"Dad!"
Kanna and Tatsuya turn around at the same time and dashes into Izuna's embrace. Izuna stares at them with an amused expression.
"How did you two know I was coming?" He picks them up in his arms.
"Umm… I just knew it." Kanna answers him.
"I felt like Dad was walking towards us." Tatsuya gives a slightly detailed answer.
'Looks like they have awakened their sensory abilities." Izuna smiles and pats their head.
Yuri also walks towards them and smiles.
"So, how is this place? Do you two like it?" Izuna asks his two kids.
"Mm… this place is much more amazing than the amusement park." Kanna cutely nods her head.
"Then won't you give Dad a kissy?" Izuna extends his cheek to Kanna.
Muah…
Kanna kisses Izuna's cheek and giggles.
"Dad, I have never seen so many fishers before. There was this one weird fish that was glowing like a lantern. And there was another fish with two tails and a fish with a hammer-like head." Tatsuya narrates the description of various fishes he saw in the underwater fish aquarium.
"I wonder what they taste like!" Kanna licks her lips.
"…"
Izuna and Yuri sweat drop as Kanna hungrily gazes at the surrounding fishes.
The various fish gathered near the glass quickly disperses after sensing the threatening aura of a predator.
'Hmm… was that a semi-divine technique?' Izuna stares at Kanna in amusement.
'It seems like her sense of presence is at the level of a semi-divine technique. And looks like she doesn't have control over it. It was just a result of her subconscious desire.' Izuna ruffles Kanna's hair.
"So, do you two want to explore the depth of the sea and take a closer look at these fish?" Izuna asks his kid.
"Can we?" Kanna and Tatsuya stare at Izuna with glowing eyes.
"Of course!" Izuna nods and walks towards the glass panel of the aquarium.
Yuri stares at Izuna's back.
'He loves his kids dearly to pamper them to such an extent.'
Izuna places his hand on the glass panel.
Swoosh…
The next instant, he walks through the solid glass panel and arrives on the other side of the aquarium. An invisible air pocket envelops them.
"WOAH! Amazing!"
Kanna and Tatsuya look around in amazement as the surrounding water gets repelled.
"Look… look… Onii-chan! The water can't touch me." Kanna pokes her little finger at the invisible barrier. Ripples spread across the water from the contact of her fingers.
Tatsuya also plays with the water bubble with Ayaka. His hand stretches out of the water bubbles and comes in contact with the water.
'It's so cold!'
He quickly pulls his hand inside.
Yuri, who is still inside the aquarium is surprised by Izuna's sudden move. She walks towards the glass panel and taps it a few times. But the glass panel is as sturdy as ever.
'How did he do it?' She wonders. However, the next second, she shakes her head and attributes it to another of Izuna's absurd abilities.
Kanna notices Yuri and waves at her.
"Yuri, Onee-chan!"
Yuri also waves at Kanna. Kanna turns towards Izuna and asks him with her puppy eyes.
"Dad, can that beautiful Onee-chan join us in the fun?"
"Of course!"
Izuna nods at her little princess's request and waves his hand toward Yuri. The glass around liquidates for a second and pulls Yuri into the aquarium. An air bubble wraps around her and pulls her towards Izuna and joins with his air bubble.
"Incredible!"
Yuri also looks around in amazement. Her dainty hands pluck the invisible air bubble a few times, and she also imitates Kanna and Tatsuya.
"Let's go deeper, Dad!" Tatsuya turns towards Izuna and requests him.
Hmm…
Izuna glances at the depth of the sea and notices a glowing rainbow jellyfish. He understands Tatsuya's intention to capture the Niji jellyfish.
"Then, hold on to me tightly!"
As soon as Izuna was about to move deeper,
Eeep… iipp…
A gigantic white creature leaps toward them. It's huge pushes the surrounding water and arrives in front of the group.
Eeepp…
The giant creature lowers its head. Its giant lantern-like eyes cast a glow on the group.
Kanna and Tatsuya curiously glance at the giant creature without any fear in their eyes.
"Aren't you two afraid of him?" Izuna asks his kids out of curiosity.
"No, we aren't scared." Both kids shake their heads.
