Chapter 47: Reaching Agreement
The four were visibly shaken by Orochimaru's proposal.
Namikaze Minato instinctively objected: "No!"
"Why not?" Orochimaru's voice was calm, almost amused.
"Is it just because she's your wife?"
"Deploying the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki won't just avenge your student it'll strike back at Kirigakure, and it will significantly reduce casualties among Konoha's forces."
"Especially that last point. We all know how severe the losses have been. Even Genin and Academy students have had to step onto the battlefield."
"With Kushina and the four of us acting in concert, we can overwhelm Kirigakure's front and end the campaign faster than anticipated."
"Do you know how many lives would be spared? Isn't that worth it?"
"Besides, Kushina has made remarkable contributions before. And Minato, as her husband, you'd share in the credit."
"Of course, I too will gain some political capital as the one who proposed the plan but that's not the point. The point is what's best for Konoha."
Orochimaru's words were measured, almost gentle, but carried an unmistakable sharpness.
Minato was left speechless. His heart wavered. He couldn't deny the logic: deploying Kushina would end the war swiftly, bolster Konoha's position, and save countless lives. And yet, the risk to her...
Jiraiya leaned forward, sensing his student's hesitation. "It's a valid plan, but what if Kushina loses control?"
"If word gets out that she's left the village, won't it embolden Iwa or Kumo to make a move?"
"Heh..." Orochimaru chuckled softly. "What's there to fear?"
"Send a proper escort. Kushina's no delicate flower. Anyone who dares act on such thoughts will lose more than just their pride."
"And do you really think the other villages will notice? Konoha's ANBU and T&I Division are capable of keeping this movement classified."
"As for losing control... Jiraiya, aren't you being overly cautious? Have we not seen Kushina stabilize her chakra multiple times during high-stress training simulations?"
"She doesn't need to fully unleash the Kyūbi. Just partial transformation controlled rage."
"And if anything goes awry, she's highly skilled in Fūinjutsu, as are we. With combined effort, we can restrain the Nine-Tails if it comes to that."
"With Tsunade on-site, any damage to Kushina can be healed promptly after the transformation."
"She is the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, and more importantly, a kunoichi of Konoha. Shouldn't she serve her village at such a crucial time?"
"And Minato... this wouldn't be her first mission. You know that well."
"Why hesitate now?"
"Those who obsess over what-ifs can never grasp victory."
Minato inhaled slowly. He could not refute that. The risk was real but so was the necessity.
"You're right, Orochimaru-senpai. I may be too close to this. But... if my concern blinds me to the mission's greater good, I must set it aside."
"For the sake of ending this war, I agree. Kushina will join the front."
Since Minato himself gave his blessing, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Nara Shikaku gave no further objections.
"Minato," Tsunade asked, "how much of the Kyūbi's power can Kushina safely control?"
"Tsunade-senpai, she can stably draw on six tails' worth of chakra. She's managed seven under pressure but with high risk of triggering a partial transformation."
Tsunade nodded solemnly. "Then we'll limit the output to five tails. No higher."
"Thank you, Tsunade-senpai."
When Naruto fought Pain, he tapped into eight tails of the Nine-Tails' chakra, but that was from half the Kyūbi, sealed within him. Kushina harbored the complete beast meaning five tails from her could match or exceed Naruto's seven-tail state. That much power was more than enough to shift the battlefield.
"Then it's decided," Tsunade declared. "We'll jointly petition the village for emergency deployment approval."
The others agreed. Within the hour, a scroll sealed with the highest confidentiality code was dispatched to Konoha's Hokage Tower via an elite message hawk.
None of the five mentioned how utterly destructive this would be for Kirigakure's retreating forces.
They already knew Kirigakure's main units would likely fall back if their infiltration plan failed. Whether they regrouped at their primary frontline base or relocated inland no longer mattered.
Once Kushina arrived, they would unleash her like a hammer, and the rest of them would push the enemy back to the sea.
The meeting ended. Each commander returned to their duties.
Orochimaru, as ever, remained occupied not only with command operations but with personal pursuits: overseeing prisoner transfers, managing supplies, and, in secret, continuing his forbidden research on captured Kirigakure shinobi.
At this time, Orochimaru had not yet begun experimenting on his own village's people. His subjects were captured enemies or untraceable purchases from the black market.
