"Why didn't you finish them off?"
"Every ti, you get so close, yet you fail. Are you doing this on purpose?"
Ōnoki was livid. He had sustained injuries just to hold off the Third Raikage. Now, one arm hung in a sling around his neck, and bloodstains marred his clothes, making him look battered and disheveled.
"What are you implying?"
"You think I let them go on purpose?"
"I led my team all the way from Konoha just to let those Kumo brothers escape?"
"Are the Konoha shinobi who died in battle nothing but an illusion to you?"
Nawaki's gaze was icy, his voice growing louder with every word. He stared down at Ōnoki, unwavering, refusing to yield. At a ti like this, backing down wasn't an option. Besides, he hadn't co here to take orders from Ōnoki—he wasn't about to put up with this nonsense.
Now that Iwa's casualties were mounting, Ōnoki needed him more than ever. And yet, in today's battle, Nawaki had once again held back. The A-B Combo had slipped through Ōnoki's grasp yet again, rescued right under his nose. It was no surprise that this confrontation had erupted in the aftermath.
"Lord Nawaki, Lord Tsuchikage didn't an it like that."
"It's just... given the circumstances, the A-B Combo shouldn't have been able to escape."
"He's just furious right now. Give him so ti to cool off before talking to him."
A high-ranking Iwa shinobi cautiously ushered Nawaki out of the tent, though he himself was filled with doubt. Konoha's reinforcents had co a long way, and their losses were real. But at the sa ti, Nawaki's deliberate inaction seed just as undeniable.
"Hmph, now he's blaming ?"
"Then why didn't he take down the Third Raikage himself?"
Nawaki's voice carried clearly into the tent, his words sharp and mocking. Only when the sound of sothing shattering inside reached his ears did he finally turn and leave.
"I have nothing more to say to him."
Ōnoki was seething, his anger boiling over to the point that he was ready to settle things with Nawaki in a fight to the death.
"Please, calm yourself."
"At this point, we can't afford to lose the Konoha shinobi."
Nakano Daisuke stepped forward to try and reason with Ōnoki, but the situation was beyond frustrating. If Konoha's forces withdrew, Iwa would be dood. And if Iwa suffered a complete defeat, the Land of Earth would fall right into Kumo's hands.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage, now is not the ti to argue over this."
More high-ranking Iwa shinobi echoed this sentint, leaving Ōnoki feeling even more stifled. He had been the one to call for Konoha's help, and now it felt like he had dug his own grave. But with his hands tied, he had no choice but to swallow his rage.
"Hoo~"
Ōnoki closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finally calming himself down.
"You all, leave. I need so ti alone."
After dismissing his subordinates, he slumped into his chair, looking hesitant and weary.
...
Nawaki returned to the Konoha camp, his expression showing no trace of the anger from earlier.
"Uncle, what's the situation now?"
The mont he stepped into the tent, Ginji slipped in after him.
"You little sneak."
"My acting was too obvious, wasn't it?"
Nawaki spread his hands helplessly. He hadn't expected those two to be so weak. Before he could even go all out, the A-B Combo had already collapsed.
If he hadn't gone easy on them, he could have wiped out the Kumo nin and secured the Land of Earth today.
"Haha! I knew this day would co."
Ginji laughed heartily, completely unsurprised.
"Heartless brat."
Nawaki flicked Ginji's forehead.
"Uncle, seriously."
"That 'off-target' finishing blow just happened to break their restraints?"
"Forget them not believing you, even I don't buy it."
"This isn't just holding back. This is straight-up helping the enemy."
Ginji rubbed his forehead, his face full of amusent.
"So what was I supposed to do?"
"Bla your old man's ridiculous mission."
Nawaki shrugged off responsibility. It wasn't his fault. The real issue was that the A-B Combo was too weak—and Kawakaze's mission was completely unreasonable.
"Haha, doesn't really matter."
"Even if they suspect sothing, they wouldn't dare act against us."
"We hold the advantage now. Just wait for word from my father."
Despite his young age, Ginji had a good grasp of the bigger picture. His ti in the advanced classes at the Academy hadn't been wasted.
"Yeah, yeah, you're the smart one."
"Pass down my orders—moving forward, our priority in battle is self-preservation."
Nawaki thought for a mont before issuing a rather strange command.
"You an... the Iwa-nin might deliberately try to wear us down?"
Ginji imdiately caught on. While the Iwa-nin wouldn't dare openly turn against the Konoha forces, they could easily set them up on the battlefield.
"It's a possibility."
"If they're just going to sit back and conserve their strength, then I'm out. I'm not fighting this war for them."
"When the ti cos, we'll see who gets desperate first—us or them."
Nawaki suddenly let out a cold chuckle, making Ginji feel a little uneasy.
"Got it."
Ginji nodded in agreent.
"If you're done, then get lost. Just looking at you annoys ."
Nawaki ruffled Ginji's silver hair, venting his frustration.
"If you've got guts, stop ssing with my hair and go pick on soone your own size."
Ginji slapped Nawaki's hand away, clearly irritated.
"I won't. What are you gonna do about it? You mad?"
Nawaki smirked and doubled down, rubbing his hair even more aggressively.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"
Unable to fight back, Ginji fled, his hair now a complete ss.
"Damn brat~"
Nawaki chuckled, shaking his hand in mock disgust before collapsing onto his bed.
...
"Ginji, why's your hair such a ss?"
As soon as Ginji stepped into the gathering spot, Satsuki rushed over and started fixing his hair.
"It's my uncle, as usual. So annoying."
Muttering under his breath, Ginji sat still as Satsuki worked.
Once satisfied with his hair, she clapped her hands happily. Clearly, she didn't mind at all.
Unbeknownst to her, a small jade-green snake had already slithered around Ginji's neck.
"So cold."
Ginji shivered slightly and casually took off the jade necklace.
Seeing how unfazed he was, Minato twitched slightly.
He had seen what happened to the Kumo-nin who got bitten by that snake—it was a grueso way to die.
"Aah!"
Ginji pretended to toss the snake at Kai, who let out a terrified scream and nearly fainted.
"Don't look at ! I'm scared of it too."
Shisui instinctively stepped back. Even though he saw the snake every day, the fact that it couldn't be killed still unsettled him.
"No taste at all. Jadelet is adorable."
Satsuki glanced at them, full of disdain.
"She doesn't bite. She's really smart."
The mont Ginji said that, the three of them stared at him in shock.
Did he even hear himself?
If the Kumo-nin who died from its venom could co back to life, they'd probably strangle him right now.
What, was it their fault? Did they just happen to shove their own bodies into the snake's mouth?
"Forget it. Let's drop the topic."
"There's sothing I need you guys to take care of."
Seeing their expressions, Ginji knew there was no point in arguing.
People had different tastes, and he wasn't about to force his own preferences on them—especially when it wasn't exactly a common one.
After tucking the snake back into his clothes, he gathered his teammates and quietly relayed Nawaki's orders.
"No problem."
"On it."
"Got it."
The five split up, quickly spreading the ssage to every Konoha shinobi in the camp.
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