Uchiha Akira lay sprawled out, looking like he had completely given up. After a while, Jiraiya returned, inquiring about the situation.
The pursuit had resulted in even more Iwa-nin being taken down. The once confident group that had charged out of their base, dead set on killing Uchiha Akira, had been reduced to just a few dozen survivors who managed to escape.
Though Kakashi and the others were all injured and everyone's chakra was nearly depleted, the fact that not a single one of them died, while nearly wiping out a force of five hundred Iwa-nin, was a truly remarkable feat.
"It seems we'll need to coordinate with the vanguard forces next," Shikaku Nara said after a brief rest, assessing everyone's condition. It was quite something for a squad of just nine people to take down over four hundred out of a two-thousand-strong Iwa-nin vanguard.
This accomplishment, no matter where it was measured, was nothing short of extraordinary.
However, this loss wasn't crippling for Iwagakure. They still had around two thousand shinobi left in the construction base. At this point, it was beyond what their small team could handle on their own.
"By now, the reinforcements should have reached the borders of the Land of Wind," Akira chimed in after Shikaku spoke. "If the Land of Wind hasn't deployed a large force to the border, most of the reinforcements should be heading toward the border with the Land of Earth."
Their nine-man squad was just a reconnaissance team, meant to gather intelligence on the border situation. After all, the other three great ninja villages were only testing the waters against Konoha, not yet fully committing to war.
At the same time, Konoha had sent three thousand elite shinobi to follow closely behind Akira and his team. The Land of Wind had shown a firm response, which was the best strategy to counter the probing from the other villages.
Who would have thought Iwagakure would directly deploy over two thousand shinobi?
Given the situation, Konoha had no choice but to respond with equal force.
Now, the other great ninja villages were eyeing Konoha, believing it to be weakened and ripe for the taking. If Konoha were to stick with the appeasement policy of the Third Hokage, it would only encourage the other villages to think of Konoha as an easy target.
Therefore, it was crucial for Konoha to show its strength at this moment.
"For the next few days, we should focus on recovering from our injuries. Especially you, Akira, given your current condition…" Jiraiya turned his attention to Akira, who should have been incapacitated after opening the Seventh Gate, and suggested he leave the front lines.
"Restore my chakra level," Akira thought, even as he knew Jiraiya had his best interests at heart. But he hadn't even completed half of his mission to show Konoha's strength on the border—how could he retreat now? What would that do to his reputation?
Originally intending to hold back his trump card for later, Akira decided to use it now. In an instant, his injuries vanished completely, and his chakra was fully replenished.
Where he had just been lying on the ground, looking like a wreck, he was now standing up, full of energy.
"No need, I'm fine now," Akira said, shaking his head and interrupting Jiraiya.
"Wha—what…" Jiraiya stared at Akira, who had suddenly gone from nearly crippled to full health, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat, cutting off his words.
The others around them were equally shocked, staring at Akira in disbelief.
He had just opened the Seventh Gate, yet he was completely unscathed? How was that possible?
"He… he didn't die after opening the Eighth Gate before, and now he's instantly recovered after opening the Seventh Gate?"
"What on earth is going on? Has he found a way to avoid the aftereffects of the Eight Gates, or is there some other secret?"
The most stunned of all was undoubtedly Might Guy. After opening the Seventh Gate, he was completely drained of chakra and his body was aching all over. Seeing Akira standing there, Might Guy couldn't help but feel a mixture of shock and envy.
"Akira, how did you recover so quickly?" Naruto asked, his curiosity overriding any hesitation. The suddenness of Akira's recovery was too surprising, so Naruto didn't hesitate to ask directly.
"This? Let's just say it's a little secret of mine," Akira replied frankly. He wasn't about to reveal his golden finger. It was his greatest advantage, and if someone found out, it could be used against him.
"Alright…" Naruto, though curious, respected Akira's choice not to elaborate, and didn't press further.
Afterward, the Konoha shinobi discussed their next steps. Kakashi was severely injured, Might Guy was out of chakra, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were all carrying various injuries.