Because he still retained ambition for the Hokage title and had not fully succumbed to madness, he remained loyal to Konoha's cause for now.
This deployment of Kushina was entirely Orochimaru's initiative. Uchiha Gen had nothing to do with the decision.
…
At the Konoha Frontline Medical Tent, Uchiha Gen pushed aside the flap and stepped into the pine-scented air.
"Kakashi. I came to see you."
Hatake Kakashi lay motionless on a canvas cot, staring blankly at the green-tinted fabric ceiling of the field tent. His lone visible eye reflected no light, only emptiness.
"Kakashi, Gen's here,"
Uchiha Shisui, seated on a supply crate next to the cot, reached out gently and touched Kakashi's arm, his tone quiet and calm.
Only then did Hatake Kakashi react. His lone eye moved, shifting toward the source of the voice. He saw Gen Uchiha standing beside the bed, nodding at him gently. Then Kakashi returned to staring blankly at the pine-green ceiling of the medical tent.
Sigh... It was a devastating blow, Gen thought. Even with Shisui's skill, he couldn't escape the entanglement of Uchiha Madara's grand design...
Gen Uchiha gave Shisui a subtle glance. Shisui understood immediately and excused himself from the tent.
"Has he been like this the whole time?"
"Yeah," Shisui replied softly from outside the tent flap. "He's been like this since he woke up. It's been two full days now."
"I was so useless," Shisui said, guilt written across his face. "To have a girl as good as Rin on our team... If we'd protected her better, Kakashi wouldn't be like this."
Gen furrowed his brows. "What happened? With the strength of Team Minato, things shouldn't have fallen apart so easily."
Shisui gave a bitter smile. "Maybe we were just unlucky..."
"Kirigakure didn't just send a few shinobi. They deployed two elite ANBU squads. And beyond that, there were dozens of hidden agents already inside the Land of Fire, embedded well in advance."
"Kakashi and I fought hard pushed ourselves to the limit but we couldn't stop them from taking Rin."
Gen Uchiha said nothing, but his eyes narrowed.
With that kind of pressure—two ANBU units, embedded Kiri spies, and covert interference from Black Zetsu and White Zetsu—even I would've struggled.
He thought quietly: If it had been me there, maybe I could have forced a better outcome but only by going all out, revealing trump cards I haven't even tested.
The enemy's strategy was foul: hit-and-fade attacks, psychological traps, and misinformation spread through Zetsu's clone network. Even with full power, unless you kill them all instantly, the odds collapse over time.
And White Zetsu's stealth? Nearly undetectable even for advanced sensory types. No place is safe once your position is compromised. If they're constantly tracking you, you'll slip eventually. No one can run forever without rest.
Just staying alive... Kakashi and Shisui did well.
Gen exhaled, slow and thoughtful.
In a direct confrontation, I could probably deal with the two ANBU squads and the regular Kiri support. But not with Zetsu sabotaging things from the shadows... and certainly not with Madara still watching from the dark.
Even if I had the Soru Soru no Mi, it's uncertain if its powers could resist a sneak attack from Black Zetsu. That thing is more parasite than shinobi. It doesn't fight fair.
And then there's the army more than 100,000 White Zetsu clones lying in wait. Most are likely dormant, but a few are always watching. Especially near Madara's base of operations.
All things considered... the outcome would likely have been the same, even if I were in their place.
He looked at Shisui again.
"In such a massive web of conflict, no one escapes unscathed unless they're one of the top four commanders."
"Don't beat yourself up. All you can do is carry their will forward."
Gen placed a hand firmly on Shisui's shoulder.
Honestly, aside from Minato, even the Sannin wouldn't have changed much. Minato's Flying Thunder God technique allowed him to rescue targets instantly but even he was stretched thin, and Rin had vanished too fast.
"You're right," Shisui replied, lowering his eyes.
"I'm slowly coming to terms with it, but... Kakashi..."
Shisui had cared about Nohara Rin as a comrade, but his connection with her wasn't as deep or emotionally complex as Kakashi's.
"Only you and Minato-senpai might be able to get through to him," Shisui said solemnly. "Kakashi isn't like other shinobi. He's one of the most gifted of our generation. I believe he'll recover."
"It has to be that way," Gen said. "We can't let this war devour more hearts."
"I still have other matters to handle. I'll check in again later."
"Got it," Shisui replied quietly.
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