The Kusa ninja's strength isn't particularly impressive.
Kyōichi had just scouted around and estimated that he alone could beat them into hiding. However, considering the face-saving alliance between their villages, barging in to snatch someone by force wouldn't be appropriate.
He'd check back later.
If push came to shove, he could always have Nagato and the others handle it.
There were always more solutions than difficulties.
"Sensei, they really aren't chasing us. Feels like they're even more determined than we are."
"Small ninja villages have no choice."
Kyōichi shook his head.
Returning to the front lines, he noticed some movement ahead and hurried forward. After some inquiries, he learned…
The Iwa ninja had retreated.
Of course.
They hadn't gone far—just from the Kusa ninja border back to the edge of the Land of Earth—but the attitude behind the move was questionable.
As soon as he returned to the Konoha camp, a chunin approached him.
"Kyōichi-sama, the Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama request your immediate presence in the command tent to discuss follow-up matters."
"Understood."
Kyōichi glanced at Asuma and the others.
Then, he shunshined away, heading straight for the tent.
Inside, quite a few people had gathered.
Essentially, all the jonin holding key positions on this front were present—people like Yamanaka Inoichi and Chōza Akimichi.
"Hokage-sama…"
"Kyōichi, first report on your situation."
"Yes. The Kusa ninja gave no clear response, only vague excuses. I told them that if they didn't cooperate with our counterattack plan within three days, we'd withdraw from the front lines."
Kyōichi laid out his decision.
Then, he recounted everything he'd seen and heard along the way without embellishment.
Instantly, the tent erupted in murmurs.
Shikaku Nara wasn't present.
Though his wisdom was crucial for the front lines, Tsunade wasn't the Hokage yet, and she'd just taken over those duties—she needed a capable assistant.
Shikaku was the most suitable.
Thus, with no one else to consult, the Sandaime scanned the room before settling his gaze on Inoichi.
"Inoichi-san, what do you think?"
"Well, I believe Kyōichi-sama's plan is feasible. As for Kusagakure, if they won't cooperate with the counterattack, there's no need for us to keep wasting time against the Iwa ninja here."
Inoichi stated.
The Sandaime pondered for a moment before nodding slightly.
The Kusa ninja leader would surely come to see him, but the final outcome was unlikely to involve the Kusa ninja agreeing to join Konoha in an attack. Most of them preferred opportunism over actual combat.
With allies like that, Konoha would have to worry about them switching sides mid-battle.
Jiraiya had remained silent until now.
But.
After Inoichi finished speaking, he chimed in, "I think the real issue isn't the Kusa ninja. Their stance is predictable—no need to waste energy on them. The real problem lies with the Iwa ninja."
"Right. The Iwa ninja's retreat is likely due to Kyōichi eliminating four squads, which has made them wary. Right now, they're probably gathering intel."
Inoichi didn't elaborate, but everyone knew how they'd gather that intel.
Kirigakure!
Selling information was an open secret in their world.
So.
The follow-up plan would largely remain unchanged.
However, after a moment of thought, Kyōichi spoke up, "Hokage-sama, I'd like to attempt another infiltration to assassinate their Explosion Corps captain."
"They're already on guard. Going now would be…"
The Sandaime frowned.
The risk was too high!
"Last time, I was mainly worried about Shisui and the others. This time, I'll go alone. If it works, great. If not, I'll retreat—they won't catch me anyway."
Kyōichi said.
With the Raijin Sword, and without having to protect Asuma and the others, he truly wasn't afraid of the Iwa ninja's numbers.
After all.
The Iwa ninja had numbers, but their offensive capabilities weren't strong, and they weren't particularly fast—like a bunch of hard-shelled turtles. Nothing to fear.
Unless they swarmed him.
Kyōichi's words plunged the tent into silence. With the Sandaime silent, no one else dared to speak.
But.
The next moment, someone stepped forward.
"I'll go with you."
"Huh?"
Kyōichi looked at Jiraiya in surprise, then turned to the Sandaime with a strange expression. "Aren't you supposed to be commanding the eastern front?"
"Orochimaru and Minato are there—no need to worry. As for the east, in my opinion, there's nothing to fear. Kiri's current strength means they won't dare fight us anymore."
Jiraiya said.
His judgment wasn't baseless.
He'd already heard the full report on the eastern battlefront from the Sandaime. Though they'd let three of the "Seven Swordsmen" go, those three were already frightened out of their wits.
Fight again?
What could kiri possibly use to fight?
Unlike Konoha, Kiri was tangled in internal clan conflicts, with the Sandaime Mizukage ill and his authority waning, while Yagura had lost the battle and failed to establish his own authority.
Fight?
Jiraiya would bet Yagura wouldn't dare even with two or three extra guts. In his estimation, Yagura would likely turn to bite Kumo's flesh instead—
Kumo's main force was locked in bloody combat with Konoha, leaving their rear vulnerable. Attacking Konoha's eastern garrison, however, still carried some risk of defeat.
If Yagura lost again, he could kiss his dream of becoming the Yondaime Mizukage goodbye.
The situation here was different.
The Iwa ninja were troublesome.
