Land of Grass, northern region.
A certain village that had already fallen into ruin and was now occupied as an Iwagakure military encampment.
At the heart of the village stood a large, luxurious estate. It had once been the residence of the village head, but long before the Iwa ninja arrived, the original inhabitants had already fled. Without hesitation, the Iwa forces requisitioned the mansion, turning it into their frontline command post.
Inside the mansion's tea room—
"The report just came in. The unit led by Higashi Shinin… has been completely annihilated."
The speaker was a man who looked far older than his years. His name was Kurotsuchi Kitsuchi (better known as Kitsuchi), son of the Third Tsuchikage. Though only twenty-seven years old, he already served as the highest commander of Iwagakure's forces on the Land of Grass front.
And yet—
Kitsuchi, at twenty-seven, looked anything but young.
Whether it was because of poor genetics, or because the crushing weight of war had worn him down, his forehead bore deep creases, dark circles sagged beneath his eyes, and an unkempt stubble clung to his jaw. It was plain to see he hadn't had the time or energy to groom himself for days.
"What? But didn't Higashi Shinin claim just days ago that he was on the verge of breaking through Konoha's defensive line? How could it end like this—?"
The one who spoke up was another Iwa shinobi of about the same age as Kitsuchi. Unlike him, however, he was clean-shaven, and beneath his eyes ran two long streaks of dark war paint.
His name was Bunya.
Among their generation, Bunya was considered one of the standouts. If Enkō and Dani could be called the "middle tier," then Bunya was most certainly among the upper echelon. He was calm, reliable, and possessed natural leadership, which was why the Third Tsuchikage himself had chosen him to serve as Kitsuchi's deputy.
Now, having hurried to the command post, Bunya froze at Kitsuchi's words. Shock painted his face, and after the first wave of disbelief, he immediately pressed:
"Konoha reinforcements have arrived? Did our scouts sense how many? I'll mobilize our forces at once. But I just inspected the supply depot—not enough kunai or shuriken remain. We'll need to push the villagers to deliver more immediately."
After all—
shinobi battles weren't simply endless volleys of ninjutsu.
In truth, because chakra reserves were limited, ninjutsu was usually saved for decisive moments. Aside from those rare monsters blessed with enormous chakra pools, most shinobi relied on taijutsu for combat, and on thrown weapons like kunai and shuriken for ranged attacks.
Which was precisely why—
Wars depended heavily on logistics. Without steady supplies, frontline ninja could run out of kunai and shuriken before even getting the chance to use a jutsu. That was why Iwagakure, as the aggressor, prioritized its supply routes so strictly.
However—
"There's no need to bother."
Kitsuchi's expression darkened as he shook his head.
"What do you mean?"
Bunya frowned. He had been calculating how many men were needed to sustain the offensive, but now, seeing Kitsuchi's face, he realized something was gravely wrong. Kitsuchi looked as grim as he had years ago, when his mother had passed.
"Judging from the traces left on the battlefield… the ones who wiped out Higashi Shinin's unit were none other than Konoha's Yellow Flash."
"The Yellow Flash…?"
Bunya's brows shot upward.
That name was enough to cause any commander a headache.
Don't be fooled by the fact he was only one man. Top-tier shinobi could fight armies on their own. Just like the Third Raikage, who once single-handedly held off ten thousand Iwa-nin for three days and nights before he finally collapsed from exhaustion—
The Yellow Flash of Konoha, though young, was without doubt one of those same terrifying figures who could stand against entire armies alone.
Facing such an opponent…
was every commander's nightmare.
And before Bunya could even think of a countermeasure—
Kitsuchi's voice came again, heavier than stone:
"It isn't just that. A message just arrived from the rear as well—Kannabi Bridge… has been destroyed!!!"
"What?!"
Bunya felt as though a hammer had slammed into the back of his skull. His mind went blank with a ringing buzz.
Kannabi Bridge… blown apart?
Then this war—was already lost.
The supplies stored in the temporary depot wouldn't last for more than a battle or two. Now he finally understood what Kitsuchi had meant earlier by "there's no need to bother." With their supply lines severed, there was no war left to fight. Continuing would only ensure defeat.
Better to cut their losses early.
"…Then Enkō and the others—?"
"All contact has been lost. Odds are… they've already met misfortune."
"Then… what do we do now?"
Bunya's voice was low as he looked at Kitsuchi.
In his heart, he knew the truth: there were no choices left. Still, it was Kitsuchi's responsibility as commander to make the final call.
But Kitsuchi only stood in silence, his face dark and unreadable.
And then—
Hurried footsteps pounded in from outside the mansion. Before anyone entered, a voice rang out, panicked and loud:
"Commander Kitsuchi! Something's happened!!!"
The shout made Kitsuchi's heart sink instantly. He didn't even need to hear the rest to know it would be bad news.
"Kayain, what's the meaning of this panic? Calm yourself and explain properly."
Bunya opened the door, glaring at the young Iwa-nin who had rushed into the courtyard—Kayain.
"Commander Bunya, Commander Kitsuchi!"
Seeing Bunya at the doorway and Kitsuchi inside, Kayain seemed to steady himself just a little, like a drowning man grabbing hold of driftwood.
"The Koeda Clan… the Koeda Clan's shinobi—are gone!"
"…What did you say?"
Kitsuchi stormed out, eyes blazing.
"What do you mean, gone? So many people—how could they simply vanish?!"
"It's true, Commander! At first, it was just one of the Koeda chūnin assigned to guard duty who failed to show. We thought it was just a delay, so we sent someone to check. But that shinobi couldn't be found. And not just him—every last member of the Koeda Clan is missing…"
Hearing this, Kitsuchi's brows knitted tightly.
"Did you send sensory ninja to search?"
"We did. Not a single trace of Koeda chakra remains anywhere near camp."
"And the sentry posts? Any suspicious movements?"
"None. Everything seemed perfectly normal!"
"…"
Kitsuchi fell silent, his face dark as stone.
"Kitsuchi," Bunya sighed softly, "we need to send word back to the village immediately. Both the current situation here on the front, and the matter of the Koeda Clan's disappearance—possibly defection—must be reported to the Tsuchikage without delay."