After a brief moment of shock, the two quickly regained their composure.
The Iwagakure ninja assumed it was because they were surprised to learn that Rōshi was a Jinchūriki.
After all, the identity of a Jinchūriki was strictly confidential information in every village.
"Let's keep this short."
"How strong are the Akatsuki forces? And where are they now?"
Nawaki didn't bother with formalities toward the Iwa ninjas and started asking mockingly.
Actually, he already knew exactly how many people Nagato had brought.
"Their numbers are about the same as ours."
"But after this recent brutal battle, the Akatsuki have already surpassed us in troop strength."
Kitsuchi invited everyone to sit down before slowly explaining.
"It's that Nagato from Akatsuki. He's really annoying."
Rōshi interrupted before Kitsuchi could finish, his face filled with anger.
"[Nagato]'s strength... is indeed formidable."
Nawaki dragged out his words while frowning tightly.
"This guy won't be easy to deal with."
"My teacher's wife lost to him due to recklessness."
Minato intentionally made excuses for Tsunade, his expression equally grave.
Perhaps due to shared hatred creating empathy, both Rōshi and Kitsuchi softened their expressions.
"His Hidden Technique: Deva Path is particularly troublesome."
"He can not only absorb ninjutsu but also deflect attacks."
"And his body sprouts mechanical limbs."
"Even when the two of us fought together, we struggled somewhat."
Kitsuchi exaggerated their struggle, letting out a heavy sigh while shaking his head.
Those who didn't know might actually believe the two could handle Nagato together with just slight difficulty.
"All flash, no substance. Let me get revenge for my teacher's wife."
Minato clenched his fist tightly on the armrest of his chair, veins clearly bulging.
But secretly, he was internally delighted. Those two fools probably hadn't even forced Nagato to show seventy percent of his strength yet.
"Don't underestimate your opponent."
Nawaki looked at Nagato with a slightly earnest expression, showing no hint of deception.
"I understand perfectly."
Minato nodded slightly, and their interaction left the three Iwa ninjas momentarily speechless.
Under current circumstances, even if Konoha reinforcements came just to provide support, they wouldn't object.
They never expected the reinforcements from Konoha would be so sincere as to dare accept such a mission nobody wanted to touch.
"That's right. Minato-kun should definitely avoid underestimating your enemy."
Kitsuchi echoed Nawaki's advice, deep down not believing Minato could match Nagato at all.
"Thank you for reminding me, Kitsuchi-kun."
Minato smiled lightly and nodded slightly, coming across as surprisingly open to advice.
"You alone won't be able to do it. Why don't the three of us work together to look for opportunities to defeat Nagato?"
Rōshi was much more direct. If he thought someone couldn't do it, then they simply couldn't.
"Rōshi!!!"
Nakano Daisuke once again felt anger rising within him. Now he understood why Ōnoki respected Rōshi so little.
"No problem. He had good intentions."
Unexpectedly, Minato—who usually played the bad cop in front of Nakano—was extremely reasonable at this moment.
"He wasn't that small-minded."
Nawaki patted Nakano Daisuke's shoulder reassuringly.
"We lost the daytime battle mainly because they outnumbered us."
"With some injuries, Rōshi and I managed to repel Nagato and withdrew here with the army."
"There hasn't been any news about Akatsuki ninja positions from the scouts we sent out yet."
After some discussion, Kitsuchi carefully laid out the current situation.
"I see. That's why you two look so exhausted."
Nawaki's tone was sincere, carrying a hint of concern, almost making Kitsuchi and Rōshi blush.
They hadn't really repelled Nagato—calling it a retreat might've been generous, but 'escape' would be spot on.
"It's fine even if we don't know their location."
"Remember, the Akatsuki are just a small village; they don't have that many people."
"To avoid fighting on two fronts, they certainly won't advance further before eliminating you."
"As long as we appear, the Akatsuki will surely come after us."
Nawaki's reasoning was sound, earning firm nods from Kitsuchi and the others.
"That's exactly right. Nawaki's words were spot-on."
Nakano Daisuke slipped in a compliment at just the right moment—he knew the art of asking for favors.
"You flatter me."
Though Nawaki spoke humbly, everyone could clearly tell he enjoyed the praise.
"I'll stay behind with part of the forces and make sure to help you defeat the Akatsuki."
Minato spoke next, his voice resolute as he stepped forward with conviction.
"In that case, we'll thank you in advance, Minato-kun."
Kitsuchi had little say in the matter—Minato's word was final. Also, Ōnoki's side required assistance too, so he couldn't possibly let all the Konoha ninjas stay behind.
"It's my duty. No need for formalities."
A bright smile accompanied by his golden hair, Minato fully deserved his 'Little Fellow' moniker.
"Then it's settled. I'll take the rest with me and head to meet Tsuchikage-sama's group alongside Nakano-san."
Nawaki swiftly cemented the division of forces with Minato.
"Fine."
Nakano Daisuke, naturally, raised no objections and readily agreed.
"It's getting late today. Let's depart tomorrow."
Though he wished Nawaki would leave at once, he couldn't treat them like subordinates.
"Alright, we'll go make arrangements first and set off tomorrow morning."
Nawaki showed absolutely no consideration for their situation—it wasn't Konoha bearing the brunt of the Cloud Ninja attacks, after all.
"We really appreciate your efforts."
Kitsuchi forced a smile, though disappointment churned inside him.
His feigned retreat had utterly failed.
"I'll show you where to rest for the night."
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Rōshi, being straightforward, simply turned and led Nawaki and Minato away without further thought.
"This guy... Sigh."
Watching Rōshi walk off, a thousand words burned on Kitsuchi's tongue, yet all he could do was sigh.
"If we truly fall short by just this one night, then it's simply our Land of Earth's bad luck."
Nakano Daisuke offered no comfort—even with reinforcements from Konoha, he remained pessimistic.
"Well then, the road ahead will be tough. Take care."
Standing up, Kitsuchi lingered briefly before Nakano Daisuke and then left alone.
It took Nakano Daisuke a long time before finally rising to leave as well.
The night passed in silence.
That night, regardless of whether others had slept well, Nawaki and Minato both got a good night's rest.
After meeting up with Nakano Daisuke, Nawaki, accompanied by Ginji's team of children, said their farewells to the Konoha ninja group and Minato.
"Stay safe. Don't overextend yourselves."
Nawaki made no effort to lower his voice, but Rōshi and Kitsuchi could only pretend not to hear.
"You too."
The two brothers embraced and gave each other's backs a couple firm pats.
In the meantime, Ginji had already struck up a conversation with Kakashi.
"Looks like you won't be beating me this time."
Of course Ginji knew Nagato's identity—he was his actual senior martial brother after all.
The fight led by Minato's Konoha ninjas would just be for show, while they themselves would get to face off against the Cloud Ninjas for real.
"Hmph… guess you're just lucky."
"Be careful."
One moment Kakashi still looked like he wouldn't back down, the next he was already showing concern for his younger brother.
"I will."
Ginji's smile faded as he gave a quiet nod.
"Departure."
At Nawaki's command, part of the Konoha ninja quickly left with him.
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