He had arrived at the front in secret this time, bringing only a few people with him.
Ōnoki had worked it all out clearly in his mind-this massive operation was not just about fighting a war. It was also meant to fool the other villages' spies and seize the chance to stab Kumogakure hard.
His real objective was to capture the Third Raikage alive and squeeze a huge ransom out of Kumogakure.
That way, Iwagakure could recoup the astronomical military expenses it had burned through in this war, with interest.
"Father, when is the next attack scheduled?" Kitsuchi asked from beside him.
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. "Kumogakure must have already sent people to the Land of Lightning for reinforcements. We need to catch that old bastard, the Third Raikage, before their reinforcements arrive."
He slammed his hand onto the table. "Pass the order to the entire army! We launch an all-out assault the day after tomorrow. Wipe out every last one of those Kumogakure bastards in one go!"
Still, anyone could make plans, but everyone had their own way of fighting.
Kumogakure had its own calculations.
Iwagakure had its own calculations too.
And naturally, Konoha would not sit idle either.
"Dad!"
At the sight of that familiar figure, Kakashi rushed over with long strides and buried himself in his father's arms.
Without that Sharingan, who knew whether he could still maintain his trademark ability to fight anyone to a draw?
"Kakashi, I'm just glad you're all right." Hatake Sakumo stroked his son's head, relief in his voice. "I heard. Your teammate, to save you... he was a true hero."
Two days earlier, he had received an urgent letter from Xuan Zhe, telling him to come alone as quickly as possible.
If he had