The Land of Rice, Konoha Forward Camp.
"Report! The two lords have arrived!"
"Let them in."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's somewhat tired voice echoed from the tent. Soon, two Konoha ninja wearing straw hats entered the main tent.
"You've finally arrived, Koharu, Homura."
The two removed their straw hats, revealing themselves to be Hiruzen Sarutobi's two comrades, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who had come to support Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As for Danzo, he had not come. Although he was worried about Hiruzen Sarutobi, the communication had only summoned the two advisors.
Although it wasn't explicitly mentioned, as Hiruzen Sarutobi's rival, friend, comrade, and love interest... no! Danzo knew that Hiruzen was telling him to protect Konoha and prevent anyone from ambushing their base camp!
"Hiruzen, what's the situation? Did you force back the Third Raikage?" Homura Mitokado asked nervously.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was somewhat pale. He had not fully recovered, but he was capable of fighting.
"I've temporarily repelled the Cloud Village, but the situation is not optimistic. If you hadn't come, I would have considered retreating to the Land of Fire!"
Homura Mitokado's face changed drastically. He asked in disbelief, "Is the war situation already this serious? Is the Third Raikage really that powerful?"
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi nod, Homura Mitokado hesitated for a moment before saying, "Then... is the news from the battlefield true? Did you awaken that... cheat bloodline limit?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened, staring at his old friend as if threatening to break down if he continued. This made Homura Mitokado look awkward, and he quickly coughed a few times, changing the subject.
"So, Hiruzen, what do we do next?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Homura Mitokado, signaling him to speak cautiously! Then he lowered his head to look at the map of the Land of Rice and analyzed,
"The Cloud Village won't launch a large-scale war for now. The Third Raikage was repelled by my... cough cough, strength. He won't attack us until he's completely confident!"
Homura Mitokado was pleasantly surprised, "Does that mean the war situation in the Land of Rice has stabilized?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at his old friend, wondering if his brain was addled. He had just said "for now"!
Hiruzen Sarutobi said exasperatedly, "I don't know how long it will remain stable, but with your support, the situation will be much more optimistic than before."
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn't have to face the Third Raikage, everything else was manageable!
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved them away to find a place to stay. He stood up and walked out of the tent, looking up at the bright moon in the sky. He couldn't help but sigh, "Danzo, if only you had come! I regret it a little now."
Alas... silence spoke louder than words.
...
The situation in the Land of Rice had temporarily stabilized. With Hiruzen Sarutobi personally overseeing it, and with the support of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the Cloud Village couldn't do much to Konoha for the time being. The most important thing was that the Third Raikage couldn't figure out Hiruzen Sarutobi's cheat bloodline limit.
For this reason alone, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi knew the cause and effect later, he would have nothing to say to Lin Yu.
In the Land of Wind, Tsunade was stationed. Facing Granny Chiyo, who specialized in poisons and puppets, Tsunade, who was proficient in medical ninjutsu and possessed monstrous strength, was practically her natural enemy.
With the Third Kazekage gone, Sunagakure's combat strength had plummeted to its lowest point, ranking at the bottom among the Five Great Ninja Villages. There were only about three or four remarkable individuals: Rasa, Pakura, and the Chiyo siblings.
However, Konoha had also sent Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, to provide support, and the war situation had temporarily eased.
The most intense battlefield was between Konoha and the Hidden Mist. After suffering heavy casualties, the Uchiha clan's defenses were being pushed back step by step. They had requested reinforcements many times, but Konoha's main forces were all on the front lines and could not provide any support.
Shikaku Nara, who was temporarily acting as Hokage, had no choice but to transfer some ninja from the Konoha city wall defense force to provide support. Might Duy happened to be among them, and the battle situation was temporarily held. However, it was hard to say if this could last.
Conversely, the Land of Grass, which should have been the most difficult to deal with, had become unusually relaxed due to Lin Yu's intervention. After repelling the Ebisu brothers, Ohnoki had retreated back to the Land of Earth and refused to come out. Now, Kushina could do whatever she pleased in the Land of Grass!
Thus, Lin Yu led Kushina and Mikoto to form a surprise attack squad, specializing in intercepting the Iwagakure's supply wagons and materials. Over the past six months, Kushina's fortune had soared, and she even began to look more favorably upon Lin Yu and Mikoto.
Mikoto also used this opportunity to continuously hone her combat awareness and strengthen her Sharingan's power. It was a pity that her Sharingan showed no signs of evolving into a three-tomoe.
During this half-year period, Lin Yu had almost explored every corner of the Land of Grass, including the hundreds of kilometers around the Kannabi Bridge, but Lin Yu still hadn't found Uchiha Madara's lair. Was he hiding too deeply, or was he not in the Land of Grass at all?
If he was hiding deep underground, it would indeed be difficult for him to sense him. Lin Yu thought of Zetsu's mastery of the蜉蝣之术 (Ephemeral Art), making it highly possible that the base was built deep underground.
This was troublesome. Lin Yu had been hoping to meet Uchiha Madara. After all, the five missions he had accumulated were almost all related to him. Uchiha Madara was his regular client!
However, it was getting late. It was time to go back!
"What? You're leaving already? Senior Lin Yu!"
After more than half a year of getting along, Minato Namikaze's favorability towards Lin Yu had soared. Lin Yu was gentle and approachable, and he had even taught him a ninjutsu called the Rasengan, which required no hand seals!
Most importantly, Senior Lin Yu had acknowledged his dream of becoming Hokage!
This was the greatest encouragement to him!
Lin Yu nodded, "Yes, the situation in the Land of Grass has stabilized. However, bad news is coming from other battlefields. I need to return to the village quickly to report and then support other battlefields!"
Nonsense! Only a fool would go support others when I can go back and trick my "Earth Brother" for fun?!
Minato Namikaze was moved by Lin Yu's "sincerity." Senior Lin Yu, who acknowledged his dream, was truly a person who loved the village! He, Minato Namikaze, had not misjudged him, nor had he joined the wrong organization!
"Then I wish you a safe journey here."
"Lin Yu kid, say hello to Orochimaru for me when you get back."
After Lin Yu and the other two disappeared at the end of the horizon, Jiraiya patted Minato's shoulder and said, "Minato, you have to work hard. As people of the same generation, Lin Yu is far stronger than you!"
Minato Namikaze nodded, "Yes! I will work hard and strive to fight alongside Senior Lin Yu!"
"Uh..." Just fight alongside him? It seemed that Lin Yu had really hit Minato hard during this time!
"Hahaha! Then you have to work hard! After a few more years when you've grown, I'll also be leaving to return to Konoha."
"Teacher Jiraiya, you can leave now. I can handle it alone!"
Jiraiya: Have I been slacking off for half a year and made you misunderstand my strength?!
Although he really wanted to go back and complain to Orochimaru about the miserable half-year he had endured, he had been fed so much "dog food" that he couldn't stomach it anymore. It was like being force-fed even when he was already full.
Who could stand this!
However, Jiraiya still had to prioritize the bigger picture. The large portions of dog food had left, and his cute little disciple, Minato Namikaze, probably wouldn't be so cruel, would he...