The next morning.
After receiving the news, Minato rushed back at top speed. He looked utterly exhausted; alone, he had been continuously harassing the Cloud Ninja headquarters beyond the border, nearly clashing with the Raikage Brothers every time.
He was also quite pleasantly surprised by Konoha's victory, praising Zhen's accomplishments.
Zhen said it was everyone's achievement.
That made Minato recall their first meeting. He had praised Zhen's intelligence for bringing victory to Konoha, and Zhen had given the same answer as he had now.
The Daimyō had also sent word. He had already funded and commissioned various mercenary groups within the Land of Fire to jointly hunt down the remaining Cloud Ninja forces.
Given the current situation, they could only be said to have weathered the first crisis. More than seven thousand Cloud Ninja still watched them menacingly from beyond the border.
Shikaku had considered seeking reinforcements.
But in the current shinobi world, Iwagakure and Kirigakure had only recently fought wars against Konoha, Sunagakure was locked in a standoff with Kirigakure, and as for the surrounding small countries and villages, who among them could pose a threat to Kumogakure?
Not long after Minato returned, while the thin mist still lingered in the forest, word arrived from the border defenses. A large force of Cloud Ninja was suddenly advancing, making no attempt to conceal either its scale or its movements.
Konoha's people felt their hearts sink at the news. They had expected this; having suffered such a setback here, Kumogakure would certainly not let the matter rest.
Minato immediately intended to gather all their forces and rush to the border to repel the Cloud Ninja invasion.
"Wait!" Zhen suddenly stopped Minato.
"Zhen?" Minato looked at him in surprise, unsure what he had in mind.
"We can't go!" Zhen said.
Minato froze