"Found anything yet? Something feels really off."
In the pitch-black space, a deep voice suddenly spoke.
"Huh? All my spores got wiped out. I can't hear or see a thing. No way to tell what's going on."
Another voice sounded slightly playful, giving an impression of being somewhat unreliable.
"What are they trying to do anyway?"
The somber voice asked again, its tone carrying a note of contemplation, as if searching for some answer.
"Not sure either. They couldn't possibly be discussing how to deal with us, right?"
The playful speaker chimed in, his tone teasing and indifferent.
Then, the place fell into silence for several minutes.
"Get ready. I don't want to be put on the defensive. We can't afford any failure in this plan. Years of careful planning won't be undone by two rogue pieces."
"Yes. Now is exactly the moment Lord Madara predicted. We can't afford any mistakes."
"Saitama Uchiha is the biggest variable. Nagato was also influenced by him. So if necessary, we'll have to abandon him."
"It has to be said, it's quite fascinating."
"Perhaps."
A beam of light shone on the source of the voices. Underneath the Zetsu plant cover, the Yin-Yang face revealed two completely opposite expressions.
Black Zetsu had already sensed the changes in Saitama and Nagato. This feeling of losing control made him slightly uneasy inside.
After a millennia-long strategy, unpredictable factors appeared at the worst possible time. But fortunately, everything was about to end.
Ten-Tails...Mother...[the primordial tree spirit] were no longer far away.
No one could stop his plan!
...
"Minato."
The tent flap was lifted, and someone walked in.
Minato Namikaze raised his head, putting down the report he held, looking at the visitor.
It was Shikaku Nara.
Out of everyone in Konoha, only a few could get away with calling him by his name directly, and Shikaku was definitely one of them.
"How is it, Shikaku?"
He fixed his gaze on Shikaku's face, noticing that expression wasn't relaxed.
Putting that together with the data he'd asked Shikaku to compile earlier, his heart sank.
Looks like this time...
"In this Akatsuki invasion, we suffered over 8,900 casualties including civilians, 4,560 seriously injured, nearly 20,000 lightly wounded. And this is even after we'd prepared beforehand. As for economic losses...incalculable."
Meeting Minato's gaze, Shikaku hesitated for a moment before simply reporting the results.
When he first received this information, he himself had found it hard to believe.
Although expecting some level of casualties, such 'devastating' numbers still exceeded expectations.
Shikaku's voice sounded weary, but his eyes remained sharp, though his tone carried sadness.
As one of Konoha's leaders, he couldn't help but feel devastated looking at the village like this.
After listening to Shikaku's report, Minato nodded with difficulty to show he'd heard.
Then he leaned back against the chair, letting out a deep sigh.
The casualties alone were nearly equivalent to those of a prolonged war, and yet the enemy was just one person...
How can it even begin to be called tragic?
Even a strong village like Konoha has been left severely weakened this time!
"The entire village is undergoing post-war reconstruction. It'll take at least another month before basic functions are restored, so matters concerning the alliance might be delayed for some time."
After a brief pause, Shikaku spoke again.
Of course, he knew the alliance would proceed eventually, but considering Konoha's current condition, it was clearly not suitable to dispatch large numbers of ninja in the short term.
"Don't worry about that side of things just yet. Forming an alliance isn't something accomplished overnight. I've already contacted the Kages from other Hidden Villages, and we have sufficient time since they all need extensive preparation too. Cloud Village's situation isn't any better than ours, so they also require time to settle their affairs."
Minato had considered these issues beforehand, hence he responded immediately.
The first Five Kage Summit merely established the intention to form an alliance. No one believed that going to war was as simple as a group of people nodding their heads in agreement.
There were still countless preparations needed, after all. War was not something to be taken lightly.
"The Daimyo — the ruling noble overseeing the land — learned about the Five Kage Summit and sent emissaries over to inquire a couple of days ago."
"I've already dispatched messengers to negotiate with the Daimyo's mansion. We'll soon reach a conclusion, since Konoha will need support from the Daimyos once the war begins."
Their eyes met as Minato continued answering Shikaku's questions.
"In that case, I'll continue following up on these matters."
"There's another point worth noting - the security of the Daimyo and royal court nobles once the war starts."
"This... has never happened before. There's always been a boundary between ninja and ordinary people. Matters between ninja shouldn't involve them. Though nominally speaking, we do exist to serve them."
