konan," Pain said while seated in the mechanical chair inside the tower, where he had a clear view of Sunagakure and the ongoing battle, "send the retreat signal."
Konan realized Nagato was in a bad mood and didn't want to be disturbed, so she silently nodded her head. She created a swarm of paper birds that flew into the sky, turned bright red, and then exploded midair. This signaled their retreat.
Nagato formed hand seals while sitting in his chair and began gathering chakra.
The ethereal projection of the Asura Path and its Rinnegan appeared in the sky—enormous and unmistakable.
"It isn't over yet, Sunagakure. You—and villages like yours—will face judgment for the sins of the past decades. Our might transcends even the Five Great Ninja Villages, especially united by comrades who fight beside us… Soon, you will witness the wrath of true godhood!" With those words, the image vanished.
After a brief pause, Pain's forces at the front line began a complete withdrawal. To prevent chaos, they attempted to pull back in formation.
However, a towering, sand-formed replica of Gaara suddenly rose onto the battlefield and began advancing toward the retreating Allied Ninja Forces, making their retreat much more difficult.
Konan was preparing to go down and stop Gaara—at least destroy that colossal sand colossus—but Nagato held her back.
"No. We're returning to Amegakure immediately. There's no time to waste. This war is far from over. Sunagakure has suffered heavy damage and won't be able to launch another attack anytime soon. We should be more concerned about Konoha's movements in the Land of Grass. Deploy an entire division to reinforce them."
What had Nagato endured through all these years?
Was he still capable of discerning reality?
If they had forsaken their original ideals and transformed into someone unrecognizable, what purpose did their final goal still serve?
Would he truly sacrifice his comrades' lives merely to gain a few extra minutes of planning time—even if those moments could spare dozens, perhaps hundreds, from death?
Though her heart churned with confusion and anger, Konan knew Nagato was the true leader.
She dissolved the paper tower into countless fluttering sheets and wove them into a massive paper bird. It soared beyond the raging sandstorm, carrying them homeward.
The ferocious desert winds were terrifying—but in a way, they masked their escape.
---
Weeks of unrelenting battle had drained the Sunagakure ninja—body and soul.
Now that the crisis had passed, long-buried emotions erupted like a storm.
They celebrated with shouts and tears of relief.
Even though their village lay in ruins and rebuilding would take time, at this moment, their bond with Konoha in defending their homeland felt more vital than anything.
******
For safety's sake, Naruto and Yugito slowed their pace, traveling with the Konoha group toward Snow Country's border.
Unlike the two Jinchūriki, the others lacked their incredible speed and stamina. To evade ambushes, they had to take a detour instead of cutting straight through the forest like before.
This threw a wrench in their plans. After all, in the ninja world, few could match such incredible stamina. So they chose to make camp for the night.
To ensure safety, Yugito shared a tent with Naruto.
Yugito sat quietly in one corner of the tent, gently massaging her neck to ease the tension. Outside the tent, over thirty Konoha ninja stood watch, while Naruto's shadow clones lurked unseen in the shadows.
Even if something unexpected happened, she'd have plenty of time to react and brace for battle.
"We've come quite a distance on the first day... Although we were slowed down right from the start by your Konoha teammates. Know any of them?" Yugito tried to start a conversation, breaking the silence.
Naruto shook his head, looking down at the sealing marks on his arms and torso. Each seal served its own unique purpose.
"Just met 'em today. Didn't think Konoha had this many ninja."
Yugito nodded in agreement, then teased,
"Kumo's got more ninjas than Konoha."
She tried to provoke Naruto, hoping to spark an argument to pass the time. She pulled off her headscarf and let her hair loose, preparing to rest.
"How many Kumo ninja d'you think I've beaten?" Naruto shot back.
"How many Konoha ninja do you think I've beaten?" Yugito grinned, clearly enjoying herself. "I'm older than you. You should call me Onee-san, kid."
Naruto ignored her provocation.
She chuckled inwardly and quietly slid behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder while watching him inspect the seals on his body. "What are these? Putting seals on yourself like that is asking for trouble."
Naruto relaxed, leaning his head against Yugito's, and began explaining,
"This one is for storage, that one is for communication..." These were simple sealing techniques every ninja knew.
He had also sealed away the Amaterasu he acquired during his battle with Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke—a technique that could suppress the Sharingan—along with another seal set to activate automatically if he were ever captured: a death seal.
This secret could never be revealed to Yugito, or she would surely blame him and try every possible way to make him undo the seals.
Yugito's fingers glided lightly over the seals on Naruto's body, her curiosity piqued as she tried to deduce their purpose from her limited knowledge. Naruto seemed quite comfortable with it, a sensation she found strangely comforting.
A long time ago, when Naruto was still panicking about whether he should fight against Akatsuki, it was her who encouraged and comforted him, bringing him a sense of calm that even Jiraiya's lessons couldn't match.
They had already been close friends before the war began, before Akatsuki became a common enemy to both of them.
"Matatabi thinks you're strange, but yet somehow respects you anyway," Yugito said.
"Matatabi?" Naruto asked, puzzled. He found himself always able to relax around Yugito. "What's that?"
"It's the Two-Tails' name, idiot," Yugito shrugged.
"I wonder what the Nine-Tails is called," Yugito mused.
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