Back to Camp

"It's over."

With Kazama Sousuke's fall, the battle—which should have been fierce beyond measure—came to an end in the last darkness before dawn.

Rain washed over the muddy, scorched riverbank. The air was thick with the smell of charred flesh and the distinctive scent of puppet wood.

Uchiha Fugaku sat beside Kazama Sousuke's corpse and let Nishikawa Tetsu tend to his wounds.

The antidote worked quickly, and the numbness was fading, but the sharp pain in his left shoulder still made him frown slightly.

"The wound isn't deep, but the poison damaged some of the nerve endings. You'll need three days of rest once we're back."

Nishikawa Tetsu expertly tied off the bandage, then tossed the empty syringe into a medical waste bag. "But, senpai, that tactic you used—holding Fire Oil in your mouth—was incredibly effective, but far too risky. If the flames had blown back, your airway would've been ruined."

"I knew what I was doing."

Uchiha Fugaku replied coldly, but his gaze wavered a little. The truth was, he'd been taking a gamble in that moment.

He'd gambled that the oil Nishikawa Tetsu had mixed really would burn only outward, just as he'd said.

"Captain."

Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Hiroshi walked over.

Namikaze Minato was covered in mud and water, and rain had soaked his blond hair, but he was still in high spirits. "The enemy's remaining forces have been eliminated. Hyuga Hiroshi-senpai also subdued the few fleeing Genin by striking their pressure points."

Hyuga Hiroshi nodded. His Byakugan had been deactivated, and his eyes had returned to their normal white.

He glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, his gaze holding a little more respect than before.

"Captain, you led this mission exceptionally well." Hyuga Hiroshi's tone was calm, but praise like that from someone in the Hyuga Clan was no small thing.

"We all contributed."

Uchiha Fugaku got to his feet. He swayed a little, but his back remained perfectly straight.

He looked at Nishikawa Tetsu. "Search the bodies, especially for that man's scroll."

He pointed to the enormous scroll on Kazama Sousuke's back.

Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes lit up. As a researcher, he'd been coveting Sunagakure's advanced puppet technology for a long time.

He went over and carefully removed the still-steaming scroll. Its surface was a little scorched, but the fuinjutsu seals inside remained intact.

"This is a real treasure."

Nishikawa Tetsu spoke as he inspected it. "Kazama Sousuke was Chiyo's student. This scroll doesn't just contain those specially made puppets. It might also hold information on Sunagakure's poison formulas and puppet blueprints. All of that would be extremely valuable to Konoha."

As he spoke, he deftly stripped Kazama Sousuke of his Jonin vest and Forehead Protector. He even took the puppet parts that had been blown to pieces.

Watching Nishikawa Tetsu loot the area like a swarm of locusts, the Chunin nearby couldn't help twitching their mouths.

"Was that kid a junk collector before this?"

"Shh, don't say that. Without his Explosive Tags and poison, even if we'd won, it would've been a bitter victory."

No one dared underestimate this Genin anymore. Some even began helping Nishikawa Tetsu gather the scattered enemy ninja tools.

"Ready to move out. Fall back."

Uchiha Fugaku gave the order.

The group disappeared into the morning mist of the Land of Rain, carrying their spoils and wounded with them.

Konoha's frontline headquarters.

"The Howling Valley supply line has been completely cut off. The Sunagakure escort unit was wiped out, and the Elite Jonin Kazama Sousuke was killed."

Reading the battle report in his hand, Jiraiya slammed his palm on the table. At last, a long-absent smile appeared on his weary face.

"Excellent! Well done!"

He looked up at the members of Team Five standing before him, along with Hyuga Hiroshi and the others.

"This mission was far more difficult than expected. By achieving these results, you not only saved the situation on the eastern front, but also showed the strength of Konoha."

Jiraiya's gaze settled on Uchiha Fugaku. "Especially you, Fugaku. You led the mission brilliantly and even killed Chiyo's student. I'll put in a request to the village for a special commendation."

"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya."

Uchiha Fugaku continued, "We mainly succeeded because we had accurate intelligence and the team worked well together."

He paused, then added pointedly, "Especially thanks to Nishikawa Tetsu's tactics."

Jiraiya looked with interest at the boy standing in the corner, silently calculating how much reward money he'd get for the mission. This kid would probably get along well with that fellow Orochimaru.