"But our enemies are Akatsuki, who don't follow conventional methods at all. The Daimyo might become an entry point for them, so we must prepare accordingly."
"Understood, I'll pay attention to that."
Shikaku nodded. Even though the war hadn't begun yet, since Minato mentioned including the protection of the Daimyo, he wouldn't slack off.
Though in his mind, the Daimyo could never compare to the Hokage, or rather, most people in Konoha considered the Hokage to be the very "heart" or "soul" of the village.
"One more thing: the reconstruction efforts must accelerate. At the very least, we need to restore normal living conditions and address the wounded before the major battle arrives. Otherwise, once war breaks out, we'd fall into a passive position."
Minato pounded the table to emphasize his point.
According to Shikaku's earlier report, Konoha's infrastructure reconstruction plan required at least one month, which obviously posed a significant hindrance to their subsequent actions against Akatsuki.
After all, within one month, the Alliance would have finished discussing and assigning all missions. If Konoha couldn't mobilize participating ninja by then, it would become utterly absurd.
Certainly, both tasks were equally crucial, and reconstruction had to be completed before deploying troops.
With Konoha short on manpower for now, they had no choice but to seek help from outside.
"It's nearly impossible for Konoha alone to achieve these goals in such a short time."
Upon hearing Minato's rather firm words, Shikaku didn't directly argue against them. He simply assumed Minato was under stress and spoke as calmly as possible while explaining his reasoning.
"Therefore, I've already requested help from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Mist. They should be able to send over some troops soon to help with the rebuilding."
"Enter Konoha?"
Shikaku hesitated slightly. Konoha had never allowed a large force from another Hidden Village into the village before—not even during major events like the Chūnin Exams, which only included participating ninja and their instructors.
After all, even trusted allies might suddenly stab you in the back when least expected. This was how villages interacted—interests were the biggest driving force.
"That's right, they will enter Konoha. If we want to restore Konoha's infrastructure before the war arrives, this is currently the best option available. Shikaku, this Shinobi Alliance might be an opportunity—it's different from previous alliances. We also need to show them sufficient trust."
Minato placed his hands under his chin, his gaze serious and intense as he looked at Konoha's top strategist.
This decision had taken him a long time to make. In a way, it was also a compromise with reality.
But anyone who thought Konoha was truly weakened at this moment would soon learn exactly what cruelty meant—from the very people of Konoha. This was why Minato dared to allow other villages' forces into the village.
"I understand. When are they expected to arrive? I'll work out a plan accordingly. Although trust is important, caution must not be lacking at such a critical time."
Shikaku pondered for a moment, his furrowed brows gradually smoothing out as ideas started forming in his mind.
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure should arrive in about three days. Mist is expected around the fourth day."
"Okay, no problem. If that's all, I'll head off first."
Shikaku gave Minato a slight nod before turning to leave.
"You've worked hard these two days. Go back and rest a bit first."
Having just walked a few steps forward, he heard Minato's voice once again. His body stiffened momentarily before barely perceptibly nodding, then continued walking outside.
He hadn't had a proper, restful sleep all week, constantly shifting between various affairs, snatching only brief moments of rest here and there.
Even for a ninja, this kind of schedule was difficult to sustain; dark circles had already formed around his eyes.
As one of Konoha's current commanders, Nara Shikaku knew he really should take some rest to maintain his performance.
However, matters those past few days had been too many, so he was unwilling—and unable—to relax yet.
Now, most urgent issues seemed resolved, leaving plenty of free time for him to catch up on much-needed rest.
As he stepped out of Minato's tent, Shikaku exhaled deeply. The past few days had really taken a toll on him.
Glancing sideways, he saw a broad figure walking straight toward him.
"Hey, it's Shikaku! You look terrible—better take care of yourself. Is Minato inside? I need to talk to him."
Jiraiya smiled warmly, waving at Shikaku from afar.
Minato was a master at hiding his sorrow, always giving off the vibe of someone completely unbothered—so much so that he seemed better off than anyone else right now.
"Jiraiya-sama, Minato's inside. I was just heading back to rest. Appreciate the check-in."
Shikaku studied Jiraiya's face and saw that, despite being well-hidden, deep in his eyes lay a tiredness just as heavy as his own.
Clearly, Jiraiya hadn't been resting much either during this time.
