Konoha's main tent.
Jiraiya rubbed his shoulders. Not everyone was like Shinji.
Even Choza and Fugaku, who had been on the front lines since the war began, were wounded.
"Alright, this is how we'll arrange things for now."
"Fugaku, you and Shinji will lead your teams back to the village first."
"Choza and I will remain here to guard against any potential mischief from Iwagakure."
Iwagakure had surrendered and Jiraiya was certain Ōnoki wouldn't cause trouble. However, it was better to be safe than sorry. To be on the safe side, he and Choza would stay here.
As for the Land of Grass's opinion?
There was no opinion to be had.
Either they endured it, or their entire village would simply vanish.
Fugaku nodded, saying nothing. Although the Uchiha clan had been sent by Hiruzen, now that the war had stopped, they should return immediately.
Shinji, meanwhile, was deep in thought.
When did Karin's mother—
Slap—
Thinking of this, Shinji slapped his forehead. He realized he must have been foolish. If he wasn't mistaken, it should have been in the later stages of the Third Great Ninja War a few years ago.
Although the war among the Five Great Nations had ended roughly ten years ago, that was only the major conflict. No one would remember the smaller nations' wars.
"Uh, Shinji, what are you doing?" Jiraiya, sitting in the main seat, was startled by Shinji's slap and couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing, just remembered something." Shinji waved his hand, his mind already formulating a plan.
A descendant of the Uzumaki clan had to be brought back. At least Naruto would have another clan member.
Moreover, Karin's talent was not bad. She was born with Kagura Mind's Eye and the ability to heal physically. Well, physical healing was another matter.
At the very least, Karin's talent would definitely not be bad, her bloodline might even be purer than Kushina's, perhaps, it is comparable with Mito's.
And both mother and daughter possessed such talent.
With this thought, Shinji had a plan. He would go and bring Karin back. Hiruzen wouldn't mind anyway, at most, it would just involve a series of investigations.
As for Kusagakure?
Heh, if they could even discover him, Shinji would just smash his head into the Hokage Rock.
"Alright, then we'll proceed with this arrangement. I've already reported all your merits back."
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head. At this moment, he wished he could return quickly to hand in the mission. He had been in Konoha for too long. Putting aside gathering material, there were some things he wanted to do.
Shinji glanced at Jiraiya, observing his demeanor, and couldn't help but stroke his chin.
It seemed that after returning, he would have to ask Hiruzen to give Jiraiya some missions. Anything would be better than him going to Amegakure to die.
However, speaking of the Akatsuki, ever since he had eliminated the spores planted by Black Zetsu, apparently, not even a single Akatsuki member had been seen on the battlefield.
Didn't Ōnoki like to hire them for missions?
Why hadn't anyone come to the Iwagakure front lines?
At least if the remaining Akatsuki members had reached the battlefield, Konoha might have faced some pressure, big or small.
As for too much pressure, that was fine. Fugaku was here, Jiraiya was here, they could just swat them away.
"Alright, senpai, I'm heading back first."
Shinji, having thought of this, no longer dwelled on it. For now, he would let the Akatsuki jump around. Besides, Itachi had probably already gone to look for them.
—
On the Iwagakure front lines.
Sasori landed on a dirt slope, his face gloomy. Deidara, beside him, took the opportunity to scratch his cheek.
"Do you really think I'm a child you can fool! Within Iwagakure territory, you're telling me you got lost!" Sasori's voice was filled with anger, growling.
Deidara, beside him, spread his hands and said, "Oh, come on, the war's over anyway. It's useless to talk about this now."
That's right, at the very last moment, Deidara admitted he got a little scared. He simply led Sasori to wander along the entire border until Sasori could no longer stand it. Only then did Deidara arrive here.
However, Ōnoki had already surrendered, and Iwagakure's front-line troops had long since retreated thirty kilometers. Now, only the foul smell of blood and widespread devastation remained here.
Nothing else.
"You can tell the leader yourself when you get back."
Sasori glanced at Deidara, then turned and slowly moved into the distance.
"Hey! Old man Sasori! You can't do this, we're teammates!"
"Get lost, go pursue your so-called art of explosion!"
—
Among the troops returning to Konoha, Shinji sat in a carriage, his gaze sweeping over Kusagakure.
Yes, it was that kind of killing intent.
Konoha completely disregarded Kusagakure's objections, leading their troops directly through Kusagakure's roads.
Watching the Kusagakure ninjas standing guard, Shinji retracted his gaze.
With a leap, he arrived beside Fugaku at the very front and said, "Fugaku-senpai, I'll trouble you to continue leading the troops back from here. I have something I need to do."
"Hmm? What is it?" Fugaku asked with a curious expression.
Shinji waved his hand and said, "Personal matters. Don't worry, I should be able to catch up with you all the day after tomorrow."
"This—"
Fugaku looked conflicted. Leaving the team was perfectly fine given Shinji's current status. However, if anything were to happen, he felt he couldn't bear the responsibility.
"Don't worry, aren't you confident in my strength? And even if I lose, it's not like I can't run away." Shinji said carelessly, completely oblivious to Fugaku's speechless expression beside him.
So, you're going to cause trouble?
"Alright, but if I don't see you by this time tomorrow, I'll contact Hokage-sama." Fugaku nodded, then gave Shinji a condition.
Shinji thought for a moment and nodded indifferently.
Calculating the time, it was roughly this point. Kusagakure, he had to visit it one way or another.
"Alright then, I'll leave it to you, Fugaku-senpai."
With that, Shinji disappeared instantly.
Neji, who was following behind Fugaku, blinked, and couldn't help but think, 'Sensei, did you forget that you still have a disciple behind you?'
...
In the forest, Shinji moved stealthily. It wasn't that he didn't want to infiltrate immediately, but strategically one could despise the enemy, while tactically one must take the enemy seriously.
The descendants of the Uzumaki clan fleeing to Kusagakure might carry the Uzumaki clan's legacy. Fuinjutsu alone was enough for Shinji to take seriously.
After so many years, even if Kusagakure were pigs, they would have learned a trick or two.