One month later.
Inside the camp cafeteria, Ebisu sat on a bench while holding a bowl in his left hand and stuffing a rice ball into his mouth with his right.
Shiranui Genma sat opposite him with a toothpick dangling from his mouth while slowly chewing on pickled radish.
Neither of them looked hurried while eating.
"Say, hasn't this past month been a little too relaxed?" Ebisu swallowed the food in his mouth before taking a gulp of water.
He placed the bowl onto the table, leaned lazily against the wall, and crossed his legs.
"Those Iwagakure guys haven't shown their faces again since we drove them away. It's already been nearly a month, and they haven't even sent a single reconnaissance squad over. They must be completely terrified by now."
The more Ebisu talked, the more excited he became, and his eyes gradually lit up.
"If only things could stay like this forever."
"Eating rice balls, basking in the sun, and sleeping all day long."
"When the war finally ends and we return to the Village, we'll be able to tell everyone we're veterans who survived a battlefield."
"Heh, won't those academy brats still practicing shuriken end up dying from envy?"
Shiranui Genma glanced at him once before continuing to chew quietly.
Although he still did not speak, the toothpick in his mouth slowly twirled around, clearly showing he was also in a good mood.
Ebisu continued rambling nonstop.
"Don't you think so, Might Guy?"
"We wiped out more than half of those two thousand Iwagakure troops ourselves, and the few hundred survivors ran away like dogs. I bet even if you beat them to death, they still wouldn't dare return to Mount Kikyo."
"If you ask me, Mount Kikyo has already become their graveyard."
"What about Sunagakure?"
Might Guy suddenly put down his bowl and interrupted him.
Ebisu froze briefly.
"Sunagakure?"
"Has there really been no movement from Sunagakure at all?"
Might Guy's expression looked unusually serious.
Ebisu blinked a few times before waving his hand dismissively.
"Sunagakure is busy right now. The front line against Kirigakure is under enormous pressure, so most of Sunagakure's main force has already been transferred toward the eastern coastline. How could they possibly have spare troops to bother with us here?"
"I also heard that the Third Hokage already dispatched several squads over to reinforce the Kirigakure border."
Ebisu scratched his head in confusion before asking, "Why are you suddenly bringing up Sunagakure? Are you worried they might attack us?"
Might Guy did not answer him.
"You're definitely overthinking things."
Ebisu grabbed another rice ball and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Sunagakure can barely handle its own problems right now, so how could they possibly launch an attack on Mount Kikyo? Besides, what's even the point of attacking this place? There's only the Land of Grass in front of us and Konoha behind us. It's just a miserable mountain pass."
"If they really wanted to attack somewhere, they would hit the supply routes along the border. Why would they come all the way here instead?"
Might Guy still remained silent while his thoughts slowly drifted back through everything that had happened during the past month.
A great many things had happened.
The day after Iwagakure retreated, reinforcements from Konoha finally arrived.
Three hundred shinobi had force marched all the way from the Village.
The commander leading them was a Jonin named Yamashiro Kazumasa.
When Yamashiro Kazumasa first entered the camp, he stood silently in the middle of the battlefield ruins while staring at the wounded and the corpses scattered everywhere.
He remained silent for a very long time.
That same night, a ninja hawk departed from Mount Kikyo and flew toward Konoha.
On the third day, another ninja hawk returned.
It carried a handwritten order from the Third Hokage.
The contents of the letter were extremely brief.
The defense of Mount Kikyo had succeeded, Iwagakure had been repelled, and the entire Village was celebrating this victory.
However, the front against Kirigakure was becoming increasingly dangerous and urgently required reinforcements.
Yamashiro Kazumasa's squad was ordered to return immediately.
The wounded stationed at Mount Kikyo were also to be evacuated back to Konoha in batches.
Starting from the fifth day, the evacuation officially began.
The severely wounded were carried away first on stretchers while being escorted by Medical Ninja.
Those with lighter injuries who could still walk carried their belongings and followed behind.
By the tenth day, fewer than one thousand people remained in the entire camp.
On the fourteenth day, another ninja hawk arrived.
This time, it carried a new order from the Third Hokage.
Because of Shikaku Nara's outstanding performance during the Battle of Mount Kikyo, he was transferred directly to the Kirigakure front line.