But Shikaku didn't call him out on it—because from what he knew of Jiraiya, the man hated being figured out.
"All right, go ahead."
Jiraiya patted Shikaku's shoulder and then walked past him.
Shikaku was Minato's right-hand man and one of Konoha's pillars—he couldn't afford to push himself to exhaustion.
Pulling aside the tent flap, Jiraiya strode straight inside.
As soon as he walked in, he saw his student sitting there with his elbows on his knees, chin resting in his hands, pretending to take a break.
Jiraiya stopped in his tracks, but Minato opened his eyes almost immediately.
"Teacher!"
Minato stood up, a smile spreading across his face.
He had only been faking sleep—five minutes max before he'd naturally wake up. Now that Jiraiya was here, there was no point in pretending anymore.
"You've been working hard these past few days," Jiraiya said, stepping closer.
"Of course. The toughest part's over now. It'll get easier from here."
Minato dropped the Hokage act around Jiraiya, scratching the back of his head like his old self again.
"So how's the alliance coming along?" Jiraiya asked, motioning for Minato to sit before pulling up a chair for himself.
"In five days we'll hold another meeting in the River Country to discuss troop deployment numbers and battle plans."
The River Country lay between Wind and Fire Nations, though internally it lacked any unified ninja force.
"Konoha's taken heavy losses recently. How many fighters can we actually send?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"About ten thousand—that's nearly all our available combat strength. Without Nagato's recent attack, we might've had another five thousand."
"If all Five Great Villages contribute at this level, we'll have at least fifty thousand troops. Add in support from smaller villages and the samurai from the Land of Iron—who've already declared they're joining—and the total could hit seventy thousand. Unbelievable scale."
Jiraiya crossed his arms, visibly impressed.
"Most likely. Once the second Meeting concludes, we should know the exact figures. This time, we absolutely cannot show weakness against Akatsuki—we must display the firm determination of the Five Great Villages. Besides, their strength isn't weak either. With Tailed Beasts under their control, who knows what terrifying things they might unleash."
Minato spoke seriously. One major reason each great village poured their strength into this mission was due to the tailed beasts possessed by Akatsuki.
"That makes sense. By the way, I need to head to Mount Myoboku later. The messenger toad said Elder Fukasaku received new insights from a dream—which might prove useful for our current situation."
Jiraiya nodded slightly before continuing.
"A prophecy?"
Minato looked at his teacher thoughtfully.
"That's right. They're hard to explain, but I've always believed they can help make sense of what's happening in the Shinobi World."
Jiraiya gave a faint smile. Who could really explain prophecies? But he always felt there was some sort of predetermined fate guiding everything. Many things in the ninja world seemed to follow a certain 'design.' To him, prophecies were just one way of searching for those patterns.
"Alright, I understand."
"Oh, by the way," Minato suddenly added, "Tsunade said Kushina hasn't seemed like herself lately. You should talk to her more often. Your work here is nearly done, isn't it?"
Jiraiya had come specifically to tell Minato that he would be leaving Konoha for a few days. With that said, he naturally prepared to leave.
However, as he stood up, he suddenly remembered something else and stopped to say it.
"Kushina? Got it, sensei!"
Minato hesitated briefly. The past few days had been too hectic—he hadn't visited Kushina in quite a while, even though she'd been helping Lady Tsunade care for the wounded.
He'd even ended up leaving Naruto in the care of enthusiastic new teachers at the Ninja School, like Iruka.
"Then I'll head out now. I'll return as soon as I can."
Waving casually, Jiraiya walked out of the tent.
"Sensei, let me handle things here. You should go rest."
Rin Nohara squatted beside a wounded ninja, speaking to Tsunade.
She knew Tsunade hadn't rested for a long time, so she came over to take over temporarily.
Tsunade wiped sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and glanced around. Thanks to their tireless efforts, all the wounded had received timely treatment.
"Okay then. You fix his broken arm and clean the wound again. I'm going to grab something to eat and get some sleep first."
"No problem."
Rin was also a capable medical ninja. These were just low-priority cases, so they didn't pose any real challenge for her.
Without another word, Tsunade walked out of the large, makeshift tent and headed straight for a nearby smaller one.
"Tsunade-sama."
Inside sat Shizune, and lying on her side facing away from the entrance was Kushina.
Seeing Tsunade enter, Shizune softly called out to her, glancing toward Kushina.
