Spies were something every great ninja village could never fully eliminate.
Iwagakure had learned that Hayashi mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique precisely because of information gathered by spies.
Those captured were often treated with extreme severity, yet no matter how harsh the punishment, infiltration could never be completely stopped.
So, did Konoha have spies inside Iwagakure? Of course.
Danzo would have preferred the entire ninja world be filled with his eyes and ears.
Naturally, when Iwagakure withdrew its forces from the Land of Grass, Konoha was not completely unaware.
However, Tsunade and Shinnosuke did not immediately act. Instead, they simply observed as the Iwagakure forces began their retreat.
Konoha's strategy was clear. Tsunade and Shinnosuke would merge with the main Konoha army in the Land of Earth, and everything would be decided in a single decisive battle.
This was not a tactical choice alone, but a strategic requirement.
Iwagakure still had no fewer than five thousand shinobi. A force of that size in full retreat would sweep through anything in its path. No one would be foolish enough to attempt a direct ambush against such numbers.
And pursuing them closely was even more unrealistic.
Close pursuit only worked when the enemy was already broken in spirit and formation. Iwagakure, however, was retreating in an organized manner. If Konoha pressed too hard, the enemy might simply halt and force an immediate large scale battle in unfavorable conditions.
That was not the moment for a final confrontation.
Although logic suggested that a force of five thousand would slow down, Iwagakure's retreat speed defied expectations. They left the Land of Grass in the morning and reached the Land of Earth in just two days.
Konoha's movements were not slow either.
Because this outcome had already been anticipated.
Long before Iwagakure decided to withdraw, Konoha had already been relocating supplies from the Grass battlefield to the Land of Earth encampment, leaving only a few days of reserves behind.
And the method of transportation was simple.
Hayashi.
Everything was moved using his Flying Thunder God Technique.
Hayashi once joked that if he ever left the shinobi path, he could open a delivery service called "Ninja Express."
But supplies were not the only thing he transported.
He also brought one person with him, Kushina.
The red haired girl had come to the battlefield for him, though she was not good at admitting it openly. Tsunade had pretended not to notice and left her in the Grass battlefield area.
Now that the main army was relocating, there was no longer any reason to stop her.
Even if there had been, it would not have mattered. Kushina had simply left a note behind and been taken directly to the Land of Earth through Flying Thunder God.
Tsunade had been both irritated and helpless after finding out.
---
Land of Earth, beside a small stream.
Not far from the Konoha encampment, Hayashi sat by the water while helping Kushina wash her hair.
After drying it with Wind Release, he carefully tied it up with a simple red string. Her long red hair now reached near her waist, and although the style was simple, she still carried a sharp and confident presence.
Hayashi stood up and picked up the wooden basin, preparing to pour the water into the stream.
"If Tsunade-sensei sees this, she will probably try to kill me," he said casually.
Kushina covered her mouth and smiled.
"She won't. She actually wanted to come herself. She said that once she arrives on the battlefield, she can leave everything to you and relax without worrying."
Hayashi gave a small laugh.
"That sounds like her. But she might still take it out on me anyway. You remember the first time we met, right? She knocked me out in one hit."
Kushina laughed softly at the memory.
The two stood quietly for a moment beside the stream.
Kushina looked up at him.
"Hayashi, do you think this war in the Land of Earth will end after this?"
"It will," he replied without hesitation.
"Will the Third Tsuchikage come to the battlefield personally?"
Hayashi set the basin down and answered calmly.
"Logically speaking, most of Iwagakure's forces are already deployed. Their internal defenses should be weakened. Ōnoki should stay back to guard the village."
He paused slightly.
"But I am certain that when the battle reaches its final stage, he will appear."
"This war will decide the outcome of the Third Great Ninja War. Iwagakure will not hold anything back. Ōnoki cannot afford to stay away from it."
"And once he steps onto the battlefield, the entire situation will change."
Kushina nodded quietly.
They stood side by side. Kushina was tall, but still only reached Hayashi's shoulder.
Before she could say something she had kept to herself for a long time, a blue white falcon suddenly descended from the sky.
A sealed intelligence scroll dropped into Hayashi's hand.
Two reports.
One from Iwagakure, one from Konoha.
Han, the Five Tails Jinchūriki, had entered the Iwagakure encampment with five hundred shinobi.
At the same time, Tsunade and Shinnosuke had led four thousand Konoha shinobi into their own encampment in the Land of Earth.
The moment Konoha's main force arrived, the tension in the camp finally eased. The sudden numerical pressure from Iwagakure had been deeply unsettling.
Without hesitation, Hayashi used the Flying Thunder God Technique and brought Kushina directly to the main gate of the Konoha encampment.
Their sudden appearance caused a visible reaction among the gathered shinobi.
Many of them had only heard rumors of him from the Land of Grass battlefield.
The man who ended the Mist Village conflict alone. The one who defeated a so called demigod. The one who fought alongside the Third Hokage against two thousand Sand shinobi.
Konohas Lightning Flash had become a name spoken across the entire ninja world.
To many younger shinobi, he had almost become a figure of legend.
Some even looked around expectantly, as if searching for the rumored One Tail Shukaku summon said to have overwhelmed Iwagakure forces.
Tsunade walked at the front of the arriving army. She glanced at Hayashi, gave a short snort, and pulled Kushina away toward the camp without saying much.
Her subordinates naturally followed to be assigned elsewhere.
Shinnosuke, walking slightly behind, exchanged a knowing look with Hayashi.
Without a word, the two drifted toward the encampment's dining area.
It had been a long time since they last met. Some things did not need formal conversation.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Iwagakure central tent.
Han had already arrived.
"I did not expect the old man to send you," Kitsuchi said.
"I did not expect it either," Han replied honestly.
After Roshi's capture, Han had assumed he would never leave the village again. Yet Ōnoki had personally ordered his deployment.
This battle meant everything.
Fūga stepped forward urgently.
"Did that person agree?"
Han nodded.
"They agreed. When the battle begins, that person will appear on the battlefield as promised."
The tension in the room eased slightly.
Even Kitsuchi let out a slow breath.
With Ōnoki and that unknown force involved, Iwagakure still had a real chance of turning the entire war around.
===
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