The fighting there had become extremely intense, and they urgently needed commanders with his tactical abilities.
Shikaku Nara departed in a great hurry.
He packed his belongings that same day before leaving alongside two guards.
Before leaving, he stood atop the mountain ridge and looked back toward Mount Kikyo one final time.
There was worry in his eyes.
And there were also other emotions that could not be described clearly.
On the fifteenth day, the new commander sent from Konoha finally arrived.
Sarutobi Sosuke.
Might Guy had been stunned the moment he heard that name.
He had never heard of this person before.
He asked Ebisu, but Ebisu had never heard of him either.
He asked Shiranui Genma, and Genma merely shook his head.
Finally, he asked Akimichi Choza.
Choza remained silent for a moment before replying quietly, "He's a junior from the Sarutobi Clan. He graduated two years earlier than me, but he has never stepped onto a battlefield before."
Never stepped onto a battlefield before.
Might Guy had instantly fallen silent after hearing that.
Sarutobi Sosuke arrived with an impressive entourage.
He brought four guards with him, consisting of two Chunin and two Genin.
He also brought along a personal clerk and a cook.
The moment he arrived, he immediately gathered everyone together inside the center of the camp before standing proudly at the front to give a speech.
"Everyone, you've worked hard. The Battle of Mount Kikyo demonstrated Konoha's power perfectly, and the Third Hokage is extremely satisfied with your performance."
"Although we have already achieved victory for now, we absolutely cannot lower our guard. We must remain vigilant and carefully defend against any future counterattack from the enemy."
He spoke very fluently.
Every word was perfectly pronounced, his voice loud and powerful, overflowing with confidence.
But Might Guy noticed something.
While speaking, Sarutobi Sosuke's eyes constantly drifted elsewhere.
They repeatedly glanced toward his own tent nearby.
It looked almost as though he was more concerned about arranging the belongings he brought with him.
After finishing his speech, he turned around and entered the largest tent in the camp.
From that moment onward, the atmosphere inside Mount Kikyo gradually began to change.
Every morning after waking up, Might Guy would first go inspect the sentry post near the entrance of the camp.
At first there were still two shinobi standing guard there.
Later, it became only one.
And after that, the remaining guard would simply lean lazily against the wooden barricade while dozing off.
Even training gradually became less active.
The topics people discussed also slowly changed.
Originally, everyone talked about battlefield tactics and squad coordination.
Now they mostly discussed when they would finally return to Konoha.
Or when the war would officially end.
Day after day, Might Guy's unease grew heavier.
Inside the cafeteria, Ebisu was still rambling endlessly.
"Might Guy, don't you think you're being way too nervous?"
"Look around. Nothing has happened for an entire month. Iwagakure already ran away, Sunagakure is busy fighting elsewhere, and we're sitting here eating and drinking peacefully every day. Isn't that great?"
He stuffed the final rice ball into his mouth before speaking unclearly.
"If you ask me, the Third Hokage made the right decision by transferring people away."
"Mount Kikyo really isn't that important anymore, so why keep so many shinobi stationed here? It's obviously better to reinforce the more dangerous fronts instead. Don't you agree, Genma?"
Shiranui Genma lazily placed the toothpick back into his mouth.
"Don't know."
"Tch, you're so boring."
Ebisu rolled his eyes before turning toward Might Guy again.
"Might Guy, what do you think?"
Might Guy still did not answer.
Because he had been thinking about only one thing this entire month.
Why did Konoha lose the Battle of Mount Kikyo in the original timeline?
He had thought about this question countless times already.
In the original Naruto story, the Battle of Mount Kikyo was one of the major turning points of the Third Shinobi World War.
Konoha suffered heavy losses there.
Many people died.
Originally, Might Guy assumed the reason was because Sunagakure's surprise attack had been too overwhelming.
That Rasa had simply been too powerful.
That Konoha never had a chance to win.
But after personally experiencing the battle against Iwagakure, he no longer believed that.
Two thousand Iwagakure shinobi attacked Mount Kikyo.
Fifteen hundred Konoha shinobi defended it successfully.
Although three hundred people died, they also killed over twelve hundred enemies.
That was an undeniably brilliant battle record.
