The first rays of sunlight at dawn dispelled the darkness before daybreak, allowing Minato Namikaze, Veigar, and Kakashi Hatake to slightly relax their tense nerves.
They had spent the entire night standing in a posture ready to fight at any moment, and fatigue showed on every one of their faces.
If they had not been worried that Veigar and Kakashi Hatake might be ambushed the previous night, Minato Namikaze would have already begun clearing the battlefield, left, or gone searching for traces of the enemy. He would not have been forced into passive defense like this.
Just then, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had hurried through the night, also arrived at the battlefield where the fight had taken place the previous evening.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
Before they could even see who had arrived, the nerves of Minato Namikaze, Veigar, and Kakashi Hatake, which had just relaxed slightly, instantly tightened again.
"Minato, are you all right?"
The pig of Ino-Shika-Cho, Inoichi Yamanaka, landed among the three members of Minato Squad and vaguely formed a protective perimeter around them. He warily observed the surrounding environment and asked Minato Namikaze in a solemn tone.
Once they saw who had arrived, not only Minato Namikaze but also Veigar and Kakashi Hatake let out a collective sigh of relief.
Minato Namikaze replied, "We're fine. Everything is under control."
Then Minato Namikaze asked the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, "Why are you here?"
Having noticed the traces of battle around them, which had yet to be cleared, Shikaku Nara answered first, "We came to support you on the orders of the Third Lord."
"However, it seems we were a step too late."
Minato Namikaze asked in confusion, "The Third Lord?"
Shikaku Nara nodded and replied, "Yes."
"Moreover, the emergency intelligence received by the Third Lord stated that someone in the