"From a purely rational standpoint," Hagoromo said quietly,
"we should turn back now. Not only because of the imbalance in strength—but more importantly, because at this point, continuing the mission has lost all aning."
"The mission has already failed."
His tone was sowhat unusual—there was resignation in it, but also seriousness.
He wasn't forceful, yet he wasn't seeking Kakashi's opinion either.
He was informing him.
Or rather—
He was issuing a necessary decision.
After more than an hour of pursuit, Hagoromo and Kakashi finally caught up to the enemy—
Only to realize that a second engagent was impossible.
Because they hadn't caught up to two enemies.
They had caught up to many.
If Konoha had sufficient forces present, this could have been described as hauling in a massive net full of big fish.
Unfortunately—
There were only two of them.
And both were chūnin.
Which ant there was only one viable choice:
Withdraw imdiately—before alerting the enemy.
Because the people they had found weren't just Terumī i and Momochi Zabuza.
Among them were also several mbers of the Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist:
Kisa Hoshigaki's predecessor, Kushimaru Kuriarare,
Fuguki Suikazan,
Ringo Ayuri.
And in addition—
There was a young shinobi with a distinctly shark-like face.
His na was likely Hoshigaki Kisa.
There were also several other shinobi whose nas were difficult to identify precisely, but judging from their traits, they were almost certainly mbers of the Hōzuki Clan.
One detail, however, stood out.
Among them was soone who looked almost like a child.
A male shinobi with a baby face, clearly very young.
From this distance, Hagoromo could make out his silver hair.
Looking closer, there were more distinct features—
Purple eyes,
and a scar beneath the left eye that resembled a stitch mark.
He wielded a staff-like weapon, thicker at one end, thinner at the other, both ends curved into hooks. One end was decorated with an unfamiliar green flower.
That ant—
His na was almost certainly Yagura.
Seeing this lineup and cross-referencing it with Konoha's intelligence manuals, Hagoromo couldn't help but feel that their squad had been absurdly unlucky.
While other teams couldn't even locate the enemy—
They had practically kicked a hornet's nest.
This lineup alone could decide the outco of a dium-scale war.
To exaggerate only slightly—
They could probably wipe out a small country.
Even Kakashi, who placed the highest value on missions, agreed with Hagoromo's judgnt.
He wasn't foolish.
He could clearly assess the difference in strength.
If they engaged now, the outco would be obvious.
aningless sacrifice was unnecessary.
"Is there any way to imdiately inform Minato-senpai of what's happening here?" Hagoromo asked quietly as they retreated.
Although Hagoromo was the squad leader, Kakashi was Minato's direct disciple.
Perhaps they had so special communication thod?
"No," Kakashi answered.
That reply didn't disappoint Hagoromo.
He'd only asked on the off chance. In truth, he hadn't expected any workable long-distance, real-ti communication—Konoha simply didn't possess such a system yet.
"Then withdrawal is no longer up for debate."
Hagoromo made the call.
If they didn't leave now, did they really intend to charge into an enemy formation and die for nothing?
He had no interest in that kind of lopsided battle.
They had maintained concealnt and kept their distance, retreating carefully—
But at that mont, Yagura suddenly stopped.
He had sensed sothing.
"What is it?" soone beside him asked.
"We've got tails," Yagura said after a brief pause.
"You all continue withdrawing. I'll deal with them."
There were only two enemies.
Yagura had no reason to fear opponents who were hiding instead of confronting him directly.
On Hagoromo's side, during the retreat, he too finally sensed that sothing was wrong.
That faint feeling of being watched was no illusion.
He stopped.
"Kakashi," Hagoromo said calmly,
"you go first. Get this information to Orochimaru or Minato-senpai as quickly as possible."
"What? We're splitting up?" Kakashi frowned.
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to retreat together?"
Hagoromo pointed in a direction.
"Looks like we were exposed. Soone's coming."
"And how many?" Kakashi asked.
"Possibly one. Possibly more," Hagoromo replied.
"At this distance, I can't be sure."
"Then squad action would be safer. We should—"
Hagoromo cut him off.
"Konoha Chūnin Hatake Kakashi.
Prioritize intelligence delivery."
After saying that, he didn't wait for a response.
He turned and walked straight toward the direction he had indicated.
Kakashi froze for a mont.
Then his expression hardened.
Without another word, he turned and ran toward the Land of Whirlpools—
This ti, no longer conserving chakra.
He pushed himself to his absolute limit.
On Hagoromo's side—
Soon, within the drifting snow, two figures approached each other.
"Only one person…" Hagoromo muttered.
"Fine. Let's see who you are."
"Staying behind to cover your retreat and send your companion back with information?"
The approaching figure spoke before fully revealing himself.
"A reasonable strategy—provided you can last long enough."
"Don't worry," Hagoromo replied calmly.
"I can last plenty long."
Was that really why he'd sent Kakashi away?
No.
If he needed to use certain techniques, he didn't want a Konoha shinobi present.
This was simply preparation for fighting at full power.
The snow thinned.
Hagoromo finally saw his opponent clearly.
Yagura.
The future Three-Tails Jinchūriki—
and future Mizukage.
Like Rōshi, he was soone Hagoromo took extrely seriously.
To beco a Jinchūriki ant possessing imnse chakra reserves.
To beco a Mizukage ant overwhelming strength and terrifying growth potential.
Letting Kakashi leave had been the correct choice.
Hagoromo was not in perfect condition.
Due to consecutive battles, his chakra reserves were clearly diminished.
But his fighting style was unconventional.
He didn't rely entirely on chakra.
He was never just a "normal" shinobi.
And when it was ti to go all out—
He would do so without hesitation.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting would an a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon/Chakraflow789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comnt!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon/Chakraflow789
User Comments
0 comments from readers