Shisui's arrival was an unexpected surprise.
Even with an extra member, their pace didn't slow in the slightest.
Kakashi found himself admiring the newcomer.
The reason was simple.
When forced to choose between the mission and his comrades, Shisui had chosen his comrades.
That alone was enough for Kakashi to respect him.
But as they continued forward, Shisui seemed uneasy.
"Um… this doesn't feel right."
He was supposed to be on a mission for Root, yet here he was, suddenly joining another team heading for the front lines. It didn't sit well with him.
By all logic, he should have returned to Root to report the situation. But even he didn't know what he could possibly say to Danzō once he got back.
"Do you have any idea how short-handed the Hokage's forces are right now?"
Hakken glanced at him calmly and sighed.
"We're being sent out on missions like this—scouting and sabotaging the Land of Lightning's supply lines."
"Root has plenty of capable shinobi, yet I don't see them lifting a finger for Konoha."
That was simply the truth.
If not for the dire circumstances, Minato wouldn't have placed so much hope in a handful of his students.
"So don't worry about it. If fighting on the front lines for the village counts as breaking the rules, then maybe this village doesn't deserve to exist in the first place."
Hakken patted Shisui's shoulder, his voice steady and sincere.
Yeah.
If risking your life for the village was considered breaking the rules, then what meaning did any of it have?
Shisui's uncertainty faded.
This was a man who truly lived by his ideals of peace—perhaps a little too open-hearted, even saying he would protect both the Uchiha and Konoha.
In the original story, Itachi inherited Shisui's will, believing he could bear everything alone.
But he overlooked the value of those beside him.
A tragic clan.
A tragic Uchiha.
...
"Hizashi-sama."
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning stood Konoha's ninja camp.
The flames of war had never truly gone out.
For the other villages, the Third Shinobi World War was already history, but for Konoha, the suffering continued.
The clashes were neither large nor small, yet lives were lost every day.
Inside the camp, a Konoha ninja with his arm wrapped in bandages stepped into the command post and called out to the busy Hizashi Hyūga.
"Speak."
Lifting his head, the weary Hizashi revealed eyes tinged with sorrow.
Carrying the conviction that the Hyūga Clan was Konoha's strongest, he had come to this battlefield.
As the head of the branch family, his duty was to protect the main house.
Until every member of the branch family fell, the main family would never be sent to war.
Yet with each passing day, the death toll kept rising.
"Hokage-sama's reinforcements have arrived."
Reinforcements—those words alone were enough to stir hope in times of hardship.
But when the messenger mentioned them, his lips twitched slightly, showing a mix of helplessness and unease.
"They've arrived? How many? Who's leading them?"
Hizashi asked immediately.
"Only four. They're outside."
Footsteps approached, and when the four figures appeared before him, Hizashi's face lacked the bitter smile the reporting ninja had shown earlier.
Four people.
Aside from two children, the other two inspired confidence.
The son of Konoha's White Fang—Kakashi Hatake.
Even with the mask, his distinctive silver hair gave him away.
And beside him stood Shisui of the Body Flicker, the hero whose name had spread across the battlefields of the Third Shinobi World War.
The sight of them reignited hope in Hizashi-sama's heart.
As for the other two—one carried a sword and a sake gourd at his waist, while the other had hair so smooth it looked freshly washed with conditioner.
Both wore masks, their identities concealed.
But that hardly mattered.
With Shisui and Kakashi here, at least the pressure on the front lines could be eased.
Unfortunately, Hizashi was mistaken.
He hadn't realized the true hidden power of this elite squad.
When he finished reading the operational plan from Minato that Kakashi handed him, he froze in disbelief.
This was an elite squad assigned to infiltrate deep behind enemy lines?
"Kumogakure has always favored direct warfare. This time, they've gathered at least four thousand shinobi along the border," Hizashi explained.
"They're led by the Fourth Raikage, A, and the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki. Every day, they're pressing our defenses."
"Meanwhile, after the exhaustion of the Third Shinobi World War, we barely have two thousand shinobi left who can still fight."
"Thanks to the Hyūga clan's Byakugan, we can plan ahead, set traps, and counter their movements. That's the only reason we've lasted this long."
Taking a deep breath, Hizashi looked at Kakashi. "What's certain is that Kumogakure doesn't intend to crush our defenses in one decisive strike. Doing so would cost them too dearly. So they're wearing us down instead."
"They're stalling for time—dragging things out until Konoha collapses from exhaustion."
"This tactic is deadly for us."
After summarizing the situation, Hizashi let out a heavy sigh.
Konoha had no real counter to this kind of warfare.
The Third Shinobi World War had drained the village dry.
If this continued, they truly would be pushed to collapse.
Kakashi, however, didn't respond immediately. Instead, under Hizashi's puzzled gaze, he turned his attention to the young man gripping the sword.
"Minato-sensei saw the situation clearly," he said. "He wants to cut off Kumogakure's ability to drag this out."
"As expected, destroy their supply lines, and the pressure on the front will disappear."
Clang!
The great sword was drawn from the ground and rested on his shoulder as he started toward the exit of the command post.
"Let's go."
"At this moment, there's only one path left—battle."