After breakfast, Yagami and Mikoto accompanied the Uchiha Grand Elder to the Hokage Building once again.
Until the war ended, whether anything happened or not, Konoha's elders and clan heads were required to gather there. If an emergency occurred, decisions had to be made immediately.
"Report!"
A shinobi suddenly appeared at the entrance of the meeting room around noon and dropped to one knee.
"Lord Third, elders, clan heads… at dawn, Kirigakure's forces began withdrawing toward the coastline."
The moment those words fell, the entire meeting room went still.
Then confusion spread through the room.
"Kirigakure is retreating?"
"What are they planning?"
"Is this some kind of trap?"
The clan heads exchanged doubtful looks.
This was the first time in Konoha's history that an enemy army had pushed so close to the village itself.
Even with Yagami standing guard now, and even if Kirigakure had no realistic chance of breaking into Konoha anymore, their retreat still felt far too sudden.
They had come all this way.
And now they were leaving just like that?
After listening to the murmurs for a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly turned his gaze toward the Nara clan head.
"Nara-dono, what do you think?"
Although the Nara patriarch was already quite old, he still held the position of Konoha's military adviser inside this room.
The Nara clan had always been known for their sharp minds and battlefield analysis.
Naturally, Hiruzen would make use of that strength.
The old Nara patriarch lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before speaking.
"If Kirigakure is withdrawing at a time like this… then the most likely answer is that something happened on their side."
He paused, his brow furrowing slightly.
"As for what exactly happened, I can't say."
He was more than ten years older than Hiruzen, so even in front of the Third Hokage, his tone remained calm and steady.
Hiruzen nodded.
"I see."
Then he looked toward the intelligence shinobi.
"Continue monitoring Kirigakure's movements. Find out whether this is a true retreat or a feint."
"Yes, Lord Third!"
The intelligence shinobi lowered his head respectfully.
After saluting everyone in the room, he disappeared with a Body Flicker.
Once he left, the meeting room gradually became lively again.
"At least this saves us the trouble of driving them away ourselves."
"True. But Kirigakure started this war. This matter will not end just because they decided to retreat."
"Once the battles with Iwagakure and Kumogakure are settled, Konoha will have to make them answer for this."
The atmosphere in the room was clearly more relaxed than before.
The heavy pressure that had hung over Konoha since Kirigakure's approach had finally eased.
However, no one intended to let Kirigakure off easily.
No matter what reason they had for retreating, they had still attacked Konoha first.
Once Konoha freed its hands from the other fronts, Kirigakure would have to pay the price.
"All right."
After letting them talk for a short while, Hiruzen raised one hand, and the room gradually quieted.
"For now, we wait for the next report. If Kirigakure is truly retreating and this isn't a trick…"
His gaze shifted toward Yagami.
"Then, Yagami, I'll need you to return to the front line as soon as possible and take command there."
Yagami smiled faintly.
"That's fine. We'll wait for the afternoon report. If nothing is wrong, I'll head back."
He leaned back slightly, his tone calm and confident.
"My flying ability has only just been developed. Once I return to the front line, I can use it properly. This time, I'll crush Iwagakure's forces in one push."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then laughter broke out.
"Hahaha!"
"With you saying that, we can finally relax."
"The Iwagakure front is finally close to ending."
"This war may become the fastest war Konoha has ever concluded."
Yagami spoke so naturally that no one in the room thought he was boasting.
After what he had shown the day before, everyone knew he truly had the strength to turn the tide of a battlefield alone.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also smiled.
"Yes. With your words, we can rest easier."
Then his expression became slightly more serious.
"But Yagami, don't kill Iwagakure's Five-Tails jinchūriki."
He tapped the table lightly.
"If possible, capture him alive."
Yagami nodded.
"Understood. I'll bring him back as a prisoner."
The meeting room erupted into cheerful noise once more.
Among everyone present, the loudest and proudest laugh naturally belonged to the Uchiha Grand Elder.
Yagami was the son-in-law he had personally chosen.
Whether Yagami helped the Uchiha clan in the future or not, he was already Mikoto's husband.
That alone was enough for the Grand Elder to feel proud in front of everyone.
The other elders and clan heads could only look at him with envy.
Such a promising son-in-law had been right in front of them, yet none of them had discovered him first.
Now all they could do was watch the Uchiha Grand Elder show off.
Since Yagami would likely have to separate from Mikoto again for several days, he excused himself from the meeting room and took Mikoto away for a short while.
Mikoto also cherished the time they had alone.
By afternoon, the two of them returned to the Hokage Building.
Not long after they arrived, another intelligence shinobi entered the meeting room.
"Report!"
"Lord Third, elders, clan heads. Kirigakure's army has already retreated near the Nagano River."
Hiruzen looked down at the shinobi map spread across the conference table.
Ever since Kirigakure's forces attacked the day before yesterday, the map had remained there, untouched.
After studying it for a moment, he let out a slow breath and smiled.
"It seems Kirigakure is truly retreating."
The clan heads finally relaxed.
"Hahaha, good."
"So they really left."
"That means the front line can be settled next."
Now that Kirigakure's retreat had been confirmed, Yagami could return to the battlefield.
And once he did, victory reports would most likely start arriving from the front line again.
"In that case, I won't stay any longer."
Yagami stood up.
He had already said his farewell to Mikoto earlier, so there was no hesitation in his movements.
Hiruzen also rose from his seat.
"We'll see you off."
The other elders and clan heads followed him one after another.
Yagami glanced at them, then gave a small smile.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Since everyone had already stood up, refusing them now would be awkward.
The group escorted him out of the Hokage Building.
Once they reached the entrance, Yagami turned around.
"This is far enough. There's no need to send me all the way to the village gate."
After all, he was going to fly.
There was no point in walking him to the gate.
Hiruzen nodded with a smile.
"Very well. Have a safe trip, Yagami."
His voice grew firmer.
"When you return in triumph with the army, we'll welcome you properly."
The others nodded with smiles as well.
Yagami smiled back.
"I'll remember that."
Then his body rose directly into the air.
In the blink of an eye, he shot across the sky and disappeared from everyone's sight.
The Konoha elders and clan heads stood there for a moment, looking in the direction he had vanished.
Even now, seeing someone fly so freely still made them feel envious.
Just then—
"Hey!"
A familiar voice suddenly came from the street corner.
"Do you know what I brought back?"
Everyone turned and saw Mitokado Homura returning to the village.
He looked rather pleased with himself, clearly prepared to announce something shocking.
"I'm telling you, once you hear this, you'll definitely be surprised."
Homura pushed up his glasses with a proud expression.
However, the elders and clan heads only stared at him with strange looks.
Homura paused.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
He looked down at himself in confusion.
Hiruzen shook his head helplessly and smiled.
"You brought back the Four-Tails jinchūriki, didn't you?"
Homura froze.
"What?"
His eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
Then he immediately looked around.
"Did Yagami send a message ahead of me?"
The surrounding elders and clan heads looked at him with amused expressions.
"More than that."
One of them laughed.
"Yagami was standing right here a moment ago."
Homura's proud expression collapsed instantly.
"What?!"
His old face filled with shock.
"Wasn't he supposed to be on the front line?"
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.