The four of them froze for a moment, stunned by Orochimaru's suggestion.
Minato's eyes widened. "No!" The objection slipped out before he could think.
Orochimaru's gaze sharpened. "Why not?"
Minato clenched his fists. "Because..."
"Because she's your wife?" Orochimaru's tone was calm, almost lazy, but his words cut.
"Listen. Sending out the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki would not only avenge your disciple and strike back at the Hidden Mist, it would also save countless Konoha lives. Our casualties are already severe—so bad that even children are being sent to the front."
He leaned back slightly, voice smooth and deliberate. "With the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and the four of us leading the charge, we could crush Kirigakure quickly and end the war. How many lives would that spare? Isn't that worth considering?"
Minato said nothing, but his jaw tightened.
"And Kushina has already made great contributions," Orochimaru continued. "Her husband..." he gave Minato a faint smile "...would naturally share in that credit. I'll gain some myself, yes, but my first priority is Konoha."
The tent was silent for a long moment. Minato hesitated, his mind torn. It was true—this was the fastest way to end the war. It would also earn him merit. But it would put Kushina in danger.
Jiraiya, reading the conflict in his student's eyes, broke in. "It's a bold plan, I'll give you that. But what if Kushina loses control? And what if other villages find out she's left Konoha? You know what that could invite…"
Orochimaru gave a quiet, humorless chuckle. "Then we take precautions. We'll send an elite escort. Kushina isn't some fragile civilian—if anyone comes with ill intent, we'll tear their claws off. And they may not even find out she's here at all. Do you have so little faith in Konoha's ability to keep secrets, Jiraiya?"
He waved a hand dismissively. "As for losing control, you're imagining the worst. We're not letting her rampage unchecked. She'll use only the power she can safely handle. And if the unexpected happens, Kushina knows sealing techniques. So do we. Together, we can restrain a heavily suppressed Nine-Tails."
He glanced toward Tsunade. "And with her here, any injuries will be dealt with in moments."
Orochimaru's eyes returned to Minato. "She is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and a Konoha kunoichi. This is her village. Isn't it her duty to fight for it? And it's not as if this would be her first deployment. You know that well."
Minato drew a slow breath. His initial resistance softened. "You're right… I've been letting my worry cloud my judgment. The risk exists, but it's not as great as I feared. For Konoha's sake, I agree to let Kushina join the battle."
Since Minato, her husband, had agreed, the others offered no objection.
Tsunade turned to him. "How much of the Nine-Tails' power can she control?"
"She can safely manage six tails," Minato replied. "Seven is possible, but the risk of losing control rises sharply."
"Then we'll cap it at five," Tsunade said. "Better safe than sorry."
"Thank you, Tsunade-senpai," Minato said sincerely.
The power of five tails from the complete Nine-Tails was comparable to seven tails' worth from the half-sealed beast inside Naruto years later. It would be more than enough to tear through Kirigakure's lines.
"Good," Tsunade concluded. "We'll send the proposal to the village immediately."
A scroll marked with the highest level of secrecy was dispatched by hawk toward Konoha. None of them mentioned the fact that Kirigakure's forces had already begun to scatter. They all knew the Mist would withdraw after such a decisive failure. It didn't matter whether their retreat led them back to their current camp or further afield; once Kushina arrived, they would push forward and drive them into the sea.
Later – Konoha Frontline Field Hospital
Uchiha Gen lifted the flap of a medical tent and stepped inside. "Kakashi, I'm here."
Kakashi lay on the narrow cot, eyes fixed on the pine-green canvas above, lost in a haze of grief.
Shisui, seated on a wooden stool at his side, gave Kakashi's arm a gentle nudge. "Kakashi, Gen's here to see you."
Kakashi's gaze shifted, meeting Gen's for a brief moment before sliding away. He gave the faintest nod, then stared upward again.
Gen caught Shisui's eye and gave a small, wordless signal. Shisui understood and slipped out.
"Has he been like this the whole time?" Gen asked quietly.
Shisui's expression darkened. "Since the moment he woke up. Two days now."
He clenched his fists. "I feel useless. I couldn't protect Rin… If she were still here, Kakashi wouldn't be like this."
Gen frowned. "What happened? With your team's strength, it shouldn't have gone this way."
Shisui gave a bitter smile. "We were unlucky. Hidden Mist didn't just send two ANBU squads, they had a swarm of infiltrators already inside the Land of Fire. Kakashi and I ran ourselves ragged, but in the end, we couldn't stop them from taking Rin."
Gen was silent. Against two elite ANBU units, a host of hidden Mist-nin, and the unseen interference of Black and White Zetsu… the odds had been impossible from the start. Even he, with his own abilities, would struggle to protect Rin under those circumstances.
Unless you had overwhelming power, White Zetsu's stealth was nearly impossible to counter. Once your position was exposed, nowhere was safe. Given the scale of the enemy's plan, Kakashi and Shisui surviving at all was an achievement.
"Don't blame yourself too much," Gen said at last. "Sometimes, unless you're one of the supreme commanders, no one can change the outcome. Carry Rin's will forward instead."
"You're right," Shisui said quietly. "I'm coming to terms with it. But Kakashi…"
"He's strong," Gen assured him. "Give him time. He'll find his way through this."
Shisui nodded. "That's all we can do."
Gen turned toward the exit. "I have other matters to handle. I'll check in later."
"Alright."