In Konoha village, Tsunade had already removed the poison from her body. Now fully armored, she stared fiercely toward Mount Hakuto, her face filled with frustration.
"Old man, what exactly did Anya say in that scroll she gave you, that made you go to such lengths to stop me?" This was the question Tsunade asked the most after returning to Konoha.
The Third sighed and replied, "It contained Anya's complete operation plan. It's classified information. Two days have passed already, and the Four-Nation Coalition still hasn't reached Konoha. It seems her plan worked."
"What kind of plan could it be?" Tsunade was filled with confusion.
"It must remain unspoken. Come on, let's go." The Third removed his Hokage cloak, revealing full battle armor underneath. It was clear he had already prepared for combat.
"Where to?"
"To Mount Hakuto, of course — the very place you were so eager to rush off to."
Hearing they were finally heading to Mount Hakuto, Tsunade felt a surge of joy quickly followed by hesitation. She couldn't imagine how Anya had managed to stop that army. Based on the numbers she knew, the forces involved were even greater than she had imagined.
Just thinking about Anya's cold indifference toward treating lives as mere numbers — and the vow she had made while poisoning Tsunade — caused Tsunade's heart to ache. She knew Anya's methods must be something the Ninja World would never accept. Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have kept it from her, nor would the Four-Nation Coalition have been stopped.
The Third also felt complex emotions as he prepared to leave. When he first read Anya's scroll, he was filled with anger and disbelief. Yet now that the massive army had truly been halted, he found himself feeling something entirely different.
No matter how many forbidden techniques Anya had used in this battle, the end result was that Konoha had been successfully protected. From this perspective alone, everyone in Konoha should feel grateful to her.
Just at that moment, Jiraiya arrived, supporting Minato as he walked. Seeing Tsunade, Jiraiya called out joyfully, "Tsunade, quick — treat Minato's wounds. He's physically drained."
Tsunade snapped out of her thoughts, letting out an unconscious sigh of relief. "Hurry — bring him to my Medical Ward."
The Third seemed to understand something and quickly said, "Since you're needed to treat Minato's injuries, Jiraiya, you can come with me instead."
"To Mount Hakuto? I only found out on the way back — I never expected things to have gotten this bad." Jiraiya's usual carefree demeanor was gone, replaced by a serious expression.
"Let's go."
The Third had his heart set on Mount Hakuto these past two days, and now he couldn't wait even a second longer. After handing Minato over to Tsunade, Jiraiya followed quickly.
Suddenly, Tsunade called out toward the direction the Third had left, "As soon as there's any result, inform me immediately."
Of course, Tsuchikage and Raikage were also closely watching the situation at Mount Hakuto. As soon as Jiraiya appeared in his Sage Mode, the two realized their chance had passed. After a brief exchange of blows, they retreated.
Jiraiya had no reason to chase the enemy into enemy territory recklessly. Thus, both sides called it quits and withdrew.
After regaining their strength, Tsuchikage and Raikage both felt a sense of foreboding. According to normal circumstances, the Allied Forces should have already sent back battle reports by now. With such a powerful force, Mount Hakuto shouldn't have held out for more than a day. Yet there was complete silence.
This important military operation had involved massive numbers of ninja dispatched by two major villages. Several days had passed without receiving the slightest intelligence report. Something was definitely wrong—it was too strange, completely abnormal.
Both Kage were naturally sharp-minded. They reached the same conclusion simultaneously, each leading their Anbu forces toward Mount Hakuto.
Three days ago, in Kirigakure, Master Gen stood motionless at the village gates like a statue, gazing silently into the distance. A slender figure had appeared not far from him. When it tried to sneak away, multiple barriers had already risen from the ground.
"Girl, you've been gone a long time. Don't you even want to greet me when returning?" Master Gen's calm voice showed no trace of emotion.
The slender figure was none other than Terumi Mei, who had just said goodbye to Anya. Still in her playful years, she hadn't returned to the village immediately after parting ways, instead spending more time sightseeing outside before heading back, only to get caught red-handed.
She smiled awkwardly inside the barrier. "Master Gen, I saw you were lost in thought, didn't want to disturb you."
"Finished playing around?" Gen asked.
Mei nervously protested, "I-I wasn't playing. I wanted to help the village with its missions, so I disguised myself as Anbu and went out."
Master Gen didn't expose her lie, continuing, "Since you're back, tell me how many of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist have died."
Terumi Mei exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? You don't know? Four died. The other three should've returned already, right?"
"It seems Fuguki Suikazan wasn't lying. The two survivors haven't returned yet—most likely they've defected." Master Gen sighed helplessly. "I never expected Konoha's kinjutsu to be so powerful. The remaining three have completely lost their courage. Alive in body but dead in spirit."
Looking at Terumi Mei strangely, Master Gen continued, "Out of the seven Seven Swords and their accompanying Anbu who went, only you returned. Could it be that Oub saved you?"
"Master Gen, you're clever! You figured it out right away!" Terumi Mei couldn't help exclaiming, then immediately regretted her words and covered her mouth.
"Forget it. I can't do anything about you." Master Gen didn't pursue the matter further, instead releasing the barrier binding her. "Since you're so eager to take on missions, you'll come with me this time."
"You're leaving the village?" Terumi Mei exclaimed, stunned. This was the first time in many years she'd seen Master Gen preparing to go out.
Master Gen spoke in a mocking tone, "I didn't expect our Mizukage, who normally keeps a low profile, to hide so deeply. His first appearance made a grand move—leading a combined attack from three great nations against Konoha. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, the power balance in the ninja world will change. Since Kirigakure has already acted, we must secure maximum benefits."
Terumi Mei was shocked again, hurriedly asking, "Where are we going?"
Master Gen gazed into the distance, slowly uttering three words: "Mount Hakuto."
The battle within the Allied Forces' Dirt Prison had reached a fever pitch. As the largest target, Manda was under constant attack. Even ants can bring down an elephant. Let alone the fact that the ninjas who had survived until now from the Third Battle weren't weak by any means. Manda had already been badly injured, yet it had devoured the most ninja.
This was a rare chance to feed, and with so much on the table, it wasn't about to walk away. It greedily swallowed every ninja that came near, until a ninja struck its gaping bloody mouth with a Ninja Blade crackling with Lightning chakra, and the pain finally caused it to feel a trace of unease.
"Puff..."
With a wisp of light smoke, Manda voluntarily canceled the Summoning jutsu and returned to its own territory.
Although the biggest threat was gone, the Dirt Prison remained chaotic. Many ninjas had been bitten by poisonous creatures, and the flowing blood only made the beasts more ferocious. Everywhere was a scene of reckless, life-and-death combat.
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