Chapter 98: Retreat
Far away in Konoha, Kushina Uzumaki was dreaming.
Kushina Uzumaki, who was sound asleep, dreamed of an extremely terrifying and gigantic dark figure with nine tails.
"New vessel, I sense your fear... and your indecision... Do you know? What binds you isn't me, but yourself..."
"Let me free you. Come..."
Kushina Uzumaki suddenly woke up with a start. She sat up in bed, gasping for breath, and her body was drenched in sweat.
...
Country of Grass.
Jiraiya looked at the explosion in the distance, his heart filled with indescribable shock. "That was really a close shave," he thought.
Kamishiro, Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara were all stunned by the explosion.
Strength of the tailed beasts was really too powerful.
If they had been in the explosion area, they would have been black and blue all over!
Jiraiya let out a soft sigh and said, "Let's officially retreat. Two [jinchuriki] from Iwagakure have come here. We can't stop them, so there's no point in continuing the [mission]. Let's go back to the [camp]."
Minato Namikaze said gravely, "Yeah, I wonder if the enemy just sent the [jinchuriki] to deal with us or if they plan to have them directly participate in the battle."
"Ouch, I think I'm injured!"
Suddenly, Kamishiro fell to the ground, trembling all over and with a contorted face. He looked extremely pained.
Rin Nohara immediately checked Kamishiro's body.
"Huh? How come I can't detect any injuries?"
Kamishiro looked extremely pained, and Rin Nohara couldn't find any injuries on him. She was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead.
Kamishiro said weakly, "It must be that your Mystical Palm Technique isn't good enough, Rin. That's why you can't detect my injuries. Let Lord Jiraiya and Lord Minato take me back to the [camp] and let those senior [medical ninja] check me."
As soon as Kamishiro said this, everyone around him rolled their eyes.
Rin Nohara stood up and unceremoniously kicked Kamishiro. "Your skills are the ones that aren't up to par!"
Kakashi said sinisterly, "Kamishiro, we need to leave quickly. It's not safe here. You hit the jinchuriki of Kokuō with Iron Sand before, and he's been chasing you relentlessly. You just made his Steam Armour explode. Who knows what will happen if he catches up with us later."
Kamishiro immediately got up. "I can bear it for a while. Let's go quickly!"
Right now, Kamishiro was still in shock. The main reason was that Han was chasing him like a mad dog. It was just a hit with a Iron Sand cuboid. Was it really necessary to pursue him so relentlessly?
Just now, he had even made Han's Steam Armour explode. If Han really caught up, who knew what he would do to him.
Jiraiya twitched the corner of his eye and said mockingly, "Kid, you're really... quite a good actor."
Since they still had to deliver supplies, Minato Namikaze decided to escort Kamishiro and the others, and told Jiraiya to return to the camp first to report on the mission and the matter of the jinchuriki.
...
"Oh? Obito Uchiha has awakened the Sharingan, and you three cooperated to kill that Iwagakure ninja whose head was severed. You've grown a lot in just a few months," Minato Namikaze said with a pleased smile as he listened to Kamishiro and the others taking turns to tell what had happened in the past few months.
Hearing Minato Namikaze's praise, Kamishiro and Obito Uchiha stood up straight, looking very proud.
Rin Nohara covered her mouth and laughed.
Kakashi, who loved to act cool the most, was wearing a mask, so it was hard to see his current expression.
Kamishiro directly tore off Kakashi's mask, and the corners of Kakashi's mouth were slightly upturned. He also looked very happy.
However, the smile disappeared after Kamishiro tore off his mask.
Kakashi put the mask back on, then used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Kamishiro. He hooked Kamishiro's foot and tripped him to the ground, and finally punched him in the left eye.
Kakashi's series of actions were smooth and fluent. Not only Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara, but even Minato Namikaze was stunned.
Kamishiro covered his left eye and said angrily, "Ouch! What are you doing, Kakashi? I was afraid your mask was too stuffy and you couldn't breathe right, so I helped you get some air. How could you bite the hand that feeds you?!"
Kakashi said in a sarcastic tone, "I also saw that your left eye seemed to be itchy, so I helped you relieve the itch. I've repaid your kindness."
Just as Kamishiro was about to start scolding Kakashi in a crazy way, Minato Namikaze asked, "By the way, Kamishiro, have you made a decision?"
Hearing Minato Namikaze's question, Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara all looked at Kamishiro at the same time.
They naturally knew that when Minato Namikaze asked Kamishiro, "Have you made a decision?", he was referring to joining Konoha.
Kamishiro asked Minato Namikaze in return, "If I join Konoha... do I have to go back to Konoha?"
Minato Namikaze nodded. "Of course. After all, you have to register your identity."
Without any hesitation, Kamishiro directly agreed, "I agree!"
Minato Namikaze pursed his lips. He always felt that Kamishiro agreed because he could go back to Konoha.
Minato Namikaze reminded him, "Kamishiro, this is a very important matter. You have to think it over. After you join Konoha, you'll have to live according to Konoha's ways from now on."
Kamishiro said helplessly, "Well, Lord Minato, I've been working for Konoha for half a year. If I didn't want to join Konoha, I would have run away long ago. Am I crazy to keep being an unregistered person?"
"Uh..."
Minato Namikaze was at a loss for words for a moment. What Kamishiro said really made sense.
Minato Namikaze said with a smile, "Then I'll welcome you to join Konoha in advance."
Obito Uchiha clenched his fists and said excitedly, "Finally, Kamishiro is a ninja from Konoha like us. That's awesome!"
Obito seemed even more excited than Kamishiro.
Kakashi and Rin Nohara were also happy, but not as excited as Obito.
After all, in their opinion, Kamishiro, who had been backstabbed by Sunagakure, would definitely join Konoha.
Minato Namikaze said to Kamishiro and the others, "After you finish Transporting Supplies this time, you can go back to the camp with me directly. I'll tell Shikaku to send other ninjas to take over your supply - transporting task.
Then wait at the camp for a few days. If Iwagakure doesn't intend to involve the jinchuriki in the war, we'll return to Konoha and finalize your identity papers. You've all worked hard these months. You can just take this time to have a rest.
If Iwagakure wants to involve the jinchuriki in the war, then it might take a little longer to get your identity papers, Kamishiro."
Kamishiro replied, "I understand, Lord Minato. However... there's something I'd like to ask about."
"Go ahead."
"I've made so many Transporting Supplies trips. Shouldn't there be a reward?"
Kamishiro looked like a real miser, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.
You can't blame Kamishiro for being a miser. Minato Namikaze's treat when he was in Konoha before seemed quite expensive. Moreover, he was going to open a store in Konoha in the future. Even if he got Jiraiya to invest in the store, he still needed to have some ryo on hand.
Minato Namikaze laughed and said, "Of course there is. You can rest assured on this point. Konoha won't let you work for free."
Kamishiro immediately smiled brightly. That's a deal then!