After two days of hard travel, Minato and Taiichi finally returned to the Leaf forward camp in the Land of Rivers, covered in dust.
Inside the main command tent, they gave Jiraiya and Shikaku a full report of everything they had seen in the Land of Birds. Neither of them added their own theories. They simply described the facts and let the two leaders draw their own conclusions.
Jiraiya let out a long sigh the moment they finished.
"So it looks like Sunagakure and Iwagakure are finally joining forces."
"Not necessarily joining forces," Shikaku corrected calmly. "At most, their high-ranking officials have reached some kind of understanding. After all, Sunagakure formally declared war on Iwagakure. The hatred between the lower ranks won't disappear overnight."
As expected from a Nara, Shikaku had already pieced together both villages' mindsets from just a few details.
"Those damn Sand bastards!" Jiraiya slammed his fist on the table. "They just signed an alliance with us a short while ago, and now they're already scheming against Konoha again. They never keep their word!"
Taiichi and Minato exchanged a glance. Their suspicions had been correct. Sunagakure and Iwagakure really were turning their attention toward the Leaf.
"Someone!" Jiraiya barked.
An ANBU operative stepped inside.
"Spread the word. Starting today, increase patrol numbers and double the surveillance range. Any intelligence coming from the Land of Wind must be reported to me immediately, no matter the time."
"Yes, sir!"
Once the messenger left, Jiraiya turned to Taiichi.
"Taiichi, your squad's original mission was two months, right?"
Taiichi blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah… now that you mention it, I almost forgot. It's already been nearly three months."
"Then your time's up. Take your team and head back to the village. There's no fighting right now, so it's the perfect chance."
Taiichi frowned. "But Sensei, if we leave now, won't it look like we're running away?"
"Don't talk nonsense," Jiraiya said firmly. "Completing your mission and returning to report is standard procedure. Besides, I'm not telling you to stay away forever. You can come back when the real war starts."
Taiichi finally understood. Their squad had only been sent for a temporary mission. With full-scale war about to break out, they needed to go home while they still could. No one knew when they'd get another chance.
Yohei and Saori both had families waiting. Even Taiichi wanted to see Nonou and the orphanage kids one more time.
"…I understand. Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei."
This was the advantage of having a high-ranking teacher. Jiraiya could make decisions that others couldn't.
"Minato, your team should head back too. You can return once the war officially begins."
"Understood, Sensei. I do need to go home for a bit anyway."
After leaving the command tent, Taiichi and Minato quickly found Yohei and the others training in a small grove. Kakashi's team had just returned from a mission and was sparring together.
The battlefield really was the best teacher. Even though large-scale fighting had decreased, the constant tension pushed everyone to improve.
Obito and Rin had changed the most. Obito carried himself with far more maturity now—his presence alone could match some veteran chunin. Rin had grown noticeably more confident. No one would mistake her for a fresh graduate anymore.
The moment Taiichi and Minato appeared at the edge of the grove, Yohei noticed them first despite fighting three-on-one against Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.
"Alright, stop," Yohei said, pushing Kakashi back with a punch and stepping away. "Taiichi and Minato-senpai are back."
The three younger shinobi finally noticed the two figures standing nearby.
Kakashi and Rin looked genuinely happy. Obito, on the other hand…
Why did he look like he was about to cry from relief? And what was with that "finally free" expression?
So much for calling him mature. That title was revoked immediately.
"Minato-sensei! You're finally back!" Obito sprinted toward his teacher, then suddenly changed direction and ran straight to Taiichi instead. "Taiichi! You have to do something about that Uchiha Yohei! He's been torturing me nonstop! It's not fair!"
Taiichi stared at him, completely lost. He looked over at Kakashi and the others. Rin and Saori were already covering their mouths, trying not to laugh. That told him everything.
If even Rin was laughing, then Obito had clearly brought this on himself.
"Did you slack off during training?"
One direct hit. Obito froze like a statue. Taiichi didn't need to hear the answer. He just shook his head and walked past him.
Some people never learn.
Taiichi approached Yohei and Saori. "How have you guys been holding up?"
Yohei grinned and glanced at Obito, who was now sulking in the distance. He deliberately raised his voice.
"Thanks to my dear little cousin, these past few days haven't been boring at all."
Great. These two cousins were at it again.
Taiichi lightly punched Yohei's arm and whispered, "Tone it down. What if he actually awakens Mangekyō one day and comes for revenge? Don't come crying to me."
Yohei looked at him like he'd grown a second head, then pointed at himself and Obito with an expression that clearly said, Me? Scared of him?
Taiichi just smiled and changed the subject.
