At the same time, in the Land of Water, at the southwestern port.
The enormous Village Hidden in the Mist fleet assembled along the coastline had already completed preparations, while the decks and nearby areas were packed densely with Kirigakure ninja.
At a somewhat elevated area of the harbor, two figures stood side by side, overlooking the silently assembled army below.
One was small in stature, with green hair and purple eyes. Though his face looked youthful like a doll's, there was no childishness upon it. It was Yagura Karatachi, appointed supreme commander of the southwestern front.
The other was an elderly white-haired man with an aged face. The old man wore plain Kirigakure ninja clothing with a dark cloak draped over it. His body was hunched, his eyelids drooping, as though he were indifferent to everything before him.
"Senior."
Yagura Karatachi slightly turned and respectfully spoke to the old man: "All divisions have completed assembly, supplies are fully loaded, and we can depart at any moment. What do you think?"
The white-haired old man did not even raise his eyelids, merely squeezing out a dry voice from his throat: "Yagura, you are the General officially appointed by the Mizukage-sama, the commander of the entire army. This old man is merely an old relic wishing to contribute one final bit of strength to the village during the last years of his life. Decide what should be done yourself. There is no need to ask me."
Yagura Karatachi fell silent for a moment and asked no further questions. He turned toward the silent military formation below and loudly declared: "Compatriots! Depart! Our target is the Land of Waves!! Let Konoha, let the entire Shinobi World hear it! The raging tides of the sea have arrived!"
"Ohhh!!!"
After a brief deathly silence, earth-shaking roars suddenly erupted like a tsunami sweeping across the harbor, bloodthirsty light exploding within the eyes of countless Kirigakure ninja.
Yagura and the white-haired elder walked side by side down from the platform and headed toward the fleet. After taking several steps, the white-haired elder suddenly spoke.
"Yagura, you previously mentioned to me that you wanted to become a Jinchuriki, right?"
Yagura Karatachi's footsteps paused slightly before returning to normal. He nodded.
"Yes, senior. I do indeed have that intention."
"Why?"
The white-haired elder finally lifted his eyelids slightly and looked toward Yagura's youthful side profile.
"You should understand very clearly what becoming a Jinchuriki means. The people of the village will fear you, reject you, and view you as a monster."
"More importantly, the Mizukage-sama values you greatly. With your talent, you originally had a hope of competing for an even higher position in the future. But once you become a Jinchuriki, you may forever lose any connection to that position. Do you understand all this?"
Yagura Karatachi remained silent for a while.
Then he smiled, a smile that looked especially pure on his doll-like face, yet also especially resolute.
"I understand, senior. Perhaps becoming a Jinchuriki will cause me to lose many things. But if this power can better protect the village, then I believe it is worth it. Compared to the village's survival and prosperity, personal honor and gain are insignificant."
The white-haired elder quietly listened, his expression unchanged.
After a long time, he finally let out a faint chuckle.
"Is that so? Then do as you wish."
The white-haired elder continued strolling forward as his voice drifted through the wind: "Afterward, if there is an opportunity, I will suggest to the Mizukage-sama... That you become the next candidate for the Three-Tails Jinchuriki. However, whether the Mizukage-sama agrees or not, I do not know."
Yagura Karatachi did not reply, merely silently following behind the elder.
Another three days later, the southeastern part of the Land of Fire, Rinkai City.
This was a large coastal city built atop seaside cliffs, guarding the crucial land route chokepoint leading into the interior of the Land of Fire, facing the Land of Waves across the sea from afar.
At this moment, this once prosperous trade city had completely transformed into a massive military stronghold, the temporary headquarters of Konoha's southeastern front army.
As for the Land of Waves on the opposite side, this small island nation without its own ninja village and without any military power had, over these past days, already been occupied by the Village Hidden in the Mist's vanguard forces under various names such as missions, assistance, and leasing.
Regarding this, the official powers of the Land of Waves abandoned resistance and could only hope that Konoha, on the opposite shore, would display overwhelming might and drive the people of the Village Hidden in the Mist out.
During this period, Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Mist had also carried out countless covert clashes around the Land of Waves and its surrounding seas under the guise of missions, with bloodshed never ceasing.
At this moment, outside the core command headquarters of Konoha's main camp in Rinkai City, Koharu Utatane, the supreme commander of the southeastern front army, and Homura Mitokado, the advisor elder responsible for overall military logistics and material allocation, had already been waiting there early.
An Anbu ninja flickered into appearance beside Koharu Utatane, knelt on one knee, and reported in a low voice: "Two elders! Jonin Shinichi, Jonin Minato, Jonin Fugaku, and Jonin Hiashi, along with their respective units, have arrived five kilometers outside the city and linked up with our reception personnel. They are expected to reach the command headquarters in ten minutes!"
Koharu Utatane nodded and said in a deep voice, "Understood, have them directly—"
Before finishing, she suddenly paused and turned to Homura Mitokado beside her.
"Homura, perhaps we should welcome them together."
Homura Mitokado smiled and nodded.
"Alright!"
Outside Konoha's main camp, just as Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado stepped out of the camp entrance, they encountered the arriving four captains and their subordinates head-on.
"Elder Koharu, Elder Homura."
The four stepped forward and saluted.
"You arrived at just the right time."
Koharu Utatane first looked at Minato Namikaze and smiled slightly.
"Minato, you've worked hard. You only just returned to the village not long ago, and now you've had to come back again."
Minato Namikaze bowed slightly.
"You overpraise me, elder. It is simply my duty."
Koharu Utatane nodded, then shifted her gaze toward Shinichi Higashino at the side. On her usually stern face, her smile became several degrees gentler, though her eyes were extremely complicated, filled with intertwined relief, lingering fear, and emotion.
Unconsciously softening her tone, she said quietly, "Shinichi, I heard about what you did in the Land of Lightning. You did extremely well."
"However, next time you must consider your own safety more. You are still young, and the road ahead is long. Some burdens do not always need to be carried alone."
Homura Mitokado, beside her, also smiled and added, "Shinichi, you have no idea. After Koharu heard about your actions in the Land of Lightning, she couldn't sleep for several days. Only after confirming that all of you returned safely did she finally relax."
Koharu Utatane glared at her old friend but did not refute him. She looked at Shinichi again and continued: "In any case, now that I can see you standing here safe and sound, I can finally put my mind at ease."
This somewhat warm scene caused subtle changes in the expressions of Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha nearby. The two quietly exchanged a glance without drawing attention.