Under the dim moonlight obscured by the clouds, the rear Konoha encampment bustled with hurried movements. More and more tents and defensive structures were hastily erected as more and more shinobis filed in. Wounded shinobi groaned behind canvas walls as Iryonins hastily treated them. The air smelled of blood and exhaustion.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at the edge of the command tent intently staring down on the field map filled with fallen Konoha flags, his face was streaked with soot from recent battles and his hands still trembled faintly from chakra depletion.
He had just finished giving out commands to jonin officers when footsteps approached.
"Hiruzen…"
Mitokado Homura stood there with a pale face. He looked like a man carrying a mountain on his back.
Hiruzen rose immediately.
"Homura. Where is my father?"
Homura didn't answer. Instead, he held out two objects with trembling hands. It was Sarutobi Sasuke's armbrace and a folded letter.
Hiruzen froze as his breath caught.
"…No."
Homura shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as he lowered his head.
"He… he stayed behind. He held them off. He—"
Hiruzen snatched the letter with trembling fingers. At that moment he held on to his breathe and simply unfolded it. The neat and disciplined handwriting did not fit into the battlefield, but Hiruzen can grasp the resolve etched into ink as he read silently. Clearly, his father was prepared to face his end in this war.
[Hiruzen. If you are reading this, then I am no more. Do not grieve, as it is the duty of every father to pass his legacy to his son. As it is the duty of the Sarutobi clan head to protect the young. I have taught you everything I know and you grew beyond what I have expected of you. So I have no worries nor regret left in this life. Fuel your heart with passion and love, while cool your mind with logic and clarity. And never forget — the Will of Fire burns brightest in you.
Lastly, when you return home after the war, open the Tatami mat under the right leg of clanhead desk. There, you will find my and preceding Sarutobi clanheads' legacy and gift to the next. Make sure you are alone.
Live well, my son.
I entrust the clan to you as your grandfather had done to me.
— Sarutobi Sasuke]
Hiruzen's vision blurred as he clutched the letter to his chest.
Homura stood beside him with his head bowed.
"I'm sorry… Hiruzen… I'm so sorry…"
Hiruzen didn't answer.
He couldn't. As the commander of Kusa Front Detachment, he couldn't show weakness now.
'Father… you…'
PUFFF!!
Hiruzen turned sharply as a sudden burst of chakra flared behind them. A puff of smoke erupted — and Enma appeared. His massive form hunched, his youthful but fury face was contorted with wrinkles filled with grief.
"Enma… you—"
Before Hiruzen could finish, another puff of smoke detonated beside the first.
A second summon appeared — battered, bleeding, shaking with rage.
It was his father's partner, Sekikou.
Sekikou's massive form trembled as he matched his eyes with Hiruzen's. He shook not from fear, but from rage and grief. His fists clenched and breath ragged as he recalled his partner's end.
Hiruzen stepped closer, voice low.
"Sekikou… did my father say anything before—"
Sekikou cut him off with a sharp, pained grunt.
"There was no time to speak." The ape's voice cracked. "But… he did leave this."
Sekikou reached behind his furred chestplate and pulled out a small scroll. It was wrinkled, half‑burned at the edges, and not even tied properly with a string.
He gently passed it to Hiruzen.
"He shoved this into my vest right before he dismissed me. Told me to pass this intel to you and the Hokage."
Hiruzen's breath hitched. He took the scroll with both hands, as if it were something fragile.
"Sasuke knew we wouldn't survive even if we fought together. He wrote that in seconds."
Sekikou spoke as Hiruzen unrolled it. The writing was rough and uneven unlike the letter he received.
[Tsuchikage and Onoki — Dust release — S+ rank threat
Tsuchikage — invisibility and chakra concealment — S rank threat
Explosion Corps — 100+ — Long range bombardment — S rank threat formation]
Hiruzen's hands shook. His grips on the scroll tightened as the scroll wrinkled. He closed his eyes and took a breath in, slowly, as his chest rised
Sekikou lowered his head.
"He wrote that as we got surrounded. He wanted you to know what killed him… so it wouldn't kill the next man."
Enma placed a heavy hand on Hiruzen's shoulder.
"Your father was a great warrior and also a responsible commander."
Hiruzen closed the scroll slowly, as he exhaled.
"…I will deliver this to Sensei myself."
His voice was steady now, sharpened by grief and hardened by resolve.
"We can't waste his... and our comrades' sacrifice."
