Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! (Combined)

Takahashi Yū hurled his wheat juice to the floor. The empty beer can hit the floor with a sharp clang.

Absurd! Absolutely absurd!

Was this really not the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi?

Takahashi Yū lay on the couch, questioning his life. He had figured everything out: Kushina really had been kidnapped last night.

Kushina had moved out of Mito's residence, but she was still within the Senju Clan Compound. Hiruzen Sarutobi had not assigned ANBU to watch or protect her, either.

According to the sealing jutsu master Uzumaki Shui Ling, that strange stone was a product of the Land of Demons' Miko. It belonged to a different system from chakra, so naturally, it could not be sensed.

The three laughable Cloud Shinobi had endured "countless hardships" and "evaded" the Guard Unit, which was short-handed from supporting the Land of Water Frontline. They had even made their way into the Senju Clan Compound and brazenly abducted Kushina.

They had not even bothered changing out of their Cloud Shinobi uniforms!

Wearing conspicuous red-and-white shinobi uniforms, they had kidnapped a candidate jinchūriki right out of Konoha's home base.

What the hell was this?

While Takahashi Yū marveled at home over how the Shinobi World's absurdity exceeded his imagination, the Senju residence was quite lively as well.

Kushina and the Third Hokage knelt before Mito Uzumaki. Mito, Konoha's retired emperor, wore an expression as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Kushina... as long as you're all right. Go outside first. I have something to discuss with the Third."

"Oh, and move back in."

Kushina did not refuse. In fact, she looked better than she had a few days ago. Now she knew that people in Konoha outside the household still cared about her-like a certain handsome Blondie!

A hero rescuing a damsel in distress was pretty devastating to a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl. Although he had not actually rescued her, and had even been shaken about by a very fierce man because of Doggo, her heart still felt sweet, and she already could not wait to see him.

Once Kushina closed the door, Mito's face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot. The Third, still kneeling, was drenched in sweat too.

"Monkey, I can't hold on much longer. How can I rest easy with you acting like this?"

The Third Hokage struggled to keep his mind clear. That old monster Mito could use some of the Nine-Tails' abilities, such as sensing malice. If he failed to restrain himself and silently complained about her, he would undoubtedly receive a thrashing from her Adamantine Sealing Chains.

She was the one who failed to watch over her. What could I do? Have ANBU monitor her twenty-four hours a day, or spy on her with my Telescope Technique? I'd get whipped either way!

With seniority and strength, you really could do whatever you wanted.

I'm done for...

Mito's gaze instantly sharpened.

"Monkey! You seem to be thinking something disrespectful..."

Golden chains had already begun emerging behind her, and a bead of sweat rolled down the Third's forehead.

"Forget it. I'd better conserve some strength."

As she spoke, Mito resumed looking through the report on this incident.

"Mizuki Uzumaki. This little girl seems more talented than Kushina. Are you certain she produced three Adamantine Sealing Chains?"

Hearing this, the Third Hokage hurried to answer, afraid Mito might get ideas she should not have.

"Lady Mito, she should be capable of more. She looked completely at ease the whole time..."

Mito Uzumaki narrowed her eyes and glanced at the Third.

"Put those thoughts out of your head. I'm not that muddleheaded yet. Takahashi Yū, huh..."

"It seems I'll have to speed up Kushina's instruction. My life is already a candle guttering in the wind, and I still need to save some strength to transfer the Nine-Tails safely."

"Monkey, you can begin the preparations..."

A trace of grief entered the Third Hokage's eyes. His lips moved slightly twice as he tried to say something, but in the end, all he managed was:

"Yes, Lady Mito."

"Find a way to have Takahashi Yū leave the village temporarily. This is the Nine-Tails, after all."

"But..."

"No buts. I'm still confident I can do this. As for Takahashi Yū, I can't see through him. He's steeped in murderous intent, yet so much of his heart is soft. Monkey... keep him tied to us. Don't make an enemy of him!"

