"Enough! Stop arguing!"
Several Jōnin had grabbed Motokawa by the collar, their angry voices ringing through the camp.
The commotion was so loud that even the nearby shinobi units began turning their heads.
Yagura's sharp voice cut through the noise.
The Jōnin froze.
As the Jōnin in charge of logistics, Motokawa could not escape responsibility for losing the army's food supplies.
But after the previous battle, Kirigakure's forces had been routed. Everyone had been too busy surviving and regrouping to keep track of every unit's position, let alone protect the logistics corps.
In the end, Motokawa was not the only one responsible.
The entire army had failed to protect its supply line.
"Yagura-sama!"
"But this man—!"
The Jōnin who had been holding Motokawa still looked unwilling, but under Yagura's cold stare, they could only release him.
A heavy silence fell over the camp.
The deaths of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had already dealt a devastating blow to Kirigakure's morale.
And now, their food supplies were running short.
For the Mist army, it was like being struck again while still bleeding from the first wound.
"Yagura-sama… what should we do?"
Another Kirigakure Jōnin spoke with difficulty.
"If there isn't enough food, do we withdraw?"
At this point, they only had two choices.
The first was to force their way into Konoha and seize supplies from the village.
The second was to retreat immediately.
But because Baiyun Yagami was in Konoha, no one had any confidence that they could break through the village's defenses.
As for retreating, they had to leave as soon as possible.
From their current position, returning to Kirigakure would take roughly five days. The remaining food was barely enough to sustain the army until then.
If they delayed even one more day, the entire force would have to march hungry.
"Bring me the map."
At Yagura's order, a Jōnin quickly handed over a map of the shinobi world.
Yagura spread it across the ground and crouched down.
Under the dim firelight, his eyes moved carefully across the map.
No one spoke.
The surrounding Jōnin waited silently for his decision.
Time passed slowly.
At last, Yagura exhaled.
"We retreat tomorrow."
His voice was low, but firm.
The Jōnin around him quietly let out the breath they had been holding.
Attacking Konoha was too dangerous.
If they failed to break through within five days, Kirigakure's army would run out of food completely.
It was a gamble they could not afford.
There was one other path.
They could turn toward the Land of Wind and attack Sunagakure, which had only recently suffered defeat at Konoha's hands, then seize enough supplies to support the army.
But Kirigakure no longer had a Kage-level fighter to anchor the battlefield.
Their forces had just suffered a crushing defeat, and morale was already unstable.
Launching another campaign now would be no different from gambling with the entire army's life.
After a long struggle, Yagura abandoned the idea.
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
The Jōnin responded at once, relief visible on their faces.
Seeing Yagura hesitate earlier had truly made them fear he might give an order to continue the campaign despite everything.
Fortunately, he had not allowed pride to cloud his judgment.
...
When Yagami woke up the next morning, the spot beside him was already empty.
The only trace Mikoto had left behind was a neatly folded note on the bedside table.
He picked it up and glanced over it.
The handwriting was elegant and unmistakably hers.
The message itself was simple.
She had slipped back home before dawn. If her grandfather discovered she had stayed out all night, explaining it would be troublesome.
Yagami couldn't help chuckling.
Knowing Mikoto, she was probably too embarrassed to face him this morning.
After all, despite how calm and composed she usually appeared, she was surprisingly shy when it came to matters like this.
After washing up, Yagami cleaned his room and headed toward the Uchiha district.
The note had also mentioned breakfast.
Naturally, he had no intention of refusing.
Along the way, villagers greeted him enthusiastically.
"Good morning, Yagami-sama!"
"Morning!"
Yagami smiled and returned their greetings one by one.
By now, most of Konoha already recognized him.
The prestige points in his system had long surpassed one hundred thousand, but Yagami wasn't in any hurry to spend them.
For the moment, he simply let them accumulate.
Soon, he arrived at the Uchiha residence.
Knock. Knock.
"Mikoto, I'm here."
A familiar elderly voice answered from inside.
"Coming, coming."
The door slid open, revealing the Great Elder.
The old man immediately broke into a warm smile.
"Yagami! Just in time."
Without waiting for a response, he ushered him inside.
"Mikoto finished breakfast not long ago."
Yagami merely smiled.
A few minutes later, Mikoto emerged from the kitchen carrying several dishes.
The moment their eyes met, she visibly stiffened.
Then she quietly looked away.
"...Breakfast is ready."
Her voice was noticeably softer than usual.
Yagami pretended not to notice her embarrassment and sat down normally.
The atmosphere became much more natural because of it.
As they ate, Yagami suddenly discovered an extra fried egg hidden beneath his bowl.
He looked up.
Across the table, Mikoto immediately turned her attention toward her porridge as if nothing had happened.
The tips of her ears, however, had already turned red.
Yagami smiled but said nothing.
Some things didn't need to be pointed out.
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