Ye Zi had gone deep into enemy territory alone, and now the Allied Forces were left with two options.
One was for the Five Kage to personally take action and intercept Ye Zi; the other was to mobilize a core force from within the army to encircle and hunt him down.
Because they feared that a rash redeployment of troops might ruin the advantage they had just secured, most of the Kage leaned toward the first option. The only one who found this unwise was Nara Shikaku.
Among the Five Kage, the Kazekage Rasa had already been assigned to the Third Division as its commander, so only four Kage remained in the rear. Moreover, the Mizukage was a temporary replacement whose combat ability was far inferior to that of Minato and others.
There weren't many troops left guarding the rear either. If the four Kage all left to intercept Ye Zi, they might indeed have a chance to defeat him in one decisive strike, but it would also entail great risk.
What if the four Kage couldn't win against Ye Zi?
What if Ye Zi had arranged for another force to capture Kushina while they were away?
Shikaku frowned slightly. He didn't reveal his thoughts right away but silently observed the four Kage present.
"Although I'm just an old man now, I can't just sit here forever," said Ōnoki, twisting his neck until it cracked audibly, one crack louder than the others causing him to freeze awkwardly.
The Fourth Raikage, A, didn't notice Ōnoki's brief discomfort and said coolly, "I can't beat Ye Zi alone. But if we join forces, we might just have a chance."
Proud as ever, the Raikage was at least straightforward enough to admit that Ye Zi outmatched him.
Minato's face remained calm. Without speaking, he turned to look at Shitun.
Meeting Minato's gaze, Shitun said evenly, "I have no objections. If we can eliminate Ye Zi, that would be for the best."
Minato nodded slightly. He hadn't given his suggestion much prior thought, it simply felt wrong to let Ye Zi act unchecked. Since Ye Zi had entered enemy lines alone, it was a rare opportunity.
As the others discussed the matter, Ōnoki quietly adjusted his slightly dislocated bones back into place.
Seeing that the four Kage were all in agreement, Shikaku sighed inwardly. He wouldn't oppose their decision openly, but he needed them to take one thing seriously.
He said in a steady tone, "Ye Zi's goal is the Nine Tails. No matter what happens, we must ensure Kushina's safety."
The four Kage all nodded.
"Of course," Ōnoki said gravely.
"We four will go intercept Ye Zi ourselves. No need to bring anyone else," A said flatly. His meaning was clear, the remaining forces in the rear would stay behind to protect the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Ye Zi could not, under any circumstance, be allowed to seize the Nine Tails. That had been a shared consensus since before the war began.
"It'll take at least an hour to reach the battlefield from here," Shitun noted. "We need to keep track of Ye Zi's movements at all times. It might be best to send a team to engage and hold him."
Considering their need to conserve chakra and stamina for the actual battle, it was crucial to pace themselves on the way. And to ensure they could intercept Ye Zi at the right moment, they needed constant updates on his position.
"Ye Zi is a sensory type as well…" Shikaku said grimly. "A sensory unit tailing him won't be effective. If we send a strike team to engage him, we might be able to monitor his movements, but Ye Zi is far too strong. The ones sent to engage him…"
"War is like that, isn't it?" A interrupted coldly.
Ōnoki said in a calm tone, "Every shinobi who steps onto the battlefield has already accepted the possibility of death."
Shikaku's expression grew tense. He didn't reply further.
If they needed to send a squad to "restrain" Ye Zi, it would essentially be a suicide mission.
As A said, this was war.
Minato clenched his fist slightly. All of them had fought in many wars; suicide missions like these were not uncommon.
Still, the cost should always match the benefit but this time, they were to sacrifice elite shinobi merely to keep track of Ye Zi's movements.
"Shikaku, I'm leaving things here to you."
It wasn't the first time Minato had said that to him. To Minato, Shikaku was a man completely worthy of trust.
Ōnoki and the others also recognized Shikaku's capability, so they raised no objection.
Shikaku nodded firmly. Once the four Kage departed, the responsibility of command in the rear would rest entirely on his shoulders.
After making their preparations, the four Kage quickly set out for the battlefield.
Once they left, in a wooden cabin not far away, Kushina sitting quietly in a chair, lifted her eyelids slightly, her expression pensive.
She could sense Minato and the others' departure. Though she didn't know the exact situation on the front lines, the fact that even Minato had gone meant things were not looking good.
Two ANBU stood silently behind her, one on each side. Around the cabin, hundreds of elite ANBU were stationed as her guard unit.
One of the two ANBU closest to her, the same one who had earlier summoned Kakashi to the building beneath the Hokage Monument, glanced briefly at the worried expression on Kushina's face before quietly looking away.
The suicide mission to delay Ye Zi was soon issued through Haiichi Yamanaka's communication network.
Its danger level was clearly stated, almost certain death.
No specific members were assigned; instead, shinobi from the Third and Fourth Divisions could volunteer.
The Fourth Division was a special operations unit, the strongest in direct combat, currently holding the line against the clone army. When they heard of the mission, four people volunteered without hesitation: Shisui Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and Pakura from Sunagakure.
However, Ye Zi's current position was near the Third Division's battlefield, about five minutes away from them, and since Pakura was the Fourth Division's commander, she couldn't leave her post.
Thus, the first three... Shisui, Obito, and Itachi were confirmed. Others soon followed, volunteering for what was essentially a death mission.
As the fighting grew more intense, Ye Zi remained unaware that the Allied Forces had begun targeting him specifically.
However, both he and White Zetsu were sensory types, meaning ambushes were no concern. He could continue advancing toward the Allied rear with ease.
Soon, he arrived at the Third Division's battlefield. This time, he summoned his coffins in advance. Orochimaru, controlling the reanimated bodies Ye Zi had prepared, brought forth a third wave of Edo Tensei soldiers: jinchūriki from various villages, along with Kato Dan and Fugaku Uchiha from Konoha.
This move put the Allied team assigned to stall Ye Zi in an awkward position,because the ones they had to face were the Edo Tensei resurrected warriors under Orochimaru's control.
Meanwhile, Ye Zi avoided direct engagement with them and simply pressed onward.
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