Minato followed the markings to locate Rōshi and Kitsuchi.
The two lay flat on the ground, surrounded by a group of Iwagakure medics.
They had been specifically pulled back from the battlefield ahead of time. To Iwagakure, protecting Rōshi and Kitsuchi's lives was their top priority.
One was a Jinchūriki, the other the son of the Tsuchikage—losing either would be an unbearable loss for Iwagakure.
"How are they doing?"
Minato stepped forward and asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.
"Lord Minato."
"Their injuries have stabilized. There's no danger to their lives."
The head medic, still applying Medical Ninjutsu, responded.
"That's good, that's good."
"We're not safe here. Find a secure location to set up camp once treatment is complete."
With Rōshi and Kitsuchi seriously injured and unconscious, Minato naturally assumed command of the Iwagakure ninja.
"Yes, sir."
Both the Iwa and Konoha ninjas followed Minato's orders without hesitation.
Once the medical treatment ended, however, Rōshi and Kitsuchi remained unconscious.
"Carry them. We're moving out."
Minato led the entire group deep into the mountains. This yellow stretch of land offered no cover.
After finding a hidden area, the exhausted team finally got some rest following the day-long battle.
When the casualty reports came in, the Iwa ninja were surprised.
Why had Konoha suffered so few losses? Was this unit made up entirely of Konoha elites?
Pushing aside a flicker of doubt, one of the Iwa ninja approached Minato with the report.
"Lord Minato, here are the damage statistics."
A ninja from Iwagakure respectfully handed over the documents.
"You've taken such heavy losses. Next time, I'll lead Konoha's forces on the frontlines."
Minato spoke calmly, though his tone carried a note of sorrow. With just that sentence, he instantly eased all suspicions.
"Thank you."
The Iwa ninja's eyes reddened, struggling to hold back tears.
How shameful—he had judged Lord Minato with such petty thoughts. He couldn't help but feel unworthy.
"Not at all. Right now, we're a single unit."
Minato stood up and patted the Iwa ninja's shoulder, though he himself felt uneasy.
That glaring discrepancy was impossible to ignore. Next time, he'd need Nagato to bring more Konoha ninjas along.
"I won't disturb your rest. I'll send for you once they wake."
Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, the Iwa ninja lowered his head and turned to leave.
"Senior Minato."
As soon as the Iwa ninja walked away, Kakashi stepped out of the shadows, Kurenai close behind.
"This is a critical time. You two shouldn't wander off so recklessly during your downtime."
Seeing the pair approach, Minato's voice was full of concern.
"You did great today, Senior."
Kakashi leaned close and whispered with a playful tone, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Shhh~ Do you even realize where we are?"
Minato shot him a sharp glare and nervously scanned around.
Apparently, everyone was exhausted. Not a single person was visible beyond the patrol units.
"Come on, no one's around—I already checked."
"Today's battle wasn't even fun."
"It was like messing around with a beautiful older sister."
Kakashi muttered in complaint, then felt a brief pang of envy toward Ginji just now.
"What do you mean, 'pretty lady'? You should call her 'my wife.'"
Minato naturally knew who had fought Kakashi—it was Nonou.
"Eh?"
"Brother, aren't you afraid Kushina will beat you to death when you get home?"
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.
"Since coming to Konoha, Nonou has never actually visited the Hatake household. Naturally, Kakashi had never met her before."
"You mean you know she exists but that's all? You don't even know anything else about her?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"She's your senior Nagato's fiancée."
Minato annoyed tapped Kakashi on the head.
"Ouch!"
"Hehe, I misunderstood."
Kakashi grinned sheepishly. He really messed up this time.
"My wife is really pretty."
Kurenai chimed in—she had also been part of the group surrounding Nonou.
"Alright, we can probably rest for a few days now."
"Just remember to greet her next time you meet."
Minato, feeling tired, shooed Kakashi and Kurenai away.
He wasn't worried about anyone spilling secrets—the kids were sharp enough. They knew what could be shared and what needed to stay secret.
"Bye-bye~"
Kakashi grabbed Kurenai's hand and hurried off, eager to share this bit of gossip with his companions.
Watching the two disappear into the distance, Minato finally turned toward his tent.
He didn't know how long he'd been asleep when loud footsteps suddenly woke him up.
"Lord Minato."
A familiar voice belonging to an Iwagakure ninja came from outside the tent.
"Have Rōshi and Kitsuchi woken up?"
Rubbing his eyes, Minato got up and stepped out of the tent.
"I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but the two lords are hungry and already eating."
Though slightly apologetic, the ninja still fulfilled his duty—there was no helping it.
"Lead the way."
As Minato spoke, the ninja immediately moved ahead to guide him.
Passing dozens of tents, they soon reached the area where the injured were staying.
Inside one earthen house, Rōshi and Kitsuchi were drinking hot porridge.
"You're here."
"Any injuries?"
Rōshi and Kitsuchi each set down their bowls and spoke in turn.
"No serious injuries, though if things had gone on any longer, that might not still be true."
"That Akatsuki ninja Nagato definitely has some skill. No wonder even Lady Chiyo couldn't handle him."
Minato chuckled bitterly as he sat beside them.
"You're incredible already."
"If it were just me and Rōshi facing him alone, we'd be looking at certain death."
"If it hadn't been for you today, both Rōshi and I would've died there."
Kitsuchi still felt his heart racing—the last thing he heard before passing out was Minato's voice.
"Not at all—it was your subordinates' quick actions."
Minato modestly deflected praise.
"What exactly was that secret technique of yours today? If you could sustain its use for a while, I think we'd actually stand a chance."
Rōshi didn't intend to pry, but Minato's [Sage Mode] had simply left him shaken.
In his eyes, Minato had done something alone that neither he nor Kitsuchi together could achieve.
[Sage Mode] is absolutely a divine technique!!!
Kitsuchi had originally wanted to speak against it but swallowed his words after thinking again—he truly couldn't think of any other method.
If even the three of us couldn't stop Nagato, then the fate of this allied team was already obvious.
Complete destruction was inevitable.
"You can call it a secret jutsu too. It was passed down by my teacher."
"I haven't mastered it completely yet."
"As you saw, the prep time takes too long."
"Right now, I can only hold it for ten minutes."
Minato was still holding something back. Although the preparation time for his Sage Mode was indeed lengthy at the moment, its duration was far beyond ten minutes.
The Sage Art from Shikkotsu Forest lasted far longer than the one from Mount Myoboku. However, the risks during training were also significantly higher.
Failure would leave him as a pile of rotting flesh and pus. If not for Tsunade guiding him with Sage Chakra, he likely wouldn't have even dared to try training in it.
Risking his life just for power wasn't something he was willing to consider right now.
After his successful training, Kawaki had also given him guidance on further development of Sage Mode.
As long as he could fully access the Nine-Tails' power and get the fox to help draw out natural energy, he could stay in Sage Mode indefinitely.
As for what Kawaki called the "Sage Body Mode," he hadn't made any progress on that yet.
That Nine-Tails guy is just way too hard to deal with.
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