"Hmm, is there anything to eat? Go prepare something for me—I'm getting hungry."
Tsunade briefly looked at Kushina, who lay curled on her side, then turned to Shizune.
"There is. I'll go get that for you right away."
Shizune stood and quickly stepped out to prepare food for Tsunade. She had just been trying to comfort Kushina, who had seemed gloomy these past two days.
"Are you alright?"
After watching Shizune exit, Tsunade approached Kushina, sat down beside her, and gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Konoha's current state isn't your fault. Even if you weren't the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Akatsuki and us would still be enemies."
She knew why Kushina had suddenly become so upset, so she got straight to the point.
"Seeing so many dead and injured people... I just can't calm myself down."
"It's not your fault."
"But I still feel terrible."
Kushina had already turned around. Face-to-face with Tsunade, the latter frowned silently, seeing the deep guilt in the other's eyes.
"It'll pass soon. Right now, you're not only important to Minato, but also have a huge impact on the entire balance of power in the ninja world. Just endure this period, and everything will get better."
Tsunade didn't know what else to say, so she gave a hollow reassurance.
"I understand."
Kushina gave a reluctant nod, though her expression remained complex.
"Tsunade-sama."
Shizune returned from outside, holding several plastic lunch boxes, with wisps of rice fragrance escaping from inside.
"Don't think about anything else. Let's grab a bite together. Shizune, you too."
Tsunade opened the boxes and placed them aside, inviting both to sit over and eat together.
Neither of the other two protested, sitting beside Tsunade and picking up sushi and rice balls from the boxes to put into their mouths.
Everyone had been busy all day—of course they were all starving.
As for what each person was thinking while eating, only they themselves knew.
However, those who probably felt the most complicated emotions were Shizune and Kushina.
The former naturally thought about Saitama Uchiha, whom she hadn't contacted for a long time, while the latter was troubled by her status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Time flew—several more hours passed quickly.
Inside the Hokage's tent, a faint light glowed, with someone's silhouette vaguely reflected on the canvas.
After a long while, stars began sparkling across the sky, and Konoha Village had already been wrapped in a quiet atmosphere.
Suddenly, the light inside the tent went out. Then the two curtains at the entrance flapped open, revealing a slightly fatigued figure stepping out.
It was indeed Minato Namikaze.
He stepped out of the tent and scanned the surroundings.
This location was at a higher elevation, so with one glance he could see most of the scenery.
In the distance where reconstruction was underway, wooden structures could be seen standing upright.
But since it was already deep into night, only a few lamps illuminated that area, unable to reveal the craftsmen and ninjas who'd been busily working there during daylight hours.
At this hour, Konoha had already entered its restful phase, yet Minato could still spot numerous black-clad figures darting between tents on patrol missions.
These were Anbu ninjas. During such special times, their patrolling frequency was much higher than usual.
After adjusting his breathing, Minato stood at the tent entrance, shaking off some of the fatigue from spending the entire day handling documents and various trivial matters. He then prepared to lift his feet and leave this place.
"Hokage-sama!"
An Anbu member emerged seemingly from the shadows at one corner of the tent, appearing like an extension of darkness itself before finally assuming a half-kneeling posture one meter away from Minato.
"What's going on?"
Minato looked at him, his eyes clear, yet subtly carrying traces of authority.
He recognized this Anbu member—he was a squad leader.
"We encountered enemies at the village outskirts. They've been eliminated now. The enemy was a strange figure—pale-skinned and without any clearly defined gender traits."
Minato thought about the 'Yin-Yang face' he had encountered, as well as the earlier intelligence report from the Uchiha trio regarding a member of the Akatsuki organization.
It was obvious that the enemy they had killed wasn't his real body, so it held little value.
"First, hand this over to the Intelligence Division for processing. Also, increase vigilance and ensure security. If you encounter enemies, don't attack recklessly—report back to me immediately."
"Understood!"
Under the Anbu mask, the corner of the mouth slightly lifted, revealing a brief flash of paleness along the exposed jawline before vanishing again.
Due to the angle, Minato couldn't see the subtle change in this Anbu operative.
After delivering his orders, the Anbu disappeared into the shadows, and Minato swiftly left as well.
During the day, Jiraiya-sensei had mentioned something unusual with Kushina. Tonight would be a good chance to check up on her.
