Return to Camp

"It's over."

With Kazama Sousuke's fall, the battle that should have been fiercely contested came to an end in the last shred of darkness before dawn.

Rain washed over the muddy, scorched riverbank, the air thick with the smell of burnt flesh and the distinctive odor of puppet wood.

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

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

"The wound isn't deep, but the toxin eroded some nerve endings. You'll need three days of rest when we get back."

Nishikawa Tetsu expertly wrapped the bandage, tossing the empty syringe into a medical waste bag. "But, sir, that tactic of holding fire oil in your mouth—effective as it was—was too risky. If the flame backfired, your airway would be ruined."

"I know my limits."

Uchiha Fugaku replied coldly, but his gaze was distant. In truth, in that moment, he had simply gambled.

Gambled that the oil Nishikawa Tetsu had mixed would really only burn outward, as he'd claimed.

"Captain."

Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Hiroshi approached.

Namikaze Minato was covered in mud, his blond hair soaked by the rain, but his spirits were still high: "The remaining enemy forces have been wiped out. A few fleeing genin were subdued by Hyuga Hiroshi's pressure points."

Hyuga Hiroshi nodded, his Byakugan deactivated, returning to normal white pupils.

He glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, a hint of complex recognition in his eyes.

"Captain, the mission command was excellent." Hyuga Hiroshi's tone was calm, but hearing such praise from a Hyuga was no small feat.

"It was everyone's effort."

Uchiha Fugaku stood up, swaying slightly, but his back remained straight as a rod.

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

He pointed at the massive scroll strapped to Kazama Sousuke's back.

Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes lit up. As a scientific researcher, he'd long coveted Sunagakure's advanced puppet technology.

He walked over, carefully untying the still-steaming scroll. Though the surface was slightly scorched, the Fuinjutsu formula inside remained intact.

"This is a real treasure."

Nishikawa Tetsu said as he inspected it: "Kazama Sousuke was Chiyo's disciple. This scroll doesn't just seal those custom puppets—it likely contains intel on Sunagakure's poison formulas and puppet blueprints. That's valuable for Konoha too."

As he spoke, he skillfully stripped off the dead man's jonin vest and forehead protector, not even leaving behind the shattered puppet limbs scattered around.

Watching Nishikawa Tetsu's locust-like scavenging, the nearby chunin couldn't help but twitch their mouths.

"This kid, was he a junk collector before?"

"Shh, don't talk nonsense. If it weren't for his Explosive Tags and poisons, even winning would've been a pyrrhic victory."

Now, no one dared to look down on this genin anymore. Some even started helping Nishikawa Tetsu gather the scattered enemy tools.

"Prepare to move out. Retreat."

Uchiha Fugaku gave the order.

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

Konoha's forward headquarters.

"The Howling Valley supply line is completely severed. The Sunagakure escort force is annihilated. Elite Jonin Kazama Sousuke confirmed dead."

Reading the battle report, Jiraiya slammed the table, a long-awaited smile finally breaking through his weary face.

"Excellent! Well done!"

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

"This mission's difficulty far exceeded expectations. Achieving these results not only saved the eastern front but also showed Konoha's fighting spirit."

Jiraiya's gaze settled on Uchiha Fugaku: "Especially you, Fugaku. Not only did you command well, but you also killed Chiyo's disciple. I'll recommend a special commendation to the village for you."

"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya."

Uchiha Fugaku continued: "The credit goes to accurate intel and the team's coordinated efforts."

He paused, deliberately adding: "Especially the tactics provided by Nishikawa Tetsu."

Jiraiya looked with interest at the boy standing in the corner, silently calculating how much bounty he'd earn from this mission. This kid would probably get along well with Orochimaru.

"I heard you took out their reconnaissance squad with a few sticks and some poison?"

"That's science, Lord Jiraiya." Nishikawa Tetsu shrugged.

"Hahaha! Whatever it is, as long as it works!" Jiraiya laughed.

"That old bastard Hanzō is probably cursing at his empty warehouses right now!"

News of this battle spread like wildfire across the entire front line, even reaching Konoha village.

"Did you hear? That Uchiha clan heir took down Sunagakure's elite forces with just a few genin!"

"And there's that guy named Namikaze Minato—they say he's so fast you can't even see his shadow."

"The most ridiculous one is that Nishikawa Tetsu—I heard he barely used any jutsu, just relied on traps to take down a bunch of people."

Meanwhile, inside Konoha.

Uchiha Clan Compound.

Several elders stared at the battle reports sent back from the front lines, their expressions shifting uneasily.

"Fugaku actually pulled it off." The Elder set down the scroll, brow furrowed. "And they say he even promoted members of the Hyuga Branch Family, even got close with a civilian genin."

"Hmph! As the young clan head, being so intimate with outsiders—what kind of example is that?" Another elder snorted in disapproval.

But some of the younger clan members had light in their eyes: "Elder, but Fugaku-san killed a Sunagakure Elite Jonin this time! That's a credit to the Uchiha name!"

No matter how the clan debated, Uchiha Fugaku's prestige had undeniably risen a notch after this battle.

At that moment, behind the Land of Rain camp, in the temporary washing area—really just a few large water barrels.

The three of them had stripped off their bloodstained Combat Suits, bare-chested as they rinsed off the mud.

"Tch—" Namikaze Minato winced as he touched the scrape on his back.

"Don't move, Minato." Nishikawa Tetsu held a jar of ointment and slapped it onto Minato's back with a smack. "The skin's all worn off here. Did you drag yourself across the ground with that Body Flicker Technique?"

"Couldn't help it—had to dodge that puppet." Minato grimaced through the pain.

Nearby, Uchiha Fugaku silently rinsed his hair.

His body bore many old and new scars, but the piercing wound on his left shoulder—deliberately left to lure Kazama Sousuke—was especially vicious.

Nishikawa Tetsu walked over and glanced at the injury.

"Senior, if that wound scars, how are you going to explain it to your fiancée?" Tetsu teased as he applied the medicine. "Mikoto-san might get upset with you."

As the Uchiha were Konoha's premier clan, any ripple was common knowledge, so Fugaku didn't mind how Tetsu knew his fiancée's name.

"Boring." Fugaku let Tetsu treat the wound, eyes closed as the water streamed over him. "A ninja's scars are medals. If she's a shallow woman, she's not fit to be my fiancée."

"Yeah, yeah, medals." Minato splashed a bucket of water over from the side, grinning mischievously. "Then, Senior, is that little cut on your ass from a kunai also a medal?"

Fugaku's eyes snapped open, face flushing red as he grabbed a towel and whipped it at him:

"Namikaze Minato! Do you want to die?!"

"Hahaha! Stop! I'm sorry!"

Under the setting sun, three youths roughhoused in the misty spray, momentarily forgetting the brutality of war.

Some time later, Nishikawa Tetsu sat in his tent, the spoils he'd taken from Kazama Sousuke spread out before him.

"Transmission structure of the puppet joints... molecular formula of the Chakra toxin..."

He held the Puppet Blueprint in his hands, the gleam in his eyes more fervent than if he'd found a mountain of gold.

"If I apply this transmission structure to other areas..."

A dangerous smile curled at the corner of Nishikawa Tetsu's mouth.

"Looks like my Scientific Ninja Tools 2.0 version can be put on the agenda."

Just then, the tent flap was pushed open.

Namikaze Minato poked his head in, a mysterious smile on his face: "Tetsu, come out! Jiraiya-sensei said he's treating us to grilled meat tonight to celebrate the victory!"

"Grilled meat?"

Nishikawa Tetsu rolled up the scroll, instantly reverting to a normal expression: "Coming."