"Hamaki, I have to go."
Minato looked toward a middle-aged man whose mouth was ringed with rough, unshaven stubble.
This was Mimura Hamaki, the commander of the defensive forces at the frontline—an exceptionally seasoned jōnin with rich battlefield experience.
"Has something gone wrong with the mission to cut off Iwa's supply lines??"
Hamaki panted heavily.
With his rank, he naturally knew that this operation had been divided into two fronts.
Most of their main forces were stationed here on the front lines, battling the Iwa-nin to pin them down.
Meanwhile, a smaller squad had been sent on a covert mission to infiltrate behind enemy lines and destroy the bridge.
"Mm."
Minato nodded slightly, his expression solemn.
He had already taken down the majority of the Iwa shinobi here—this front was already stabilizing.
Now he had to go check the situation at Kannabi Bridge.
If that bridge remained standing, the enemy could at any moment transfer reinforcements from other regions. Their supply routes would remain open, and the threat would continue.
"I'll be back soon."
With that, Minato's figure flickered—vanishing from where he stood.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique… the technique lost after the Second Hokage's era?"
Watching Minato's fading afterimage, Hamaki shook his head softly.
It was precisely because of this jutsu that Minato shone with dazzling brilliance in this Shinobi World War.
…
Minato, after leaving, flashed again—and when he opened his eyes, he happened to witness the collapse of a mountain cave.
Stone fragments tumbled down around him, nearly crushing him on the spot.
"What…?"
Minato frowned in confusion. Where had he ended up? Was this still the Land of Grass?
He quickly tossed one of his special kunai outward.
Whizz!
The blade lodged itself into the ground outside.
A heartbeat later, Minato's body flickered again. He appeared where the kunai had landed, pulled it out, and held it firmly in hand.
"They're up ahead…"
Minato sensed a cluster of chakra signatures—Kiyohara, Rin, and the others.
"It seems the special kunai I gave Kakashi fell inside the cave. After escaping, they must have been surrounded, unable to retrieve it, forced to retreat."
With just a few clues, Minato quickly deduced a reasonable explanation.
Time was tight—he immediately rushed in their direction.
…
"Impressive… I didn't expect you to have killed even Kakkō's squad. Sneaking this deep into enemy territory is already impressive, but to still fight with such spirit… you brats are surprisingly tenacious."
Sumashi stared at Kiyohara and the others.
Then, as if something clicked in his mind, his gaze locked onto Kiyohara.
"According to the scout's report, the one who kept interfering with our sensory unit, which allowed these rats slip in— was you, wasn't it, brat?"
Sumashi glared sharply at Kiyohara.
It was thanks to this boy's interference that the other Konoha shinobi had penetrated so deep into Iwagakure's territory.
If Kannabi Bridge suffered any damage, the village would punish them severely—this bridge absolutely could not be lost.
So, after detecting suspicious activity here, Sumashi had rushed over with a squad of Iwa-nin without a moment's delay.
Kakashi forced himself to stand, squeezing every last cell in his body to refine chakra. He converted it all into Lightning Release, and blue arcs burst from his hand.
The forest echoed with the shrill cry of Chidori. Lightning illuminated his pale face.
But it lasted only three seconds.
Kakashi's chakra bottomed out almost instantly. His face went ghostly pale—he could no longer sustain Chidori.
The lightning arcs in his hand sputtered, on the verge of disappearing completely.
"Even this… I can't maintain anymore?"
Kakashi smiled bitterly.
He simply had too little chakra.
Or rather, the cost of using Chidori was simply too high—something he couldn't yet support.
And now, with Obito's transplanted Sharingan, Kakashi felt as though he had become a punctured balloon, leaking chakra nonstop.
Because he wasn't a true Uchiha, the implanted Sharingan couldn't deactivate.
Normal Uchiha only activate their Sharingan in battle; when deactivated, it consumed nothing.
But Kakashi… had to expend chakra twenty-four hours a day.
Since the transplant, his already meager reserves were being drained even faster.
"Kakashi…"
Rin noticed this as well.
She didn't know whether Obito's Sharingan had strengthened Kakashi or burdened him.
But this was Obito's final… keepsake.
And also his last wish—
That Kakashi continue witnessing this beautiful world in his stead.
Because of this, Rin couldn't bring herself to say anything.
"Let me handle this!"
Seeing Kakashi falter, Genma shouted.
He spat a volley of senbon needles, hands flashing through seals. The needles multiplied, filling the air, forming a dense barrage aimed at Sumashi.
But Sumashi, an exceptionally seasoned tokubetsu jōnin, specialized in Earth Release—and acted even faster.
"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Rod!"
He slapped the ground with one hand.
A thick stone rod shot upward from the earth, scattering the senbon barrage.
His body flashed forward like lightning—closing the distance to Genma instantly.
His other hand hardened into unyielding stone and chopped downward.
BANG!
Genma's hastily raised guard shattered.
He was sent flying, crashing heavily into the dirt, unable to stand.
"Genma!"
Kurenai let out a cry and immediately began forming hand seals—preparing to use genjutsu.
"Wait, Kurenai! Don't be reckless."
Kiyohara stopped her, his gaze grave.
"His Earth jutsu mastery is extremely high. Charging in blindly is far too dangerous."
Kiyohara explained. Sumashi was only a tokubetsu jōnin, but that didn't mean he was weaker than a full jōnin. Some shinobi, like Anko, might have jōnin-level strength but still be ranked tokubetsu jōnin due to lacking balance. True jōnin had to be well-rounded, strong in all areas. Tokubetsu jōnin were specialists—dangerous in their chosen field
"But…"
Kurenai looked at the encroaching enemy, more than ten Iwa shinobi forming a ring around them. Her heart sank.
"Don't worry. I'll step in."
Kiyohara said calmly.
Minato should already be on his way.
All he needed to do was hold out a bit longer.
Kiyohara swallowed a soldier pill, restoring a bit of strength.
"Future me, it's your turn. Let them witness… the Blue Beast—no, wait—let them witness a beating delivered straight from the future!"
Kiyohara muttered.
At this point, he could only rely on his future self.
"It's been a while since I stretched my muscles fully,"
The missing-nin version of Kiyohara smiled faintly.
Previously, when he'd possessed Kiyohara's body, he had only dealt with small fries, so there was never any pressure.
But now—
With so many enemy shinobi gathered—
He'd have to use real strength.
Let them understand: even among jōnin, there are levels.
In the next moment, Kiyohara's aura changed dramatically.
The youthful softness in his eyes vanished, replaced instantly by the sharp, battle-hardened gaze of a warrior who had seen countless flames of war.
He rolled his neck lightly, producing a crisp crack.
His eyes swept over Sumashi and the other Iwa-nin—
And the corner of his lips lifted into a faint, dangerous smile.
(End of Chapter)