After finishing packing, Shindai left the tent carrying a heavily packed backpack.
Outside the tent stood Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Obito waiting for him.
Obito waved toward Shindai. "We've been waiting for you! Hurry up and let's go!"
"Coming!"
Shindai quickened his pace and reached Minato's side.
Smiling gently, Minato said to Shindai, "We'll always be here for you, so don't be afraid."
Shindai stared blankly at Minato.
Man, that line really hit hard.
Shindai was actually a little touched by Minato's words.
Minato took a deep breath and his expression turned serious. "Alright, this journey to the Grass Country will probably be our last moment of peace. Shindai, I hope you're mentally prepared—the mission in the Grass Country will very likely involve combat. I want you to advance and retreat together with Obito, Kakashi, and Rin!"
Shindai nodded. "I understand what you mean, Lord Minato. I won't hold Kakashi and the others back."
Minato gave Shindai a helpless glance.
Still pretending, huh?
What he meant was for Shindai to fight alongside Kakashi and the rest—not just tagging along!
Didn't he already expose how strong he was during training? Did he really think nobody noticed?
Minato didn't call him out on it though—after all, Shindai had just cheered up, and ruining it now would only make him feel bad again.
Besides, the swelling on Obito's face still needed time to go down, so better not stir things up right now.
"Alright, time to set off. We must be the last ones left."
Minato led the team as they joined up with the main force heading toward the Grass Country.
...
A week later.
Shindai arrived with the Konoha Ninja unit at Konoha's base camp in the Grass Country.
The atmosphere inside the camp was thick with tension. Everyone wore grim expressions and moved in haste. Wounded ninjas were everywhere—some missing limbs stumbled desperately toward the Medical Ninjas for treatment.
It was clear that the Konoha forces had already engaged in battle.
Shindai's heart tensed up. He swallowed hard.
Tsunade had already sneaked away using the Shifting Body Technique.
She had a blood phobia, and seeing blood earlier had made her body tremble. If she saw more, who knows—her legs might give out completely.
After all, Tsunade was one of the legendary Sannin known throughout the ninja world. She still had her reputation to uphold.
Frowning, Minato spoke to Jiraiya, "Master Jiraiya, looks like our war has officially begun."
Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "Yeah, let's go check the situation in the battlefield command room."
Jiraiya turned to Shindai and the other ninjas who had come here from the Hot Water Country, saying, "Go in an orderly way to the supply station to collect supplies, find a place to set up camp and rest! We'll assign tasks later!"
Shindai followed Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara along with other ninjas to the supply station to pick up tents, then searched for an open space to start setting them up.
Under Shindai's instructions, the positions where Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara erected their tents formed a triangle.
And Shindai's tent was right in the center of these three tents—there was simply no other reason besides seeking a sense of security.
Although Kakashi and Rin Nohara were very unwilling, under Shindai's 'persistent argument' (whining, throwing a fit, and playing the victim), they still 'happily' agreed.
"You know, I've left my homeland alone, a stranger to both the people and the place—I only know you guys."
"And as you know too, I'm currently wanted by Sunagakure. I live in fear every day—I truly lack any sense of safety."
"If you won't help me, I don't know who else I could turn to—it's not like I have anything left anyway."
Combined with Shindai's overly dramatic expression of sadness...
Of course, Kakashi and Rin Nohara weren't fooled, but Obito was.
Even though Kakashi and Rin clearly understood that Shindai was faking it, this entire performance left them unable to resist and forced them to agree.
...
Inside the battlefield command room.
The commander wasn't Orochimaru—the Snake Sannin had gone directly to the Land of Rivers to lead operations.
Currently directing combat here was Nara Shikaku, assisted by Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza.
Minato Namikaze and Ino–Shika–Cho were friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time. It was joyful meeting again here, although clearly this was not the time for reminiscing.
Jiraiya asked, "Shikaku, how's the situation here now?"
Nara Shikaku reported, "Lord Jiraiya, the situation is serious, but at least it has stabilized. Currently, both Sand and Rock ninja units are present within the Land of Grass. For our Konoha ninjas, fighting openly against both the Sand and Rock forces simultaneously would be very difficult.
Thankfully, The Third instructed us to arrive early in the Land of Grass to establish positions, allowing us to occupy many advantageous locations. Additionally, both the Rock and Sand villages harbor hidden intentions. If they unite together against us, even if we held favorable terrain, victory would still be hard to achieve. However, neither side wants their own ninjas to sacrifice themselves first and have been waiting for the other to make the first move.
Because of this, our situation has barely stabilized, remaining at a temporary stalemate with them."
Minato Namikaze said seriously, "I've brought all the ninja from the Hot Water Country to provide support here. Shikaku, feel free to assign us whatever needs doing!"
Nara Shikaku nodded. "Later, I'll disperse the ninjas you've brought into various ninja units. This will greatly relieve the pressure on our comrades at those positions. Moreover, I suspect the cooperation between Sunagakure and Iwagakure will end soon. After all, they share no common purpose—mutual suspicion and distrust make a lasting alliance impossible."
Jiraiya's eyes lit up with anticipation. "If their cooperation ends, will this significantly reduce the pressure on Konoha?"
Shikamaru Nara frowned seriously. "No, in my view, quite the opposite. If Sunagakure and Iwagakure stop cooperating, we'll be facing Rock ninja fighting at full strength, which will actually increase our burden. Although we control many advantageous positions, Rock ninja are skilled in Earth Release techniques—those terrains are rendered useless by Earth Release techniques.
"Additionally, Sunagakure will be lying in wait like a tiger poised to strike. Now it all depends on Kumogakure—it comes down to choosing between Iwagakure and Konoha. Meanwhile, we must also stay alert to Kiri, which has yet to act.
"To put it plainly, things aren't looking good for us right now."
After listening to Shikamaru's analysis, Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze looked even more serious.
Shikamaru exhaled lightly before saying, "Master Jiraiya, Minato, you've both traveled a long distance and must be exhausted. Rest up first. I've got something special planned for you later."
Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze nodded simultaneously and replied, "Alright."
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