A few days later, as the scattered squads returned one by one, Minato received them personally.
Soon after, orders went out. The Konoha forces deployed along the perimeter were recalled, and by midday, a full hundred elite ninja from the Five Great Villages stood in disciplined formation before Li Rong.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had made his intentions unmistakably clear. Every letter sent to the other four Kage bore the Hokage's seal, and each one carefully detailed the Sacrificial Shop's capabilities and goods. The message was polite—but firm. This mission was not optional, and negligence would have consequences.
As a result, the figures now assembled were not placeholders or ceremonial escorts. They were the backbone of their villages.
Sunagakure was represented by Rasa, disciple of the Third Kazekage, flanked by Pakura of Scorch Release and the red-haired prodigy Sasori.
Iwagakure sent Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage, with the Explosion Release users Kari and Mochi at his sides.
Kumogakure's contingent was led by Yugito, heir to the Third Raikage's line, accompanied by Darui and Mabui.
Kirigakure's force was commanded by Yagura Karatachi, with Biwa Jūzō and the young Kisame Hoshigaki standing behind him.
Every one of them was dangerous. Every one of them was being groomed as a future pillar.
Li Rong raised his hand.
Without speaking, he projected the entire construction blueprint directly into their minds. Spatial layout, material flow, reinforcement nodes—every detail unfolded with perfect clarity.
"Ninja handle construction and logistics," he said evenly. "Spirit Beasts handle patrol and defense. Spirit Masters supervise and coordinate."
He paused.
"Questions?"
No one spoke out of turn. Those who had doubts had already seen the twenty Spirit Beasts pacing the perimeter—creatures that spoke human language, altered their size at will, and ignored gravity altogether.
Disbelief had limits.
"Yes, sir," the assembled ninja answered in unison.
Li Rong waved his hand. Mountains of materials appeared instantly: spirit-crystal bricks, energy pillars, crystal fragments, barrels of gilded liquid. The open ground was transformed into a staging site in moments.
"Begin."
The response was immediate.
Teams broke formation and flowed into motion with practiced efficiency. Bricklaying, reinforcement, sealing, pouring—each task interlocked cleanly with the next. There was no shouting, no confusion, only the rhythmic precision of veterans who had rebuilt battlefields more times than they could count.
Even Li Rong found himself faintly impressed.
These weren't amateurs. This was what countless D-rank construction missions looked like when stacked into muscle memory.
At first, the Spirit Masters monitored them closely. But as the work progressed without incident, attention drifted.
"That white-haired kid's fast," Jade Heavenheart muttered, eyes following Kakashi's movements with open interest.
"Mei Terumī isn't simple either," Bai Chenxiang added quietly. "Two Bloodline Limits. Hidden Mist is clearly grooming her."
Feng Xiaotian's gaze lingered on Sasori. "That puppet-user is manipulating five separate materials at once with chakra threads. His control is terrifying."
Gao Feng's attention never left Kakashi. "How about a match?"
The suggestion spread like sparks in dry grass.
"I'll go first."
Ning Rongrong stepped forward without hesitation, already locking onto her target.
Kakashi froze.
He had been laying crystal joints one second ago. The next, he was being challenged to a duel.
Before he could decline, Tsunade had already accepted on his behalf, casting him a glance that made refusal pointless.
Li Rong did not intervene.
Kakashi sighed internally, then reached back and drew the short blade from behind his shoulder.
The open terrain favored Ning Rongrong—accustomed to arenas and frontal exchanges. For Kakashi, who thrived on terrain, concealment, and assassination, it was less ideal.
Still, Tsunade had briefed them on Spirit Masters. He knew better than to underestimate her.
Tsunade raised her hand high.
"Begin!"
Ning Rongrong tested first.
A Xiao Feng Finger shot forward, slicing the air. Kakashi tilted his blade, redirecting it cleanly aside.
Fast—but not overwhelming.
He didn't press the attack. Instead, he observed, blade held across his chest, reading her posture and timing.
Ning Rongrong smiled faintly.
That was enough.
Her fingers blurred.
Dozens of wind-infused strikes erupted at once, screaming through the air like steel wires. They overlapped and interlocked, sealing every line of retreat.
Kakashi's expression sharpened instantly.
Blocking was no longer an option.
He slammed his blade into the ground and formed seals in one smooth motion.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The ground surged upward, forming a massive barrier. Finger strikes crashed against it in rapid succession, spiderweb cracks racing across its surface.
Kakashi grimaced. Chakra poured out of him as fragments broke away and reformed again and again.
This was unsustainable.
Ning Rongrong didn't intend to drag it out.
She drew back her right hand, spirit power condensing sharply as she advanced under cover of the dust. Then—she stopped.
"Azure Gale—Severing Void!"
A cyan blade cleaved through the earth wall like paper, leaving a mirror-smooth cut.
Empty.
Underground!
Ning Rongrong leapt back just as Kakashi burst from the soil behind her. Shuriken fanned outward in a deadly spread, sealing her mid-air escape.
She twisted.
Four Symbols Step carried her through impossible angles, seven steps traced through empty air. Xiao Feng Finger strikes snapped out, deflecting the remaining shuriken.
She landed lightly.
Silence fell again.
Kakashi's chakra reserves were nearly gone. Maintaining the wall, tunneling, feints—he had perhaps two decisive moves left.
He didn't hesitate.
Lightning flared along his blade as he charged.
Ning Rongrong met him head-on. Dragon-shaped qi wrapped her arm, roaring outward.
"White Fang—Lightning Blade!"
The strike cleaved through the dragon force.
But as Kakashi thrust forward, her left hand snapped out.
"Twin Dragons—"
Smoke exploded.
The Kakashi she struck vanished.
The ground erupted again.
The real Kakashi emerged, blade flashing. Lightning sliced through her spirit barrier, leaving a clean tear across the fabric at her waist.
The match was over.
The first Kakashi had been a shadow clone all along.
Ning Rongrong stared, lips pressed thin, then exhaled sharply and stepped back.
Defeat accepted.
Gao Feng spoke calmly. "After he burrowed, he expected you to attack the ground. So he used a clone. When you retreated instead, his real body lost the opening and stayed hidden."
He glanced at her. "If you'd kept pressure at range, he would've surfaced."
Huo Wu folded her arms. "Then why close in at the end?"
Ning Rongrong opened her mouth—then closed it.
She couldn't exactly say she'd wanted to show off.
Not when it ended like this.
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