Chapter 86: It’s Too Late Again

Author Note:

Here's the BONUS CHAPTER as promised—thanks for the support, and let's keep this energy going!

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Rōshi, locked in a desperate struggle for control with the Tailed Beast inside him, had already lost himself on the battlefield.

Fully transformed into the Four-Tails, he rampaged across the war zone like a force of nature.

He crushed both Konoha and Iwagakure shinobi underfoot without the slightest hesitation, their lives nothing in the face of his raw power.

Even when Rock Shinobi's own Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had been captured alive by the enemy, Rōshi paid no mind.

The battlefield was chaos, and reason had long since abandoned him.

Left with no choice, the Rock forces announced a retreat in shame, praying Tsunade,renowned as the strongest medical-nin in the world,could at least stabilize Ōnoki before their withdrawal.

Orochimaru, watching the havoc unfold, understood staying any longer would be suicide. With a sharp command, he ordered a full retreat.

And so, only the berserk Four-Tails remained on the battlefield, its roars echoing like the screams of a rabid beast.

The ground shook beneath its rage. At times, it even battered its own body, as if the man inside was fighting to break free.

That same night.

Namikaze Minato, stationed on the southern front, was gripped by an uneasy sense of loss when he received dire news,his student, Rin Nohara, had been captured by Kirigakure forces.

Worse yet, Kakashi had ignored orders and pursued them on his own. He hadn't returned.

Minato's blood ran cold.

Without hesitation, he took off, his figure vanishing into the stormy night with the crackle of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Rain fell in thick sheets, drenching the landscape and shrouding it in a suffocating darkness.

The unease in Minato's heart only grew as he pushed his chakra to the limit, teleporting again and again across vast distances.

But the truth was cruel.

Everything had already been orchestrated,by an old ghost hiding in the shadows for decades. Uchiha Madara had played his pieces well.

When Minato finally reached the southern coast, all that awaited him was death.

Mist Shinobi corpses littered the shore like discarded dolls, their lifeless eyes staring up at the rain.

Kakashi stood silently at the edge, drenched and wounded, blood dripping from his blade.

Rin lay atop a rock near the shoreline, her expression peaceful… too peaceful.

She would never open her eyes again.

"…I'm late… again."

Minato dropped to his knees, the weight of failure crashing down like the storm above.

Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the rain as he stared at the lifeless body of the girl he'd sworn to protect.

Half a minute passed before he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Then, without a word, he lifted Rin's body gently into his arms, as if afraid she'd break.

With Kakashi unconscious beside him, he teleported them both back to the Konoha barracks.

None of them noticed.

Less than a minute after they left, a figure emerged silently from the ground,watching the direction Minato disappeared into.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield in the Land of Earth.

Outside a medical tent, Guts sat waiting, arms crossed. His face was expressionless as Tsunade emerged from the operating room, her white coat soaked with blood and sweat.

"Well?" he asked, raising his eyes.

Tsunade pulled off her mask and gave him a sharp look.

"You really did a number on him. More than seventy percent of his lower back bones are completely shattered,comminuted fractures. Not a single clean break."

She sighed and added,

"He won't be standing ever again. He'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life."

"Hah. Guess he and Asuma can roll around together now,"

Guts laughed darkly.

Tsunade's glare could have pierced steel.

Guts shrugged under her stare.

"So? Is the old man still useful? If not, I'll send him off properly."

He was already calculating,taking Ōnoki's life would probably earn him a solid 2% evolution value.

"Don't be reckless!" Tsunade snapped.

"He's a vital bargaining chip in negotiations with Iwagakure!"

She stepped closer, her tone stern.

"If you kill him now, the Rock Shinobi higher-ups will go mad. They might declare all-out war."

Guts leaned in, his voice dropping to a mischievous whisper.

"Then how about a little… compensation?"

Tsunade flinched slightly as his words brushed her ear. She shoved him away with an annoyed scoff and stormed off toward her own tent, her face unreadable.

Guts chuckled and followed at a leisurely pace, watching her retreat.

She'd look better in that white angel outfit, he mused, remembering her medical uniform. But of course, she always hides in that bulky ninja gear.

Still smiling to himself, Guts entered her tent and wrapped an arm around her waist—like he'd done it a thousand times before.

Back in Iwagakure, despite his current condition, Ōnoki remained the longest-serving Tsuchikage in history.

The grandson of the First Tsuchikage and disciple of the Second, he had ruled with a grip few dared challenge.

But now, with their leader captured, the Rock Shinobi elders saw no choice but to initiate peace talks with Konoha.

Before that happened, one final incident stirred unease.

According to Hyūga reconnaissance, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki had regained control over his body,yet rather than return to the Rock Shinobi camp, he was last seen heading toward the Land of Rivers.

Such behavior left only one explanation: defection.

But whether or not Rōshi had betrayed his village was no concern of Konoha's. They had what they needed.

Five days passed.

With Ōnoki still in enemy hands, Kitsuchi,his son and acting commander, finally sent a message to Konoha. He was willing to come personally to negotiate.

Naturally, his first demand was clear: bring back his father.

Orochimaru, leading the front line for Konoha, agreed. But he added conditions:

Kitsuchi was to bring no more than two guards, and Rock Shinobi forces must retreat thirty kilometers from the battlefield.

If they wanted peace, they'd have to show sincerity.

Backed into a corner, Iwagakure agreed.

Nearly ten days after Ōnoki's capture, the formal peace talks began in the main tent of the Konoha barracks.

Kitsuchi sat across from Orochimaru, with one elite Jōnin guard on either side. Their presence was symbolic, utterly surrounded in enemy territory.

Before anything else, Kitsuchi leaned forward, his brow furrowed.

"Before we begin… I need to confirm my father's condition."

Orochimaru gave a dry chuckle. "Of course."

He gestured with a flick of his fingers, and a Chūnin quickly exited the tent.

As Orochimaru's unsettling smile lingered, Kitsuchi's anxiety only deepened.

The same was true for the two Jōnin behind him.

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