"Ten minutes?"
Kitsuchi echoed, lost in thought.
"Sigh... I wish it could last longer."
Rōshi let out a sigh as well, clearly disappointed.
After witnessing Nagato's power, he no longer dared entertain the thought of defeating Nagato within ten minutes.
"If you activate your secret technique early and Rōshi and I provide support from the flank, holding Nagato back shouldn't be an issue."
"But then we'll have to strike fast—we'll need to go all out with a lightning-fast assault."
"We'll fall back once those ten minutes are up, delaying the Akatsuki ninja's advance."
Kitsuchi no longer entertained hopes of eliminating the Akatsuki. Just delaying them already meant a great victory.
"That's not a bad plan either."
Minato naturally didn't want to think too hard—after all, the outcome was predetermined.
As long as his teacher didn't issue an order, Nagato wouldn't go deep into the Land of Earth anyway.
"Then let's go with that. Wait until Rōshi and I recover."
"It'll trouble you quite a bit."
Kitsuchi showed politeness, deliberately keeping his posture humble—what else could he do when Minato now stood as their strongest combat strength?
"Don't put it like that. I'm just following orders."
Minato remained modest, always placing himself at the same level as them.
"I hope we can hold on for a few more days."
Seeing the negativity in Rōshi's expression, Minato didn't think highly of Kitsuchi's idea.
Still, with things having reached this point, Rōshi could think of no better solution either.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe these few days will bring good news from Elder Ōnoki."
Minato offered some comfort before drifting off in thought, wondering how Nawaki was doing now.
"Hopefully."
Rōshi's voice sounded beside him, but Minato had no heart left to respond.
The three men inside grew quiet, only torches crackling softly.
...
"Lord Daisuke?"
"You finally returned!"
An Iwagakure ninja captured by Konoha ninjas suddenly changed from worry to excitement upon seeing Nakano Daisuke.
Talk about bad luck—getting caught right in the middle of taking a leak!
"Friend! Friend!"
"How is Tsuchikage? I've brought reinforcements."
Nakano Daisuke rushed forward, unbinding the Iwagakure ninja first before eagerly asking questions.
Nawaki Senju watched coldly from the side without speaking.
"Tsuchikage suffered minor injuries, but nothing serious."
"You're back just in time."
Looking at the scale of Konoha's forces, the Iwa ninja's smile widened.
"This is Lord Nawaki Senju of Konoha. Take us to the camp."
Nakano briefly introduced Nawaki's identity.
"Of course. Tsuchikage will surely be happy."
The Iwa ninja immediately agreed without hesitation. He believed the arrival of this fresh Konoha force would surely lift the gloom that had settled over them in recent days.
"Follow me."
After bowing respectfully to Nawaki, the ninja led the way toward the camp.
Ever since Han's death, the Iwagakure forces had inevitably found themselves at a disadvantage.
Though not yet overwhelmed entirely, each battle came at a heavy cost in casualties.
Today, Elder Ōnoki had engaged in direct clash with Third Raikage A, leaving both wounded to varying extents.
The camp's location wasn't especially concealed, but at first glance, it was clearly built for defense—easy to hold and difficult to breach.
"We're almost there."
The Iwagakure ninja quickened his pace as they drew closer to the camp.
Nawaki didn't need him to point it out—he could feel it himself. The number of sentries had noticeably increased.
Guided by the Iwagakure ninja, no one stepped forward to stop them, clearly having already received prior notice through other means.
"Hmm."
Nawaki gave a brief reply before suddenly taking off into the air, a faint, nearly imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Eh..."
The Rock ninja looked up dazedly at the figure above, opened his mouth slightly, but ultimately said nothing.
He knew he was just a low-ranking grunt here—no right to speak out of turn.
[Light and Heavy Rock Jutsu]?
Nakano Daisuke murmured softly to himself. This was the first time Nakano Daisuke had seen Nawaki fly.
Although airborne shinobi weren't uncommon in the ninja world, he was very familiar with the [Light and Heavy Rock Jutsu].
Ōnoki, that old tyrant, hated walking and loved flying; he'd seen it countless times.
But none of this registered for Nawaki.
Being up high gave him a better view, and staring straight ahead, he spotted the sprawling cluster of earthen huts that made up the camp, lit by scattered lanterns flickering in the darkness.
As he approached the camp, Nawaki descended lower, squinting like he was searching for something.
A moment later, at the center of the camp, he finally noticed the short, tiny silhouette of an elderly man standing in the open area.
"Good day, Tsuchikage-sama."
"I am Senju Nawaki, a Jonin from Konoha."
Leaping over the mass of troops, Nawaki landed some distance in front of Ōnoki.
"Who is Tsunade to you?"
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed. How could this kid possibly know my [Light and Heavy Rock Jutsu]?
So what that Hatake Kawaki told me wasn't exaggeration after all.
"She's my sister."
Nawaki spoke politely, but inside, he was practically laughing uncontrollably.
This old man clearly disliked him.
But damn, I love that look on your face when you hate me yet can't do anything about it.
"Not bad for a Senju descendant."
"You handled the [Light and Heavy Rock Jutsu] quite well."
Ōnoki steadied his emotions, wearing a smile that appeared generous and gracious.
"You're too kind."
"Thank you for sharing your secret technique—I look forward to learning more from you during our time together."
Nawaki aimed straight for Ōnoki's heart, confident Ōnoki couldn't openly oppose him now.
This chapter isn't over yet—
What an amazing opportunity—who wouldn't jump at the chance to shamelessly ask for tips? Who knows when such a chance might come again!
"No problem, no problem."
Ōnoki nearly burst a blood vessel from anger. What thick skin this kid had.
After a brief pause, he replied with a calm but evasive response that revealed nothing.
He firmly decided not to spend extra time with this punk—don't even dream about learning anything from me!
"I already feel such a strong connection with you right away."
"I'll definitely study diligently."
Nawaki pretended not to understand Ōnoki's tone. He was determined to master this skill sooner or later.
"Ahem… Ahem~"
"You must be tired from the journey. Let me have someone escort you to your quarters."
"I'll handle the rest of our people."
"We can discuss anything tomorrow at the meeting."
Ōnoki casually gestured for someone to escort Nawaki to his quarters, then proceeded to greet the Konoha team himself.
After all, they had gone through great trouble to come offer assistance, so he had to uphold proper formalities.
Nawaki didn't push further—he knew this wasn't a one- or two-day mission.
Watching Ōnoki's flight with more skill than himself, a glint of admiration shone in Nawaki's eyes.
"Lord Nawaki, this way."
Snapped back to reality by the Iwagakure ninja's reminder, Nawaki responded.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
After politely thanking him, Nawaki followed the Iwagakure ninja toward the newly built earthen house.
As the commander-in-chief leading this Konoha team, his accommodations were quite decent.
At the very least, it was much better than being cramped together with several others in a confined space.
Resigned to the situation, Nawaki lay down on the bed after dismissing the Iwagakure ninja.
The mission's objective was clear—to keep the Cloud Ninja occupied within the Land of Earth.
Since the enemy's true strength remained unknown, Nawaki ceased his idle speculation.
Everything would have to wait until tomorrow, when he would first learn the current state of the battlefield.
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