Judging this rationally, we need to turn back right now. Not just because of the massive gap in combat strength, but mainly because continuing this mission is completely pointless at this stage..."
"The mission has already failed..."
Kamishiro spoke in a rather strange tone, sounding somewhat helpless but also serious.
He didn't say these words forcefully, but he wasn't asking for Kakashi's opinion either. He was clearly informing his teammate that it was time to retreat.
Or rather, that they had to retreat.
After over an hour of pursuit, he and Kakashi had finally caught up to the enemy, but a round two was completely out of the question.
Because they hadn't just tracked down two enemies. To their surprise, they had tracked down a whole horde of them. If Konoha had enough manpower on hand, this would have been the ultimate jackpot.
But unfortunately, there were only two of them, and both were just Chunin. So practically speaking, there was only one option left: retreat, before they alerted the enemy.
Because the people they had tracked down weren't just Terumi Mei and Zabuza.
There was also Fuguki Suikazan, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Ameyuri Ringo—multiple members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Next to them was a young ninja with a shark-like face, likely named Kisame Hoshigaki.
There were a few other ninjas whose names were hard to pinpoint, but based on certain physical traits, they were likely from the Hidden Mist's Hozuki clan.
But the one requiring the most attention was a person mixed in the group who looked like a little boy.
This male ninja had a baby face and looked extremely young. Even from this distance, his silver hair was visible. If one got closer, more detailed features could be seen: purple eyes and a scar resembling a stitch mark under his left eye.
He carried a club-like weapon with hooks on both ends, thin at the front and thick at the back, decorated with some kind of green flower on one end.
Which meant his name was probably Yagura.
Looking at this crowd and mentally cross-referencing Konoha's bingo book, Kamishiro Hagoromo instantly felt that his squad was way too lucky. While other squads couldn't find a single trace of the enemy, they had practically tripped over the hornet's nest.
This lineup was enough to completely dictate the outcome of a medium-scale battle. Without exaggerating, they could easily wipe a small country off the map.
Even someone as obsessed with the mission as Kakashi agreed with the judgment. He wasn't stupid; he could do the math on their combat strength. With the enemy's current lineup, choosing to fight would mean an obvious end result.
Senseless sacrifice was a hard pass.
"Is there any way to relay this intel to Minato-senpai immediately?" he asked, slowly backing away.
Although he was the squad leader, Kakashi was Minato's direct disciple. Maybe they had some secret line of communication?
"No."
Kakashi immediately shut down that possibility.
The answer didn't exactly disappoint him. He was just asking on the off chance. He didn't expect Kakashi to pull out a functioning radio—at this point in time, Konoha lacked any long-distance, real-time communication methods.
"Then there are no objections to a full retreat."
He made the call. If they didn't leave now, were they just going to hand-deliver their heads to the enemy group? He had zero interest in an unbalanced one-versus-many deathmatch.
Even though the two kept completely hidden, hadn't gotten too close, and were retreating with extreme caution, Yagura suddenly stopped walking.
He had clearly noticed enemy movement.
"What is it?" a nearby ninja asked.
"We picked up a tail," Yagura said after a moment's thought. He turned to his comrades, "You guys keep moving. I'll go take care of them."
There were only two pursuers. Yagura wasn't going to be intimidated by enemies hiding in the shadows.
...
Back on their side, during the retreat, Kamishiro Hagoromo finally noticed something was wrong.
The creeping sensation of being watched was definitely not an illusion, so he stopped in his tracks.
"Kakashi, you go first. Get this intel to Orochimaru or Minato-senpai as fast as you can."
He gave the order to his teammate.
"What's going on? Aren't we sticking together?" Kakashi was confused. Couldn't they just fall back as a unit? Why split up now?
Pointing in a specific direction, he replied, "Looks like our cover was blown. We have a guest coming over, and I'm going to go greet him."
"How many?"
"Could be just one, could be a squad..." Because of the distance, he couldn't get a precise read.
"Then fighting as a squad is more efficient. We should both—"
Kamishiro Hagoromo cut him off, "Konoha Chunin Hatake Kakashi, relaying this intel is your absolute priority."
Leaving it at that, he ignored the boy and walked straight toward the direction he had just pointed out.
Kakashi froze in place for a second. His expression hardened, and then, following the order, he darted off toward the Land of Whirlpools.
Except this time, completely disregarding chakra consumption, he was running at his absolute maximum speed.
Back to Kamishiro Hagoromo.
Soon enough, amidst the driving snow, two silhouettes began to close the distance.
"So it really is just one guy. Come on, let's see exactly who we're dealing with," he muttered to himself.
"Staying behind to cover the rear while your comrade runs back to report? It's a viable strategy, but only if you can stall for enough time."
The arrival's figure hadn't fully emerged from the snow yet, but his voice carried over clearly, seemingly having completely read his strategy.
"Don't worry about that. I can stall for plenty of time."
Was that actually the reason he sent Kakashi away? No. If he was going to break out certain moves, he didn't want any Konoha ninjas hanging around.
This was purely preparation so he could go all out.
He finally got a clear look at his opponent.
Yagura. The future Three-Tails Jinchuriki and Mizukage. Just like Roshi, he was an opponent that commanded him to go all out.
Being chosen as a Jinchuriki proved he possessed massive chakra reserves. Eventually becoming the Mizukage proved his future growth potential.
It seemed opting for a solo fight was the correct choice after all.
Right now, he obviously wasn't at a hundred percent. Thanks to the back-to-back battles, his chakra reserves were definitely running low.
However, his combat style was highly unorthodox and didn't completely rely on chakra. He wasn't a traditional ninja. When it came to life or death, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
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