"This…"
It was a very real problem.
On the Cloud Village battlefield, the Konoha forces had been reduced to barely over a hundred survivors.
Even if the Rock Village front could still be held, if Cloud Village collapsed, then this war... no matter how one looked at it—would be Konoha's loss.
Thinking of this, the surrounding ninjas couldn't help but begin complaining about Minato in hushed voices.
You said it yourself—if you weren't strong enough, then you weren't strong enough.
Why insist on showing off? Look at the situation now!
"Shiki!"
Ignoring the murmurs around him, Jiraiya's gaze snapped toward Shiki, who was seated not far away with an utterly relaxed expression.
From the moment the news arrived until now, Shiki's face hadn't changed even once.
As if everything unfolding before them was exactly what he had already expected.
"What's worth being surprised about?" his expression seemed to say.
"Hm?"
Hearing Jiraiya call his name, Shiki raised an eyebrow slightly and looked over.
"The Rock Village battlefield will be entrusted to you from now on," Jiraiya said solemnly.
"And?"
Shiki shrugged, still completely unconcerned.
"Not only that," Jiraiya continued, gritting his teeth, "I'll be taking a thousand ninjas with me to reinforce the Cloud Village battlefield."
There was no other choice.
The village had already deployed nearly all its available forces. If Cloud Village was to be held, troops had to be transferred.
Originally, three thousand ninjas had been assigned to the Rock Village front. After a year of brutal fighting, barely over two thousand remained. Now, with another thousand being pulled away—
If they could still hold Rock Village under those conditions, it would mean completely underestimating Iwagakure.
Jiraiya knew this decision put Shiki in an awkward position, but there truly was no other option.
"Shiki! I know this puts you in a difficult spot, but I—"
"Take them."
"…Huh?"
Jiraiya froze for a moment, clearly not expecting such a casual response.
His eyes stared at Shiki, momentarily dazed.
"I said," Shiki repeated calmly, "take them."
"…Really? Thank you, Shiki!"
Jiraiya didn't hesitate.
The moment Shiki gave his answer, Jiraiya turned and immediately began issuing orders to mobilize the troops.
Soon after, Jiraiya left the conference room.
The remaining people all turned their eyes toward Shiki at once.
After all, he was now the supreme commander of the Rock Village battlefield.
"Lord Shiki," Hyūga Hiashi spoke up with a serious expression, "after Lord Jiraiya takes away a thousand men, our forces will be stretched very thin."
Shiki glanced at him.
Then he slowly stood up, his shinobi boots scraping lightly against the floor.
"Let me teach you something."
His voice was calm, but carried unquestionable authority.
"In the shinobi world, sometimes absolute strength matters far more than numbers."
The tactic of overwhelming with sheer manpower had its uses but only depending on who you were facing.
"Hiashi. Elders of all clans."
"Yes!"
The moment Shiki called them, their earlier worry vanished. All of them straightened and looked at him intently.
"After Jiraiya leaves, gather all remaining forces and launch a direct offensive against Rock Village."
"…What?!"
Shock and disbelief spread through the room.
Was this a joke?
Wasn't that sending them straight to their deaths?
"Relax."
Shiki waved his hand casually.
Since he dared give such an order, he naturally had no intention of letting them die meaninglessly.
"The longer this drags on, the lower our morale will sink. Instead of rotting away like this, it's better to initiate the war ourselves."
"I want to crush this decay with a decisive victory."
"I want to tell every remaining Konoha shinobi—"
"As long as I, Shiki, am here… Konoha will never know defeat."
"…Yes!"
With Shiki's decision made as commander-in-chief, further objections were meaningless.
Everyone answered in unison and immediately moved to carry out the orders.
The remaining Konoha forces on the Iwagakure battlefield began assembling at once.
Shiki remained seated in the conference room, quietly waiting.
One hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
Fear?
Sorry.
That emotion had never existed for him.
If anything, Shiki was looking forward to what came next.
After crushing Rock Village… what would the civilians of Konoha say about Minato then?
With Minato standing ahead like a flawless jewel...
The brighter Shiki shone, the more it would expose Minato's incompetence.
"Shiki-nii!"
Just as silence filled the room, Kurenai's voice suddenly rang out.
Not only Kurenai—beside her stood a young girl about the same age.
"Hm?"
Shiki looked over, mildly curious.
"This is Rin Nohara," Kurenai introduced cheerfully. "A really good friend I met at the Academy!"
Kurenai had never been cold or distant. During her time at the Ninja Academy, she had gotten along with nearly everyone.
"L-Lord Shiki…"
Rin couldn't be as natural as Kurenai in front of him, but she still looked at Shiki with unmistakable curiosity.
She wanted to know what kind of man this "Golden Lion," famed throughout the shinobi world, truly was.
"Mm."
Shiki nodded lightly, his gaze briefly sweeping over Rin.
So it was her—
The existence that would one day push Obito completely into darkness, the trigger behind his desperate wish to change the world.
"I heard you're about to go to war, Shiki-nii!" Kurenai said without hesitation.
She had already noticed the large-scale troop movements outside and rushed over immediately.
"Mm. Then stay behind in the camp."
"No!"
Kurenai rejected him without even thinking.
"I'm strong too! I'm not some decoration anymore!" Her voice was firm. "Even if I die on the battlefield, I want to die by your side!"
Her eyes were pure—almost painfully so.
Shiki was momentarily stunned.
Rin, standing nearby, seemed to understand.
From the very beginning, Kurenai had been telling her how incredible Shiki was.
No wonder.
At that moment, Hyūga Hiashi entered the room.
"Lord Shiki! Everything is ready!"
"Good."
Shiki stood up without hesitation.
He walked over to Kurenai, met her unwavering gaze, smiled faintly—
And gently patted her head.
"Let's go. But no matter what happens, stay close to me."
Even though Kurenai already possessed jōnin-level strength, Shiki had no intention of letting her roam freely on the battlefield.
"…Mm!"
Kurenai nodded happily and immediately followed at his side.
Outside the camp, every shinobi capable of fighting had already assembled.
After a year of brutal losses—and after Jiraiya took another thousand away—less than a thousand remained from the original three thousand.
When Shiki stepped forward, every gaze locked onto him.
They all knew...
The battle that would decide their survival rested entirely on this young man.
Shiki's expression was calm.
This was nothing new to him.
One hand rested on his sword as an invisible pressure spread outward.
"Everyone," he said evenly, "you already know what awaits you."
Facing Rock Village with these numbers—fear, panic, despair, and resignation all showed in different eyes.
Shiki saw them all.
"If you think defeat is inevitable, don't worry," he continued. "I didn't call you here to die."
"I called you here to bear witness."
"As long as I am standing here—"
"I will not lose."
"Let's move."
No unnecessary speeches.
No hollow encouragement.
And yet...
Morale surged like a rising tide.
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