When Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others learned that Kazemori Masaki was on his way with reinforcements, their faces lit up with joy. The slug Masaki had prepared beforehand had truly proved its worth. Without it, one of them might have had to draw the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Unit away while the others sought help.
There was no need to imagine what would happen to whoever served as bait. Even if Tobirama took that role, the outcome would probably have been the same. After all, their enemies were two men possessing Nine-Tails chakra and twenty elite ninja. Perhaps only the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha could have been certain of victory. No one in the shinobi world today could face such powerful foes alone.
Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others looked at Tobirama, awaiting his orders. Would they rendezvous with Masaki, or did he have another plan?
Clearly, Tobirama had no intention of joining the main force right away. He feared that doing so would prompt Kinkaku and Ginkaku to withdraw with their unit, costing them the chance to wipe out the enemy in one stroke. They needed to pin them down before they realized what was happening, so that when Masaki arrived, they could no longer vanish into the forest.
"Get ready. We have a hard fight ahead, but we only need to hold out until Masaki and the others arrive," Tobirama said.
Everyone nodded. The enemy had an overwhelming numerical advantage. Even if Tobirama could hold off Kinkaku and Ginkaku alone, their remaining Personal Guard still outnumbered the Second Hokage Guard Unit four to one. A well-coordinated team of four could defeat an opponent a full tier stronger than any of them.
They stopped fleeing and rested where they were, recovering their chakra and depleted stamina. No one spoke.