Konoha was never incapable of winning.
The real problem was what happened afterward.
After successfully defending Mount Kikyo, the higher ups of Konoha immediately concluded that the location was no longer strategically important.
Troops were transferred away.
The wounded were evacuated.
The commander was replaced by a second generation noble who had never experienced war.
Sentry posts were reduced.
Training became lazy.
Everyone relaxed completely.
Everyone believed the war was already over.
Everyone believed the enemy would never return.
Everyone believed they could finally breathe easy.
And because of that, nobody expected Sunagakure to suddenly launch a sneak attack.
Bang.
Might Guy suddenly slammed his bowl onto the table.
Ebisu jumped in surprise.
"Might Guy? What's wrong with you?"
Without answering, Might Guy stood up immediately.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ebisu shouted from behind him.
Might Guy never turned back.
He walked straight out of the cafeteria, crossed through the camp, and headed directly toward Akimichi Choza's tent.
Because many troops had already been transferred away, numerous tents inside the camp now sat completely empty.
Captains like Akimichi Choza had each been assigned their own private tent.
Choza's tent stood near the eastern side of the camp.
Might Guy lifted the curtain and walked inside.
Akimichi Choza was currently squatting beside a map spread across the floor. When he heard footsteps, he raised his head.
"Might Guy? What's wrong?"
Might Guy stood directly in front of him.
"Captain, there's something I need to say."
Before Choza could ask further, Might Guy continued seriously, "I'm worried that Sunagakure might launch a surprise attack."
Akimichi Choza froze momentarily.
Then he laughed.
It was not a dismissive laugh.
It was the kind of laugh people used when trying to reassure someone they believed was worrying too much.
"Sunagakure?"
Choza shook his head.
"Sunagakure doesn't have spare forces right now. The battle against Kirigakure has become extremely intense, and their main force is stationed along the eastern coastline. How could they possibly send troops to Mount Kikyo?"
Those words were almost exactly the same as Ebisu's.
Might Guy's heart sank heavily.
If Ebisu said something like that, it could simply be explained away as a lack of experience.
But even Akimichi Choza, one of the eight battalion captains, thought this way.
"If Sunagakure really does come…"
Might Guy suddenly did not dare continue that thought.
He stared at Choza seriously.
"What if they really launch a surprise attack?"
Akimichi Choza's smile slowly stiffened.
"They wouldn't even need many troops. They would only need a few elite shinobi leading a small force while taking advantage of our relaxed defenses to circle around through the Land of Grass and attack unexpectedly."
"There are fewer than one thousand people left at Mount Kikyo now. Security has become lax. If someone attacks at a moment like this…"
"That's enough."
Choza interrupted him directly.
He lowered his head toward the map again and remained silent for a long while.
Might Guy also stayed silent while waiting.
Eventually, Choza finally raised his head again.
"Your concerns aren't unreasonable. I'll speak to Commander Sarutobi about this."
He paused briefly before softening his tone.
"But Might Guy, Sunagakure's main force really is fighting on the eastern coastline right now. That intelligence cannot be wrong. Iwagakure has also already retreated, so…"
He did not finish the sentence.
But Might Guy already understood the meaning.
Even Choza himself did not truly believe Sunagakure would attack.
He was only saying he would report it because he did not want Might Guy to continue worrying.
Might Guy did not expose him and simply nodded quietly.
Then he turned and walked out of the tent.
Just before reaching the entrance, Choza's voice sounded from behind him.
"Might Guy."
Might Guy stopped walking.
"Being cautious is a good thing. But don't make yourself too nervous. War is never decided within a single day or two."
Might Guy still did not look back.
He lifted the curtain and stepped outside.
The sun had already begun setting over the camp.
Might Guy walked aimlessly through Mount Kikyo alone.
Eventually, he arrived at the mountain ridge where they once fought the massive battle against Iwagakure.
No one was guarding the ridge anymore.
Might Guy stood there silently while staring into the distance.
The direction of the Land of Grass was completely dark, and nothing could be seen.
At that moment, an overwhelming sense of helplessness suddenly washed over him.
Everyone was relaxing.
Everyone believed there would be no more battles.
Everyone was laughing.
But Might Guy knew the truth.
They were all wrong.
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