บท 523: 488. Battle of Deceit Part-1
After sealing the former three Raikages, the group reunites with the First Division.
"Sakumo-sama!"
Guy and team three greet Sakumo while Kakashi, Minato, and A nod at him.
"I will return to the HQ to monitor the situation on other battlefields." Minato teleports away from the battlefield.
"What happened?"
The various shinobis with Sakumo support and treat A and Guy. Sakumo turns to Kakashi for an answer.
"Well… a lot happened!" Kakashi narrates the situation to Sakumo.
"I see… Let's return to the camp first."
Later, the various Kages, commanders, and vice-commanders spend a restless night. Their subordinates tally the number of casualties.
"The number is out!"
A member of the logistics department delivers a report to Shikaku. Shikaku holds the report and walks in front of Inoichi.
Mm…
Inoichi nods and informs the other commanders and vice-commander to join the meeting.
"Quick, tell me what the situation is like?"
Both A and Onoki impatiently turn to Shikaku as soon as the meeting starts.
Sigh…
"Here!"
Shikaku sighs and passes the report to them.
"The allied shinobi forces suffered a devastating blow. Even if you win this war, it will take us a very long time to recuperate from such heavy losses. Also, the victory and defeat are still uncertain given the several uncountable methods of the Akatsuki."
Rasa shakes his head after reading the report.
"It has been only three days, and we have lost a total of twenty-five thousand shinobis in this war. This must be the highest number of casualties in any war so far." Gaara speaks out.
"The only solace in today's battle is the fact that we managed to whittle down the hundred thousand-strong army to a mere thirty thousand soldiers. However, the presence of that unknown monster summoned by Tobi is quite concerning. It isn't something that we fight with, just numbers." Sakumo glances at everyone present in the meeting room.
"I think it's about time for us to merge the various divisions." Minato opens his mouth and stares at everyone present in the room for their reaction.
Hmm…
The various commanders and vice-commanders glance at each other and nod.
"The first division, the second division, and the third division will merge into one combat division, and the fourth and the fifth special division will merge into another combat division," Shikaku suggests.
The group collectively glances at the empty seats of the commanders and vice-commanders of the fourth and fifth divisions.
"From the looks of it, the enemy will make their move on the coastal battlefield tonight," Rasa remarks.
"The full moon cycle is near. So, there will be huge tidal waves in the sea at night. The enemy might try to use them to their advantage since it will greatly increase the power of the water-style jutsus." One of the Kiri commanders remarks.
"There is no use mulling over this matter. Let's leave it to the discernment of the Hokage and the Mizukage." Onoki remarks.
"I will take my leave. I am quite exhausted after today's battle." He exits the meeting.
One by one, the rest of the commanders and vice-commanders also break off the connection to recover.
As soon as Minato exits the meeting, he meets up with Izuna.
"Kushina wants to meet you!" Minato stares into Izuna's deep, clear black eyes.
"Ok!"
The space in front of Izuna fractures. He steps into it with a sleeping Kana and Tatsuya in his arms.
"Oh!"
Minato raises an eyebrow in surprise. He studies the fractured space rift in front of him.
On the other end of the space rift,
"Onii-chan!"
Ayaka jumps into Izuna's embrace as soon as he walks out of the portal.
"Ayaka!"
He gently pats Ayaka's head.
"It has been a while." He slowly opens his mouth. The memories of the past filter through his mind like a waning dream.
"Onii-chan!"
Ayaka raises her head and stares into Izuna's eyes.
Hmm…
Izuna is taken aback by the amethyst glow in her eyes.
'Her Dojutsu is slowly manifesting…'
He murmurs a few incomprehensible things to himself.
"Onii-chan! What's the matter?" Ayaka tilts her head in confusion.
"Nothing… I was just overwhelmed by emotions." Izuna shakes his head.
"Izuna-kun!"
Kushina also silently appears beside him and curiously glances at him from top to bottom.
"I can't even sense your presence. If not for my eyes, I might even wonder if you are even present here." Kushina circles him.
