"Naka Shrine?"
Senju Haruto was no stranger to that name.
In fact, his very first encounter with Uchiha Itachi had taken place near Naka Shrine—on a moonless, wind-swept night.
That shrine was not only a famous landmark within the Uchiha compound but also the meeting place where Fugaku and other Uchiha clansmen had gathered countless times.
Every thought and whisper of a coup had its roots in Naka Shrine.
Most importantly…
The sign-in rewards Haruto received weren't purely random—they were tied to the location of the sign-in itself.
For example, when he signed in at the Hyūga compound, he obtained the Byakugan, a kekkei genkai.
"Sharingan…"
Images of three-tomoe Sharingan swirled in Haruto's mind, followed by visions of the many forms of the Mangekyō.
If he could awaken the Sharingan, it would be a tremendous boost to his strength.
And once the Mangekyō was unlocked…
With a Zanpakutō in hand and Susanoo—his towering, armor-clad colossus—at his command…
The thought alone made Haruto impatient to set out and return to Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, likewise, had no intention of lingering in the Land of Iron.
First, war between Kumogakure and Konoha was inevitable. Returning earlier would allow more time for preparations.
In order to prevent a Fourth Shinobi World War, Hiruzen felt it was necessary during this period to strengthen relations with Sunagakure to avoid the risk of being attacked from both sides.
Second, with Danzō already dead, the Uchiha clan might seize this moment to launch their coup.
No matter how he looked at it, Hiruzen wanted to get back to the village as soon as possible.
And every one of these scenarios was entirely possible.
Mifune knew well enough that, at this point, there was nothing he could do to keep them here.
"Rikaku."
With a tinge of regret, Mifune accepted reality and ordered Rikaku to escort Hiruzen and his party out of the Land of Iron.
"I hope you'll keep your promise," Mifune said again, as Rikaku prepared to lead them away.
"This conflict is between Konoha and Kumogakure," Mifune stressed, looking Hiruzen squarely in the eye. "It has nothing to do with the Land of Iron."
The message was clear—no matter what happened, the Land of Iron would remain neutral.
No matter how fierce the conflict, neither he nor his samurai would take part.
"I will," Hiruzen replied, glancing at Mifune before leaving without looking back.
Only after the group disappeared from sight did Mifune exhale deeply, summon several of his most skilled samurai, and turn to pursue the Fourth Raikage's retreating direction.
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains of the Land of Iron…
"Damn it…"
Darui unleashed another Water Dragon Bullet, scattering the rain of arrows pouring down from above.
He and C were originally planning to escort the Fourth Raikage straight back to Kumogakure, but they had run into numerous traps along the way, slowing them down considerably.
"No one's chasing us…"
C drew a deep breath. Since their forced retreat, he had kept his sensory abilities active without pause, burning through a huge amount of chakra.
Fortunately, his skills weren't limited to sensory ninjutsu—he was also a highly capable medical ninja with extensive knowledge.
After repeated checks, he confirmed that A hadn't sustained any injuries—he had merely fallen unconscious.
"When will Lord Raikage wake up?" Darui asked, panting. The traps set by the samurai had been even more numerous than he'd expected.
Protecting the unconscious A while also dismantling those traps had drained him heavily as well.
As if on cue, just after Darui's words, A's eyes snapped open.
"Lord Raikage!"
Seeing him awake, C finally felt the weight lift from his heart.
"C… Darui…"
A shook his head, pain pounding at the back of his skull. His memories were fragmented at best.
When C offered to help him up, A refused, forcing himself to sit up under his own power.
Fragments of memory flickered before his eyes. The last thing he recalled was clashing in a Lightning Release duel against Senju Haruto—then, nothing.
"Where's Yugito?"
A shot to his feet, scanning the area, only to see C and Darui.
At the mention of her name, both men's expressions darkened.
"She stayed behind voluntarily to hold off Senju Haruto's pursuit," C said at last after a pause, recounting what had happened after A had lost consciousness.
"I lost…?"
Shock filled A's face. Since the Third Shinobi World War, he had never suffered such a humiliating defeat.
But… was that even possible?
Haruto of the Senju clan hadn't even used the Wood Release—his most famed ability—yet had defeated A with Lightning Release alone.
And his demeanor…
It had been as if he hadn't taken the fight seriously at all—like he was merely toying with him.
Losing Yugito was a bitter blow.
A remembered clearly: during the Third Shinobi World War, his father had sacrificed himself to hold back ten thousand enemy shinobi so that the village's forces could survive.
Ever since then, A had refused to let Killer B leave the village, unable to bear the thought of losing another comrade.
And now Yugito had made the same choice as his father—for him, and for the village.
"Unforgivable!"
A's voice was low and dangerous as he slammed his fist into the ground.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crack, the earth beneath him split apart in jagged fissures.
C and Darui nearly lost their balance.
"If it's war you want, Konoha, then come!"
A's voice rumbled like a storm, every fiber of him itching to storm back and drag Yugito home.
But just then, a group of figures burst out from the forest.
"Lord Raikage."
C and Darui immediately moved into a defensive stance.
"Relax—it's me."
Mifune landed heavily before them. Thanks to the trail of broken traps left in Darui's wake, he had been able to track them quickly.
"Mifune," A demanded without preamble, "Yugito—what happened to her?"
"…Sigh."
Mifune let out a helpless breath. "I came here precisely for that. After losing to Senju Haruto, Yugito was taken back to Konoha."
"And—Senju Haruto and Hiruzen Sarutobi have a few words they asked me to pass on to you."
Mifune paused, then relayed Haruto's message word for word to the Fourth Raikage.