Afternoon.
Drake lay half-asleep on a tree branch.
Kakashi yawned.
Minato rubbed his face and continued his watch.
"Did I misjudge this… or are the Iwa forces just assembling too slowly?"
Staring at the empty bridge, Minato could hardly believe it.
An entire afternoon had passed, yet not a single person crossed Kannabi Bridge.
"Sensei, let's head back to the inn for now."
Drake stretched lazily and made the suggestion.
It was obvious to him now — Iwa's alert level was extremely high. They weren't going to appear casually again.
No point wasting time here.
Especially with night approaching. Once darkness fell, the risks would multiply.
"If Madara attacks under the cover of night, it'll be troublesome."
"And if the Iwa ninja try a night strike, that's just as bad."
That was the real reason Drake suggested withdrawing.
The three retreated.
Not long after they left, over a dozen Iwa ninja appeared on the opposite side of the bridge.
After crossing, their commander Kurotsuchi issued orders.
"Survey all traces of battle immediately."
The Iwa ninja scattered, examining the surroundings.
"A massive crater… caused by Earth Release."
"These wounds… all fatal in a single strike?"
Looking at the corpses of his comrades, Kurotsuchi fell into deep thought.
A few one-shot kills might be understandable.
But dozens, all with fatal wounds? That was a serious problem.
He summoned a subordinate and gestured for communication with the Iwa presence inside the Grass Country.
"Bring me all intelligence. I want to know exactly who did this."
The man hurried off.
Kurotsuchi continued investigating.
"Captain! We found some very strange tree trunks!" an Iwa ninja called out.
"Oh?"
He rushed over, stopping in front of a patch of oddly-shaped wooden pillars.
"These were… planted into the ground?"
Touching them, Kurotsuchi frowned.
They didn't look like branches broken from nearby trees — there were no signs of damage on surrounding vegetation.
"So where did these come from…?"
A chill ran down his spine.
He pulled out a kunai and slashed hard at the wood.
SCRRRK!
A deep gash formed.
"This isn't normal wood… this is Wood Release!"
Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in shock.
Just then, the intelligence officer returned.
"Captain, the intel has been retrieved—"
Before he could finish, Kurotsuchi snatched the scroll and scanned it rapidly.
"Minato Namikaze. Team 9. Drake, value ten million ryo…"
"This Drake also has the ability to counter Wood Release?"
Realization struck.
"The fatal wounds must have been inflicted by Minato."
"But this Wood Release…?"
"So did a Mokuton user clash with Minato's team… and get countered by Drake?"
But something still didn't add up.
The reports clearly stated that the Wood Release user in Konoha had never left the village.
So who used Wood Release here?
Another hidden Mokuton user?
Still, the result was clear.
"Minato's team won."
"And they only left at dusk…"
Then he noticed another horrifying sight.
A white, half-plant-like corpse — buried in the soil.
Just looking at it made one's scalp crawl.
"Send word to all Iwa ninja in the Grass Country. Full withdrawal tonight."
Kurotsuchi frowned deeply.
This wasn't fear of Minato — it was caution.
There was clearly a third force involved here.
And that third party possessed Wood Release… yet did not seem aligned with Konoha.
In such a situation, observation was the wisest choice.
Early the next morning.
Drake and the others were treated to a lavish breakfast prepared by Kenjiro.
"Kenjiro, thanks for everything this time," Drake said sincerely.
Kenjiro's eyes curved into happy slits.
"No, no, I should be thanking you! Without you, this place might've changed owners by now."
Then he delivered another piece of news.
"Oh right — the Iwa ninja have all withdrawn."
CLACK!
Drake's chopsticks fell straight onto the table.
Kakashi stared in disbelief.
Minato looked utterly confused.
"They withdrew? When did that happen?" Drake asked.
"Last night!" Kenjiro replied.
"They returned to the Land of Earth?" Minato confirmed.
"Yeah! They were all gone by midnight."
The three exchanged glances.
What kind of operation was this?
Not even fifty casualties, and they completely pulled out?
"So… does this mean our mission is complete?" Kakashi asked uncertainly.
"I guess so…" Drake muttered, just as baffled.
"Their reaction is extremely strange," Minato sighed with a wry smile.
Still, despite the odd conclusion, the gains were enormous.
They had confirmed that Uchiha Madara was still alive.
"Oh, right! Kenjiro, I've got a top-tier intel item for you — consider it repayment."
Drake leaned in and whispered the truth about Madara's survival, even revealing the approximate region of his hiding place.
"…What?!"
Kenjiro collapsed straight onto the floor.
"Dr-Drake… are you serious?"
"Absolutely," Drake replied calmly.
"You should sell this information as soon as possible. If you keep it, it'll bring disaster on your head."
Kenjiro nodded frantically. He didn't need that warning.
Kakashi stood frozen.
Minato buried his face in his hand.
They never imagined Drake would casually hand over news of Madara's existence… to an intelligence broker.
Kenjiro wasn't just anyone — he dealt information for a living.
Once this spread…
All the great villages would know.
And when that happened, Kannabi Bridge would become a battlefield convergence point for the entire shinobi world.
"This is really…" Minato trailed off, speechless.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/SwipeSage