After three months, Renya finally returned to Konoha.
On the way back, he saw Nara Motoha and the others patrolling the border.
Nara Mikage doted on his son, Nara Motoha, endlessly...
With the war on the verge of breaking out, he had sent Motoha to the rear lines to slack off.
No need to risk his life fighting on the front lines, no need to face death.
Even so, Motoha wasn't satisfied.
He kept complaining to Renya about how boring life in the rear was, saying he wanted to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy, but his old man just wouldn't allow it.
To that, Renya could only think—talk about complaining when you're already getting the better deal.
If the situation allowed, who would willingly choose to go to the battlefield?
Being able to lay low at the rear without your head constantly on the line is something to quietly celebrate.
Life at the front wasn't easy…
Their bodies and minds were constantly on edge, with small-scale skirmishes liable to break out at any moment.
While Konoha was successfully suppressing the shinobi of Sunagakure on the southwestern front, the overall casualty rate was still very high.
Even though Sunagakure's poisons were ineffective against Konoha, getting stabbed by a kunai would still kill you just the same.
Still, it was better than before...
If Nara Motoha were sent to the front lines, one slip-up could cost him his life.
Unless Konoha was in extreme danger, Nara Mikage would never allow him to go to the battlefield.
"Renya-kun, you don't even know..."
Renya twitched at the corner of his mouth as he listened to Motoha's endless whining.
They hadn't seen each other for a while, but when did this guy become so talkative?
Seeing that Motoha wouldn't stop talking, Renya quickly interrupted.
"Alright, we still have to get back to the village. We'll talk later."
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, the three of them quickly left the border like they were escaping.
Watching their backs as they departed, Nara Motoha couldn't help but mutter softly.
"Man, Renya-kun is so harsh… Can't even vent a little?"
Of course, he understood his father's good intentions. He just wanted someone to listen for a bit.
Unfortunately, the three of them didn't want to give him that chance.
Not far off, Hyūga Muki rolled his eyes at him irritably.
"Huh? Muki-kun, what's that supposed to mean?"
...
Hokage's Office.
Senju Tobirama held the latest intelligence report from the battlefield in his hand, looking quite pleased.
Ever since the war began, this was the first time he had been this happy.
The reason was simple—things were finally looking up for the Land of Fire.
It might not be long before the war came to a complete end.
And it was all thanks to Kirigakure and Iwagakure...
Looking at the intel in front of him, Senju Tobirama's lips curled into a slight smile, and he muttered softly:
"Konoha's situation isn't as bad as we thought..."
Suddenly, he sensed three familiar chakra signatures and looked up toward the door.
Before long, the office door was suddenly pushed open with force.
No one ever knocked when entering the Hokage's office—there was no need to even guess who it was.
"What did you call us back for?"
Renya strolled boldly into the office and pulled over a chair to sit down.
Shimura Danzō and Koharu Utatane's eyelids twitched wildly. Renya's guts were getting bigger by the day.
They didn't dare to be so insolent and respectfully greeted:
"Sensei."
Senju Tobirama didn't mind Renya's rude behavior and said calmly,
"Danzō, Koharu, you sit too."
Hearing this, Shimura Danzō and Koharu Utatane finally pulled over chairs and sat down.
"Why did you call us back?" Renya asked again.
There was no way that old fox Senju Tobirama would pull them off the battlefield for no reason.
It had to be another mission.
Most likely, he was going to assign them to another front...
Senju Tobirama didn't explain immediately. Instead, he handed the intelligence report in his hand to Renya.
"Take a look for yourselves."
Renya frowned, unsure of what this old guy was up to, but he took the report and began reading.
Shimura Danzō and Koharu Utatane quickly leaned in to read it too.
When the three of them saw the contents, their pupils shrank dramatically, and shock flashed across their faces.
The report read:
[The First Mizukage has abdicated, and the position has been passed on to Hozuki Gentsuki. Upon becoming Mizukage, Hozuki Gentsuki ceased all military aggression toward the Land of Fire and redirected his forces to attack the army of the Land of Earth.]
[At the same time, the First Tsuchikage passed the title of Tsuchikage to Mu. Mu immediately ordered the forces stationed at the Land of Fire's front lines to halt their attack on Konoha and instead began assaulting Kirigakure.]
After reading the intel, Renya didn't even know what to say.
Kirigakure and Iwagakure were attacking Konoha together—so how did they suddenly start fighting each other?
The two countries were literally worlds apart. One sat in the upper-left corner of the map, and the other in the lower-right.
He just couldn't figure out the reason they started fighting...
Could it be that Hozuki Gentsuki saw that the Land of Fire was under too much pressure fighting four nations and decided to ease their burden by turning on the Land of Earth instead?
If that were the case, then... Gentsuki was a good guy?
Of course, that was just Renya's own guess—even he didn't believe it.
Why Kirigakure and Iwagakure began fighting would likely remain a mystery.
But the truth wasn't important...
What mattered was that this was a huge win for Konoha—they only had to face Kumogakure and Sunagakure now.
And Sunagakure was already being suppressed on the southwestern front.
That meant Konoha's only real enemy left was Kumogakure.
If they could just defeat Kumogakure, the war would be over!
...
Seeing the shocked expressions on the trio's faces, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but smile slightly.
That had been his exact expression when he first saw the report.
It didn't matter why Iwagakure and Kirigakure had started fighting—this was undeniably good news for Konoha.
Now that those two had withdrawn from attacking Konoha, the forces stationed on the southeastern and northwestern fronts could be redirected to the southwestern and northeastern fronts.
Especially since Konoha had already gained the upper hand in the southwest—those forces wouldn't need much support. The rest could be sent directly to the northeast front.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the war ended entirely!
Senju Tobirama had initially thought this war would drag on for years. Who would've guessed that after only three months, Konoha was already seeing the dawn of victory?
All thanks to Iwagakure and Kirigakure...
If they hadn't suddenly turned on each other, Konoha would still be surrounded on all sides.
...
"You've seen it for yourselves—Kirigakure and Iwagakure are at war, and they've halted their attacks on the Land of Fire."
Senju Tobirama looked at the three and said,
"All we have to do now is defeat Sunagakure and Kumogakure, and the war will be over!"
Shimura Danzō and Koharu Utatane were visibly stirred. In unison, they exclaimed:
"Sensei is absolutely right!"
They could already envision Konoha emerging victorious.
Seeing their reaction, Senju Tobirama nodded in satisfaction.
Then he turned to Renya, as if expecting to see some excitement on his face.
But Renya just met his gaze calmly and nodded lightly.
"Mm. You are right."
Senju Tobirama: "..."
What was with this kid's reaction?
Shouldn't he be overjoyed at this news?!