"Let me think… where should I start?"
Under the gaze of Dazen, Seinosuke, and Yūsuke, Kyoichi took two unhurried seconds to ponder, lightly tapping the table with his knuckle before saying:
"Let me give you two pieces of news first."
No one said a word.
Even Seinosuke, usually the most sharp-tongued and venomous of them all, held back his urge to lash out, waiting to see what Kyoichi would reveal.
"First, the Iwa offensive at the frontlines has collapsed. Konoha's Yellow Flash single-handedly broke their assault."
Kyoichi wasn't clear on the exact details of the battlefront, but the fact that Namikaze Minato had appeared beside his disciples was proof enough that the fighting had reached its end.
And without a doubt—
it was a crushing defeat for Iwagakure.
"Second, I joined forces with Konoha's shinobi and destroyed the Kannabi Bridge. Iwa's supply line has been severed. If nothing goes wrong… the war between Konoha and Iwa is already as good as over."
Kyoichi's voice was calm, but his words made the others' eyes widen in shock.
"Kyoichi, are you screwing with us?"
Seinosuke couldn't hold back and was the first to demand an answer.
"When have I ever lied to you?" Kyoichi countered.
"Mm… true, you've never spouted nonsense before. But this—losing to the Yellow Flash sounds believable. Partnering with Konoha to destroy Kannabi Bridge? If you're not lying… then you've just signed our death warrants!"
Seinosuke glared at him.
If Kyoichi really had helped Konoha destroy the bridge, and word of it got out, then not only would he be finished—
the entire Koeda clan would likely be wiped out with him.
"What's there to fear? Haven't we already decided to leave Iwagakure?"
Kyoichi replied smoothly, "Once we reach the Land of Water, do you really think Iwa shinobi will march across nations just to retaliate against the Koeda clan in Kirigakure? Besides, it's too late to argue now. Not only did I help Konoha take down Kannabi Bridge, I also cut down more than a dozen Iwa-nin—Enkō, Dani, Magari, Sumashi among them."
"Hiss—!"
Seinosuke sucked in a sharp breath, his gaze toward Kyoichi changing.
Damn it.
How had he never realized this kid could be so ruthless?
Yes, they had resolved to abandon Iwa, but to mercilessly slaughter former comrades without hesitation… honestly, that wasn't something just anyone could do.
Ninjas weren't unfeeling machines. They weren't cold, mindless weapons of murder.
For Kyoichi to casually admit he had slain more than ten of their own… that was downright terrifying.
"…Killing is the least of it."
Dazen finally spoke, his voice steady.
At sixty-five, he had seen the madness of the late Warring States era, endured the blood-soaked chaos of the First and Second Great Ninja Wars. His heart was ninety percent iron and ice, tempered by a lifetime of slaughter. The only tenderness he had left was reserved for those of his own bloodline.
To him, Kyoichi's ruthlessness wasn't a flaw—it was potential. A sign he was destined for great things. The only downside was timing: Kyoichi's actions left them with little time to prepare for their escape.
"The key is that we must leave before Iwa learns what Kyoichi has done."
Dazen's brows furrowed into a deep 川.
Without a proper pretext, there was no way their clan could simply walk out of camp.
"If the war really is over, perhaps we can find a chance on the march back to Iwagakure…" He trailed off, because though it was easy to say, the reality was far more perilous.
One wrong move, and the last remaining seeds of the Koeda clan could be snuffed out entirely.
"What chance? If opportunity came that easy, we'd already be feasting on fish in the Land of Water instead of gnawing dried rations in this dump."
As expected, Seinosuke's venomous tongue lashed without restraint.
At that moment—
"Kyoichi, do you already have a plan?"
The quiet Yūsuke, who had been like a shadow all this time, suddenly spoke up.
As Kyoichi's younger cousin, just a year apart in age, Yūsuke had grown up alongside him. Unlike Dazen or Seinosuke, who knew Kyoichi less intimately, Yūsuke understood him well—and he could see that Kyoichi had something up his sleeve.
At his words, Dazen's brows loosened, Seinosuke closed his mouth, and both turned their eyes toward Kyoichi.
Smack!
Kyoichi drew a three-pronged kunai and set it firmly on the tatami before declaring:
"The solution lies right here."
Following his gesture, Dazen, Seinosuke, and Yūsuke all stared at the strange kunai, its design unusual and its surface etched with complex sealing script.
They failed to recognize it—and that was no surprise.
Yes, the Yellow Flash had already carved his fearsome name into the world. The Iwa high command had even issued orders: "If you encounter the Yellow Flash of Konoha, you are permitted to abandon your mission and retreat immediately without punishment," in the desperate hope of reducing casualties.
But even so, that didn't mean everyone knew the full extent of his techniques.
After all, the number of shinobi who had faced the Yellow Flash and lived to tell the tale could be counted on one hand. For his secrets to spread widely would take time.
"What does this mean?"
Yūsuke broke the silence on behalf of the others. "Kyoichi, stop playing coy. This weird-looking kunai… what's it for?"
"This," Kyoichi said, "is a marker."
"A… marker?"
"That's right. A coordinate for space-time ninjutsu."
He didn't waste more words. Though this shadow clone still held plenty of chakra and wouldn't vanish unless struck with overwhelming force, time was precious. Better to explain clearly now.
"This is the Yellow Flash's personal kunai. With it, he can appear here instantly."
The words had barely left his mouth when—
The room erupted.
Seinosuke and Yūsuke bolted to the corners like startled cats, while even battle-hardened Dazen pulled a kunai from his sleeve and dropped into a fighting stance.
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