***
The night deepened. Clouds drifted across the moon, dimming the already‑weak light over the rear Konoha encampment. The camp grew larger with more tents and more wounded. The atmosphere was heavy and suffocating, but the discipline and the fighting spirit was not extinguished as the patrols and sentries continued their duties.
Hiruzen stood outside the command tent with Homura and Sekikou, waiting.
Every few seconds, Hiruzen's fingers brushed the two scrolls tucked inside his armor — his father's final letter, and the hastily written intel report. However, his expression remained calm and composed giving the hope to his subordinates that the current setback was only temporary.
Homura stood beside him silently imitating Hiruzen's composure despite the reddened eyes behind cracked glasses.
Sekikou loomed behind them with his arms crossed and his iron staff resting against his shoulder. His fur bristled with barely contained beastly rage — the kind only a summon who had lost his partner could feel.
Then—
A ripple of chakra swept across the camp. Every Konoha shinobi straightened instinctively.
Senju Tobirama had arrived.
Moments later, the Hokage, donning his characteristic blue armor, emerged from the treeline, flanked by ANBU and a small escort unit.
He stopped in front of His disciples.
"Hiruzen. Homura."
Both bowed deeply.
""Hokage‑sama.""
Tobirama's gaze shifted to Sekikou.
"…Sasuke's summon."
Sekikou bowed his head in respect to the strong, as he replied in low and rough voice.
"He fell. I am here to pass his last message."
Tobirama's eyes narrowed. After a moment of silence he turned to his anbu escorts signaling them to lead the rest of the reinforcement. He then shifted his focus back to his disciples and Sekikou and gestured towards the command tent.
"Inside. All of you."
They entered.
The moment the flap closed, the noise of the camp faded. Only the dim glow of chakra lamps remained, casting long shadows across the maps and scattered reports.
Tobirama turned to Hiruzen.
"Report."
Hiruzen stepped forward and unfurled the small, half‑burned scroll on the table.
"This was written by my father in his final moments. Sekikou delivered it."
[Tsuchikage and Onoki — Dust release — S+ rank threat
Tsuchikage — invisibility and chakra concealment — S rank threat
Explosion Corps — 100+ — Long range bombardment — S rank threat formation]
Tobirama's eyes scanned the rough handwriting. For a moment his fingers tightened slightly on the parchment before he looked up.
"Explain."
Hiruzen nodded to Homura as Homura stepped forward, pointing to the Dust Release note.
"Tsuchikage erased our entire defensive line with the Dust Release. The seals, the traps... even the terrain vanished. Our defensive measures had no use in front of their dust release. They continued their approach unhindered. ...After that we split the detachment as Hiruzen ordered and retreated..."
Sekikou stepped forward and continued.
"Tsuchikage's chakra concealment hid him even from Uzumaki sensors. He moved like a ghost. And once the obstacles were gone, the Explosion Corps advanced in coordinated three‑man cells. Their bombardment shredded the rest of our lines before we could counter. Even Sasuke's wind and fire couldn't suppress them."
Sekikou's fist trembled as he recalled the experience.
"We stood no chance against them. He dismissed me so I wouldn't die with him. That fool."
Tobirama closed the scroll slowly.
For a moment, the tent was silent.
Then he spoke.
"I underestimated Iwagakure."
Hiruzen and Homura exchanged shocked looks. They knew their sensei never said such things lightly.
Tobirama continued:
"Dust Release. Explosion Corps. Mu's stealth. This combination is… troublesome."
He turned to Hiruzen.
"You did well to retreat. Sasuke's sacrifice was not wasted."
Hiruzen knelt on one knee and requested.
"Sensei… we await your command."
Tobirama lightly tapped Hiruzen's shoulder and then stepped toward the tent entrance.
"Rest and recover your chakra first. At dawn, we will move."
He paused.
"And Hiruzen. Homura"
Both straightened.
"Yes, Sensei?" "Yes, Hokage-sama?"
Tobirama's eyes were cold and calculating.
"Prepare yourself. This war will not be won quickly."
He stepped outside, the flap closing behind him.
Hiruzen lowered his head for a moment and then raised it again. His eyes were no longer held grief or hesitation but only resolve.
Homura wiped his eyes and steeled himself.
Sekikou slammed his staff into the ground.
"I will fight with you in Sasuke's stead."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Thank you."
The three of them stood in the dim tent, no longer grieving for the fallen, but burning with a new unbreakable fighting spirit.