"I heard you took out their reconnaissance unit with just a few sticks and a few bottles of poison?"

"That was science, Lord Jiraiya." Nishikawa Tetsu shrugged.

"Ha ha ha ha! Whatever you call it, it worked!" Jiraiya laughed.

"I bet that old Hanzō is cursing at his empty storeroom right now!"

News of the battle soon spread through the entire frontline as if it had grown wings, and even made its way back to Konoha.

"Have you heard? That Uchiha Young Clan Leader took out an elite Sunagakure unit with just a few Genin!"

"And that guy named Namikaze Minato—supposedly, he moves so fast you can't even see his shadow."

"The craziest one is Nishikawa Tetsu. I heard he barely used any ninjutsu at all. He took out a whole bunch of people with nothing but traps."

Meanwhile, back in Konoha.

Uchiha Clan Compound.

Several elders read the battle report from the frontline, their expressions uncertain.

"Fugaku actually pulled it off." The Grand Elder set the scroll down, his brows furrowed. "And apparently, he made good use of someone from the Hyuga Branch Family. He's even gotten close to a civilian Genin."

"Hmph. A Young Clan Leader being so friendly with people from other clans? What a disgrace!" Another elder grunted in disapproval.

But some of the younger clan members had shining eyes. "But, Elder, Fugaku-nii killed an Elite Jonin from Sunagakure this time! He's brought honor to the Uchiha!"

Whatever people within the clan might say, Uchiha Fugaku's standing had undeniably risen by quite a bit after this battle.

At that moment, in the temporary shower area behind the camp in the Land of Rain—which consisted of nothing but a few large barrels—

the three of them had stripped off their bloodstained Combat Suits and were washing the mud off their bare upper bodies.

"Ugh—" Namikaze Minato sucked in a sharp breath when he touched the scrape on his back.

"Don't move, Minato." Nishikawa Tetsu held a jar of ointment and slapped it against Minato's back. "You've scraped the skin right off. Did you use your Body Flicker Technique by sliding along the ground?"

"I couldn't help it! I was dodging that puppet." Minato grimaced in pain.

Nearby, Uchiha Fugaku silently rinsed his hair.

He had plenty of old and new scars, but the deep puncture wound in his left shoulder—the one he'd deliberately taken to lure Kazama Sousuke in—looked especially nasty.

Nishikawa Tetsu went over and examined the wound.

"Senpai, if that wound leaves a scar, how are you going to explain it to your fiancée?" Che teased as he helped apply the medicine. "Miss Mikoto might find you unattractive."

Uchiha was Konoha's most prominent clan, and any little bit of gossip spread like wildfire, so Fugaku didn't care how Nishikawa Tetsu had learned his fiancée's name.

"Ridiculous." Fugaku let Che treat the wound, closing his eyes as the water ran over him. "A ninja's scars are medals of honor. If she were a shallow woman, she wouldn't deserve to be my fiancée."

"Sure, sure. Medals of honor." Minato splashed water over him, grinning. "Then, senpai, is that little cut on your butt from a Shuriken a medal of honor too?"

Fugaku's eyes flew open, his face turning red. He snatched up a towel and swung it at him.

"Namikaze Minato! Are you trying to die?!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Don't hit me! I'm sorry!"

In the glow of the setting sun, the three young men horsed around in the mist, if only for a while forgetting the cruelty of war.

Some time later, Nishikawa Tetsu sat in his tent, surrounded by the spoils he'd taken from Kazama Sousuke.

"The puppet joints' transmission mechanism... the molecular formula for the Chakra poison..."

He held the Puppet Blueprint in his hands, his eyes burning with more fervor than if he were looking at a mountain of gold.

"If I could apply this transmission mechanism to other things..."

A dangerous smile curled Nishikawa Tetsu's lips.

"Looks like it's time to start working on version 2.0 of my Scientific Ninja Tools."

Just then, the tent flap was lifted.

Namikaze Minato poked his head in, a mysterious smile on his face. "Tetsu, come on! Teacher Jiraiya says he's treating us to barbecue tonight to celebrate our victory!"

"Barbecue?"

Nishikawa Tetsu closed the scroll, his expression instantly returning to normal. "Coming."