I chewed on a dry slice of beef jerky.
I cast a sidelong glance at the plea for help in my hand, crumpled like pickled cabbage.
"Auntie couldn't handle it herself, so she just had to drag me down with her."
I spat a wad of meat scraps into the corner of the carriage in irritation.
Wind howled through the carriage window, carrying an acrid smell of smoke and burning.
The Wood Dragon Carriage carved a deep furrow through the thick snow.
"Sen, Big Sis didn't have a choice."
The ANBU girl pulled down her cat mask and sighed at me.
"This time, there are a hundred thousand White Zetsu, with Madara himself leading them."
"If Konoha falls, your Hot Spring Cabin won't survive either."
I stuffed the remaining beef jerky into my coat pocket.
"All right, stop bringing up my lousy house. I'm handling this strictly as official business."
I felt the hard case tucked against my chest. The two Rinnegan inside radiated a chill.
"Dragged out in the middle of the night for manual labor, and I haven't even had a bowl of ramen. Just great."
The Wood Snake pulling the carriage let out a low growl and slowed down.
The snowstorm ahead gradually eased, but yellow sand began pouring into the carriage instead.
The great canyon on the border of the Land of Lightning was already close.
The ground here was barren, nothing but cracked yellow mud and broken stones.
White tents stretched in a long, unbroken line with no end in sight.
The Allied Forces' flags snapped in the sandy wind as dust swirled through the air.
"We're here. Lord Sen, the Sixth is waiting for you in the central command tent."
The ANBU girl pushed open the carriage door, gravel crunching beneath her feet.
I