"Because Dad is the strongest!" Both of them giggle.
A smile appears on Izuna's face after hearing the response of his kids.
"Of course!" He chuckles and pats their head.
Eeepp…
The giant white plesiosaur also nudges its head against Izuna's face and demands love from him. The plesiosaur establishes a telepathic connection with him and Izuna hears a few childish gibberish. However, Izuna is able to understand the plesiosaur's intentions.
"I also missed you, Ryu!" Izuna gently pats Ryu's head.
"Dad, who is he?" Kanna and Tatsuya curiously turn to Izuna.
"His name is Ryu, and he is also Dad's friend. Though Ryu is still a kid!" Izuna chuckles and takes out Ryu's favorite food and feeds it to him.
Eeepp…
Ryu circles around the group in excitement and after completing a circle, it stops in front of them and points its flippers towards Kanna and Tatsuya and then points them again at its back.
"Kanna! Tatsuya! Ryu wants to give you both a ride on his back. Do you want to play with him?" Izuna turns to his kids.
"Really?" Both kids stare at Ryu with glowing eyes.
"Yes!" Both Izuna and Ryu nod their head.
Swoosh… swoosh…
Kanna and Tatsuya quickly leap out of Izuna's embrace and hop onto Ryu's back.
"Wow! He is so huge!" They pat Ryu's back.
"So fluffy! Just like the cloud!" They snuggle on Ryu's back as Ryu sways its flippers and dives deeper into the water.
Izuna and Yuri also hop onto Ryu's back and view the fascinating underwater scenes with excitement. Izuna stares at the cheerful expression of his kids and nods his head in contentment.
"This is how it should be!"
------------------------
Later at night.
In the Allied Shinobi Force headquarter,
There is a smile on the faces of various personnel of the Intelligence and Logistics department as the news of the victory of the Allied Shinobi forces arrives one after another.
"The confidence and morale of our shinobis are at an all-time high. Our forces overwhelmed the Zetsu army and almost destroyed one-fourth of them in a single day." The various shinobis celebrate among themselves.
"It's still too soon to celebrate," Shikaku warns them in a severe tone. However, the slight smile on his face betrays his outer feelings.
The shinobi personnel quickly tones down, but still, there is a subtle smile on their face.
However, different from them; Shikaku has some other thoughts.
Though he is happy about the victory of the allied shinobi force. His gut feeling and years of experience and his IQ warn him of another possibility.
He calmly analyzes the battle and soon concludes.
'The Akatsuki made their move with the Zetsu army. However, it looks like Kabuto withdrew his Edo soldiers. The quality and quantity of his Edo soldiers were subpar today. The elite members of the allied shinobi forces quickly subjugated them before they could deal any damage.
Well, there were a few factors in account there. First, the various teams were all prepared for them in advance. There were flee-on-sight orders at the appearance of a powerful Edo and ask for backup at the sight of an elite Edo. With such preparation, we minimized the loss of our forces. Secondly, the intel provided by the Infiltration and Reconnaissance Party was of utmost importance.'
Not only had they the awareness of the enemy's formation, they also knew about the enemy's marching route; which allowed them to strategize a counterattack.
'Hmm… could there be a fallout between Kabuto and Akatsuki?' Shikaku ponders.
'Whatever the case it is, it works in our favor. However, we have to prepare for a powerful counterattack in tomorrow's battle.'
Shikaku shares his thoughts with Minato, and the latter agrees with Shikaku.
'Kabuto's and Orochimaru's motives were unknown from the very beginning. So, perhaps Kabuto worked with Akatsuki on a whim or some of his motives might align with Akatsuki's goal. Whatever it is, we must be prepared to deal with everything they throw at us.'
------------------
Inside a secret underground cave,
Kabuto licks his lips as he stares at the Shogi board in front of him. The white pieces on the shogi board dwindle in numbers while the black pieces are thriving in number.
'It worked out perfectly! But for now…'
As soon as Kabuto opens his mouth, the Zetsu spore on him requests a communication request.
"Here it comes!"
Kabuto accepts the communication request and places the Zetsu spore at one of the corners of the cavern.
"KABUTO!! WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?" Tobi's angry voice echoes in the cavern.