The organization dedicated to restoring the Land of Whirlpools had never managed to keep pace with the Uchiha.
The organization consisted of only a little over two thousand shinobi.
For a small country, that wasn’t an insignificant number, but the composition of the organization was far too complicated.
And once an army’s composition became complicated, it became difficult to command.
Even though this operation was meant to rescue the surviving remnants of the Uzumaki Clan, there was no reason for them, as the "legitimate" representatives of the Land of Whirlpools, not to participate.
Yet the only shinobi truly willing to join the operation were those under Minato’s command.
Even those people weren’t particularly enthusiastic.
After all, the survivors of the Uzumaki Clan weren’t their own family or countrymen. They didn’t possess that same sense of attachment or empathy.
Still, they were at least more motivated than those who had been driven out of Konoha.
Minato Namikaze wasn’t willing to leave Mitokado Homura, a former Konoha elder, behind with Kushina, who was pregnant.
Everything that had happened recently had allowed even someone as bright and optimistic as Minato to experience the darkness and evil lurking within the world.
Someone who was hailed as a peerless hero one second could be cast into the depths the next.
Even Minato could no longer clearly distinguish between justice and injustice.
At this point, all he could do was act according to his own conscience and make sure that, whenever he looked back on his actions, he could say that he had no regrets.
The Uzumaki had to be saved.
Rebuilding the Land of Whirlpools was something he and Kushina had to accomplish themselves. They couldn’t simply entrust everything to other people.
Therefore, although the Uchiha had never forced them to contribute troops, Minato and Kushina still felt that they had to participate in this operation.
If Kushina hadn’t been pregnant, Minato might not even have been needed.
But Minato couldn’t foolishly leave Kushina in someone else’s care either.
Even while he was present, Mitokado Homura had been aggressive in his pursuit of political power.
If Kushina were left behind alone with her strength severely out of balance with Homura’s, who knew what that old man might do?
They had remained in Konoha, and Homura still seemed to hold the home-field advantage.
Even after the purge, the old man still had plenty of connections and favors he could call upon.
The old man’s ability to cause trouble was not something to underestimate.
Minato felt that he couldn’t take too many of his own people.
He also needed to bring some of Homura’s faction along.
Only then could they maintain a balance of power within Uzushiogakure.
The Yellow Flash of Konoha believed that as long as he personally went, this journey would surely proceed smoothly.
That was the confidence brought by overwhelming strength.
Thus, half of Minato’s shinobi and half of Mitokado’s faction formed the force accompanying him on the operation.
Five hundred shinobi.
The number was barely a fraction of the force the Uchiha had deployed, yet even within this five-hundred-man unit, the factions were scattered and divided.
This made Minato feel rather embarrassed.
But there was nothing he could do.
That was simply the manpower the Land of Whirlpools could afford.
The symbolic significance of their deployment was far greater than its practical military value.
Moreover, Konoha was still organizing the first Joint Chūnin Examination.
Afterward, they intended to use the examination to rally all their allies and have them join the effort to restore the Land of Whirlpools.
Kushina needed more people to stand behind her.
That required even more manpower.
If circumstances allowed it, Kushina would probably have hired wandering shinobi and even missing-nin to participate in the restoration of Uzushiogakure.
Unfortunately, such a thing was taboo among the established hidden villages.
Even if they did it, they had to make sure no one found out.
And so Minato led his five hundred-plus shinobi and followed the Uchiha forces.
He had initially thought the operation would proceed smoothly.
But Minato had forgotten one thing.
These shinobi had all just survived a great war.
The reason they had survived was because they feared death.
Those who weren’t afraid of death had already died on the battlefield.
Now Minato was asking them to march onto another battlefield.
Even the shinobi from his own faction dragged their feet.
As for those from Mitokado Homura’s faction who had been forced to come along, they were even less willing.
Under the same marching conditions, the Uchiha forces advanced in perfect order, without the slightest hesitation or wasted movement.
Minato’s people, meanwhile, dragged their feet.
They could spend half a day eating a single meal.
Such marching discipline was enough to make even the wandering shinobi and Sand shinobi heading toward the Land of Rivers give them a thumbs-up.
Konoha’s shinobi really were impressive.
Even when shirking their duties, they somehow managed to surpass everyone else.
The other shinobi exclaimed:
"Learned something new! Learned something new!"
That was another reason Minato’s face had turned red.
The Uchiha had already blockaded Kusagakure.
Meanwhile, Minato’s forces hadn’t even left the Land of Fire.
The Uchiha were already fighting everywhere.
Minato’s forces had only just reached the Great Kannabi Bridge.
The situation left Minato utterly helpless.
Even if the Uchiha didn’t care, Minato still had his own pride.
"This won’t do. If this continues, we’ll only make the Uchiha look down on us even more.
