No Way Out

Night.

Harucha returned home to find that her younger sister was still awake, sprawled across the living room sofa reading. She wore a thin nightgown, her pale, delicate little feet raised and swinging back and forth as though she were engrossed in her book.

Hearing the sound at the door, Natsu sat up from the sofa.

"Big sis, you're back."

"Mm."

Deep exhaustion covered Harucha's face as she answered weakly.

"Have you eaten? I left some food for you in the kitchen," Natsu said when she saw Harucha like this.

"Okay, I know."

Harucha walked over and lay down on the sofa, sinking into it without moving again.

Natsu immediately closed her book, got up, and went into the kitchen to bring out the food she had saved.

"Natsu."

Natsu was setting out the bowls and chopsticks when she suddenly heard Harucha's voice. Turning around, she saw that Harucha was still lying there without moving.

"Hm?"

"Did you go out with Iroha today?"

Natsu paused, surprised that her sister would ask such a question. Then she replied, "No, he didn't come looking for me today."

"Oh."

She had thought that would be the end of it, but after a while, Harucha continued, "I think Iroha is pretty straightforward. He doesn't have any ulterior motives."

"Mm, I guess so." Natsu's tone was indifferent, as though she had no interest in the topic.

"Kamado is much more composed. Even at such a young age, he's meticulous and calm in a crisis. Lord Hiashi praises him often too. Among those his age in the clan, he should be the most outstanding."

"Maybe."

"Natsu."

"..."

"Is there anyone you like?"

"No."

Harucha sat up from the sofa and watched Natsu serve her food, a faint flicker in her eyes.

"You grew up together, didn't you? Don't you feel anything for either of them?"

Natsu frowned slightly. "Do childhood friends have to end up together? Can't we just be good friends?"

Harucha gave a dry laugh. "...Of course you can."

Natsu could not help but look at her sister a little more closely. She sensed that something was off about her today.

Her sister would occasionally tease her about this sort of thing before, but her expression and tone now did not seem joking at all.

Haruno did not end the conversation there. After hesitating, she continued, "That Shin... you've been seeing him lately too, right?"

Natsu finally could not take it anymore. Helplessly, she said, "Do you really want to find me a boyfriend that badly? You've been single all this time too. Why don't you find me a brother-in-law first?"

Harucha fell silent.

Then Natsu said, "Eat up. It's still hot."

Having set out the meal, she walked back toward the sofa and picked up her book.

"Why don't you... try spending more time with Shin?"

"No."

"I'm not telling you to get together with him..."

Natsu suddenly froze.

Harucha lowered her head and continued, "Just... spend more time with him."

Hinata Natsu was very smart. Looking at her sister, she quickly understood the whole chain of events.

Why her sister had suddenly started saying these things to her.

Natsu's expression gradually calmed. "I understand."

"Natsu, you..."

"I understand. I'll do it."

"...I'm sorry, Natsu."

Natsu's expression remained flat. "Didn't you say I don't have to date him?"

"As long as I'm a little closer to him, that'll be enough, right?"

The day after Hizashi returned to the village, another wounded man was sent back from the front lines, while yet another Konoha camp was breached by the enemy.

Konoha Hospital.

Sarutobi's expression was neither sad nor joyful as he looked at Jiraiya, who lay on the hospital bed wrapped in bandages.

"How many people withdrew?"

"Half."

"I see..." Jiraiya muttered, his voice heavy.

"It was to be expected. If Minato hadn't arrived, I would have died there too."

They had encountered an attack by several thousand Stone Ninja, led by the Third Tsuchikage Onoki himself.

The moment they met, Jiraiya saw a blinding white light cut through the center of their camp. Everything in its path was reduced to dust.

The enemy outnumbered them by more than three to one. Jiraiya had chosen to stay behind and buy time for his comrades, but he was outnumbered and overwhelmed. Fortunately, Minato had arrived with incredible speed.

Jiraiya asked, "How many people do we have left at the front?"

Sarutobi said, "Four thousand... less than that."

His words brought a long silence between them. The greatest ninja village in the shinobi world had once been reduced to this state.

Even Jiraiya could not help asking, "Can we still win?"

Sarutobi did not answer. A letter had just arrived from the daimyo, hinting that if they truly could not win this war, Sarutobi could consider surrendering to Iwagakure. So long as it brought an end to the fighting, the Land of Fire was willing to offer additional supplies, money, even land.

But Sarutobi understood Ōnoki's nature. If they had sought peace with Iwagakure just after the Kannabi Bridge Mission, the other side might very well have agreed.

But now that Iwagakure could see victory within reach, how could they possibly stop here?

They were at the end of the road...

Jiraiya noticed the armor beneath Sarutobi's Hokage robes and asked, "How is the village now?"

Sarutobi looked out the window. "...It's a little chaotic."

Some of that chaos could be seen, and some could not...

The villagers were panicking, while the great clans plotted their escape routes...

The unbreakable bond forged by the First Hokage had finally begun to loosen in the face of life and death.

"I heard Orochimaru went to Sunagakure to ask for reinforcements."

"With Konoha in this situation, we no longer have any allies."

"...That's true."

"After I leave for the front, I'll leave the village to you."

"I'm not handling all that administrative work."

"There will be no administrative work. Only news of our victory or our deaths."

Jiraiya gave a bitter laugh and did not respond.

Sarutobi said blandly, "If you think it's a mess, then hurry up and recover. Then come to the front and die with us."

They were at the end of the road.

After Sarutobi left, Jiraiya sat propped up in his hospital bed, silently looking at the view outside.

The leaves had withered. It was already late autumn.

For no reason at all, he thought of the days before Tsunade and Orochimaru had made names for themselves.

Back then, they had only endless missions to complete. They had never been burdened by so many ties and concerns as they were now.

After becoming the Three Sannin, their status in the village rose higher and higher. They came into contact with more things and understood more things. Yet the distance between the three of them seemed to grow wider and wider.

Jiraiya felt that Orochimaru hid ambitions that were far too great, while his own student had been born to become Hokage.

When Teacher Sarutobi told him that he would use this war as a stage for Minato and keep Orochimaru hidden away, he had agreed.

After the Kannabi Bridge Mission, Minato's reputation soared to its peak. His radiance eclipsed even Jiraiya's former glory, making Jiraiya feel that things would continue developing so smoothly...

Now that he thought about it, if Orochimaru had also been at the front back then, perhaps the war would have already been won.

With Minato's strength and character, there had been no need for the unnecessary actions he and Teacher Sarutobi had taken in the first place, actions that had led to the tragedy of today.

Orochimaru must have been deeply disappointed in him and Teacher Sarutobi.