The current Iwa forces were just a fraction of Iwagakure's full strength. If Ōnoki gathered enough intel from Kiri, what came next wouldn't be just this small contingent.
With that in mind, Jiraiya decided to join.
Kyōichi weighed the idea briefly before nodding. "With Jiraiya-sama accompanying me, success is practically guaranteed. Let's head out now."
"Be careful. I'll have Owl coordinate support."
The Sandaime had nothing else to add.
He was realizing that his control over things was slipping. Even at the front lines, he felt more like a mascot—though that might just be his own perception.
Aside from Kyōichi and Jiraiya, everyone else still treated him with respect.
Kyōichi nodded, then left the tent with Jiraiya. Asuma and the others naturally noticed their sensei's departure, but they knew full well that during the last infiltration, they'd held him back.
This time…
"Sensei left with Jiraiya-sama."
Asuma muttered.
"Let's get stronger. Otherwise, we're just dead weight in infiltration missions."
Shisui turned to train without another word.
Last time, using the Sharingan had nearly drained his chakra dry.
Next time.
At the very least, he wouldn't let that happen again!
...
"Your three students are quite impressive. Unlike Minato's bunch—just thinking about them gives me a headache. Thank goodness Minato's students aren't my problem."
Jiraiya couldn't help but complain.
Kakashi?
Kyōichi chuckled, curious. "What's wrong with them now?"
"Nothing major. Obito's started following orders lately, which is an improvement. The problem's Kakashi."
Jiraiya didn't elaborate.
But.
Kyōichi could imagine Kakashi's current state—probably stuck in some internal dilemma.
He shook his head slightly, packed his gear, and was about to leave with Jiraiya when a thought struck him.
The Telescope Technique.
As long as he knew the target's chakra signature, this jutsu could work. He'd gotten close to Gari earlier and had a rough grasp of his chakra.
Bringing a crystal ball might come in handy.
After a brief consideration, he said, "Hold on. I'll ask the Hokage for a crystal ball."
"What do you need that for?"
Jiraiya blinked, then his eyes widened in shock. "Wait—you… you've cracked sensei's secret technique?!"
*Ahem.* "I just thought this jutsu would be useful in combat, so I spent some time researching it."
Kyōichi coughed.
"Exactly! I've always thought it'd be super useful too. Heh heh… Kyōichi, no need to ask the Hokage. How about sharing the technique with me?"
Jiraiya's grin was… telling.
He pulled out a sealing scroll from his pouch, unsealed it, and released a pile of items—
Brushes, ink, paper, and all sorts of random stuff.
After some rummaging, he produced a small crystal ball.
"*Cough*, don't get the wrong idea. I mean, as a commander on the battlefield, having this technique would let me monitor the situation in real-time."
"Oh, is that what you'd be 'monitoring'? I don't even want to call you out!"
Kyōichi took the crystal.
Jiraiya's preparations were absurd—he hadn't even learned the technique yet, but he'd already procured the tool.
"Preparing the cart before the horse," huh?
Typical.
Like teacher, like student.
Jiraiya trailed behind, trying to wheedle the technique out of Kyōichi—even offering to trade the Lion's Mane technique for it.
But.
The Lion's Mane technique was something Kyōichi could've figured out on his own. With the Hair Needle Stab as a foundation, mastering it would've been trivial.
Jiraiya sighed in disappointment. Even Tsunade's little brother was a dead end.
This was rough!
He sighed.
Was it too much to ask for just this one little hobby…?
But.
He'd only brought it up on a whim.
He did want the Telescope Technique, but right now, the priority was assassinating Gari, the Explosion Corps captain.
After Kyōichi described Gari's abilities, Jiraiya was determined to eliminate him.
Explosion Release.
He and Kyōichi weren't afraid of it.
But for average Konoha ninja, Explosion Release was a nightmare.
"Jiraiya-sama, during infiltration, even you have to follow my orders. Otherwise, I'll tell Tsunade-nee that you've been sneaking into bathhouses while she's away."
"You—how dare you slander me?!"
Jiraiya panicked.
Dammit.
When had he ever—
Okay, fine, he had. But that wasn't something you just told Tsunade!
"Slander? You tried to drag me along last time!"
"Brother! You're in charge! Infiltration's your expertise! why wouldn't i follow your lead?"
Jiraiya surrendered immediately.
If Tsunade only knew he'd been peeping, he'd get a punch at most. But if she found out he'd almost roped Kyōichi into it, he'd be hospitalized post-war.
"Jiraiya-sama, this was just to establish chain of command. No hard feelings. Let's head to the Land of Earth first. Once we're there, we can test the Telescope Technique."
Kyōichi said.
Jiraiya nodded.
However…
He didn't know that before leaving, Kyōichi had left behind a shadow clone.
While they set off for the Land of Earth, the clone quietly slipped away, heading toward the Kusa ninja village via the river using the Hiding in Water technique.
He might not act immediately, but given the Kusa ninja's current state, that Uzumaki descendant could be in danger at any moment.
If a crisis arose, he might intervene early—
Even as a shadow clone, dealing with Kusa ninja would be more than enough.