Namikaze Minato's sudden arrival didn't just save Uzumaki Kushina from Yoru—it completely blindsided Kirigakure's forces.
What had once seemed like a flawless strategy—having Yoru stall the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki while dividing their forces to attack Konoha's various encampments—had now turned into a joke.
Worse still, it became the perfect stage for Konoha's Yellow Flash to make his entrance.
Even though Yoru had immediately fired a flare signaling retreat, it was too late.
Due to the distance between strongholds, the flare launched at Mizusawa Bridge couldn't be seen from the other camps. A chain of messengers had to manually relay the signal, and delays were inevitable.
Worse yet, some of the commanders—like that overzealous Kaguya clan jōnin—were so eager for results that they ignored orders, further compounding the problem.
The result? Namikaze Minato's debut on the Kirigakure front became a one-sided slaughter.
"Nearly two hundred Kirigakure shinobi dead... over forty of them were jōnin. The entire unit assigned to Kazama Valley was wiped out!"
Inside Kirigakure's command tent, Yagura gripped the casualty report, his hands trembling, bloodshot eyes wide in disbelief.
"This is impossible. Why would Namikaze Minato be here? What about the Iwagakure front—aren't they worried Ōnoki will launch a full-scale assault?"
Not a single person responded. The war tent was deathly silent.
Yoru remained quiet too.
Before Yagura had issued this strategy, Yoru had voiced concern about the potential threat Minato posed. But Yagura had waved him off, too confident that Minato would never abandon the Iwa front.
Now, Yoru's warning had become prophecy.
Because of Minato, the critically wounded jinchūriki had been recovered, and hundreds of Kirigakure shinobi had perished.
With losses piling up, Kirigakure was now dangerously close to collapse.
Of all the Five Great Nations, Konoha had the largest standing military—every shinobi war had proven it. Even when facing multiple villages at once, their manpower never seemed to run dry.
Iwagakure came next.
At the start of the war, they had deployed ten thousand shinobi just to pursue the Third Raikage. That alone revealed their overwhelming depth.
Kumogakure had moderate forces—roughly six to seven thousand. Sunagakure had fewer numbers, but used puppets to make up the difference.
And then there was Kirigakure.
Under the brutal "Bloody Mist" policy, not only was their military small—their entire population was limited.
At this point, Yoru's force on the frontlines barely numbered two thousand. After two devastating defeats, they had lost hundreds more. For Kirigakure, this wasn't just a setback—it was crippling.
They were running out of shinobi. There was hardly anyone left to fight.
"…This loss is on me," Yagura finally said, his voice tight. "My arrogance and stubbornness led us here."
He drew a long, steadying breath and scanned the room, finally turning toward Yoru.
"Yoru… You're still young, but in terms of both strength and strategic insight, you've proven yourself. Had I listened to you earlier, we might've avoided this outcome."
"I've already reported the situation to the Mizukage. And I've decided—Yoru, I'm entrusting you with full command of the front. You will lead us in the battles to come."
"What?!" gasps rang out across the room.
"This must be reconsidered, Lord Yagura!"
"Please don't be hasty!"
Even Yoru looked stunned. He hadn't expected that.
But within moments, he understood the move perfectly—and cursed Yagura internally. What a sly old fox.
Yoru had already secured glory in this war. Killing one of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya—was enough to ensure he'd rise through the ranks of Kirigakure with ease.
Meanwhile, Yagura's bungled strategy had nearly gutted their forces. Had it not been for Yoru, Kirigakure wouldn't even be in the fight anymore.
Now, by handing off command, Yagura covered his own losses. If Yoru turned the tide and won the war, then the success would overshadow Yagura's failures. At worst, he'd take a temporary demotion and be reinstated in a few years.
But if Yoru failed, not only would he shoulder the current disaster—he'd also be blamed for everything that had already gone wrong.
"You really are the future Fourth Mizukage, huh? Smooth as ever…" Yoru thought, eyes narrowing.
He immediately raised his voice: "Lord Yagura, I must decline! This is my first war of this scale. I have neither the qualifications nor the experience to lead our forces."
"Besides, while we suffered losses, the plan itself wasn't flawed. Who could have predicted that Konoha would recklessly pull Minato from the Iwa front and send him here? The fault doesn't lie with you, Lord Yagura."
His words drew support from the other commanders.
"Yoru is right! The strategy was sound—Konoha was just too cunning!"
"Yes, Lord Yagura! And while we've suffered, so has Konoha. Yoru gravely wounded their jinchūriki, and our forces in Kazama Valley inflicted heavy losses. We still have the advantage!"
"Everyone…" Yagura whispered, visibly moved. His youthful face made his gratitude even more dramatic. "I understand. I will take responsibility for this failure—but for now, we must focus on our next move."
Unfortunately, when your enemy had both the Flying Thunder God Technique and a living, breathing tailed beast on their side, no plan looked good on paper.
If they spread out, Minato would pick them off.
If they grouped up, they risked a single Tailed Beast Bomb wiping out everything.
Even when Yoru joined the front lines, Minato simply avoided him—never engaging directly.
Whenever Yoru appeared, Minato vanished—teleporting away to strike elsewhere.
Yoru considered counterattacking—abandoning defense and hitting Konoha's core. But Kirigakure's dwindling numbers couldn't support such an aggressive move.
As days passed, Kirigakure not only lost momentum—they lost initiative entirely.
Now they finally understood Iwagakure's suffering.
And just like Iwa… they were powerless to stop it.
Several days passed this way, until Yagura once again summoned Yoru to the command tent.
"Yoru," he said, holding out a scroll marked with the Mizukage's personal seal, "this is a direct order—and a new mission."
"If you can complete it, we may finally have a way to break this stalemate."
Yoru opened the scroll. At a glance, his eyes narrowed.
"…The Three-Tails."
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