"Yes."

Hiruzen Sarutobi left the Senju residence and returned to the Hokage's office. Setting aside his paperwork, he slowly walked to the window. Gazing at Konoha's scattered lights, Sarutobi lit the tobacco in his Tobacco Pipe.

He took a deep drag of the low-quality tobacco and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, obscuring the sorrow in the Third's eyes.

She was, after all, an elder who had always looked after him. Back when the Second Hokage had entrusted him with the position in a moment of crisis, Hiruzen Sarutobi could never have held onto the Hokage position without Mito Uzumaki's staunch support. His position was secure now, but the last elder he could rely on had little time left.

From this point on, Konoha would officially pass into his generation's hands. There would no longer be a steadying pillar to safeguard them.

He took a letter from his robes. It was from his good friend Shimura Danzō, sent from the Land of Lightning battlefield. Ever since the pressure on the front had plummeted, Danzo had kept writing to urge Konoha to send reinforcements. He wanted to end this war.

Hiss... huff!

With the tobacco pipe between his lips, he took another deep drag and slowly exhaled white smoke. The smoke entering his lungs made the Third increasingly calm.

"Demon... hero... what harm is there in fanning your flames a little more!"

A determined light shone in the Third's eyes.

He tapped the windowsill in a particular rhythm.

An expressionless shinobi immediately appeared behind the desk.

He carefully folded his friend's letter and handed it to this Root operative, a man whose embodiment of the Will of Fire made even the Hokage marvel.

"Take this to Takahashi Yū. I'll be waiting for him here tomorrow."

The Root shinobi remained silent. He merely nodded, accepted it, and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.

Returning to the endless paperwork, the Third Hokage steadied himself. He believed that Konoha, this great vehicle, would ultimately travel smoothly under his guidance.

The stillness of late night enveloped the Farm. From time to time, one or two strange cries came from the deep, dark woods.

Takahashi Yū lay idle on the couch. After leaving the battlefield, he felt somewhat unable to adjust.

Wearing a long nightdress, Mizuki came pattering downstairs into the living room.

"Lord Takahashi Yū, there's a, um... very disordered chakra heading our way."

"Don't call me lord. What do you mean, disordered?" Takahashi Yū waved at Mizuki. He was about to ask her to explain in detail when he heard a familiar birdcall.

"It's fine. Go upstairs first." Takahashi Yū motioned for Mizuki to go upstairs, then headed outside with his coat draped over him.

He had to admit that when Takahashi Yū heard that familiar signal, even the blood flowing through his body seemed to pause for a moment. What followed was a restlessness in his heart that made him feel as though he had returned to the battlefield.

He had already spotted the figure that seemed to blend into the night, as silent as the Farm's woods.

Takahashi Yū had always held considerable respect for these warriors who had crawled back from hell, because he could not go as far as they did. Seals on their brains, seals on their emotions, and numerous restraints for dying together with their enemies-these also limited their strength. From the moment the restraints were applied, their strength would never increase in the slightest.

Root's current seals were not as mature as those of later generations. Every application gambled with a life. After all, Mito was still alive; they could not possibly consult these inhumane sealing jutsu, which were strictly forbidden even among the Uzumaki.

"You again. Why do you still do this even inside the village?"

Takahashi Yū himself did not notice the faint delight in his voice.

"If you were asleep, I would wait," the Root shinobi stated coldly as he handed Takahashi Yū the letter.

"Lord Hokage will be waiting for you tomorrow." With that, he flickered away and disappeared into the dense woods.

Holding the folded envelope, Takahashi Yū returned to the living room.

Under the living room's warm light, he opened the letter carrying the scent of war.

"Reading these words is as though we meet in person. Pressure on the Land of Lightning's Eastern Front has dropped sharply. Kumogakure has intensified its probing of the Land of Earth. The Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki are on the main battlefield. I do not wish to trade the pointless sacrifices of our own village's shinobi for a continued stalemate on the Land of Lightning battlefield. I request reinforcements!

