บท 634: Who's Coming?

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! As Minato stood up, all the Konoha ninjas stood to attention, their faces etched with seriousness and resolve, ready for what was to come.

"This must be the last battle, right?"

"Damn it! I thought it was over! But it's starting again!"

"After this battle, it should be over!"

"All four great ninja villages have taken their turn!"

"They really think we Konoha are easy to bully!"

"I'll remember this grudge, and we will repay it twofold!"

"..."

The Konoha ninjas muttered under their breath, expressing their dissatisfaction. In their hearts, Kirigakure was now synonymous with underhanded tactics!

If Kirigakure had openly opposed Konoha at the war's outset, they might not have been so bothered.

For example, if the pursuing ninjas had been from Iwagakure, they would have faced them as usual.

After all, they were already in battle!

But Kirigakure, having waited until every other ninja village had made their move, now appeared, seemingly wanting to play the role of the opportunist, catching the cicada with the oriole behind. These Kirigakure ninjas wanted to be the oriole, swooping in to seize the final victory by capitalizing on their exhaustion from previous battles!

Despicable, shameless, and low!

Such words, such labels, were now firmly attached to the ninjas of Kirigakure in their minds!

Almost everyone had secretly decided that if they survived this ordeal, they would retaliate against Kirigakure with double the force.

For a moment.

A do-or-die spirit emerged among the Konoha ninjas.

Even though they were facing successive attacks, they knew this would be the last one, and there wouldn't be any more, which gave everyone a countdown-like anticipation. If they could just get through this, brighter days would be ahead.

Previously, they felt oppressed, as they couldn't see an end in sight while facing the fierce attacks from Iwagakure, and hope was nowhere to be seen.

Now, the situation was entirely different!

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Kushina Uzumaki spoke up. Her face was as cold as frost, still bathed in the glow of Sage Chakra, maintaining Sage Mode, acting like a radar to help the Konoha ninjas monitor their surroundings.

Swish!

As Kushina spoke, everyone's eyes turned towards her, filled with confusion and misunderstanding.

From Kushina's tone, they sensed something bad might be about to happen, something they couldn't even begin to imagine.

What's happening?

What occurred?

Is it another attack?

Who will it be this time?

One question after another popped into the minds of the Konoha ninjas, deeply puzzled by the situation but unable to find answers on their own.

After all, according to the sequence of events...

Iwagakure had come!

Sunagakure had come!

Kumogakure had come!

Kirigakure was about to arrive!

All four great ninja villages had shown up, so what else could change?

Could it be one of the smaller villages?!

But that seemed impossible!

Even in its decline, Konoha was being trampled on by the four great ninja villages, but it was unlikely to be disrespected by those small, fringe villages.

If that were the case...

The Konoha ninjas' anger deepened!

They couldn't guess what Kushina was about to say next, but they thought it might be enemies other than Kirigakure, possibly from some minor village they couldn't name.

How dare they!

Who gave them the courage?

To rob them in such a situation.

"Could it be the ninja from Amegakure?"

Shikaku Nara asked gravely. In his view, the only village that could match the four great ninja villages in scale was Amegakure in the Land of Rain.

However.

Amegakure also had its drawbacks.

After the Second Great Ninja War, not every inhabitant of the Land of Rain was willing to follow Hanzo's rule, as his rapid expansion and frequent wars caused great suffering for the people.

This meant that although Hanzo was very strong, Amegakure's overall strength could have been more formidable.

If the ninja from Amegakure were coming...

Unless Hanzo himself was present, they would not pose a significant threat and thus wouldn't be as worrying.

The real fear was if Hanzo himself had come!

"No..."

Kushina slowly shook her head under the watchful eyes of the ninjas, her expression becoming complex with shock, confusion, and a hint of anger.

She trusted her sensory abilities and knew she hadn't made a mistake, but now she wished she had; she hoped there was a flaw in her abilities.

For a moment.

Kushina didn't provide any further explanation.

She just stood there, stunned.

"Who's coming?"

Minato stepped forward, standing in front of Kushina, his demeanor calm and collected. At this time, everyone else might panic, but he couldn't; he was the pillar of spirit for everyone present.

"This..."

Kushina hesitated, unsure if those approaching were attackers. Although everyone she sensed carried a stark aura of intent to kill, perhaps they were there to help, and she comforted herself with this thought.

"Let's focus on the ninja from Kirigakure first!"

Kushina changed the subject, as she believed it would be some time before these ninjas arrived, probably more than half an hour.

This was enough time for her to observe more closely.

Moreover.

Kushina believed that if she could act, those seven wouldn't stand a chance against her; she could end the fight within half an hour.

However, this approach had its drawbacks...

If she hadn't successfully dealt with the ninja from Iwagakure and they had already arrived, they could strike unexpectedly.

With this in mind.

Kushina felt she needed to brief everyone.

"The intentions of these ninjas are not clear to me now; they will probably arrive in about half an hour. Everyone should be vigilant, just in case they are enemies so that we can be prepared!"