"From a purely rational standpoint," Hagoromo said quietly,
"we should turn back now. Not only because of the imbalance in strength—but more importantly, because at this point, continuing the mission has lost all meaning."
"The mission has already failed."
His tone was somewhat unusual—there was resignation in it, but also seriousness.
He wasn't forceful, yet he wasn't seeking Kakashi's opinion either.
He was informing him.
Or rather—
He was issuing a necessary decision.
After more than an hour of pursuit, Hagoromo and Kakashi finally caught up to the enemy—
Only to realize that a second engagement was impossible.
Because they hadn't caught up to two enemies.
They had caught up to many.
If Konoha had sufficient forces present, this could have been described as hauling in a massive net full of big fish.
Unfortunately—
There were only two of them.
And both were chūnin.
Which meant there was only one viable choice:
Withdraw immediately—before alerting the enemy.
Because the people they had found weren't just Terumī Mei and Momochi Zabuza.
Among them were also several members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist:
Kisame Hoshigaki's predecessor, Kushimaru Kuriarare,
Fuguki Suikazan,
Ringo Ameyuri.
And in addition—
There was a young shinobi with a distinctly shark-like face.
His name was likely Hoshigaki Kisame.
There were also several other shinobi whose names were difficult to identify precisely, but judging from their traits, they were almost certainly members of the Hōzuki Clan.
One detail, however, stood out.
Among them was someone who looked almost like a child.
A male shinobi with a baby face, clearly very young.
From this distance, Hagoromo could make out his silver hair.
Looking closer, there were more distinct features—
Purple eyes,
and a scar beneath the left eye that resembled a stitch mark.
He wielded a staff-like weapon, thicker at one end, thinner at the other, both ends curved into hooks. One end was decorated with an unfamiliar green flower.
That meant—
His name was almost certainly Yagura.
Seeing this lineup and cross-referencing it with Konoha's intelligence manuals, Hagoromo couldn't help but feel that their squad had been absurdly unlucky.
While other teams couldn't even locate the enemy—
They had practically kicked a hornet's nest.
This lineup alone could decide the outcome of a medium-scale war.
To exaggerate only slightly—
They could probably wipe out a small country.
Even Kakashi, who placed the highest value on missions, agreed with Hagoromo's judgment.
He wasn't foolish.
He could clearly assess the difference in strength.
If they engaged now, the outcome would be obvious.
Meaningless sacrifice was unnecessary.
"Is there any way to immediately inform Minato-senpai of what's happening here?" Hagoromo asked quietly as they retreated.
Although Hagoromo was the squad leader, Kakashi was Minato's direct disciple.
Perhaps they had some special communication method?
"No," Kakashi answered.
That reply didn't disappoint Hagoromo.
He'd only asked on the off chance. In truth, he hadn't expected any workable long-distance, real-time communication—Konoha simply didn't possess such a system yet.
"Then withdrawal is no longer up for debate."
Hagoromo made the call.
If they didn't leave now, did they really intend to charge into an enemy formation and die for nothing?
He had no interest in that kind of lopsided battle.
They had maintained concealment and kept their distance, retreating carefully—
But at that moment, Yagura suddenly stopped.
He had sensed something.
"What is it?" someone beside him asked.
"We've got tails," Yagura said after a brief pause.
"You all continue withdrawing. I'll deal with them."
There were only two enemies.
Yagura had no reason to fear opponents who were hiding instead of confronting him directly.
On Hagoromo's side, during the retreat, he too finally sensed that something was wrong.
That faint feeling of being watched was no illusion.
He stopped.
"Kakashi," Hagoromo said calmly,
"you go first. Get this information to Orochimaru or Minato-senpai as quickly as possible."
"What? We're splitting up?" Kakashi frowned.
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to retreat together?"
Hagoromo pointed in a direction.
"Looks like we were exposed. Someone's coming."
"And how many?" Kakashi asked.
"Possibly one. Possibly more," Hagoromo replied.
"At this distance, I can't be sure."
"Then squad action would be safer. We should—"
Hagoromo cut him off.
"Konoha Chūnin Hatake Kakashi.
Prioritize intelligence delivery."
After saying that, he didn't wait for a response.
He turned and walked straight toward the direction he had indicated.
Kakashi froze for a moment.
Then his expression hardened.
Without another word, he turned and ran toward the Land of Whirlpools—
This time, no longer conserving chakra.
He pushed himself to his absolute limit.
On Hagoromo's side—
Soon, within the drifting snow, two figures approached each other.
"Only one person…" Hagoromo muttered.
"Fine. Let's see who you are."
"Staying behind to cover your retreat and send your companion back with information?"
The approaching figure spoke before fully revealing himself.
"A reasonable strategy—provided you can last long enough."
"Don't worry," Hagoromo replied calmly.
"I can last plenty long."
Was that really why he'd sent Kakashi away?
No.
If he needed to use certain techniques, he didn't want a Konoha shinobi present.
This was simply preparation for fighting at full power.
The snow thinned.
Hagoromo finally saw his opponent clearly.
Yagura.
The future Three-Tails Jinchūriki—
and future Mizukage.
Like Rōshi, he was someone Hagoromo took extremely seriously.
To become a Jinchūriki meant possessing immense chakra reserves.
To become a Mizukage meant overwhelming strength and terrifying growth potential.
Letting Kakashi leave had been the correct choice.
Hagoromo was not in perfect condition.
Due to consecutive battles, his chakra reserves were clearly diminished.
But his fighting style was unconventional.
He didn't rely entirely on chakra.
He was never just a "normal" shinobi.
And when it was time to go all out—
He would do so without hesitation.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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