“kota, I have to go.”
Minato Namikaze looked at a middle-aged man whose chin was lined with stubble.
kota was the frontline commander of the defense forces, a highly experienced jonin.
“Has something gone wrong with the mission to cut off Iwa?”
kota gasped for air.
Given his rank, he naturally knew this operation was split into two fronts.
The bulk of the main force was here on the front lines clashing with Iwa shinobi, keeping them pinned down.
In the end, a small squad was dispatched to launch a surprise attack and blow up the bridge.
“Yeah.”
Minato Namikaze’s expression was grim as he gave a slight nod.
He had already killed most of the Iwa shinobi, and the crisis on the front lines was resolved.
He had to check on the situation at the Kannabi Bridge.
Otherwise, as long as the Kannabi Bridge remained, the enemy could still mobilize reinforcements from other locations at any time, and their rear support could come through unimpeded.
“I’ll be back soon.”
With that, Minato Namikaze’s figure flickered, and he had already vanished from where he stood.
“Is that the Flying Raijin Jutsu, which has been lost ever since the Second Hokage?”
Watching Minato Namikaze leave, kota shook his head.
It was precisely this jutsu that allowed Minato Namikaze to shine so brilliantly in this Great Ninja War.
And when Minato Namikaze, who had left, opened his eyes again, he happened to witness the collapse of the cave.
Rubble surrounded him on all sides, continuously falling down, nearly striking him.
“?
Minato Namikaze was a bit puzzled.
Wait, where had this brought him?
Was this still the Land of Grass?
Immediately after, Minato Namikaze hurled a special kunai outside, where it embedded itself in the ground.
Shink!
Then Minato Namikaze’s form flickered once more, appearing outside.
He pulled the special kunai out and gripped it in his hand.
“Ahead…”
Minato Namikaze sensed a flow of chakra—it was the chakra of Kiyohara and Rin and the others.
“It seems the special kunai I gave Kakashi ended up dropped in here.
After they escaped from the cave, they were surrounded by the enemy.
With no time to pick up the kunai, they had no choice but to retreat outward.”
Based on these simple clues, Minato Namikaze quickly pieced together a plausible scenario, so he hurried onward without delay.
…
“Wow, who would’ve thought you even managed to kill Hikari and the others.
Sneaking behind enemy lines quietly is already impressive, but to still have that kind of fighting spirit—you’re tenacious.”
Sumashi looked at Kiyohara and the others.
Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, his gaze turned to Kiyohara.
“According to the portrait given by the recon shinobi, the one who kept disrupting our sensing and let the rats slip through—that’s you, isn’t it, kid!”
Sumashi stared at Kiyohara.
It was this guy’s coordination that allowed the other Konoha shinobi to infiltrate this deep into enemy territory.
If the Kannabi Bridge suffered any damage, they would certainly face severe punishment from the village.
This bridge absolutely could not be lost.
That was why, upon detecting the situation here, Sumashi rushed over without a moment’s rest, leading a squad of Iwa shinobi.
Kakashi forced himself to stand, squeezing out every one of his one hundred thirty trillion cells to refine a bit of chakra.
And so, upon sensing the situation here, Sumashi rushed over without resting a moment, leading a squad of Iwa shinobi.
Kakashi forced himself to stand, squeezing every one of his one hundred thirty trillion cells to refine a bit of chakra.
After converting all his chakra into Lightning Release chakra, pale blue arcs of electricity erupted from Kakashi’s hand.
The lightning illuminated his face as the harsh crackling filled the forest.
Unfortunately, just three seconds in, Kakashi’s chakra was nearly depleted.
His face was deathly pale, and he could no longer even maintain the Chidori.
The arcs in his hand died out in an instant.
“Already at the point where I can’t even do this anymore?”
Kakashi’s expression turned bitter.
His chakra reserves were simply too small.
Or rather, the Chidori’s consumption was too great—at his current level, he could hardly afford the jutsu.
Ever since he’d gotten the Sharingan implanted, Kakashi felt like a leaking balloon, chakra constantly seeping out.
Because he was from another clan, the transplanted Sharingan could not be deactivated.
Ordinary Uchiha only activated their Sharingan during battle and kept it off the rest of the time, effectively costing nothing.
But he had to expend chakra around the clock.
From the moment of the transplant until now, Kakashi’s already meager reserves had only grown more strained.
“Kakashi…”
Rin Nohara noticed this too.
She didn’t know whether Obito’s Sharingan on Kakashi was a boon or a burden for him.
But it was Obito’s final…
keepsake.
It was also Obito’s last wish—for Kakashi to keep watching over this wonderful world in his place.
That made it impossible for Rin to say anything.
“Let me handle this!”
Seeing Kakashi reduced to a three-second man, Genma Shiranui let out a low shout.
The next moment, senbon shot from his mouth as his hands blurred through hand signs, the needles multiplying into a dense wall filling the space before Sumashi.
However, Sumashi, as a veteran tokubetsu jonin especially skilled in Earth Release ninjutsu, moved even faster!
“Earth Release: Rock Theft Staff!”
He slapped the ground with one hand, and a hard rock staff instantly burst up from beneath, scattering the formation of senbon.
At the same time, he moved like lightning, closing in on Genma Shiranui in an instant.
His other palm, coated in solid rock, came slashing down!
“Bang!”
The defenses Genma barely managed to raise were shattered with ease.
He was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the ground, struggling to get up.
“Genma!”
Kurenai Yuhi cried out in alarm, her hands already beginning to form signs, ready to use genjutsu.
“Kurenai, wait—don’t be impulsive.”
Kiyohara, however, grabbed her and stopped her, his gaze serious.
“His mastery of Earth Release is profound.
Rushing in carelessly is too dangerous.”
Kiyohara said.
After all, Sumashi being only a tokubetsu jonin didn’t mean he was any weaker than a full jonin.
For instance, if Obito were to take the jonin exam, even with jonin-level strength, he’d probably only be rated a tokubetsu jonin.
Because his “Knowledge” stat was too low—lower than some genin who’d just left the Academy.
Becoming a jonin required a well-rounded profile; every aspect had to have no weaknesses, and one needed full jonin-level abilities across the board to be rated a jonin.
Therefore, a tokubetsu jonin could also be seen as a jonin who specialized in certain areas.
“But…”
Kurenai Yuhi watched the enemy pressing step by step, along with the dozen or so other Iwa shinobi surrounding them in an encirclement, and sensed the danger.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll act.”
Kiyohara said.
By now, Minato Namikaze should be on his way.
He just needed to stall for a bit.
With that thought, Kiyohara popped a soldier pill into his mouth, regaining a bit of stamina.
“Future me, time for you to take the stage.
Let them witness what a Azure Beast…
uh, no—what a beating from the future looks like!”
Kiyohara said.
At times like this, he could only rely on his future self.
“It’s been a while since I’ve stretched my limbs.”
Rogue Ninja Kiyohara smiled slightly.
Previously, when possessing Kiyohara’s body, he’d only dealt with simple opponents—no pressure at all.
But now, with this many ninja coming at once, he really would need to show his full strength.
Let them understand that even among jonin, there were gaps in strength.
The next moment, Kiyohara’s demeanor shifted abruptly.
The innocence in his eyes was instantly replaced by the sharpness forged through the crucible of war.
He rolled his neck slightly, producing a faint crack, then swept his gaze across Sumashi and the other Iwa shinobi, a barely perceptible curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
(End of Chapter)