"Konoha’s shinobi were once glorious.
"Just because we’ve suffered one defeat, does that mean we’ve even thrown away our pride?"
Minato complained to Mimura Hayamaki.
This man had once served as Konoha’s commander on the northwestern front.
He had since joined the Land of Whirlpools, and he had quickly earned the trust of Minato and Kushina by drawing upon his experience in commanding frontline forces.
"Sir, you can’t really blame everyone for this.
"If this operation had been your own proposal and we had acted independently, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way."
Mimura Hayamaki’s willingness to speak frankly was one of the key reasons he had earned Minato’s trust.
"But this operation was proposed by the Uchiha.
"That battle in Konoha frightened everyone.
"No one knows what the Uchiha are actually planning, and no one believes they are acting out of goodwill."
Mimura Hayamaki wasn’t taking sides.
He was simply doing his job, and he had the courage to speak his mind.
He stated the thoughts of the shinobi restoring the Land of Whirlpools exactly as they were.
It was an objective reality, and a few slogans weren’t going to change it.
No matter what, these people didn’t trust the Uchiha.
Just as the Uchiha had never expected anything from Konoha.
Minato understood that.
But understanding it wasn’t enough.
If he couldn’t change other people, then he could only change himself.
"Why did the Iwagakure forces that passed by withdraw?"
Minato had originally thought that if his forces were unwilling to act alongside the Uchiha, he could at least lead them in driving back the Iwa shinobi invading the Land of Fire.
With the Allied Shinobi Forces engaged elsewhere, he could at least block one front for the Uchiha.
Who would have expected the Iwa shinobi to simply retreat?
His plans had been rendered useless.
Hearing Minato’s question, Mimura answered:
"They were probably frightened by the phenomenon in the Land of Grass.
"A battle on that scale would terrify anyone.
"The Uchiha really are becoming stronger and stronger."
Mimura Hayamaki had no desire to avenge Konoha or the Third Hokage.
It seemed that once the Sarutobi Clan had fallen, no one besides the Sarutobi themselves had any intention of avenging them.
The shinobi who had splintered away from Konoha seemed to have no particular thoughts beyond their distrust of the Uchiha.
And whenever they witnessed the Uchiha display their overwhelming strength, something began to stir within them.
Those wandering shinobi, missing-nin, and others who had once been looked down upon by Konoha’s remnants had now begun living comfortably.
Even the Uchiha had risen to such a lofty position that they could live in peace and prosperity.
These people couldn’t help but feel a trace of regret.
If only they had pledged themselves to the Uchiha sooner.
If they had stood on the Uchiha’s side, would they have become victors too?
That thought had been lingering in their minds recently.
They didn’t trust the Uchiha.
Yet they yearned to join them.
The remnants of Konoha had incredibly complicated feelings toward the Uchiha.
Unfortunately, Minato’s enthusiasm was infectious, but he had no ability to see into people’s hearts.
He had no idea what Mimura Hayamaki was actually thinking.
Minato simply felt that if the Uchiha completed the rescue operation for the Uzumaki Clan on their own, then his journey would have been completely meaningless.
If that was how things turned out, he might as well never have come.
Thinking about this, Minato felt that he needed to make a change.
Perhaps he should leave the main force behind and head alone to the Land of Grass.
At the very least, the battle in the Land of Grass had clearly reached a level at which ordinary shinobi had no business participating.
There was no point in taking these people along.
As long as he, the strongest combatant, joined the battle, that would be enough.
"Hayamaki, take the forces and proceed carefully.
"Do not enter the battlefield recklessly!"
Minato issued the order.
Mimura Hayamaki looked toward the scene of gods and demons battling in the Land of Grass and happily nodded.
Taking a group of utterly demoralized shinobi into a place like that to fight would likely trigger a mutiny.
Minato’s order was the correct one.
As a subordinate, there was no need to question his superior’s command at this moment.
All he needed to do was show concern for the man giving the order.
"But, Sir, what about you?
"Are you really going alone?"
Minato nodded.
"Yes. I’m going alone."
Mimura Hayamaki continued expressing his insincere concern.
"Sir, it’s dangerous."
But the thing Minato had to do was something he could not simply abandon.
"It’s fine, Hayamaki. Don’t worry."
After a few brief words, the matter was settled.
Minato’s confidence came from his recent training.
Kushina had sealed a portion of the Nine-Tails’ chakra within him, and he had also mastered Sage Mode.
He could enter a Nine-Tails Sage Mode once.
The overwhelming power of that state made Minato believe that if he encountered Tenzan again, he would undoubtedly be able to defeat him.
Uzushiogakure needed someone to make the shinobi world recognize its name.
And that someone would be him.
Minato Namikaze.
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