Kannin regained consciousness a few hours later. He found himself in the Konoha hospital being treated for his many wounds. Kiyo had found her way there, and was sitting at his side. Shin was also there, and, much to his chagrin, his mother, who looked like a small gust of wind could knock her over.
With a hoarse and faint voice, he said, "Hi there. I suppose Hokage got my message?"
"Kannin what were you doing?" Shin said with little of her normal pleasantry.
Kannin looked down, not knowing how to feel, before answering, "I wasn't seeking an army out on purpose, if that's what you mean. It was an accident. I just recently formed a summoning contract with Kiyo here, when they passed through near us." Shin nodded, and Kannin continued, "I knew I wasn't fast enough to escape them, so I sent Kiyo ahead with a report."
"I understand the situation you were put in was dire, but if it weren't for Minato, you'd likely be dead right now, Kannin."
Just hearing the word dead made Usagi quake, and she excused herself from the room.
"What was my alternative, sensei? Let them capture me anyway since I still wouldn't have been able to get away, and also allow Iwa to launch a surprise attack on Konoha? I did what seemed right, and I got hurt in the process. That's part of being a shinobi."
Shin put her head in her hands and thought for a moment. Rationally, she had no real issue with what Kannin had done, she would've done the same in his position, but she just couldn't accept nearly losing one of her disciples so soon. Shin had lost a lot of friends in the 2nd War, and it worried her how prone Kannin was to endangering his life.
She sighed and got up from her chair and went over to Kannin's bed.
"The doctors said you'd be healed up in less than a week's time. Once you're back, Team 4 has been assigned to the Iwa front of the hostilities."
"The Iwa front?"
"Our spies confirmed that Kumo also sent an assault force in secret. Minato's been assigned there with his team. Hokage has also recalled the Sannin, but there's no telling when or if they'll come back."
"What about Sunagakure?"
Shin looked out the window and said, "I haven't heard anything about Suna yet. My bet is they're waiting to see who comes out on top of the initial engagement before taking sides, those fence-sitters."
Kannin furrowed his brow in contemplation. His senses told him that he would actually be healed in less than 3 days, thanks to his vitality. Fighting Iwa would be a chore.
-
In the Tsuchikage's tent
"What the hell was that!? I thought we swept the whole area and it came back empty! Why was there a Konoha-nin there, and more, why did you let him get away?"
"I don't know, sir. We looked for two whole days, and the plains were empty. It was as if the Konoha-nin appeared out of thin air."
Onoki scrunched his nose and said, "Our whole element of surprise is gone. They've probably caught on to the Kumo force as well. They'll be prepared for us now," he put his hands together, "this will be a tougher battle than I would like."
-
Back in Konoha
Hiruzen was meeting with the elite jonin in the war room. A large map of the continent was splayed out on the table, and under a dim lamp, Hiruzen, Danzo, and a few dozen more shinobi glanced at the map.
"These are the approximate positions of the enemy armies. I need sensor squads patrolling every inch of these lands. Minato, until we can get Orochimaru or Jiraiya back here, you're in charge of the Kumo front; you're the only one who can match their speed. Shin, you'll lead the Iwa vanguard, since your lightning release is among the best in Konoha. We'll be reinforcing you both with medical teams and our army, once it gets put together. Understand?"
Shin and Minato nodded and left to gather their teams. Shin went to the hospital to get Kannin as he was being discharged. His mother realized what was going on, and begged her to let him stay at home and recuperate, but Shin couldn't go against Hokage's orders.
Still limping a little, and bandaged all over, Kannin hobbled out the hospital doors, and told his mom that everything would be okay, and that, "With Kiyo here, nothing could harm him." Which Kiyo enthusiastically agreed. Usagi was distraught beyond belief, but even she couldn't go against Hokage's orders, and eventually she let him go
Kannin followed Shin to the Uchiha compound to collect Warai. Hoya opened the door to see Shin and a bandaged Kannin, each with sullen faces, and understood their business immediately. He called Warai down, and Ten also came out from the back to say goodbye. It took about 10 minutes for Warai to fully get her stuff together. She strapped her forehead protector on, and gave her parents a goodbye before going to the Sarutobi compound with them.
The Sarutobi had advanced knowledge of the war plans because one of their number was the Hokage. When the rest of Team 4 arrived at his house, he was already sitting on the porch with his things together, waiting for them.
"Hey" he said, seeing them arrive, "I gather we're off to war?"
"You ready?" Shin asked.
"Someone's gotta keep Kannin from getting himself killed." Tetsu said with a smile.
All of them chuckled at his response, and welcomed him back to the team. While they were walking, all of them took turns teasing Kannin for his bandages, and also petting Kiyo, who definitely enjoyed the attention.
"Alright kids, I've been temporarily placed in charge of Konoha's forces fighting Iwagakure, so it won't just be us. We should be meeting up with a larger force of sensors, medical-nin, and other teams once we leave."
The kids nodded and followed her out of the city.