The return of Uzumaki Raiden and his deployment to the frontlines of the Land of Fire caused an uproar throughout the shinobi world. The Land of Earth, which had originally planned to take advantage of the conflict between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, suddenly slowed down all military operations.
Meanwhile, Cloud Village's movements along the border became much more cautious. Having already secured control over the Land of the Moon, they refrained from immediately advancing into the Land of Rivers, instead opting to consolidate their forces, seemingly waiting for something.
At the same time, Uzumaki Raiden's deployment order had been sent to the border forces.
Currently, Nara Shikashin, the commander of Konoha's border troops stationed in the Land of Rivers, anxiously awaited Raiden's arrival.
According to the village's previous orders, the person in charge of the northeastern border forces was none other than Shikashin Nara, the previous head of the Nara clan, who now served as the Hokage's assistant and was also the father of Nara Shikamaru.
"Father, I still haven't received any news about the whereabouts of the Fourth Hokage."
"Do you think this might be a strategic move by Hokage-sama to deter the Land of Lightning and prevent them from acting recklessly?"
"Cloud Ninja in the Land of the Moon has certainly calmed down recently."
Inside the command tent, Shikadai Nara reviewed the reports from his subordinates, but none contained the information he was most concerned about—any news on Uzumaki Raiden and his team.
Shikadai Nara, Raiden's former classmate at the Ninja Academy, was now a Jōnin. Though he didn't hold a high-ranking position in the frontline forces, he was responsible for relaying intelligence to his father, Nara Shikashin. This position, while not granting direct authority, allowed him access to many military secrets, making it an excellent role for grooming future leaders.
"Still nothing?"
"The deployment order came directly from the village and was made known to the entire shinobi world. Hokage would never make a bluff about something like this."
"Based on the village's intelligence, Uzumaki Raiden has truly returned!"
"Send more scouts to investigate the whereabouts of the Fourth Hokage and report back to me immediately if you find anything!"
Shikashin Nara analyzed the situation briefly, then shook his head. The seasoned strategist, now in his later years, found himself lightly patting his forehead to shake off the drowsiness creeping in.
He had been stationed at the frontlines for a while now, with Cloud Ninja making frequent movements in the past few weeks. New intelligence arrived daily, and without the support of a proper think tank, much of the burden fell directly on him.
Shikadai was his son—intelligent but still young. While promising, he lacked the experience to handle such a major crisis, which was why Shikashin had used his influence to position him in this role as training. However, it was still unrealistic to expect him to manage such an important matter entirely on his own.
Having endured several sleepless nights, the aging strategist was beginning to feel the toll.
"Father, you need to rest more."
"Cloud Ninja is unlikely to make a move for now, so you should take this opportunity to recover. Once the Fourth Hokage arrives, we won't have to worry about a Cloud Ninja invasion!"
Noticing his father's exhaustion, Shikadai spoke with concern.
"Foolishness!"
"It's precisely because the Fourth Hokage could arrive at any moment that we must remain vigilant!"
"If we make a mistake during this critical time, the consequences will be catastrophic!"
"Continue monitoring Cloud Ninja's troop movements. This is war, not a game. Even the smallest misstep could make us Konoha's greatest sinners!"
At first, Shikashin had been on the verge of dozing off, but upon hearing his son's words, he immediately snapped to full alertness. He knew that once Uzumaki Raiden arrived, he could finally pass on his responsibilities, but precisely because of that, he had to ensure that the border forces were in optimal condition when Raiden took over.
"I'm sorry, Father… I understand now."
Shikadai hadn't expected such a strong reaction from his father and quickly lowered his head in apology.
"Shikadai, remember this—on the battlefield, always be cautious!"
Shikashin took this opportunity to instill a valuable lesson in his son, and Shikadai, realizing his mistake, listened intently.
Just as the father and son spoke, an Anbu operative entered the tent without waiting for permission.
"Report! Intelligence confirms that Raikage Ai has arrived at the Cloud Ninja frontlines, and their forces are now mobilizing toward the Land of Rivers!"
Before Shikashin could reprimand the Anbu for his lack of formality, the information he delivered made both father and son freeze in shock.
"What?!"
"Did you just say that the Raikage has personally arrived at the frontline and is leading his troops into the Land of Rivers?!"
"Where did this information come from?!"
Shikashin stood up abruptly, fixing his gaze on the Anbu operative.
"Cloud Ninja isn't even trying to hide it. Our intelligence teams acquired the information easily, and multiple scouts have directly witnessed the Raikage's presence."
"The information is absolutely reliable!"
The Anbu knelt down and replied firmly.
"This…" Shikadai was momentarily stunned, unsure of what to say, and turned to his father for guidance.
"It seems the threat of Raiden is far greater than I expected."
"I underestimated the impact of the Fourth Hokage's return on the shinobi world. The Raikage must be worried that Raiden's presence alone could cause immense losses to Cloud Village, so he's decided to oversee the situation personally!"
"In that case, we have a problem."
"Shikadai, quickly contact the village and have them establish communication with the Fourth Hokage. We need to determine his exact location as soon as possible."
"Right now, our top priority is tracking down Raiden before Cloud Ninja makes their move!"
Meanwhile, on a road in the Land of Fire, a carriage sped along the dirt path, followed closely by a palanquin.
"The road is so uneven… Sitting in this carriage is unbearable!"
Inside the palanquin, Uzumaki Raiden sat on a wooden bench, his body swaying with every jolt. Beside him, Uchiha Itachi tried to maintain his balance, his expression serious, as though enduring a great hardship. Across from him, Rin Nohara gently rubbed his back with a sympathetic look—she never expected that the prodigy Uchiha Itachi would suffer from motion sickness.
After setting out, Raiden regretted choosing to travel by carriage. His original intention was to make the journey more comfortable, avoiding the wind and sleeping outdoors. However, the constant bumping made the experience far worse than he had anticipated.
Even more surprising was Itachi's motion sickness—despite being a genius, he struggled with travel. Though unrelated to his ninja abilities, it was still an unexpected sight.
Outside, Kakashi and Uchiha Obito sat on the carriage's front deck, each holding a small whip and urging the horses forward. They shivered under the cold wind yet continued to accelerate.
"Kakashi, Obito, slow down!"
A voice called out from inside the palanquin. Obito merely clicked his tongue and increased the force of his whip.
"Keep going, we're almost at the border camp!"
"Faster, Hokage-sama!"
Obito yelled out, whether Raiden could hear him or not. He had grown sick of traveling for more than ten days. Having to endure the harsh winds while Rin rested comfortably in the carriage felt incredibly unfair—not that he resented her comfort, but it still irked him.
As the carriage left two long tracks in the snow, it rushed toward the border.
Not long after they passed, more than a dozen dark figures emerged from the trees on either side of the road, swiftly pursuing the carriage.
(End of Chapter)