Sensing the familiar chakra signature, Minato made his way toward the old hospital grounds, silently stepping across rows of tents until finally landing in an open clearing.
The air here reeked of disinfectant and medicine, faintly mixed with traces of blood.
Minato swept his gaze around and spotted several Anbu hidden in the shadows—responsible for protecting Kushina at this time.
No one was careless in this regard—both Minato and Konoha understood all too well.
Everyone knew that Akatsuki's target would be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so tight protection was absolutely necessary.
Kushina's tent still had its light on. A familiar silhouette kept shifting against the flickering glow on the canvas.
He pulled aside the curtain and stepped inside, where Kushina sat on the bed beside a sleeping Naruto.
During the day, Naruto and a bunch of kids roughly his age had been hanging out with Iruka and other school teachers. At night, naturally, they all went home to their parents.
This was the first time Minato had seen both Kushina and Naruto in several days.
"Minato?"
Kushina stared dazedly at the entrance, then suddenly broke into a smile when she recognized him—the person she had missed most during these past few days—though upon closer look, her expression remained tense.
"Shhh!"
Minato raised a finger to his lips, signaling Kushina to stay quiet. Then he walked over and sat next to her, leaning down slightly to glance at the sleeping Naruto.
"He just fell asleep. I wonder where he got all muddy running around with Shikamaru and the others earlier."
"They weren't much help, but at least they got to have fun playing in the mud."
Minato gently stroked Naruto's cheek, his eyes softening as they slightly narrowed.
"So that's Iruka? He's the one who wants to become the Ninja Academy principal someday, right?"
"Yeah. He used to want to become Hokage, but after hearing that the Hokage also serves part-time as the academy principal, he started shouting that his first goal was to become principal. He's just a bright-hearted kid."
Minato thought about the ninja named Iruka and smiled softly.
"Naruto gets along well with him. Lately, it's mostly been Iruka taking care of him."
"Oh, sounds like quite a decent guy. How have you been lately? Busy with village affairs?"
Kushina imitated Minato's actions, gently stroking Naruto's face, then playfully rubbing his nose before pulling the blanket tighter. She motioned for Minato to follow her out so as not to disturb Naruto's rest.
"Yeah, things have been really hectic—way too many problems piling up."
Minato and Kushina moved over to a nearby bed and sat beside it, speaking softly.
"You've been through a lot. Thanks for everything."
Kushina reached over and began lightly massaging Minato's temples, wearing an expression of concern.
"You've got it rough too. I heard you made dozens of Shadow Clones to help the injured. So many who were gravely hurt are alive today thanks to you."
Minato took Kushina's hand from his face, moved it down to his thigh, and smiled warmly.
"Don't underestimate me! I might not have much going for me, but I've got more than enough chakra to go around!"
As Kushina spoke, pride flickered across her face—like a young girl excitedly showing off her candy to her best friends.
Looking at Kushina's sparkling eyes at that moment, Minato felt as though he'd gone back many years. Back then, Kushina also liked speaking to him with that slight tone of feigned arrogance. Yet now, they already had a child that big.
"I know."
Minato raised his hand to brush Kushina's forehead, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and naturally guided her head onto his shoulder.
The tent fell silent.
"Minato, I'm scared... I'm scared I'll lose you both one day, without even seeing it coming."
After a long pause, Kushina's voice broke through the silence, slightly trembling.
Even though she was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she couldn't seem to shake the lingering unease lately. She constantly felt eerie gazes watching her from all around, filling her with insecurity.
Shizune had comforted her. Tsunade had comforted her too. Many others noticed her unusual behavior and came to offer reassurance.
But that helpless feeling never went away—in fact, it only intensified under their care.
"It will pass. Trust me."
With his left arm wrapped around Kushina and his right hand holding both of hers, Minato leaned his head against hers, feeling her warm breath tickling his throat.
"I believe in you... my sunshine."
Hearing those words, Kushina suddenly felt inexplicably at peace.
It felt just like that desperate night so long ago, when a boy showed up out of nowhere and risked everything just to hold her close.
They didn't speak anymore, and after several minutes, Minato heard Kushina's steady breathing grow heavier. A smile formed on his face as he carefully laid her down on the bed and sat beside her, silently watching her sleep.
As she slept, Kushina's brow would relax and then furrow again, but Minato just held her hand in silence.
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