After entering Kikyō Castle, Kushina released Ebizō.
He was immediately handed over to Yūhi Shinku and placed under guard.
After all, he was now a captive firmly in Konoha's hands.
With that settled, Kushina accompanied Yagami as they climbed the tower once more.
Along the way, countless Konoha shinobi stationed within the castle greeted Yagami with respect.
Yagami responded with brief nods, his expression calm.
—
Boom.
The moment they stepped into the gate tower of Kikyō Castle, Yagami's strength finally gave out.
He dropped straight down and sat heavily on the floor.
After pushing himself beyond his limits three times in succession, his body had reached its breaking point.
Earlier, outside the city walls, he had been forcing himself to stay upright, pretending everything was fine.
In reality, his limbs had already gone numb with exhaustion.
"Yagami!!"
Kushina cried out in alarm, immediately assuming he had been injured.
Without even caring about the blood staining his body, she hurried forward and pulled open his outer robe, checking him anxiously.
Hoo… hoo…
The moment she exposed his chest, she heard the steady sound of breathing.
Yagami was already asleep.
Kushina froze.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
Even at the very end, he had stubbornly held himself together.
Yet the instant he crossed the threshold into safety, exhaustion claimed him completely.
"Yagami-sensei!!"
Kakashi rushed into the gate tower at that moment.
Seeing Yagami collapsed on the ground, his expression changed instantly.
Kushina raised a finger to her lips.
"Shhh. He's just asleep."
Kakashi paused, then nodded in understanding.
Not long after, having finished arranging Ebizō's detention, Yūhi Shinku also returned.
He glanced at the thick blood covering Yagami's body, then at Kushina.
After a brief hesitation, Kushina made her decision.
She exchanged a few quiet words with Shinku, then lifted Yagami onto her back and vanished from the gate tower in a flash.
She moved swiftly across Kikyō Castle's rooftops.
Soon, she found a small hot spring inn within the city.
Her cheeks flushed faintly as she stepped inside, still carrying Yagami.
The civilians of Kikyō Castle had already evacuated, leaving the inn completely empty.
Kushina brought Yagami to the hot spring pool, gently lowered him down, and began washing the blood from his body.
Fast asleep, Yagami was completely unaware of what was happening.
Completely oblivious, he was unknowingly enjoying an absurdly fortunate moment.
—
At the top of Kikyō Castle's tower.
Shinku looked out over the battlefield beyond the walls, where Sand shinobi were gathering the fallen.
He then turned to a sensing ninja beside him.
"Have the numbers been confirmed?"
"Yes," the sensing ninja replied, still sounding stunned.
"The count is complete."
"A total of six hundred and fifty casualties on the Sand side."
"And Yagami-sama alone is responsible for nearly six hundred of them."
Shinku couldn't help but click his tongue quietly.
The scale of Yagami's achievements was terrifying.
Across the past two days, his confirmed kills were already nearing eight hundred.
Once this war fully concluded, surpassing a thousand would be inevitable.
What kind of commendation would such a record earn once they returned to the village?
For a brief moment, even Shinku's thoughts wandered.
"Send the good news back to Konoha," he said at last.
"Yes!"
The sensing ninja responded brightly and withdrew at once.
Although none of them could compare to Yagami's achievements, the defenders of Kikyō Castle had still earned considerable merit.
And for someone who had personally taken part in this battle—
Who had witnessed Yagami fighting alone while surrounded by Sand shinobi—
That pride would last a lifetime.
—
Outside Kikyō Castle.
The Sand shinobi gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Countless corpses and severed limbs were piled together like small hills.
The blood that had begun to congeal still dripped slowly to the ground.
Heavy silence hung over the battlefield.
A force of over a thousand had assaulted Kikyō Castle.
Not only had they failed to take it, but nearly two-thirds of their number had been wiped out.
Even Ebizō, their commander, had been captured alive.
The blow was devastating.
"Seal them…"
Pakura closed her eyes and let out a slow sigh.
This was her first time experiencing a true battlefield.
Facing the bodies of so many fallen comrades made her chest feel unbearably heavy.
"…Yes."
Dozens of Sand shinobi responded quietly, pulling out sealing scrolls and beginning their work.
With so many dead, she couldn't bear to imagine the grief waiting for them back in the village.
As the sealing continued, Pakura lifted her gaze toward Kikyō Castle.
They had lost too much in this battle.
Even Ebizō—Chiyo's younger brother and the Kazekage's proxy—had fallen into enemy hands.
How was she supposed to report this to the reinforcements that would soon arrive?
Just picturing Chiyo's fury made Pakura's head ache.
—
Deep in sleep, Yagami drifted through a strange dream.
He felt as though he were floating among clouds.
Soft, indistinct shapes brushed against him again and again.
They moved around his legs, then across his chest.
It tickled… and yet felt oddly uncomfortable.
—
The next morning.
With the break of dawn, Yagami slowly opened his eyes.
Perhaps because he had pushed himself too far the previous day, this was the deepest sleep he had experienced in a long time.
"…What—?!"
The instant his consciousness fully returned, he jolted upright, cold sweat breaking out.
He had fallen asleep in the middle of a mission.
That alone was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
But as he sat up, he immediately realized something was wrong.
This wasn't a room inside Kikyō Castle.
And—
He was wearing a bathrobe.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 200 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.