Within the Land of Rain.
Deep in a dense forest.
"Pat!" "Pat!"...
As the slow, steady sound of footsteps rang out, two tall figures appeared.
"Whoosh..."
In a puddle in a ditch beneath a tree, Kinnara's figure slowly spilled out with a strange sound.
"Kinnara, you look a little worse for wear."
Sosuke looked at him, a faint smile slowly appearing at the corner of his mouth as he spoke softly.
"Goodness, the fellow you asked me to lure out was far too reckless. I'd planned to try and hold him up by talking, but he attacked as soon as we met..."
"Honestly, he's such a rude fellow..."
The edges of Kinnara's clothes had been burned into tattered scraps. He pursed his lips and complained helplessly.
At his words, Sosuke smiled, a nostalgic look flickering in his eyes as though he were remembering the time he had spent with Jiraiya.
"That fellow... has always been so rude..."
Sosuke chuckled and shook his head, speaking under his breath.
Then he slowly turned toward Amegakure, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he spoke softly.
"Come on, Minato, Kinnara. Let's take out the stubborn holdouts in Amegakure. Then this war with Konoha can finally be declared over."
"Yes, Captain Aizen."
Minato answered respectfully.
Behind him, Kinnara's playful expression faded, and he nodded seriously.
The three of them slowly disappeared from the spot.
Meanwhile.
Tsunade and Orochimaru had also returned to the Konoha outpost in the Land of Rain.
Inside a tent in the camp.
"W-what!?"
"The captains actually went to fight Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, and came back unscathed!?"
A young Konoha ninja looked at Tsunade and asked in a trembling, disbelieving voice.
Tsunade gave him a helpless look and replied sweetly, "We were trying to find the source