Hiashi Hyuga was in the best shape, but his Byakugan was needed to keep an eye on the Iwa-nin's movements.
After some discussion, they decided that Jiraiya should go contact Konoha's elite forces to bring reinforcements to the border of the Land of Earth.
To move Konoha's elite troops, someone with sufficient rank and authority was required. Only Akira or Jiraiya could do that.
But Akira, as the overall leader of this mission, needed to stay on the front lines at the border.
"How long until you return?" Akira asked Jiraiya, knowing there was no other choice but to let him go and coordinate with the vanguard forces.
"Don't worry. At my speed, I should be back in three or four days, five or six at the most," Jiraiya replied, reassuring Akira.
Akira felt a bit relieved at this. Based on his earlier life simulation, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, would attempt to ambush him in about half a month.
With Jiraiya gone, it wasn't ideal, but knowing he would return before Onoki made his move was a comfort.
Jiraiya set off, while Akira and the others found a secluded spot near the border to rest and recover, giving Kakashi and the others time to heal.
When Konoha's vanguard forces arrived, it would mark the beginning of a full-scale war with Iwagakure. The outcome of this battle would directly influence how the other ninja villages viewed Konoha.
This battle had to be won, and it had to be a decisive victory.
Every day at the border, Yamanaka Inoichi would use his sensory abilities to keep tabs on the Iwa-nin. Fortunately, after their defeat, the Iwa-nin hadn't made any aggressive moves or attempted to cross the border into the Land of Fire.
During these two days, Akira couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
He only had about four hundred thousand ryo left before leaving the village, and after receiving three million ryo for mission expenses, he had spent two million on Military Ration Pills.
Adding in the costs of food, lodging, and other expenses along the way, even being as frugal as possible, he had burned through another three hundred thousand ryo.
Now, Akira had just over a million ryo left.
If he needed to spend more on Military Ration Pills, he would soon be out of money. But without them, what would he do if he found himself in a situation where he needed to recover instantly?
Moreover, the current situation at the border was already deviating from what he had simulated in his previous life.
This meant that the upcoming events might not unfold as predicted.
Not knowing what to expect made Akira uneasy.
"So… how much money do you all have?" After considering for a while, Akira asked the group.
"Money?" The sudden question took everyone by surprise, but they each responded.
Kakashi mentioned that the Hatake family still had some wealth, so he usually carried around ten or so million ryo.
Might Guy admitted that he didn't have much money, as being a jonin had its own expenses and his family wasn't particularly wealthy.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Hiashi Hyuga were all heads of their respective clans, so they were well-off, but no one carried a large amount of cash on them at all times.
"So, if we need to spend more, we might be in trouble even for basic necessities?"
"I have some money. I've got around eight hundred thousand ryo," Naruto suddenly said, revealing that he had quite a bit of cash.
"What? How do you have so much money?" Akira looked at Naruto in surprise.
He had thought Naruto would be the poorest among them, but now it turned out he was the richest.
"Well, the villagers have been treating me really well lately, so I haven't had to spend much on food and such."
"Plus, the village said that some of the properties originally belonged to the Uzumaki clan, so they've been giving me quite a bit of revenue," Naruto explained.
The assets of the Uzumaki clan naturally should go to Naruto, as the last bearer of the clan's bloodline. Though he was still too young to manage all of it, he was given enough to ensure he never had to worry about money again.
"I see. So after the recent changes, Naruto has become a proper rich kid!" Akira realized.
Naruto wasn't the same kid who used to struggle just to get by.
The others, including Kakashi, nodded in agreement. At least in this regard, Akira was handling things far better than the Third Hokage had.
Back in the day, when the Uzumaki clan's assets were passed down from Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage, only a small portion was left for Kushina Uzumaki. After her death, the rest went to Konoha.
At least now, Akira had given some of it back to Naruto.
With Naruto's funds, they wouldn't have to worry about food or lodging. Akira decided to begin his third life simulation. A million ryo vanished, and the simulation began…
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