Evacuation Route

Yuzuru hid in a cave, with nothing to do except take turns on guard duty and practice Wind Release Ninjutsu.

After resting for a few days, the good news was that Yuzuru had regained some mobility. The medical conditions were limited, and his injuries hadn't healed, but he could run now.

Unfortunately, he could only practice in simulation and couldn't actually try using Wind Release.

Due to his high proficiency with the wind element, Yuzuru could instantly convert a large amount of Chakra into wind-attribute Chakra. With this as a prerequisite, combined with the relatively simple hand seals for wind-attribute, and his adeptness at manipulating Chakra in his meridians, Yuzuru quickly became a Wind Release ninja.

Two more days passed, and just as Hazuki Uchiha was about to lose patience, a folded paper fox finally entered the cave.

"The captain is returning, prepare for the reception."

Torifu Akimichi and the other person finally returned. Hazuki Uchiha and Yuzuru were ready to receive them.

A moment later, the cave entrance was opened. As damp, cold air and the smell of earth rushed in, Kairi Omori helped Torifu Akimichi walk in.

The two were in a sorry state, and Torifu Akimichi appeared to be seriously injured.

Yuzuru stepped forward to help Torifu Akimichi sit down, while Hazuki Uchiha quickly concealed the entrance again.

"Captain, your injuries..."

"I'm fine, I just need to rest... We were ambushed by Iwagakure ninja. We only managed to escape the pursuers after days of evasion." Torifu Akimichi waved his hand, indicating he was alright.

But he was covered in blood, looking much more seriously injured than Yuzuru had been.

"The mission is complete, but we can't withdraw immediately. We need to wait until the captain recovers a bit," Kairi Omori said.

Yuzuru and Hazuki Uchiha had only participated in a small part of the entire mission chain; the rest was completed by Torifu Akimichi and Kairi Omori.

The captain needed time to recover, and no one disagreed with that. However, they also needed to be clear that the longer the squad stayed here, the greater the possibility of exposure.

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

At this moment, Torifu Akimichi took off his shirt, revealing the gruesome wounds on his body. Kairi Omori helped to bandage them in the simplest way possible.

"Thank you... I need two days."

Torifu Akimichi said as he took out various pills from his ninja tool pouch and stuffed them into his mouth as if they were free.

Two days? Would two days be enough?

Yuzuru looked at Torifu Akimichi's wounds and didn't believe the captain could recover in two days... Or perhaps the captain had forcibly used some secret medicine, preparing to speed up his recovery regardless of the consequences.

After the bandaging was complete, Torifu Akimichi was covered in cold sweat, but he had no intention of resting. He forced himself to stay alert and prepared to explain the withdrawal route he had planned.

"Regarding the withdrawal method, we will not be taking the Land of Rain route or the Land of Grass route... We will first head west into the Land of Birds, then from the Land of Birds, we will turn towards the Land of Wind. After crossing the desert of the Land of Wind, we will return to the front-line camp from the Land of Rivers."

This detour would avoid the threats from Iwagakure and Amegakure, but what about Sunagakure?

Seemingly seeing their confusion, Torifu Akimichi forced a smile and said, "The desert is vast, much larger than the Land of Rain."

Even considering the average density of ninja, the desert of the Land of Wind was safer than the jungles of the Land of Rain.

Moreover, the battlefield of the Shinobi World War was currently concentrated in the Land of Rain. The three great ninja villages maintained a tacit understanding during the fierce fighting: they would only let the flames of war spread to the small nations.

Therefore, after a moment of thought, the three agreed to the withdrawal route planned by the captain.

After explaining this, Torifu Akimichi could finally rest with peace of mind. He leaned against the earth behind him, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Two days later, Torifu Akimichi's external wounds had indeed recovered significantly, but his complexion was pale, and his condition looked unsettling...

Regardless, the Konoha squad had regained their ability to move. After erasing their tracks, they began to cautiously withdraw westward.

Torifu Akimichi had not told his teammates one thing: the reason he chose to withdraw in the direction of the Land of Birds was also to confirm something.

There was no further incident. From the Land of Rain to the Land of Birds, and then to the Land of Wind, from the incessant rain to the scorching desert, they felt as if they were about to collapse from the alternating humidity and heat.

Upon entering the Land of Wind, the squad moved through the vast desert, using sand dunes to conceal their presence.

Within the Land of Wind, Torifu Akimichi released the last communication bird, hoping for a reception from Konoha ninja.

The squad traveled at a steady pace for three days, finally crossing the desert of the Land of Wind and entering the territory of the Land of Rivers.

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

This meant the squad was basically safe.

The leader of the reception team wore standard Jonin attire, a Konoha forehead protector, and had flowing white hair tied in a single ponytail. A short sword was sheathed at his waist.

Yuzuru's spirits immediately lifted. Could there be an incredibly powerful figure in the reception team? The legendary Konoha White...

"Hiruko."

Torifu Akimichi called out the other person's name.

"..."

Well, although Hatake Sakumo and Hiruko were both Konoha Jonin and contemporaries, they were entirely different... It was like winning five million versus winning five hundred yuan.

In Yuzuru's memory, Hiruko had once been a member of the Sannin team, but later, unable to accept that his strength lagged behind his teammates, he had left the team... and later became a rogue ninja.

"Lord Akimichi, please follow me. It's safe around here, there are no enemy traces."

Hiruko spoke routinely. After receiving the Konoha squad, he led them directly towards the front-line camp.

The withdrawal process was very smooth, and indeed, they encountered no further unexpected situations. When the squad arrived at the front-line camp, Hiruko's squad completed their escort mission and then departed.

Torifu Akimichi brought everyone to the front-line command post. Here, Yuzuru met the highest-ranking commanders of Konoha's front line... Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzō.

For some reason, seeing these two men gave Yuzuru the feeling that "Konoha has no great generals."

Were people like Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzō leading Konoha's front line? Well, rumor had it that Mitokado Homura's combat power was not inferior to the Third Hokage, but what about in reality?

"Akimichi, you're back. What exactly is the situation with Iwagakure?" Shimura Danzō glanced at Torifu Akimichi's injuries before beginning his somewhat cold inquiry.

Torifu Akimichi didn't mind. He shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, all three reconnaissance outposts have been wiped out."

"I managed to retrieve two pieces of final intelligence..."

"First, Iwagakure has changed their route into the Land of Rain. Instead of entering the Land of Rain from the northwest via the Land of Birds on the west side, they have changed to entering the Land of Rain from the northeast via the Land of Grass on the north side."

"Second, Iwagakure has combined their two Jinchuriki and dispatched them directly onto the battlefield..."

Without a doubt, both pieces of intelligence were extremely important.