Withdrawal Route

Yuzuru hid in the cave. Aside from taking turns keeping watch and practicing Wind Release Ninjutsu in his mind, there was basically nothing to do.

After resting in place for a few days, the good news was that Yuzuru had regained some mobility. Medical care was limited, and he hadn't received professional treatment, so his injuries were far from healed. Still, he was well enough to run.

Unfortunately, he could only practice in his mind. He couldn't actually try using Wind Release.

Thanks to his high proficiency with wind nature, Yuzuru could instantly convert a large amount of chakra into wind chakra. With that as a foundation, and with the relatively simple hand signs for wind nature, he also found it easy to channel the nature-transformed chakra through his network of pathways. As a result, Yuzuru had quickly become a Wind Release ninja.

Two more days passed. Just as Hazuki Uchiha was about to lose patience, a paper fox finally darted into the cave.

"The captain's coming back. Get ready to receive them."

Torifu Akimichi and Kairi Omori had finally returned. Hazuki Uchiha and Yuzuru got ready to receive them.

After a little while, the cave entrance opened. Damp, chilly air and the smell of earth poured in as Kairi Omori helped Torifu Akimichi inside.

They were both in a terrible state, and Torifu Akimichi seemed to be seriously injured.

Yuzuru went over and helped Torifu Akimichi sit down, while Hazuki Uchiha quickly concealed the entrance again.

"Captain, your injuries..."

"I'm fine. I just need some rest... We were ambushed by Iwagakure Ninja. It took us several days of detours to shake off our pursuers." Torifu Akimichi waved a hand to show that he was all right.

But he was covered in blood and looked far more badly injured than Yuzuru had been.

"The mission's complete, but we can't leave right away. We need to wait until the captain's recovered a little," Kairi Omori said.

Yuzuru and Hazuki Uchiha had only taken part in a small portion of the entire mission. Torifu Akimichi and Kairi Omori had handled the rest.

No one objected to the captain needing time to recover, but they also had to keep in mind that the longer the team stayed here, the greater the chance they'd be discovered.

After all, they had alerted Iwagakure again during the mission.

Torifu Akimichi took off his shirt, exposing the vicious wounds covering his body. Kairi Omori helped him dress them as best she could with the rudimentary supplies they had.

"Thanks... I'll need two days."

As he spoke, Torifu Akimichi took various pills from his Ninja Tool Pouch and stuffed them into his mouth as though they were free.

Two days? Would that be enough?

Looking at Torifu Akimichi's wounds, Yuzuru doubted the captain could recover in just two days... Or perhaps he'd used some secret medicine and was prepared to speed up his recovery at any cost.

Once his wounds had been bandaged, Torifu Akimichi was drenched in cold sweat. But he had no intention of resting yet. He forced himself to stay alert, ready to explain the withdrawal route he'd planned.

"For our withdrawal, we'll avoid both the Land of Rain route and the Land of Grass route. First, we'll head west into the Land of Birds, then turn toward the Land of Wind. After crossing the desert, we'll return to the forward camp through the Land of Rivers."

Taking such a long detour would keep them clear of Iwagakure and Amegakure, but what about Sunagakure?

Seeing the others' confusion, Torifu Akimichi managed a weak smile. "The desert is huge—far bigger than the Land of Rain."

Even taking the average density of ninja into account, the desert in the Land of Wind was safer than the forests of the Land of Rain.

Besides, the battlefields of the Shinobi World War were concentrated in the Land of Rain. The Three Great Shinobi Villages had maintained a degree of understanding amid the brutal fighting: they would let the war spread only through the Small Nations.

After thinking it over briefly, the three of them accepted the captain's proposed withdrawal route.

After explaining the plan, Torifu Akimichi was finally able to rest. Leaning against the earth behind him, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Two days later, Torifu Akimichi's external wounds had indeed improved considerably, but his face was pale, and his condition still looked worrying...

Regardless, the Konoha team was ready to move again. After erasing all traces of their presence, they began a cautious retreat west.

There was something Torifu Akimichi hadn't told his teammates. He'd chosen to withdraw through the Land of Birds partly to confirm something along the way.

The journey passed without incident. From the Land of Rain to the Land of Birds and then the Land of Wind, they went from relentless downpours to the scorching desert. The heat and humidity left them all feeling as though they might collapse.

After entering the Land of Wind, the team traveled through the vast desert, using the dunes to hide themselves.

While they were in the Land of Wind, Torifu Akimichi released his last messenger bird, hoping Konoha Ninja would meet them along the way.

The team traveled at an unhurried pace for three days. At last, they crossed the desert in the Land of Wind and entered the Land of Rivers.

As soon as they entered the Land of Rivers, they spotted the Konoha Ninja who had come to meet them... It seemed Torifu Akimichi's message had been delivered successfully.

That meant the team was basically safe.

At the head of the reception team was a man in standard Jonin attire, with a Konoha Forehead Protector and long, flowing white hair tied in a ponytail. A short sword hung at his waist.

Yuzuru perked up instantly. Was there some insanely powerful figure among the team sent to meet them? Someone like the legendary Konoha White...

"Hiruko."

Torifu Akimichi called out the other man's name.

"..."

All right, Hatake Sakumo and Hiruko were both Konoha Jonin, and they belonged to the same generation, but they were nothing alike... Winning five million in the lottery wasn't the same as winning five hundred.

As Yuzuru recalled, Hiruko had once been a member of the Sannin's team. Later, unable to accept that he was weaker than his teammates, he left the team... and eventually became a rogue ninja.

"Lord Akimichi, please come with me. The area is secure. There are no enemies in sight."

Hiruko spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. Once he'd met up with the Konoha team, he led everyone straight toward the forward camp.

The withdrawal went smoothly, and they encountered no further trouble. When the team reached the forward camp, Hiruko's team had completed its escort mission, so they left immediately.

Torifu Akimichi then led everyone to the forward command post. There, Yuzuru met the highest-ranking commanders on Konoha's front line... Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzō.

For some reason, seeing the two of them gave Yuzuru the feeling that Konoha had no capable leaders left.

Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzō were in charge of Konoha's front line? All right, rumors said Mitokado Homura was no weaker than the Third Hokage, but what was he really like?

"Akimichi, you're back. What's going on with Iwagakure?" Shimura Danzō merely glanced at Torifu Akimichi's injuries before beginning his rather cold questioning.

Torifu Akimichi didn't seem to mind. He shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, all three reconnaissance posts were wiped out."

"I recovered two final intelligence reports..."

"First, Iwagakure changed its route into the Land of Rain. They used to enter from the northwest, passing through the western part of the Land of Birds. Now they're coming in from the northeast, passing through the northern part of the Land of Grass."

"Second, Iwagakure has put their two Jinchuriki together and sent them directly to the battlefield..."

There was no doubt that both pieces of intelligence were extremely important.