Companions! Bonds!

"Yoru, these are all the Exploding Tags our Hyuga Clan has."

The Hyuga Jonin gathered the Exploding Tags from the Hyuga Ninja traveling with them and solemnly handed them to Uchiha Yoru.

After a moment of silence, Uchiha Fugaku finally let out a deep sigh and raised his hand, signaling the Uchiha Clan shinobi to take out their Exploding Tags as well.

Once the Exploding Tags had been collected, Uchiha Yoru looked at everyone's heavy expressions and revealed a rare, relaxed smile.

"Don't make such ugly faces. I'm an Uchiha, and this time, it's not like there's no chance of surviving."

Uchiha Fugaku chose to respect Uchiha Yoru's decision. As he handed over his Exploding Tags, he said in a deep voice:

"Yoru, although Lady Tsunade is surrounded within the Land of Grass, she will definitely choose to break through. And the best direction for a breakout is... this place, covered in rocks and mountains. If you get there early and establish contact, you can use these Exploding Tags to set traps.

"At the same time, this is also the closest place to the Land of Fire's border, where reinforcements can arrive the fastest."

Reinforcements?

Although Fugaku made it sound as if there was a chance, everyone found his words unbearably heavy.

They were all experienced Jonin. They knew this so-called rescue mission was practically a death sentence.

"Understood."

As the group moved swiftly across the grassland, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded to them. This time, the other Jonin all showed him respect.

Perhaps they had once looked down on Uchiha Yoru, believing there had been some questionable element to his promotion to Jonin. But now, every one of them regarded him with respect.

"Yoru!"

From the team running behind him, Minato Namikaze seemed to realize something. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Yoru, Teacher Jiraiya is there too. I—"

Before he could finish, a Jonin beside him frowned and cut him off.

"You're only a Chunin, so don't make trouble. Although Yoru's plan is risky, it can indeed improve the chances of rescuing them. There are so many Exploding Tags, and Yoru has the best speed and stamina among us."

In the Jonin's eyes, a Chunin would only be cannon fodder in a situation like this. Going along would only cause trouble.

These words left Minato Namikaze at a loss for what to say, but Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded at the Jonin.

"Minato, this isn't just for Lady Tsunade and the others. We also left many companions behind us. Perhaps I'm not the strongest among all these Jonin, but I'm the most suitable one.

"The other Jonin all have their own missions, while mine has already been completed. More importantly, I can communicate with animals. There are quite a few flying beasts in this forest, so I can use them to pass through the encirclement."

This was an ability to communicate with animals that he had deliberately revealed to Tsunade over this period as his Sage Body continued to merge.

After all, in the Shinobi World, especially when people spent every day together, a lie would eventually be exposed.

So he never faked anything. If he was going to fabricate something, he would make it real!

His intelligence was real! His willingness to risk his life was real too! Who would suspect him?

There were fewer than ten Jonin here, and their orders were to escort this group of Second Hokage back into the Land of Fire. Uchiha Yoru, however, was different.

His mission was to disguise himself as Tsunade and stabilize morale. Therefore, according to shinobi regulations, only he had the freedom to choose at this moment. That was also why he had said earlier that his mission was complete.

Beneath Uchiha Yoru's smile, his eyes shone with determination.

"Use Swift Hawk to send orders to the Konoha Shinobi who fell behind. Have them retreat and regroup in this direction."

"Alright!"

The Hyuga Jonin said in a deep voice, "Order all Konoha Shinobi behind us to hand over half their Exploding Tags to Jonin Uchiha Yoru."

"Yes!"

As orders were passed down one after another, Uchiha Yoru's pace gradually slowed under everyone's watchful eyes, and he began falling behind the Jonin at the front of the formation.

As he steadily dropped farther back, Konoha Shinobi continually took out Exploding Tags and solemnly handed them over.

"An Uchiha..."

At that moment, the Konoha Shinobi who usually disliked the Uchiha's lofty manner seemed to gain a new understanding of them.

"Yoru, come back alive."

Minato Namikaze's expression was firm. Beside him, Shikaku Nara had shed his usual lazy demeanor and said gravely:

"Yoru, if the Rock Shinobi encirclement has already formed, retreat immediately!"

With his sharp mind, he instantly analyzed Uchiha Yoru's plan, but it was also a gamble.

They were gambling that the Rock Shinobi had not yet formed an encirclement. But even if they had, the Rock Shinobi would likely be happy to see fish swimming into their net. That was merely Shikaku's attempt at consolation.

"I'll definitely bring Lady Tsunade and the others back alive!"

Facing everyone's gazes, Uchiha Yoru's smile remained resolute. He did not mention himself at all. In their eyes, he had already cast life and death aside.

Everyone fell silent. Uchiha Yoru's proud Will of Fire illuminated their hearts—the will of a shinobi willing to risk his life to save his companions.

Who would dare call it fake?

Uchiha Yoru's Will of Fire had laid everything bare before them.

From above, one could clearly see that a single black dot suddenly changed direction within the group of Konoha Shinobi racing across the grassland.

The Konoha Shinobi looked back at the figure gradually disappearing into the distance, their expressions grave.

"Damn it! I'm a Konoha Shinobi too!"

One Chunin roared in fury, tears of humiliation welling in his eyes.

In this twisted world, shinobi were tools, but they also valued the bond between companions immensely.

Many people felt deeply stifled. They were not afraid of death, but this time, they had to abandon their companions.

"That isn't the case! The meaning of us returning alive is greater."

Just then, Shikaku Nara calmly began analyzing the situation for everyone within the group.

"Our identities will affect far too many clans within the village. I won't even mention that. From a strategic standpoint, there is little point in us staying behind. Instead, we would make Lady Tsunade lose her chance to break through.

"If so many of us held our ground, the best place would be the camp. But where is our camp? Deep within the Land of Grass. By then, Lady Tsunade and Lord Orochimaru could only choose to return. Once the encirclement was complete, reinforcements would have a hard time rescuing us."

"Instead, now that we have abandoned all supplies and withdrawn, Lady Tsunade and the others can choose to break through from the start. They are now closer to the Land of Fire's border instead, and their chances of receiving reinforcements are greater."

Under Shikaku Nara's analysis, the Konoha Shinobi could only nod in silence. At this moment, they could only choose to complete their respective missions.

Uchiha Yoru, having parted ways with Konoha's main force, raced toward the interior of the Land of Grass while many birds flew overhead.

"Although I can communicate with animals, most animals are clearly not very intelligent and can only handle simple communication."

Uchiha Yoru raced at full speed with his hands held behind his back, his expression grave. This time, he faced danger as well.

First, he had to avoid being discovered and killed by the Rock Shinobi before he found Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya. Second, he had to hope that, just as in the original story, reinforcements would arrive.

Take a gamble! A bicycle could turn into a motorcycle!