The quiet warmth of peace never lasted long.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, night faded and morning arrived.
After a full night for the news to spread, the Konoha shinobi who had just arrived at Kikyo Castle learned about the previous day's battle against the Sand shinobi.
By the time Yagami and Kushina stepped onto the castle walls again, the story had already circulated through the entire garrison.
As the two walked along the ramparts, countless Konoha shinobi saluted them one after another.
Inside Yagami's mind, his prestige points continued to rise with each greeting. By the time they reached the inner wall, he had gained nearly three thousand more points. His total prestige now stood at an impressive 66,000.
The 100,000 mark was getting closer and closer.
The two of them soon arrived at the city gate. Compared to the day before, the place had changed significantly.
The once sparsely furnished gate tower now held a large table at its center, surrounded by a neat row of chairs. It had clearly been converted into a temporary command headquarters.
Yagami immediately recognized several familiar faces inside. The current generation of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio was seated among them.
To his slight surprise, however, Minato was nowhere to be seen.
"Lord Yagami! Lord Kushina!"
A shinobi guarding the entrance snapped to attention and saluted as soon as he saw them. His voice drew the attention of everyone inside the gate tower.
"Sorry to interrupt," Yagami said politely, nodding to the guard before addressing the room.
"No, not at all!"
"There's a seat prepared for you. Please, come in!"
Several Konoha commanders and squad captains greeted him warmly.
"My seat?" Yagami echoed, a little surprised. He hadn't realized he was considered part of the command headquarters.
"On the front lines, anyone who reaches the rank of jōnin can attend headquarters meetings," a member of the Yamanaka clan explained when he noticed Yagami's confusion.
"I see," Yagami replied, understanding at once.
Under the enthusiastic welcome of the assembled shinobi, he took a seat beside the conference table. Kushina naturally sat at his side. As a jōnin herself, she was equally qualified to attend.
Ever since their relationship had deepened the previous day, Kushina had been holding onto Yagami's arm as they walked. Even now, she stayed close beside him.
Once they were seated, the jōnin around the table began introducing themselves one by one. It was an obvious attempt to build connections.
Yagami couldn't help feeling a little amused, but he didn't reject their friendliness. In any world, adults needed to maintain relationships.
Knowing how to speak appropriately in different situations was simply part of life.
After all, they were comrades-in-arms.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Before long, a new set of footsteps echoed from the doorway.
The chakra signature of the person entering carried a faint hint of cold cunning. Yagami didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
Orochimaru.
When they had first entered the city the day before, Yagami's perception had already swept over every commander present.
"Yagami-kun, we finally meet," Orochimaru said the moment he stepped inside, his eyes immediately locking onto Yagami.
Among the gathered jōnin, Yagami's presence stood out unmistakably. It was the natural aura of someone strong—something he released without even trying.
The recent battles had only sharpened it further.
A faint trace of killing intent still clung to him, like the lingering scent of blood.
Snakes were creatures guided by instinct, and Orochimaru, who placed great faith in them, possessed that same keen intuition. The instant he entered, he sensed Yagami's existence.
"Orochimaru-senpai."
Yagami rose, nodded in greeting, and sat back down.
As someone familiar with Orochimaru's future, Yagami couldn't bring himself to be especially warm toward him. His prior knowledge colored his impression, making him cautious by instinct.
"Heh… you're Konoha's hero now," Orochimaru said with a hoarse chuckle.
Yagami gave a noncommittal nod.
Orochimaru moved to the head of the table, ending their brief exchange as the meeting formally began.
The main topic was how to respond to Sunagakure.
Chiyo had brought six thousand Sand shinobi—more than twice Konoha's current forces.
Some commanders argued that, given the numerical disadvantage, they should focus on solid defensive tactics.
Others insisted that the Sand shinobi needed to be driven out of the Land of Fire entirely.
Suggestion after suggestion filled the room.
"Yagami-kun," Orochimaru said at last, turning toward him after the discussion stalled. "What do you think we should do about Sunagakure?"
At his words, every jōnin present shifted their gaze to Yagami.
They were curious about his answer.
After all, Yagami wasn't known for strength alone. He was also the only shinobi, aside from Kushina, who had already clashed with Sunagakure twice since the war began.
"What's there to debate?" Yagami said, shrugging, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "We attack them head-on."
"…Lord Yagami," one jōnin said carefully, "their numbers are more than double ours."
"We don't all have your ability to cut through enemies like that."
"Yes. Without a numerical advantage, we should be discussing strategy first."
A ripple of uneasy laughter passed around the table as several jōnin wiped sweat from their brows.
Three thousand shinobi charging straight into six thousand?
Yagami might have the strength to make that work—but they didn't.
All the jōnin could only smile bitterly to themselves.
"Then I don't have a better suggestion," Yagami replied, shaking his head and spreading his hands.
But inwardly, he couldn't help thinking:
Yesterday, we fought when they outnumbered us ten to one… and we still charged in anyway.
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