"I just came from the main tent. Jiraiya-sensei gave us permission. Our mission is officially complete. We're heading back to the village tomorrow."
"Really?!"
This time it was Saori who shouted. Being the only girl in the squad, she had been holding it together for months, but the constant fighting and death had clearly taken a toll. She had wanted to go home for a while now but had stayed quiet because of the war.
"Of course," Taiichi said, feeling a little guilty for not noticing sooner. "Let's head back and pack. We'll leave at first light. This is actually the first time we've been on such a long mission."
On the other side, Minato had clearly given his team the same news. Obito was bouncing around like an excited sparrow, completely forgetting his earlier complaints.
But the moment he saw Taiichi and Yohei walking over, he immediately straightened up and went quiet. It seemed Yohei had really put him through the wringer.
"Minato-sensei, why don't we all travel back together tomorrow?" Taiichi suggested.
Before Minato could answer, Saori and Rin had already linked arms and were nodding excitedly, completely ignoring Obito's pitiful expression.
"Sounds good to me," Minato said with a warm smile, the earlier tension finally gone from his face.
---
That night, inside Taiichi's squad tent.
Taiichi was using Yang Release chakra to nourish Yohei's eyes while Saori quietly packed their belongings.
"Taiichi…" Yohei spoke with his eyes closed. "War's about to start for real, isn't it?"
Saori stopped what she was doing and turned to listen.
Yohei might act loud and carefree, but he had once been one of the top students in their year. He was far from stupid.
"Yeah," Taiichi answered quietly. "We're lucky we got this short break to go home. After this, we probably won't get another chance for a long time."
The tent fell silent.
After a while, Yohei opened his eyes. The green glow of chakra still lingered around his face, but his expression was unusually serious.
"Taiichi… why do wars even happen? Sand and Rock were just trying to kill each other, and now they're already making secret deals to stop fighting so they can go after someone else. All for the ambitions of a few people at the top?"
Taiichi's hands kept moving steadily, but he looked at Yohei with new respect. That was a heavy question.
He glanced between Yohei and Saori before answering.
"Interests," he said. "Or more accurately… resources for survival."
"Wind Country is mostly desert. Earth Country is full of mountains and rocks. Lightning Country is stuck on a stormy plateau. Water Country is just islands with almost no resources. But the Land of Fire? It has fertile plains, mild climate, and abundant resources. There's no better place to live."
"So tell me—why should we get to live here while everyone else has to fight over scraps? Do you think they don't feel envy? Jealousy? Hatred?"
"Those feelings are what start wars. If shinobi can kill each other over petty grudges, why wouldn't entire nations do the same?"
"War isn't about right or wrong. It's about who gets to control the resources. Peace is usually just the quiet period before the next war."
Yohei clenched his fists. "But they know people will die—lots of people. Even their own families. How can they just watch it happen?"
Taiichi's voice grew softer. "When it's just one person, reason can still exist. But when it becomes a nation… reason disappears. Only national interests remain. And those don't care about individual feelings."
He met Yohei's gaze. "As shinobi, we're caught in this current. The only thing we can do is try to see clearly, protect the people we care about, and choose who we fight for and who we stand against. That's our reason to fight."
Yohei slowly relaxed his hands. Saori sat down beside them, her expression thoughtful.
The green chakra finally faded. Taiichi patted Yohei's shoulder.
"Get some rest. When we get back to the village, spend time with your family. You won't feel so lost then."
The last night at the front passed quietly. Each of them carried their own thoughts into sleep.
---
The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, their tent flap was suddenly thrown open.
Standing there with obvious dark circles under his eyes was Obito.
"Taiichi! Yohei! Saori! Wake up! Let's leave early so we can get home faster and see Grandma!"
Even with the dark circles, Obito's energy was still at full blast. Yohei, who had been about to throw a pillow at him, silently put it back down.
With Obito around, none of them could sleep in anymore. They got up, washed, ate, and stepped outside—only to run into Minato's team doing the same thing.
Minato gave an awkward smile. "Sorry about this, Taiichi. Obito was so excited he couldn't sleep and decided to wake everyone up at dawn."
Taiichi looked at Obito and sighed. Sometimes this guy really had no common sense.
He deliberately spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Obito's got way too much energy. Yohei, you should help him burn some of it off on the way back. It'll be good for him."
Yohei instantly caught on. "No problem. I've got the perfect new training method. Obito's gonna love it."
Obito's face went pale. He slowly turned his head toward the two of them like a rusty robot, looking like he wanted to cry.
The sight made everyone burst out laughing. Even the early morning drowsiness disappeared.
They finished packing quickly. With everyone awake, there was no reason to delay. It was time to go home.