"You don't have any chakra signature at all. It's like… it's like…" Kushina opens and closes her mouth, at a loss for words.
"It's like he is an illusion. A genjutsu that can vanish at any time." Minato completes the sentence for her.
"Yes, that's how his presence feels like, ethereal and illusory!" Kushina adds.
Izuna walks towards a bed and places Kanna and Tatsuya on it. He gently ruffles their hair with a loving gaze and turns to Minato and Kushina. Both of them have several questions for him.
'Like, where was he in the past three years? How is he so strong now? What kind of trials and hardship did he undergo?'
Ayaka walks towards him and snuggles in his embrace. Izuna gently pats his head with a smile and turns to the couple.
"Well, I am sure you both have a lot of questions to ask me?" Izuna opens his mouth.
Kushina and Minato glance at each other and nod.
"I will answer all of your questions after this war ends. So, please hold your curiosity for a little while."
"Alright!"
Minato and Kushina nod at him.
"Umm… I still want to ask you something!"
Mm…
"How strong are you, exactly?" Kushina asks him a very simple question.
Haa…
Izuna chuckles at her question as he replies to her.
"Kushina Nee-san, you know that there are countless other worlds, like our Shinobi world with hundreds of millions and billions of living beings? Some of them are smaller than our world and some are smaller.
As a part of these worlds, we might think that our fate and destiny belong solely to us. However, unknown to us, there is an unknown force that guides, controls and manipulates our every action.
These unknown forces are the so-called rules and the laws of the world that shape the very fabric of reality. For us, these rules are our laws that we can't act against us. However, for those truly powerful beings, these rules and laws are just other techniques that they can change at will."
"So, are you among those truly powerful beings?" Minato asks in astonishment.
"Well, I am," Izuna replies with a confident smile.
'Sort of… at least in this world.'
Izuna recalls the existence of GOD that reincarnated him in this world.
'Compared to the real thing, I am just another mortal with some power.'
"So, does that mean this war… you can?!" Kushina asks with slight excitement.
"Unfortunately, it's not as simple as you think." Izuna shakes his head.
"The events leading to the revival of Kaguya are a part of the destiny event. The destiny event determines the very fate of the universe, so the powerful existence can only subtly influence the event. They can't directly interfere with it.
It's how a chess player can control and move the chess pieces onto the chessboard. Even though he has freedom of action, he still has to follow the rules set by the organizer. Though flipping the entire chessboard is something entirely else."
"That makes sense!" Minato nods in understanding.
"Do you know the true mastermind behind this war?" Kushina asks him another question.
"Well, about that…" Izuna rubs his nose with an awkward smile.
"I still have no clue about the identity of the real mastermind." Izuna helplessly shrugs his shoulder.
'Though Black Zetsu is the real mastermind as far as he knows from his past life.'
However, the scale of events has changed so drastically due to his mere presence that even he has no clue about future events.
'Well, I will leave this problem for the future me to handle. And from the words of my son in the future, a lot of shit is about to happen in the future.'
"Oh, something interesting is happening on the coastal battlefield!"
Izuna stretches out his palm and projects a live feed of the coastal battlefield.
Minato, Kushina, and Ayaka curiously stare at the projection.
---------------------------
At the coastal battlefield,
Inside the camps, Tsunade, Mei, Fugaku, Akira, Yagami, Hiashi, and the other commander and vice-commander stare towards the sea. The almost oval moon hangs high up in the sky as the occasional sound of waves hitting the shore echoes in the distance.
The entire surface of the sea is shrouded in a thick mist that blocks the vision. This mist is a strategic tactic employed by Kabuto and Tobi to counter the vast population of Uchiha and Hyūga in the allied shinobi force division.
Hmm…
Hiashi raises his head and glances toward the sky.
"Byakugan!"
He activates his Dojutsu and notices several chakras filled with dark clouds in the sky. The fleet of black clouds covers the moon and shrouds the entire battlefield in darkness.
"The mist is gradually thickening!" Fugaku also notices the anomaly.
"EVERYONE, GET READY! It's an enemy attack."
Mei and Tsunade quickly react to the situation.
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