The next morning, the early mist gave way as warm sunlight cut through it.
Haruki stood by the riverbank, stretching out his limbs with a yawn.
A short distance away, Minato was still going at it, training nonstop.
But even from here, Haruki could tell the guy looked drained. Clearly, he hadn't slept a wink.
Haruki understood. Minato was still beating himself up over Kushina getting hurt. He was desperate to get stronger, fast.
Thing was, Minato was already at jonin level. And unlike those who got promotions during the war, he actually had the strength and skill to back it up.
Haruki shot him a glance but didn't interfere.
Instead, he carried a bucket of clear river water over to the campfire and started prepping breakfast.
"Sensei?"
Kushina's voice came from behind. At some point, she'd woken up. As soon as she stepped out of the tent and spotted Haruki cooking, her eyes widened.
She broke into a run and threw her arms around him, hands trembling.
"Morning," Haruki greeted her calmly, noticing how she was holding back tears. He gave her head a gentle pat.
"Morning… morning, Sensei," she said, her voice a bit shaky.
Once she'd settled down, she realized how tightly she was clinging to him and quickly backed off a couple steps, blushing furiously. Her gaze dropped to the ground, and her fingers fiddled nervously with the hem of her shirt.
"Go get Mikoto for breakfast," Haruki said, rescuing her from the awkwardness.
"Okay!" Kushina replied a little too quickly. She turned, took a few steps, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and disappeared into Mikoto's tent.
Elsewhere, Sakumo had taken Haruki's advice to heart. He'd split the entire squad into smaller units.
Now, groups of three or four were patrolling near the Sand ninja camp, scouting and gathering intel.
Meanwhile, the tent by the riverbank where Minato and the others were staying was just a temporary base they'd put together themselves.
Haruki had already expected they'd end up somewhere like this, so he pulled out a table, a few chairs, and a full set of utensils from a storage scroll.
Four steaming bowls of meat porridge were soon laid out, and the mouth-watering smell filled the air.
Kushina's eyes lit up the moment she saw the food. After days of bland rations, Haruki's cooking felt like a miracle.
"Alright, I'm digging in!" she shouted, snatching up the white ceramic spoon without hesitation.
"Mmm."
The finely diced meat, tender and flavorful, combined with the crunch of lettuce and the smooth texture of rice, created a sweet and savory taste that hit all the right notes.
As the warm food slid down her throat, it spread a comforting heat through her body, like being wrapped in a blanket of sunlight.
It was so good, she nearly cried.
She looked up instinctively and caught Haruki smiling at her.
Instantly blushing again, she ducked her head and focused all her energy on attacking the porridge.
It was obvious the three of them had been barely surviving on whatever they could find over the last few days.
Now that they were technically at war, it wasn't like anyone had time to cook.
Most of their meals had probably been reduced to three coloured pills.
They all flinched just thinking about it.
The ones Haruki gave them during training were a slightly improved version. Tasted tolerable at least.
But the official ones was absolute disaster.
"Sensei, can I have another bowl?" Kushina asked, blinking up at him with wide eyes as she shyly held out her empty bowl.
Haruki raised an eyebrow and turned to Minato with a smirk. "Your turn."
"I got it," Minato said quickly, grabbing the bowl before Haruki could move.
Haruki chuckled to himself. Not long ago, Kushina would've probably snapped something like, "I was talking to Sensei, not you."
But now, she didn't even hesitate to let Minato help, and she even whispered a soft thank you.
War had a way of changing people fast. When you've faced life and death together, even the little things start to matter more.
He watched them laugh and talk while eating, their guards down for once. That simple sight brought a small, satisfied smile to his face.
Breakfast passed in a cozy, cheerful buzz.
Once the dishes were cleaned and stashed away, Sakumo finally showed up.
"Ran into a few Sand ninja on the way. That's what slowed me down," Sakumo said, brushing some dust off his shoulder.
"If they actually managed to delay you, they must've been at least jonin-level," Haruki said, thinking out loud.
Sakumo nodded and gave a small wave to Minato, Kushina, and Mikoto as a casual greeting.
He then added, "The tactic you came up with, it's been working well. The Sand Village took a serious hit the past couple of days. But now they're adapting."
"They're gathering near the river, setting up along the gravel banks and using Earth and Wind Style jutsu to build a massive sand wall. They've also sent out a jonin unit to push back. It's becoming more dangerous."
Haruki nodded. "Smart. If they consolidate like that, though, doesn't that mean they're giving up the flexibility to hunt us down quickly?"
"Exactly. It's turned into a deadlock now," Sakumo said, folding his arms. "They don't have enough troops left to press the offensive or cover ground. And according to Anbu, there's talk among them about a ceasefire."
Haruki wasn't surprised. "Makes sense. They've got nothing to gain by dragging this out."
The Second Ninja World War was running out of steam. Everyone was bruised and battered, and it was clear this phase of the war was winding down.
Peace, or something close to it, was on the horizon.
But Haruki's eyes narrowed slightly.
He knew what was coming next. Once the Third Kazekage vanished, this so-called peace would shatter again, ushering in another cycle of chaos.
"There's one more thing," Sakumo said, like he'd just remembered. "The guy calling the shots on the Sand side now, his name's Arimura Reki. Word is, his son was one of the ninjas who went missing earlier."
Haruki squinted, the name tugging at something in the back of his mind, but nothing came.
He shook his head. "What about the two Cloud ninja? Any word on where they are now?"
Sakumo's brow creased. "After you left, I crossed paths with them again. Honestly, it felt like they were just testing out their own techniques more than anything else."
That made sense.
Haruki immediately thought of the duo techniques A and Killer Bee would eventually become famous for.
If the Cloud Village wanted to start a war, they wouldn't send just two guys.
Haruki unfolded the map and scanned it carefully. The Sand Ninja base wasn't far from the riverbank at all.
A plan started forming in his head.
"You mentioned they built a sand wall, right? What if we tunnel in?" he asked, tapping the map.
"Tunneling?" Sakumo blinked, caught off guard. "Wouldn't their sensory types catch that right away?"
"Perception has its limits," Haruki said, already sketching on the map. "They probably didn't expect anyone to come at them underground. And we're not sending people in, just water."
He drew a ring around the camp.
"They're relying on the terrain to defend themselves, but the ground near the river is low. If we channel the river water beneath them and collapse the sand wall, we could drown them out."
Sakumo nodded slowly, starting to follow. But then he frowned. "Thing is, plain water won't do much to shinobi. And we don't have many water-style users on our side."
"True," Haruki agreed. "But the water jutsu's just the opening move."
Sakumo raised an eyebrow. "So what's the follow-up?"
"Lightning Style," Haruki said with a calm grin. "Lightning and water is a perfect combo. If we get a powerful enough lightning-user to strike after the flood, it'll be devastating."
Sakumo scratched his head. "But where the hell are we supposed to get a lightning style user like that? Konoha doesn't have many. And the only one we do have... well, the Hokage doesn't exactly do field work anymore."
Haruki's grin widened. "A and Killer Bee."
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