Iwagakure Frontline, Konohagakure Main Camp.
After destroying Iwagakure's forward outpost in one swift strike last time, Konoha naturally wasn't about to miss the chance to push their advantage.
They fully occupied Iwa's former forward base and had already set up complete defensive fortifications.
Every time Hoshiyomi caught sight of the scorched marks left at the former granary by Lobo's Fire Release, he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.
If he had known the battle would go so smoothly, he wouldn't have burned it.
If they'd let the Iwa-nin burn it themselves, maybe some of the grain could have been salvaged.
After that battle, whether Iwa had been frightened or was secretly plotting something, there was no further large-scale engagement between the two sides.
Iwa's forces turtled up in their own camp and made no moves to sabotage anything.
Even Konoha's patrol squads outside never encountered an ambush. The situation was actually more stable than before Hoshiyomi had arrived.
What Hoshiyomi didn't know was that Ōnoki was currently in a complete mess dealing with the situation involving Rōshi, and had no energy to spare for this front.
A Tailed Beast was a village's weapon of war—its most important trump card. When Rōshi had quietly gone off to avenge his older brother, Ōnoki had, of course, gone to stop him.
Fortunately, Ōnoki was able to fly, so his speed was quite fast. That very night, at the border of the Land of Rain, he caught up to Rōshi. After a fierce battle, Ōnoki dragged him back to Iwagakure.
But the clash left an irreconcilable rift between them. The young and stubborn Rōshi believed that Ōnoki's refusal to let him take revenge was out of cowardice, that he didn't value his brother's life.
Rōshi, who had once regarded Ōnoki as an uncle, now refused to speak to him, constantly trying to escape. This left Ōnoki both frustrated and helpless.
But with the war ongoing, there was nothing he could do—he could only confine Rōshi under strict guard in a secret Iwa facility.
...
With no pressing issues in camp, Hoshiyomi, as commander, found himself relaxing as well. For the past two days, with nothing else to do, he had been training and instructing his two disciples.
Minato had become a little obsessed with Space-Time Ninjutsu. For the past two days, he was either thinking about going on a mission or practicing his Body Flicker Technique
Perhaps it was due to Minato's innate, extraordinary talent for space–time ninjutsu, but Hoshiyomi couldn't shake the feeling that Minato's Body Flicker was faster than anyone else's.
Even with his mastery of the Dance of the Startled Swan, he could feel a trace of spatial fluctuation every time he observed Minato using the Body Flicker Technique
No wonder people said that even without learning the Flying Thunder God, Minato's speed was among the greatest in the shinobi world. With that kind of speed, even facing a Jonin, he would likely be able to find a chance to retreat calmly.
Finding little left to guide Minato on, Hoshiyomi let him train freely, and instead shifted his focus to Kuugetsu.
Kuugetsu's first performance on the battlefield may have met Hoshiyomi's minimum expectations, but it was far from excellent.
Hoshiyomi truly felt that he couldn't let Kuugetsu continue to have this kind of split personality for long.
This time, she had been lucky: the enemies she faced weren't particularly strong, and she'd had the protection of her father and several uncles. That was the only reason she had come through unscathed.
But who could guarantee she'd be this lucky next time? The battlefield changes in an instant—there's no time to wait for her to be "triggered" into transforming. And what if her other personality failed to come out at a critical moment?
Therefore, Hoshiyomi decided to use this time to Kuugetsu her find a solution.
The difficult thing was that even Kuugetsu's father, Uchiha Hokushin, didn't know when her split personality had formed.
He only said that after returning from a certain mission, she had changed—and that it likely had something to do with the death of her mother.
When Hoshiyomi tried to press for details, Hokushin refused to speak further, his expression filled with grief. Hoshiyomi couldn't bring himself to rub salt in the wound.
Without knowing the root cause, Hoshiyomi could only come up with his own approach. After some thought, he decided to have Shinku—the genjutsu master—train Kuugetsu.
Since they couldn't resolve the inner personality all at once, the only choice was to find a way to make Kuugetsu no longer afraid of killing.
Thus, Kuugetsu received treatment even Minato didn't get: not only did Hoshiyomi personally train her in swordsmanship, but Shinku also tested her daily with genjutsu.
In these illusions, Kuugetsu was forced to witness bandits raiding villages, or life-and-death struggles on the battlefield. No matter the scenario, the point was always the same—she had to see blood, and she had to see that if she didn't act, innocent people would die before her eyes.
With Shinku's level of genjutsu, Kuugetsu, who only had a two-tomoed Sharingan, couldn't break out of it, making it the best way for her to train.
At first, Kuugetsu emerged from each illusion dazed and trembling like a rabbit.
But under Hoshiyomi's constant reassurance—"You're just protecting others" and "It's only an illusion"—she gradually improved. According to Shinku, Kuugetsu could now at least think about killing without shaking uncontrollably.
Just as Kuugetsu's fear of killing had finally begun to ease, another problem arose — her sword couldn't hold out any longer.
Hoshiyomi's own Mikazuki Munechika was a divine weapon, forged with fragments of the Sage of Six Paths' treasured tools. Kuugetsu's sword was not. Though expensive when purchased, it was still only a high-grade standard ninja blade.
After clashing with Mikazuki Munechika for so long—despite Hoshiyomi holding back—the damage had been severe. The blade was now covered in fine cracks and clearly wouldn't last much longer.
Seeing his student's pained expression, Hoshiyomi thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.
"Kuugetsu, how about your teacher gets you a divine weapon?" he suggested.
Kuugetsu reflexively shook her head.
"No need to trouble yourself, sensei. I can just pick something from the spoils we took before."
She said it, but her face betrayed a flicker of hope. After all, what sword-loving shinobi could resist the allure of a divine weapon? Her refusal was only out of shy modesty.
Hoshiyomi could read her thoughts perfectly. Smiling, he reached out to ruffle her hair and teased,
"What, you wouldn't want something as good as Mikazuki Munechika?"
When Kuzuki heard this, she subconsciously glanced at the Mikazuki Munechika at Hoshiyomi's waist. Looking at the beautiful curves of the blade, Kuugetsu couldn't take her eyes off it.
Thinking that she might be able to have a beautiful and sharp divine weapon like the Mikazuki Munechika, Kuugetsu could no longer maintain her composure. She blushed and shyly said, "Sensei, I... I want..."