"Have we confirmed the situation at Rakuyō City yet?" Jiraiya asked in a deep voice.
"We can only confirm that a Sand force of roughly one thousand troops is currently attacking the city," an ANBU operative replied. "The exact battle conditions are still unclear."
"When was this reported?"
"About half an hour ago."
Jiraiya glanced at the brutal battlefield unfolding before him, his brow tightening.
His mood steadily sank.
Not long ago, the Konoha reinforcements under his command had run straight into another Sand army along the only road leading to Rakuyō City. The two sides had immediately clashed in fierce combat.
And because of that…
The rescue mission for Rakuyō City had been delayed.
The fighting here was far too intense to end quickly.
If the enemy force had been nothing more than cannon fodder, Jiraiya could have broken away and rushed to the city himself.
But judging from the ferocity of the battle—and the steady stream of reports from ANBU—the enemy's strength clearly rivaled or even exceeded their own.
As the commander of this Konoha army, he couldn't risk the entire force just because he was desperate to save his students.
"Go call Senior Maruboshi Kosuke."
"Yes, sir!"
Jiraiya's plan was simple.
He would ask Shimizu's teacher, Maruboshi Kosuke—a veteran with elite jonin-level strength—to lead a small detachment and head to Rakuyō City immediately.
After all, he had helped Shimizu before.
If Kosuke had noticed that…
Surely he wouldn't refuse the request.
This might be the only way… Jiraiya sighed inwardly.
"Jiraiya, you were looking for me?" A middle-aged man suddenly appeared before him.
"Ah—Senior Kosuke. Yes, I do need your help."
"You're the supreme commander of this army," Kosuke said with a puzzled look. "If you need something done, just issue the order. Why the roundabout approach?"
Jiraiya coughed awkwardly.
"The old man told me not to assign you overly dangerous missions… and this one happens to be rather difficult. On top of that, I don't have many people here I both trust and know are strong enough."
He rubbed the back of his head.
"After thinking it over… you're the only one I could ask."
Kosuke snorted lightly.
"In wartime, there's no such thing as a safe mission. Since I chose to take part in this war, it was because I wanted to contribute what little strength I have."
"…Alright. Then I'll be direct."
Jiraiya's expression grew serious.
"Senior Kosuke, I need you to lead five battalions of ninja to reinforce Rakuyō City. There's a Sand force of about one thousand soldiers there right now. We need to reach them as soon as possible."
He paused before continuing.
"The Sand forces we're fighting here are stronger than anything we've faced before. Dispatching these five battalions is the absolute limit of what I can spare. I simply don't have any more manpower to allocate."
Kosuke wasn't surprised by the situation.
He could see with his own eyes how formidable the enemy was.
"So this is about Minato… and Yoshimaru?" he asked.
Jiraiya hesitated briefly before nodding solemnly.
"The enemy came well prepared this time. Rakuyō City probably won't hold much longer…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"Senior Kosuke… can I trust you with this?"
"No matter what happens—please bring them back."
Originally, Konoha's plan had been for Jiraiya himself to lead the army and relieve Rakuyō City.
But now, an unexpectedly powerful Sand force had intercepted them halfway.
As the commander, he couldn't abandon this battlefield.
All he could do was send what help he could—five battalions of ninja—to reinforce the city.
"…Alright. I'll do it." Maruboshi Kosuke let out a quiet sigh. "If only Shimizu were still alive…"
Jiraiya paused for a moment before speaking with firm conviction.
"As far as I know, Shimizu is only listed as missing—not killed in action. No one from either side has reported finding his body."
"In fact, the absence of a body is the best possible outcome," he added. "It means there's still a chance he's alive."
Kosuke forced a small smile and nodded.
"That's true… maybe he's somewhere recovering right now."
But the smile carried a weight of loneliness and sorrow.
Because there was something Kosuke didn't say aloud.
Shimizu's disappearance… feels just like what happened to Sawei back then.
Gone without a trace… and never heard from again.
...
Half an Hour Earlier – Rakuyō City
Dozens of kilometers away, the Sand army had already reached the outskirts of Rakuyō City.
The once-defensible stronghold had been reduced to little more than a battered ruin.
Less than thirty Konoha ninja capable of fighting remained.
The rest were wounded.
It was, by any measure, a hopeless situation.
And yet even in the face of such despair, Minato maintained the composure expected of an excellent commander.
He calmly issued orders one after another.
Everything he did was meant to squeeze every last drop of fighting strength from their tiny force—to inflict as many casualties on the enemy as possible.
As for repelling the attack…
Minato knew that was no longer possible.
Earlier, he had once shattered a major Sand assault by detonating a carefully prepared explosive tag trap and unleashing the near-invincible Flying Thunder God Technique.
But the Sand shinobi would never fall for the same mistake twice.
And now, Konoha had already played all their cards.
This time, the enemy had come prepared.
How could the Flying Thunder God alone repel an army of a thousand?
Watching his comrades stand ready to fight to the death, Minato felt a flicker of guilt in his heart.
In the end…
he hadn't been able to lead everyone in Rakuyō City to see the dawn of hope.
"…Let's go."
Minato steadied his mind.
Raising his kunai, he charged straight into the enemy ranks.
Yoshimaru and Satomi followed immediately behind him.
The three of them formed a tight spearhead formation—like a sharp blade stabbing directly into the Sand army.
They tore open the enemy's front line with surprising ease.
Then the remaining Konoha ninja surged forward after them.
...
Meanwhile
"They should be far enough away now."
Shimizu crouched quietly in the branches of a tree, watching as yet another Sand patrol passed by below.
This was the third Sand force he had encountered.
Each one had been at least the size of a full battalion.
If his sensory range hadn't already expanded beyond four hundred meters, charging forward at his current speed might have carried him straight into their detection range.
And that would have meant yet another brutal fight.
"But they're all moving in the same direction…"
Shimizu frowned.
Once or twice could be coincidence.
But a third time?
That was impossible to ignore.
Frequent troop movements like this meant only one thing.
Sunagakure was planning something big.
"…That direction is… Kikyo Castle?"
It made sense.
The Sand had invested enormous effort digging that massive tunnel through the southwestern border of the Land of Fire.
After such a monumental project, what target could possibly justify it besides Kikyo Castle?
Still…
Kikyo Castle was far away.
Shimizu's destination lay elsewhere.
Just like Jiraiya, he was heading for Rakuyō City.
Because there—
his comrades were still fighting.
After this long, relentless journey, Rakuyō City was finally within reach.
...
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