Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Staying Behind
The retreat of the Sunagakure forces echoed far and wide.
Kitahara Kaede stood atop a high vantage point at the right-wing outpost, watching the distant Sunagakure troops withdraw.
Finally, it was over.
Throughout the entire operation, the defensive line at Mount Kikyo had never once been breached.
Sunagakure had launched a frontal assault for nearly two weeks, attempting poison attacks on the right wing, direct charges through the center, and sneak attacks on the left—all of which had been repelled.
Ultimately, they had no choice but to retreat.
Konoha suffered minimal losses; Sunagakure suffered a slight deficit.
It had played out exactly as he had predicted.
Kaede withdrew his gaze and looked down at the bustling camp below.
The wounded were being transported, tents were being dismantled, and the main force had begun preparing to pull up stakes and return to the village.
After this battle, his military merits would be significant.
Now, he had to consider how to handle Tsunade upon his return, and whether Danzo would continue to stir up trouble.
***
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
Yellow sand filled the sky.
The main Sunagakure army marched in silence, the atmosphere as oppressive as the grey clouds hanging overhead.
Everyone knew they had lost this battle.
The sudden change in tactics—switching from a surprise raid to a frontal assault—had proven futile. They had spent two weeks of resources and achieved absolutely nothing.
Pakura stood to the side of the formation, not immediately following the march.
As the wind and sand lashed against her face, she narrowed her eyes and turned around.
Her gaze pierced through the haze of yellow dust, looking back toward the Konoha defensive line.
Aside from a stretch of forest, nothing was visible anymore.
But she knew he was there.
Images from the past few days flooded back into her mind uncontrollably.
She had deliberately requested a transfer to the right wing so she could see Kitahara Kaede on the battlefield multiple times.
Through the gaps in the canopy, she had seen him carrying a purple-bruised wounded soldier back toward the rear.
Looking back on it now, her emotions were complicated.
She realized that she had had several perfect opportunities to ambush him.
Yet, she hadn’t acted once. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.
A Sunagakure Jonin, completely devoid of killing intent toward the enemy.
There was another time.
From a distance, she had seen flashes of fire on the right wing where Kitahara Kaede had clashed with a Sunagakure patrol squad.
Her first instinct—shockingly—had been worry that he might be injured.
Not worry for her own comrades.
"What on earth am I doing..."
Pakura whispered, her voice instantly swept away by the wind.
She had always been clear about her position and her duties.
But those sudden memories, fragmented and stubborn, had burrowed into her mind, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake them.
And then there was that utterly absurd piece of information that haunted her thoughts.
That she had given everything for Sunagakure, only to be treated as a discarded pawn by the higher-ups and packaged off to the Hidden Mist Village.
A humiliating end.
Pakura raised her hand and touched the Sunagakure forehead protector.
That person truly existed.
If so, would that fate also be real?
Her hand lingered for a moment before she finally lowered it.
From the distance came the shouts urging the army forward.
Pakura withdrew her gaze and merged back into the retreating column.
Step by step, she walked further and further away.
***
Mount Kikyo, Konoha Camp.
The commotion of the main force breaking camp had been constant since morning.
Tents collapsed in rows, supply crates were loaded onto carts, and the wounded were prioritized for evacuation.
Kitahara Kaede was helping carry the last few crates of medical supplies.
"Kaede."
A familiar voice called out from behind him.
Kaede turned around.
Minato and Yuhi Shinko were walking toward him. Minato had a military pack slung over his shoulder, looking as if he were preparing to depart.
"Still helping with the lifting?"
Minato smiled and stepped forward, pulling a letter from a side pocket of his bag and handing it over.
"A copy of the merit report. Keep it for your records."
Kaede took it. "Thank you, Lord Minato."
"The Hokage is pressing for my return, so I’ll head out first." Minato patted his shoulder. "Get some good rest for a couple of days once you’re back in the village."
Kaede nodded.
Just as Minato was about to turn away, Yuhi Shinko, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
"Kitahara."
Kaede looked at him.
Shinko’s expression remained unchanged, maintaining his usual steady demeanor.
"You did well this time."
He paused briefly.
"If you have time after returning to the village, come over to my house for a meal."
Kaede blinked in surprise.
The last time he had escorted Kurenai Yuhi home, Shinko had invited him once, but Kaede had politely declined.
This was the second time. Since Shinko had asked him twice in person, it would be inappropriate to refuse again.
"I will, Shinko-senpai."
Shinko nodded, and the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly.
Then he turned and walked away with Minato.
Kaede watched the two leave and tucked the letter into his clothes.
Just as he thought he would head back to the village after finishing the remaining chores, a familiar figure caught his eye.
Yakushi Nonou was carrying a medical kit wider than her shoulders, walking alone toward the edge of the camp.
She was heading toward the outskirts of the battlefield.
What was she doing?
"Nonou-senpai!"
Kaede hurried to catch up.
Nonou looked back, her eyes crinkling behind her round glasses.
"Kitahara-kun, aren’t you leaving with the main force?"
"Where are you going?"
Nonou glanced at the scarred, devastated mountainside in the distance.
"There might still be isolated, severely wounded soldiers in the ruins, or perhaps civilians who got caught in the crossfire." She paused. "The small villages around here were hit hard by the fighting."
She spoke calmly, as if stating a mundane fact.
However, the heavy medical kit on her back and her solitary silhouette facing the post-war wilderness made that calmness feel profoundly heavy.
Looking at her, a specific detail suddenly flashed through Kaede’s mind.
In the original story, after the Battle of Mount Kikyo, it was Nonou who discovered the amnesiac child among the ruins of the battlefield.
Yakushi Kabuto.
The current timeline had already deviated too much due to his intervention.
Kato Dan was alive, Nawaki was missing, and the battle at Mount Kikyo had unfolded completely differently from the original plot.
Would Kabuto still appear there?
If this pivotal node still existed, he needed to confirm it with his own eyes.
Kaede remained silent for two breaths.
"I’ll go with you."
Nonou looked slightly surprised.
"You don’t have to..."
"I know this area better than anyone," Kaede interrupted naturally. "It’ll be faster with an extra pair of hands."
Nonou looked at him.
This youth could have simply returned to the village with the main army.
Given his contributions in this battle, he would be returning to rewards and vacation.
She recalled a sentence Tsunade had written in her letter:
*’He doesn’t really know how to take care of himself.’*
Nonou smiled and didn’t refuse again.
"Then let’s go, Kitahara-kun. While there’s still daylight."
The two walked side by side out of the camp, heading toward the scarred ruins of the distant battlefield.
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