"This time, the mission will be split into two teams."
Minato looked around at everyone and began explaining:
"Kakashi, Rin, and Obito will remain a team. Your objective is to destroy the Kannabi Bridge. Kiyohara, Genma, and Kurenai—you'll be the second team, tasked with distracting Iwa-nin and drawing their attention."
"Destroy the bridge? What bridge?"Obito asked in confusion.
His geography was so bad, he didn't even know where the Kannabi Bridge was.
"The Land of Grass borders the Land of Fire. Right now, the Land of Earth is invading the Land of Grass and has already gathered over a thousand ninja at the front lines. If they break through, they'll have a clear route straight into Fire Country."
Kiyohara explained.
In reality, this mission was pretty straightforward—Classic backdoor diversion. Hit the crystal while the enemy's distracted.
As for whether they survived?The higher-ups in Konoha didn't care.
If you didn't buy your own named gear, you'd just die for real.
Not everyone was blessed with plot armor.
"Is that correct, Lord Minato?"
"Yes, that's absolutely right."Minato gave Kiyohara an approving nod.
Kiyohara had the mindset of a Chūnin—Not just brute strength, but tactical thinking.
In peacetime, that was actually a requirement for promotion:The ability to lead a basic squad, not just fight solo.
Chūnin had to read the battlefield.The more analytical ones often became Academy instructors or Chūnin Exams proctors.
"What's this got to do with blowing up a bridge though?"
Obito scratched his head.
Would blowing up one bridge really stop over a thousand ninja?
How big was this bridge supposed to be?
"Obito, think about it. If Iwa can attack like this, it means they've already locked down most of the Grass Country. Their rear supply lines must be very stable."
Rin chimed in, analyzing the situation based on what Minato and Kiyohara had just said.
"So our mission is to hit their front line—And the best way to do that is to cut their supply chain. The Kannabi Bridge is the key link."
Kurenai followed up.
Genma nodded silently in agreement.
Kakashi gave Obito a long, exasperated stare.
Everyone here understood…Except Obito.
Kiyohara shook his head.After all, according to the official databook, Obito's "Wisdom" stat was only 2.
Even Rock Lee, Kiba, and Choji had 4.Double Obito's.
No wonder he was clueless.It was built-in.
"I get it now!"Obito said quickly, seeing everyone else nodding along.
Minato sighed and patiently re-explained the mission to Obito.
This was a critical operation—It could shift the entire balance of war between Konoha and Iwagakure.
But with all the great nations locked in conflict, Konoha had no choice but to send Genin.
There just weren't enough ninja to go around.
As Minato was about to continue, he suddenly caught something.
A faint disturbance in the air.
Enemies?
His hand instinctively moved toward a kunai.But then he held back.
There was something he hadn't told the group—He wouldn't be participating in the actual mission.
Instead, he'd be heading to the front lines for reinforcement.
This moment…was a test.
A way to see how they'd respond to danger.
"Someone's coming,"Rogue Kiyohara said quietly.
Years of being hunted and hunting others had made him hypersensitive to enemy presence.
"Enemy?"Kiyohara's eyes narrowed, his body tensing.
"Go plant an eye for me,"he told Rogue Kiyohara.
"You mean float over there and scout?"The spirit blinked.
This guy really was treating him like a drone.
"Please, future me!"
"Fine, but I don't know how far I can go before I start fading faster."Rogue Kiyohara sighed.
His translucent form drifted silently through the trees.
At about three meters away, he felt his essence destabilizing.
"Yeah, I definitely can't stray too far from you."
Still, he accelerated—And soon reached a small clearing ahead.
There, an Iwa-nin four-man squad was lying in wait.
Their leader looked like a grizzled veteran, similar in age and vibe to Rogue Kiyohara.The other three seemed younger.
"Four targets. One Chūnin and three Genin. Armed with Fūma Shuriken and three ninja blades."
Rogue Kiyohara relayed the details back.
"Excellent,"Kiyohara nodded.
This was exactly how to use him.
If this worked, he could even spy on the Hokage Office in the future…maybe sneak a peek at the Scroll of Seals.
Though Rogue Kiyohara couldn't interact with the real world unless he possessed Kiyohara's body,if the scroll happened to be open, he might pick up something.
"Hmm?"
Kakashi suddenly tensed.
He felt it.
A hostile gaze.
There was someone watching them.
"You noticed, Kakashi?"
Minato nodded inwardly.
As expected of the White Fang's son—A prodigy.
Back in the day, Hatake Sakumo had been more respected than even the Sannin.
Minato often wondered:If Sakumo had lived to run for Hokage, would he have stood a chance?
Minato had gained fame in this war…But compared to the older generation, he still lacked some depth.
Sadly, that question would never be answered.
Because the White Fang took his own life in his beloved village, not on the battlefield.
Such a tragedy.
All those enemies slain,All those death traps escaped—
Only to die by his own hand.
"Ka—"
"Lord Minato, there are four enemies to the south. Iwa-nin."
Kiyohara cut him off before he could even say a name.
"You sensed all of them?"Minato's eyes widened.
Not just detection—He got the count too?
A hidden expert?
"Enemies?!"Obito yelped, pulling down his yellow goggles.
Gotta protect those precious eyes!Kurenai pulled out her kunai, her expression tense.