-Shimura Danzō"

Takahashi Yū rubbed his forehead, deeply conflicted. He did not want to fight for Konoha again, but the scorching blood in his veins kept drawing him back to memories of iron and blood.

His soul, which came from a peaceful world, had changed in this unfamiliar one. In his previous life, he had barely even killed any chickens, yet now he had unknowingly grown dependent on the thrilling battlefield. Life on the Farm had not left him satisfied.

Was the bloodthirsty transformation of [Radiant Glow] not also following Takahashi Yū's true desires? Killing was a vice, but it seemed Takahashi Yū could no longer quit.

After returning to the village, Takahashi Yū had spent most of his time staring into space. He seemed to have forgotten his original way of life. He had not noticed any change in his teammates since their return, either. They seemed to do nothing but train, train, and train.

"Sigh..."

What Takahashi Yū looked forward to now was nothing other than the Third giving him a reason he could not refuse tomorrow.

He pulled the light switch, extinguishing the sole remaining light on the vast Farm.

The night passed without a word.

Takahashi Yū draped the red padded coat Uchiha Delia had given him over his shoulders and headed toward the Hokage Building.

He no longer deliberately expended mental effort to keep the [Murderous Intent Fluctuation], which he had suppressed ever since returning to the village, tightly contained. A faint bloody scent spread throughout the street, and the villagers hurried past with their heads down.

Bang!

Takahashi Yū pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.

The Third watched him silently, tobacco pipe between his lips. Takahashi Yū pulled out a chair and dropped into it, making the office chair creak.

"Takahashi, a promise. I promise you in the name of the Hokage!"

"From today onward, your people will suffer no persecution of any kind! That includes underhanded political moves!"

"Just like the promise the First made to Hot Springs Street!"

Bang!

Takahashi Yū shut the door to the Hokage's office.

He kicked open the door to the Hokage Building's rooftop, spread his fluctuations slightly, and waited quietly.

In a courtyard, flowers stubbornly blooming against the cold weather adorned a quiet house. Wearing gloves and holding a little trowel as she fertilized them, Yamanaka Ayano suddenly looked toward the Hokage Building. For the first time since Takeshi and Ryūhei's ordeal, a bright smile like a plum blossom bloomed on her face.

In a dim room, Nara Yūma kept fiddling with a shogi piece. He was staring blankly at the room's only game board, his gaze turning slightly northeast. He looked a little impatient, but he could not suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.

In the Uchiha Clan Compound, Uchiha Shunji, who was being pestered by a group of youngsters wanting a round, suddenly froze as well. Faster than him, two figures blazing with fluctuations shot out of the training grounds. Uchiha Delia and Uchiha Kenichi raced across the rooftops. Both had Three-Tomoe Sharingan made even more uncanny by the murderous intent fluctuation.

Gekko Yūma, who was helping his wife bring in the laundry drying in their courtyard, smiled faintly at her and handed her the laundry basket. Under her puzzled gaze, he kissed her forehead, then leaped onto the roof and hurried toward the Hokage Building.

Takahashi Yū did not wait long on the rooftop before Uchiha Delia and Kenichi arrived first. He motioned for them to wait; he would explain once everyone was there.

Gekko Yūma arrived next. A wielder of a tachi was rather agile.

Uchiha Shunji also flipped up onto the rooftop from the second-floor eaves.

Finally, Nara Yūma and Yamanaka Ayano arrived by the stairs.

Seeing all six assembled, Takahashi Yū grinned at them. The murderous intent in Uchiha Delia's eyes was practically tangible, while the others also looked as though they already understood.

"Everyone, I still want to ask first: does anyone want to sit out the coming war?"

They exchanged glances, each seeing the other's inability to adjust to their current lives.

"Life in the village really is far too boring, Captain." Uchiha Delia's sweet voice delivered words brimming with murderous intent.

"Is it?" Ignore Shunji, who spent every day fooling around with the youngsters.

"If you hadn't come looking for me, Captain, I would've gone to take a mission soon anyway. The Gekko Clan isn't easy to support," Gekko Yūma said helplessly.

"Exactly. Yūma studies shogi every day. I really don't know what's so fun about it." Yamanaka Ayano gathered her long hair and tied it into her familiar ponytail.

"Aren't you the same? You're either at the hospital or in the courtyard fussing over those flowers," Nara Yūma retorted.

Seeing everyone in such high spirits, Takahashi Yū laughed even louder.

"Konoha's demon is taking the other demons back to war!"

"We leave first thing tomorrow. I've had enough of spending every day staring into space too!"

With their arms slung over one another's shoulders, they jumped down from the Hokage Building's rooftop, drawing stares from the shinobi still working inside.

Seeing the Undying Squad, the other shinobi felt an indescribable reassurance, as though the war's end would not be far off once they took action.

Including Takahashi Yū, the seven of them headed in a grand procession toward Konoha Hospital. After visiting the still-groggy Ryūhei, Takahashi Yū stopped Doctor Zhipin in the ward.

According to the rather airheaded Doctor Zhipin, she had nearly finished studying the eyeball Tsunade Hyūga had sent over. She had even made slight adjustments to better suit Ryūhei's body.

Takahashi Yū's concerns about the Byakugan's compatibility had been unnecessary. Byakugan of the same origin really did not cause such severe rejection.

After leaving the hospital, Takahashi Yū sent everyone off. Those with families were to make proper arrangements, while those without were to enjoy Konoha's local specialties.

Carrying a large bag of things, he went to visit his neighbors on Hot Springs Street one by one. Upon learning that Takahashi Yū was going back to the battlefield, the neighbors roundly cursed the Third. He had only just come back! Was he trying to make the Takahashi boy visit every battlefield?

Seeing the neighbors' outrage, Takahashi Yū hurriedly stopped them from heading to the Hokage Building. It took a great deal of persuasion to calm them down.

Worn out from arguing with his neighbors, Takahashi Yū dragged himself back to the Farm, summoned the redheads, and gave them instructions.

"Mizuki, hold on to this money. Pay the carpenter when he finishes the work."

Mizuki Uzumaki took the banknotes Takahashi Yū handed her in bewilderment, staring at him questioningly.

"Ahem... I'm going off to war again."

Takahashi Yū felt a little embarrassed. After all, he had initially told them he would not fight for Konoha, and now he was failing to keep his word.

Uzumaki Shui Ling stopped Mizuki as she was about to speak.

"Don't try to persuade him. Look at him, grinning from ear to ear. Some people can't live without fighting."

Even after hearing Elder Shui Ling's words, Mizuki spoke anyway.

"No, I wanted to ask if I could go with him?"

"Hm?!" Takahashi Yū voiced his surprise.

"No! What happens to my Farm if you leave too? You need to manage our Farm properly. When I get back, I want to see crops covering the fields!"

Takahashi Yū placed his large hand on Mizuki's head.

"Besides, everyone at home is either a child or an elder. What will they do if you leave? And there's Simba too!"

Without waiting for Shui Ling to speak, Takahashi Yū rejected Mizuki's idea. What a joke. He was going to take part in the decisive battle this time. Bringing a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child like Mizuki along would disgrace the Undying Squad. Besides, sending children onto the battlefield had always been something Takahashi Yū despised.

"It's settled. Stay home, manage the Farm properly, and look after everyone."

After ruffling Mizuki's hair, Takahashi Yū opened the refrigerator and took out some of the little wheat juice remaining.

Seeing how firm Takahashi Yū was, Mizuki could only suppress her thoughts and nod helplessly at him.

He would head to the battlefield tomorrow, and Takahashi Yū was very excited now.

The Shinobi World's Strongest Spear and the Strongest Shield were finally going to determine which was superior!