"Are we really fine not joining the battle?"
On the rooftop of a stone house,
Seinosuke stood on tiptoe, staring at the massive silhouette of the stone colossus outside the village. His gaze then shifted toward the equally enormous, eye-catching salamander. "It's not just Iwa-shinobi this time. Even Hanzō of the Salamander—that old monster standing at the very summit of the shinobi world—has stepped onto the field… Kyoichi, don't overestimate yourself!"
As he spoke,
Seinosuke turned back to look at the three shadow clones of Kyoichi seated cross-legged upon the rooftop, and advised them with heartfelt concern.
Yes,
Seinosuke was not alone on this rooftop.
Dazen, Yūsuke, Yahiko, and Konan were also there. And besides them… three shadow clones left behind by Kyoichi himself, sitting motionless like temple idols, frozen in their seated posture.
"Just an old relic, nothing to be afraid of."
At Seinosuke's words, the leftmost shadow clone of Kyoichi opened its eyes and replied with a smile. Yet the tone was so arrogant it offered little reassurance.
"Kyoichi, to be honest—are you certain we don't need to join the fight?"
Dazen's expression was grim.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes, cheekbones protruding. Fine red veins webbed his gaze. Clearly, he hadn't slept a single peaceful night in a long while. Even though watches were assigned every night, the burden of the clan weighed heavily. And with age, his sleep had grown shallow—every little disturbance was enough to wake him.
Tonight was no different.
The sudden peal of thunder earlier had nearly carried him off in fright.
Fortunately, the harsh journey had tempered the will of the clan time and again. From the panic of the beginning to the numb endurance of now, everyone abided by the anti-raid rules established long ago, staying obediently inside the stone huts without wandering.
Only the jōnin had gathered swiftly.
And then,
After sleeping barely half an hour, Kyoichi had completed his watch and, with his self-created Earth Listening Technique, detected the enemy's movements. He then offered a plan: he would go support Nagato, while the others would handle the destruction of the raiding force.
Dazen, Seinosuke, Yūsuke, Yahiko, and Konan remained in the ruined village, leading the chūnin in guarding the non-combatant members of the Koeda Clan.
At this,
Nagato's shadow clone messenger had immediately voiced support for Kyoichi's plan.
He was more than willing to have Yahiko and Konan remain safely in the rear while he and Kyoichi took the battle upon themselves. Only recently, Konan's location had been exposed on a mission, and she had narrowly escaped an ambush. The incident still haunted him.
Of course,
Nagato's feelings for Konan weren't romantic. They were the mingled bonds of friendship and family. To him, Yahiko and Konan were the dearest people in the world. Even a small injury to them filled him with hatred at his own weakness, driving him to train harder, to become stronger…
Thus, Kyoichi's proposal seemed like a brilliant plan.
Leave the enemies to him, let Yahiko and Konan remain behind to direct from safety.
Yahiko and Konan themselves hadn't thought too deeply, only that protecting the Koeda Clan was necessary. With so many enemies, they had to guard against a divisionary strike aimed at the non-combatants.
Dazen and the others shared the same reasoning. Coupled with Kyoichi's impressive record, his words carried weight. They ultimately followed his suggestion.
But as time passed,
No surprise attack came to the village. Instead, the battle at the front blazed hotter and fiercer. The group began to feel restless, wondering if they should send reinforcements to Nagato and Kyoichi.
After all,
Two people alone couldn't possibly withstand a dozen enemy jōnin—especially when Hanzō of the Salamander and Akaishi were among them.
"I said no, and I meant it!"
Kyoichi's shadow clone spoke firmly.
Yet seeing the clan leader's brows still knit in worry, he thought for a moment and added: "Clan Head, if it were just me alone, I'd admit my chances of holding them off are slim. But now… Nagato is sharing the burden with me."
"What we're worried about is exactly that—just you and Nagato standing against all this. If you both overextend yourselves, you'll get yourselves killed!"
Seinosuke's venomous tongue lashed out again.
"Seinosuke, now you're underestimating us—Nagato and me both. Listen carefully… these three shadow clones are the trump card my true body prepared for the decisive moment. And Nagato… a few days ago, he and I sparred in secret. Seinosuke, can you guess who won?" Kyoichi's shadow clone asked with a smile.
"Judging by your tone… you lost?"
Seinosuke asked uncertainly.
"Crushed."
The shadow clone admitted openly.
"...Crushed?"
Seinosuke was stunned.
Not just him—Dazen and Yūsuke wore the same look of disbelief.
To be honest, it was already difficult for them to imagine Kyoichi losing to Nagato. Kyoichi's rapid growth had been plain for all to see. He had fought the likes of Akaishi to a stalemate, surpassing even Dazen, the clan leader himself.
Nagato, by contrast, was only a prodigy from a small nation—untutored by any shinobi village's system. A wild genius, nothing more!
Yet now Kyoichi claimed their sparring had ended in his total defeat.
How could they accept that?
"Though I held back some of my trump cards, Nagato did too. In fact, he may have held back more than I did." The shadow clone sighed.
The Rinnegan—
truly terrifying.
Leaving aside its unique abilities, Nagato's sheer mastery of all five chakra natures was already overwhelming. By comparison, Kyoichi's expertise was limited to Earth Release. Facing Nagato, he had been pushed to the brink, and the scattered hints of the Rinnegan's power had sealed his defeat.
Fortunately,
Kyoichi had prepared himself mentally for such an outcome.
He wasn't discouraged. If anything, it strengthened his conviction. A wielder of the Rinnegan who had already trained for over a decade—Nagato was unquestionably among the very top of the shinobi world. Without the "Eye of God," Kyoichi knew he would have been killed instantly.
But now—
Now he had been able to exchange several blows with Nagato without even using his hidden cards.
"So, really, there's nothing to worry about. The number of enemies this time is well within what Nagato and I can handle." Kyoichi's shadow clone concluded.
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