"Lord Chisen, an urgent message from the Hokage."
Chisen took the letter, pried open the wax seal with his thumb, and pulled out the paper. The handwriting was Shikamaru's, scrawled in haste, but every word was legible-"Southeastern Frontier, Pheasant Feather Valley. Patrol sighted white humanoid entities. Abnormal chakra signatures. Suspected White Zetsu. Return immediately."
Chisen finished reading, folded the paper twice, and slipped it into his coat's inner pocket.
Kiba came over carrying the pot of porridge and noticed the look on his face.
"What happened?"
"They found White Zetsu on the Southeastern Frontier."
Kiba's hands trembled. The pot tipped, spilling a few drops of hot porridge onto his fingers, but he didn't feel the burn. Akamaru rose beside the fire, his tail rigid, a low, warning whine rumbling in his throat.
"White Zetsu?" Kiba kept his voice low. "Weren't those things already... during the Fourth Great Ninja War?"
"That was then." Chisen stood, fastened his coat collar, and took his sword from the well platform, slipping it back behind his waist. "They said they'd wiped them all out. But White Zetsu are products of the God Tree. As long as its roots are still in the soil, they can grow again."
Kiba set the pot on the ground, crouched, and gathered Akamaru into his arms. Akamaru kept whining, softly but incessantly, like a string drawn taut and never released.
"You're going back?" Kiba asked.
"Yes," Chisen said. "Keep handing out the farming tools. Once you're done in Iwami Village, head south to Tsuruta Village, Ashihara Village, and Mitani.
The map's in your bag."
"You're not taking me?"
"Take Akamaru with you. Until all the tools are handed out, the work on the Western Frontier can't stop."
Kiba opened his mouth to say something, then swallowed it. He watched Chisen