"Is the situation really that bad?" Okita asked, somewhat unable to believe it.
"I'm afraid it's even worse than I expected. The southwestern gateway of the Land of Fire has already completely fallen… If ten corps of Sunagakure ninja suddenly appeared here at Rakuyo City in the next moment, I wouldn't be surprised," Minato said heavily.
"Ten corps?! Then we…?!"
Ten corps meant a full 3,600 ninja army. Such a force was powerful enough to destroy a small nation, let alone their small military fortress—one that had been built after repeated budget cuts and corner-cutting.
How could they possibly resist that?
What made the situation even more unsettling was that there were only a little over 400 people stationed here now.
To put it plainly, staying here meant facing truly overwhelming odds. Survival was a near-impossible gamble.
When the enemy's numbers reached a certain point, even the most perfect fortress would fall with so few defenders.
"Let's hope the reinforcements from Konoha arrive as soon as possible…"
Minato did not believe Konoha would abandon this place. The powerful Hidden Leaf Village would never bow its head before Sunagakure.
The Third Hokage, who was in the prime of his life, would certainly adopt a firm stance and display overwhelming military strength to reclaim the Southwestern Canyon.
However, judging by the timing, the reinforcements should have already arrived. For some reason, they had been delayed.
Perhaps something else had happened somewhere else—something he didn't know about—that had slowed them down.
"Reinforcements… Actually, Akutsu is extremely fast. Logically speaking, he should have returned by now…" Okita said, puzzled.
"Let's wait a little longer…"
Suddenly—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sharp sounds of objects cutting through the air rang out.
They looked up and saw countless kunai and shuriken raining down from the sky like a storm—another long-range barrage attack.
"Enemy attack! Take cover!" a Konoha ninja shouted from the defensive line.
"Enemy numbers?" Minato asked.
"The sensory team is confirming. Current estimate: at least 1,500!"
Minato himself was also a sensory ninja. Based on his experience and what he sensed, he judged:
"Judging from the scale of this attack, the force is probably around 2,000 people."
"Commander Namikaze, what about the wounded?" Okita asked uncertainly. With the enemy already attacking, was it still necessary to send the wounded away first?
"Carry out the mission. Let the wounded evacuate safely first. I'll open a gap in the enemy lines for you," Minato said.
"Yes!" Okita accepted the order and left immediately.
Minato looked at the densely packed Sunagakure ninja in the distance and murmured,
"I hope everything goes smoothly…"
...
Meanwhile…
After crossing Kannabi Bridge, Shimizu continued heading south along the road. The journey had been mostly uneventful.
According to his estimate, if everything went quickly, he could return to Konoha in less than two days.
But the real question was how he should report everything… and how much he should report.
Should he tell everything truthfully?
His body now had too many problems. He had even fused with the cells of the First Hokage. There was no way the higher-ups of Konoha wouldn't pay attention to something like that.
He had only just managed to untangle himself from the malignant influence of Danzō.
And then there was that snake—Orochimaru. The Wood Release bloodline limit would definitely interest him.
Even though Shimizu hadn't awakened Wood Release yet, he would still count as an extremely rare experimental subject.
Especially considering that Orochimaru had already shown great interest in Shimizu's blood before…
Wait…
Wait... am I going to be stalked by that snake for the rest of my life?!
At the thought of that cold, slithering presence, Shimizu shook his head to clear the distraction. He needed to focus on his mission report.
He wondered if it would be better to simply play dumb.
I was struck by lightning, went into a coma, and woke up in a cave.
Because so much had happened, covering up even one detail would require a web of lies. And fabricating one lie often required dozens more to maintain the facade.
The lightning, the resurrection, Madara, Tobi...
There was a high chance he would have to face the most professional interrogation unit of the Anbu.
What a headache…
How did he even end up being struck to death by lightning?
Other people get struck by lightning before transmigrating… how did he end up getting struck after transmigrating…
And was he really saved by Madara's Hashirama cells?
Where did the Uzumaki life energy that used to be in his body go?
Vaguely, Shimizu had a premonition that if he chose to tell everything truthfully, he might face a completely chaotic and unknowable future—and a world on the verge of a storm.
And he himself…
Would become the center of that vortex.
He might really die…
Swallowed by the overwhelming tide of fate.
This mission report was simply too troublesome.
Wait… someone's there?!
Shimizu suddenly noticed that 400 meters ahead, four ninja were moving deeper into the interior of the Land of Fire, just like him.
Were they Konoha ninja returning from a mission?
Their speed wasn't fast at all—barely even half of Shimizu's speed.
Then, when he got within 300 meters, the four suddenly stopped.
One of them was a sensor ninja—they had already detected his presence!
Shimizu had no intention of hiding his own presence and continued accelerating toward them.
In his view, they were most likely a Konoha squad returning from a mission.
But before he could approach them, the four immediately hid themselves and set up an ambush, as if they didn't want to be seen.
Four Konoha ninja choosing to hide when they discovered an unidentified ninja behind them? And this was deep inside the Land of Fire.
Shimizu's alertness instantly rose. From a distance, he used Konoha's unique bird-call signal to communicate with them.
But there was no response.
They truly intended to stay hidden and launch a surprise attack.
These people… were not Konoha ninja!
In that case…
He might as well capture one and ask.
After slowly approaching the four, Shimizu suddenly activated the Body Flicker Technique!
His goal was to capture one alive first.
Blue-white lightning flashed!
His Lightning Blade slash came down fiercely, severely injuring the ninja. However, because Shimizu deliberately avoided vital points, the wound only looked terrifying.
A Lightning Release technique without hand seals was really convenient—at least much more convenient than Water Release.
Water Release had too many limitations…
Unless he improved those techniques in the future.
"Ah—YOU?!" After a miserable scream, one ninja collapsed while clutching his right arm.
Their forehead protectors bore the symbol of the Land of Earth—Hidden Stone Village (Iwagakure).
Four Iwagakure ninja?!
"What are you people sneaking around the Land of Fire for? Planning to visit Konoha?" Shimizu stepped on the fallen ninja's left arm, causing him to scream in agony.
"Kill him," the leading Iwagakure ninja ordered coldly.
"Then go ahead and try," Shimizu replied calmly. "Welcome to the Land of Fire, guests from afar."