Chapitre 125: Chapter 125: The Subsequent Battle
"Vice Commander, this is the intelligence from the front lines."
"Hmm." Yuto nodded slightly, glancing at the contents of the scroll.
[Iwagakure attacks Kumogakure forces, the Third Raikage alone stays behind.]
Yuto contemplated, carrying the scroll to Minato Namikaze's quarters, "Minato-senpai, could you take a look at this?"
Inside, Minato was bandaged up, with Kushina Uzumaki tenderly applying medicine to him.
The blue-eyed young man smiled wryly, "Yuto, for these two days while I'm recovering, handle the routine matters yourself."
"No, this is important. I can't decide it on my own."
Yuto handed the scroll to Minato. As Minato read it thoughtfully, Yuto asked Kushina, "Kushina-senpai, how is Minato-senpai's condition?"
"Not very optimistic." The red-haired woman pouted:
"The fight with Moon God consumed a lot of chakra, and then he went to assist Jiraiya-sensei and got injured by the Rinnegan's technique... Nagato is truly formidable."
"Nagato has grown even stronger than a month ago," Minato suddenly spoke up, "Intense emotions seem to give his eyes new power, and he's still young... He will continue to grow... cough, cough."
Minato began coughing violently. Yuto's temples throbbed with concern as he frowned, "Your lung injury is severe; it's better to speak less. The field hospital's medics aren't very skilled. I'll come and treat you myself after I finish here. You need to be careful, or it might leave lasting damage."
"No need, you're temporarily acting as the commander now, and there are more... ouch!"
Kushina's face darkened as she pinched Minato's waist, then turned to Yuto with a bright smile, "Thank you, Yuto-kun. I'll leave Minato in your care."
Minato sighed helplessly, "... It's really troubling you, Yuto. Since the Hokage is still here, let's consult him about the matter in the scroll."
Yuto nodded with a smile and left the room with Minato.
It was the sixth hour after the "Moon God Encirclement Battle," and night had fully fallen.
For Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, this was an utter defeat.
Moon God had left grandly, not only taking the bait infused with Uchiha's power but also Meiko! The Hyuga clan had lost a young man and woman, practically announcing the Byakugan had been leaked.
Nagato, after breaking the Four Red Yang Formation, fought fiercely with Jiraiya. When Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze arrived, Jiraiya was already on the brink of death.
Nagato, with experience against the Flying Thunder God technique, managed to escape at a cost, even injuring the rescue-minded Minato.
Up till now, Jiraiya was still in critical condition, with Tsunade personally treating him, leaving Minato unattended.
Minato needed rest, so the Western Front was temporarily entrusted to Vice Commander Yuto. The youth had only time to throw Meiko's body into Shikkotsu Forest before hurrying back to the camp, working non-stop since, without time to deal with the spoils of war.
To encircle Moon God, Konoha had sacrificed too much. Besides some uncertain intelligence, there was no substantial gain.
"All operations concerning Moon God will be frozen, and the village will only maintain minimal intelligence-gathering activities."
This was the decision made by Hiruzen two hours ago, filled with resignation.
However, everyone understood that the storm caused by the "Four Nations Alliance's failure to kill Moon God" was far from over.
At a temporary office in the camp.
"Onoki can't be underestimated. He took advantage of this brief alliance to target Kumogakure..."
Hiruzen closed the scroll, looking at the pale Minato and the respectful Yuto, sighing inwardly. Before the outbreak of the Ninja World War, what was Konoha's lineup? Hiruzen Sarutobi! The Sannin! Minato Namikaze! Danzo Shimura! The Uchiha! The Hyuga! The Ino-Shika-Cho! The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! Truly, a gathering of elites, Hiruzen couldn't see how they could lose.
But now, with Orochimaru leaving Konoha, Danzo driven out of the village's power center, Jiraiya severely injured, Tsunade still not over her hemophobia, Minato with lung damage needing rest, and the Hyuga clan losing two main family members in succession...
This was almost the weakest moment in Konoha's nearly fifty-year history.
"The strategy of having the Hokage stay in the village while the younger elites fight on the front lines to build fame and experience" had failed.
With Jiraiya's severe injury, fighting on two fronts was a luxury.
Konoha's current Kage-level combat strength wasn't enough to hold off Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water nations simultaneously.
Hiruzen frowned deeply, speaking softly, "Minato, what do you think?"
The Yellow Flash replied with a wry smile, "Hokage-sama, if Iwagakure indeed kills the Third Raikage A, no matter how vengeful Kumogakure is, they'll have to retreat. Their Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is also captured, and their strength is lacking."
"In that case, our Western Front will face the aggressive Iwagakure and the puppet-wielding Sunagakure, while the Eastern Front has to fight Kirigakure alone... or even with the grieving Kumogakure."
"Even with Yuto's treatment, my lung injury will take a month to heal. Yuto and I can hold the West, but the East will need you on the battlefield, yet the village..." Minato trailed off.
Hiruzen understood his point.
The Hyuga had suffered greatly, and as Hokage, he needed to ensure appeasement and compensation, which required his presence.
Danzo wasn't a compliant person, and the elders weren't united. Various shinobi clans still needed oversight and suppression. During wartime, the base camp couldn't afford any disturbances.
—As Hokage, Hiruzen couldn't leave the village for long.
"Minato, speak directly."
"Hokage-sama, the Raikage cannot die. We should save him and use this opportunity to form an alliance with Kumogakure, having them help us withstand Kirigakure's pressure in the East and distract Iwagakure... If the Raikage survives because of us, the alliance will be strong."
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly, "Yuto, what do you think?"
"Hokage-sama, Minato-senpai's proposal is correct."
Yuto replied calmly, appearing as the loyal hand of Konoha's fourth leader.
"Good." Hiruzen suddenly smiled.
Despite the village's current critical state, the new leaves had grown to shield from storms.
"Minato, stay in the camp." Hiruzen stood, rubbing his weary shoulders, continuing, "Yuto, you, your sensei, and I will make the trip."
(End of Chapter)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone