By the time Yubi woke up, he had slept until noon.
He had woken up... because he was hungry.
The Sunagakure shinobi in the outpost were all looking delighted.
Yubi took a food pill from a medical ninja and swallowed it. Only after the ninja explained did he learn that the Third Kazekage, Granny Chiyo, and the others had gained a clear advantage on the front line, with reports of victory arriving one after another.
It seemed the outcome of this great battle between Sunagakure and Amegakure had already been decided.
"So soon?"
To be honest, Yubi was a little surprised.
Since the Third Kazekage and Chiyo had both taken the field, Hanzo of the Salamander might well have been personally commanding the Amegakure forces too.
Generally speaking, a war on this scale could hardly end without several days and nights of fighting.
It looks like Hanzō wasn't all that committed to this surprise attack on the Land of Wind...
Yubi thought to himself.
In the original story, Hanzō had been portrayed as a ruthless, ambitious leader who had steadily expanded the Land of Rain from a tiny nation, giving it a measure of territory and resources.
He certainly deserved the title of Demigod of the Ninja World, but later, after the Second Shinobi World War ended, his inaction had also left the people of the Land of Rain struggling to survive and the country in utter chaos.
His trusted followers had abused his authority to run rampant throughout the Land of Rain... without any intention of governing the country properly.
From that perspective, there was only so much to this Hanzō... His strength was undeniable, but he... wasn't necessarily a good leader.
"Where's Sasori?"
Putting his thoughts aside, Yubi looked around and discovered that Sasori, who should have been recuperating, was nowhere to be seen.
"He went out at daybreak."
Someone answered.
By now, the Amegakure shinobi in the canyon had been almost entirely cleared out.
But Sasori was still injured, after all. Rashly acting alone was still dangerous.
"He didn't sneak off to the front line by himself, did he?"
Yubi's eyelid twitched.
Just as he was thinking about it, Sasori emerged from the passage.
That let Yubi breathe a sigh of relief.
Sasori glanced at him too, then found an empty corner to sit in and continued tinkering with his puppet parts.
After resting for a while, Yubi joined the other medical ninja in treating the wounded.
Since the rear lines now had a measure of security and Amegakure was no longer infiltrating them, the medical team's main work was treating comrades transported back from the front.
The primary task of rear outposts like theirs in this war was to provide a measure of logistical and medical support to the front line.
Besides facing the Land of Rain's invasion, the Land of Wind also had to contend with the restless ninja villages of Kirigakure and Iwagakure.
Kirigakure was rather unusual. It was somewhat like an island nation, sharing no borders with other countries, so naturally it had no direct territorial disputes.
This gave Kirigakure plenty of leeway to secure benefits for itself whenever the Shinobi World underwent upheaval... It was not only harassing the Land of Wind but also frequently striking at the Land of Fire.
The same was true of Iwagakure.
At present, the fighting was most intense between the Land of Rain, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire...
So, to the other powers, the more fiercely those three fought, the better. Only then could they reap the rewards while also kicking them when they were down.
For that reason, Sunagakure could not deploy all its fighting strength against Hanzō either, sending only the Third Kazekage and Chiyo.
Meanwhile, fighters like Rasa still had to guard against Konoha taking the opportunity to cause trouble.
The spark for this shinobi war appeared to have been Hanzō's rise, but in reality, the major ninja villages were using their emphasis on "peace" as a pretext to expand and reshape the balance of the Shinobi World.
The major ninja villages all had considerable ambitions... and the Land of Wind was no exception.
Even now, the Land of Wind still wanted to annex territory from the Land of Fire, coveting its abundant resources.
By comparison, Konoha seemed to be the defending side, forced to react.
Because, at their root, the major ninja villages' calls for "peace" all stemmed from dissatisfaction with Konoha's unrivaled dominance.
Konoha was the real focus of their attacks.
Even Iwagakure and Kirigakure attacked Konoha more frequently than they did Sunagakure.
But the facts proved that, however fiercely this shinobi war seemed to rage, no one had managed to come out ahead.
Konoha still produced many rising talents, and it had not become overwhelmed and collapsed overnight as the other major ninja villages had envisioned.
Though its strength had also suffered, in Yubi's view, the Second Shinobi World War had not affected Konoha as severely as the Third Shinobi World War.
Sunagakure, on the other hand, was the one whose foundations had truly been shaken.
By evening, the great battle finally ended.
It concluded with Hanzō leading Amegakure in retreat.
The Third Kazekage, Granny Chiyo, and the others also withdrew from the front line.
Many wounded began to be sent back to the village, and the village also reassigned personnel and reorganized its frontline deployments and arrangements.
Sunagakure's army set up a temporary camp on a stretch of stony desert.
Yubi and Sasori also left the canyon to join the main force.
Yubi's mission period had not yet ended... By rights, he still had to carry out his mission.
However, the Third Kazekage wanted to see him.
Simple tents had been pitched across the barren gravel-covered ground.
Sunagakure shinobi moved among them, some cooking and others sorting marching supplies.
A Kazekage guard led Yubi and Sasori into the largest tent at the center of the camp.
"Lord Kazekage, they're here."
After entering, the guard dropped to one knee and reported.
Yubi finally got a close look at the Third Kazekage.
Though he had seen the Third Kazekage once before in the village, he had been too far away to get close to him.
From the early clashes of the Second Shinobi World War to its outbreak and then the present, the fighting had never stopped. As Kazekage, the Third was naturally incredibly busy... and rarely appeared before outsiders.
He had long, dark blue hair and yellow-brown eyes. His features and face were somewhat stern, giving him an imposing air.
His build was rather thin.
Kekkei Genkai... Magnet Release, Iron Sand.
A thought flashed through Yubi's mind.
All of Sunagakure's current reserves of fighting strength owed their thanks to one man: the Second Kazekage, Shamon.
He had developed the Puppet Technique and spread its use, making it a hallmark of Sunagakure.
Then there was the Sand Manipulation Technique.
It was also during that period that many outstanding shinobi emerged in Sunagakure.
"Sasori..."
The Third Kazekage's voice was deep, with a hint of sternness. His gaze lingered on Sasori for a moment, and he nodded in approval.
Clearly, he and Sasori knew each other well.
Even when meeting the Kazekage, Sasori's expression barely changed.
"Yubi."
Only then did the Third turn his gaze to the boy standing beside Sasori.
"Lord Kazekage."
Yubi greeted him with a smile.
He showed neither excitement nor timidity, instead appearing perfectly at ease.
Yubi's attitude surprised the Third a little... because it was not quite how a young Genin would normally react to meeting him.
"Well done."
In a rare gesture, the Third lifted the corners of his mouth and offered praise.
"The real purpose behind Amegakure's surprise attack on us was for Hanzō to break through our frontline defenses and throw our rear positions into chaos, thereby bringing down the entire army the village had deployed along the border," the Third began. "But he thought Amegakure could wipe out our shinobi in the rear more quickly, believing those stationed there lacked the strength and ability of those on the front line. He never expected you to hold out for so long... which made him miss his opportunities on the other battlefronts."
"Although everyone at the rear outposts performed exceptionally well... you two were undoubtedly the most outstanding in this battle."
The Third said.
"I wouldn't go so far as to call us outstanding... There were plenty of senior shinobi who did better than we did. We just did our best. In fact, I don't think we were all that useful... At certain times, we even held the senior shinobi back," Yubi replied.
Standing beside him, Sasori glanced at Yubi when he heard that.
It was as if he were saying, answer for yourself-why drag me into it?
"Humility is a virtue... but you shouldn't be too humble. Young people should have some pride."
The Kazekage met Yubi's eyes.
"The area Sasori and I were in was just a single canyon. Although many Amegakure shinobi appeared there, the enemy's overall numbers and scale couldn't compare with the front line at all... To the senior shinobi who went to the border, that sort of fighting was probably nothing more than a minor skirmish... You're only calling us outstanding, Lord Kazekage, because we showed decent ability for our age by comparison."
"I'm not being humble... I simply see the facts clearly. Compared with the village's senior shinobi, what we've experienced... still isn't enough."
Yubi's words left the Kazekage silent.
There was also a hint of being moved in the way he looked at him.
The Third had not expected Yubi, at such a young age, to have such a clear understanding and awareness of the battlefield.
That was a good thing.
Indeed, although it had seemed perilous, to battle-hardened shinobi, the circumstances Yubi and Sasori had encountered were utterly ordinary during a shinobi world war.
They were outstanding... because of the two boys' talent as well.
"You're you, and I'm me. Don't lump me in with you."
Finally unable to stand it any longer, Sasori spoke coldly.
"What does it matter...? We've been through life and death together now."
Yubi shamelessly flashed a toothy grin.
Sasori frowned slightly and ignored him.