After my battle with Minato, an unsettling feeling gnawed at the edge of my mind. I couldn't explain it—it was instinct, dread… perhaps both. Something told me things were unraveling behind the front lines. So I made a decision: I would travel to the war zone as fast as possible. But even with all my strength, even with the power that made others tremble at my name, I could not break the fundamental rule of the world.
Time.
Even I was bound by it. Though I moved faster than most, I could not bend time to my will. The journey still took… time.
Somewhere between the first and second conquered cities, an ANBU appeared before me in a blur of shadow and smoke. His breathing was shallow, panic held just beneath his mask. He bowed instantly, and the words that came from his lips confirmed what I feared most.
Konoha had infiltrated deep into our territory.
Not only that… they were tearing it apart from within—destroying outposts, torching infrastructure, dismantling everything we had spent weeks building. And worse, they had sacrificed an entire city to cripple our forces.
The ANBU was clearly anxious. Delivering such devastating news to the Tsuchikage couldn't have been easy. But there it was. A bold move from the Leaf. Risky, reckless… effective.
I had been played.
Out of my own free will, I left our army's rear to hunt down a single threat—a dangerous one, yes, but I believed it was worth it. I thought I could stop him before things got worse. But in the end, he escaped, teleporting away before I could land the final blow.
And then… he struck where it mattered most.
All the commanders—slaughtered in one assault. Our main camp reduced to a massacre site. Just like that.
Minato's technique… that damn teleportation jutsu. It was too powerful. In the hands of someone with enough precision, it could change the fate of an entire battlefield. And it did.
I clenched my fists.
Our commanders weren't weak. These were battle-hardened Jōnin, veterans who had survived countless skirmishes. And yet… they were outmaneuvered. Killed by a young shinobi, barely out of his teenage years. Even if Minato Namikaze was powerful—perhaps even Kage-level—it was hard not to feel a bitter taste in my mouth.
Disappointment.
"Tsuchikage-sama," the ANBU asked hesitantly. "What are your orders now?"
I didn't answer at first. My mind was storming. How… in just a few days… had everything crumbled?
The invasion I spent months planning was in ruins.
The commanders I empowered—gone.
The warfront—shattered.
And who would shoulder the blame?
Of course… me.
They'll say it was my decision to chase after Minato. My decision to leave the camp vulnerable. And maybe they'd be right. But someone had to stop him. No one else was fast enough, precise enough… strong enough. It had to be me.
Still… this was Iwagakure's worst defeat in decades, and history has little patience for reasons. Only results.
I could blame the commanders. Say they mishandled things. That they failed to anticipate the attack. But that wouldn't change anything. The weight would still fall on my shoulders.
I sighed. "Maybe… I should've taken Han with me. With his power, things might've been different."
But that would've left our borders exposed. Han, Azora, Yusu—they were all deployed to hold the line against potential threats from Suna and Kumo. And they succeeded. Our flanks held.
But at the cost of our offense.
I thought I would be enough. That not even a Kage could stop me. And maybe I was right—if not for that teleportation technique, I would have handled any Konoha ninja who stood in our path.
But this jutsu… this Hiraishin no Jutsu… it defied conventional logic. It was too fast. Too precise. Too dangerous.
"Tsuchikage-sama," the ANBU asked again, snapping me from my thoughts. "Should I order the troops to reform a defensive line?"
"Hmph…" I scoffed, my voice low. "Of course. Reform the line when we don't even know how many soldiers we have left? Don't you see? If we try to regroup now, our remaining forces will be crushed like ants beneath Konoha's boots."
Even with all my strength, there was little I could do in this moment. But standing idle was not an option either.
"Do we have any units nearby?"
"From the reports I have," the ANBU said, unrolling a blood-stained scroll, "there's an outpost close that wasn't hit. We should find some of our shinobi stationed there."
"Good," I nodded firmly. "Then we move."
We traveled quickly. The outpost wasn't far. When we arrived, a group of weary, dust-covered Iwa shinobi greeted us—13 in total. They stood straighter upon seeing me, but their eyes spoke the truth.
They were tired. Demoralized. But they were all I had.
I gathered them quickly. The plan—perhaps our final chance—was to rally what remained of our retreating forces.
"Listen," I said, voice hard as stone. "Each of you will act as a courier. Go to the surrounding outposts. Deliver my orders. All remaining units must regroup here. Any squad still alive and on the move will pass near this locations in the next few hours. Inform them. Guide them here. Understood?"
They all nodded. I knew the task I gave them was grueling. Dangerous. But it had to be done.
If enough Iwa shinobi received the order, we could amass a sizable force. A large group would be harder to strike—harder to destroy. Then, and only then, could we begin the long retreat.
Back to Iwagakure territory.
I alone could decimate a large portion of Konoha's forces—but I could not win this war by myself. Charging forward now would only result in the death of every remaining Iwa ninja.
And so, we would retreat.
A bitter taste filled my mouth at the thought. But survival was now the priority. Iwa wasn't defeated. Not yet. We still had powerful shinobi guarding the border against Suna and Kumo. We still had strength within the walls of the village. But any large movement now could signal weakness. The vultures would descend if they sensed it.
And I knew one thing for certain.
Once word of this disaster reached Iwagakure, whispers would begin. Voices would rise. There would be talk—no, demands—for new leadership.
A new Tsuchikage.
Perhaps not during the war. But after? Certainly.
That's why… if we could gather enough strength to launch one more strike—one more devastating invasion into Konoha—they'd be forced to silence those voices. A victory would crush any ambition of my rivals.
But that was a thought for another time.
Right now, we needed to survive. Regroup. Endure.
And when the dust settles, then we would decide who stands atop Iwa.
But for now… I must lead.