Inside the Mist Village's landing base in the Land of Rivers...
The Mist ninja present were sharply divided—one group cheerful and jubilant, the other dejected and crestfallen, as if they belonged to completely different worlds.
"Yesterday was awesome! I charged through Cloud Village like a whirlwind, making seven heroic charges into and out of their defenses!"
"I had it rough. I was chased by Konoha ninja all night long!"
"Who isn't fed up with them? I've hated that high-and-mighty crowd for ages!"
"I had it even worse! First I got hunted down by Seiki Shimaseki, barely escaped him, only to run straight into Minato Namikaze chasing another squad!"
"But man, Cloud Village really is loaded! The resources we looted from them will last us months."
"Waaah! We've lost everything! Not even an Explosive Tag left, not even a Military Rations Pill!"
In the middle of all this noise, both sides exchanged uneasy glances. It was obvious now—whoever got unlucky was part of last night's attack on Konoha.
...
"So this is all the result we could get?" The Mizukage listened to the report, clearly dissatisfied but helpless—it was just too hard to time everything perfectly!
If they started too early, Konoha and Cloud might not have even clashed yet. If they declared war later, maybe the battle would already be over.
And besides, wars don't just erupt overnight—it takes time to gather your troops and march them into position.
In short, being a true master of battlefield micromanagement was no easy task!
An ANBU Jonin wearing a dog mask nearby spoke up, "Our defeat at the Konoha front was entirely because of Minato Namikaze and Seiki Shimaseki. Their reinforcements arrived far too quickly—in just a minute or two, the entire battle had turned. Compared to that, the Cloud front was much easier."
"Seiki Shimaseki!" The Mizukage's eyes narrowed warily. "A brat promoted to Chunin merely two years ago, and now he can singlehandedly shift the tide of war. Such rapid growth is truly terrifying!"
The dog-masked Jonin couldn't help blurting out, "Are the Cloud ninjas stupid or something? Letting a genius like that grow so strong!"
A cat-masked Jonin nodded earnestly beside him. "Right! If he were in our Hidden Mist, we'd never let him reach this point!"
But the Mizukage shook his head slightly. "Based on the kid's demonstrated abilities and composure, killing him won't be easy."
At this moment, the Jonin wearing a demon mask, who hadn't spoken until now, hesitantly asked, "Mizukage-sama… Do you think declaring war on both Konoha and Cloud at once is a bit too aggressive?"
Understanding the meaning behind his words, the Mizukage softly chuckled.
"You're afraid they'll put aside their hatred... and unite against us?"
"Yes, that's exactly what concerns me."
"Remember one thing—we're hidden far overseas. That may be our weakness, but it's also our greatest advantage." The Mizukage explained methodically.
"Unlike the other four great villages, we don't actually need land. This means that compared to those greedy bastards trying desperately to expand territory, we're always seen as a lesser threat—just occasional raiders stopping by the mainland."
"And besides, how could they retaliate? Even if we lose, we can just retreat back to the Land of Water! You really think they'd dare follow us all the way back there?"
"If that's really the case? I'd *laugh my ass off*, to be honest."
It wasn't that he looked down on those mainland nations—if it truly came down to a naval battle, he wouldn't hesitate to take on four foes at once, no problem.
Besides, even if Konoha and Cloud were determined to burn their boats and build ships for a long-range expedition, they still needed to reach a non-aggression pact with the other side first.
But would that even *happen*? The two-year war between Konoha and Cloud had already bred deep-seated hatred on both sides. Even if one claimed they wouldn't retaliate, the other would never risk betting on their enemy's integrity.
In short, Mist was untouchable!
As he finished his analysis, the other Jonin exchanged knowing glances behind their masks. This was already proven in the last two wars.
No matter how reckless Mist acted, the flames of war would never reach their doorstep.
Just then, a Mist Jonin approached with a strange expression and reported, "Mizukage-sama, there's a ninja claiming to be a Cloud undercover agent who wants to meet you."
The Mizukage found this amusing. "Meet me? Hmph, surely Raikage won't go as far as sending his men here just to scold me, right?"
After thinking briefly, the Mizukage continued, "Let him come."
...
At ten in the morning, Seiki finally dragged himself out of bed, clearly exhausted from the night before.
Even for him, after releasing the Yin Seal and fighting all night, followed by spending another entire night handling emergencies, it was a bit too much.
He pushed the tent flap open, and the glaring sunlight made him squint instinctively.
Looking around, nearly everyone in the camp bore signs of injury, their faces filled with fatigue.
However, they weren't showing much grief.
They'd been through two years of war—enough separation, death, and suffering to last a lifetime. Just being alive felt like a miracle.
And honestly, they couldn't help but compare themselves to Cloud.
In a move to lighten the mood, Orochimaru 'accidentally' leaked the intel from Cloud's side the moment he got it.
Sure enough, upon learning that the culprits responsible for yesterday's battle suffered far worse than them, everyone instantly felt refreshed.
Serves you right for launching a sneak attack!
Still, they all knew exactly who to thank for this outcome.
So when they saw Seiki show up, many rushed over to greet him with enthusiasm.
"Seiki, why are you up so early? Why not rest longer?"
"Seiki-san, thank you so much! Without you, we definitely would've died yesterday!"
Seiki responded politely to each one and even offered treatment to those severely wounded.
Having boosted his reputation again, he finally reached Minato's tent.
"Aniki Minato, are you in?"
"Yeah, Seiki, come in."
Seiki entered the tent and saw Minato with a haggard face—clearly even worse off than himself.
After all, Minato didn't have the Yin Seal's magical restoration ability like him.
Seeing Seiki, Minato smiled faintly, saying, "Looks like we're both drained to the bone. Feels awful being hollowed out, doesn't it? But might as well get used to it in advance."
Seiki stood there confused—was he throwing in a shady joke or something?
He was still a kid, for crying out loud!
After lightening the mood, Minato shifted to a more serious tone and asked, "Seiki, is it another task from Orochimaru-sama?"
"It's something I'm handling on my own." Seiki gave a gentle shake of his head and then spoke with a more solemn expression. "Aniki Minato, I'd like to ask about how to use your One-time Sage Mode."
"Hahaha, of course there's no problem." Minato didn't hesitate at all. In fact, he felt incredibly happy to be able to help Seiki.
Seeing this, Seiki couldn't help but feel admiration in his heart—Aniki Minato really was the ultimate tool in his arsenal, so reliable!
Just at that moment, Jiraiya sneaked in quietly.
"Sensei, what are you doing here?" Minato asked in confusion.
"*Ahem*, I just happened to overhear your conversation while I was 'passing by.'" Jiraiya made a show of clearing his throat before speaking with great authority. "Sage Art is an extremely rigorous and dangerous cultivation practice. It's very risky to develop it recklessly. Let me stick around for supervision, just in case you need guidance!"
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