"Yohane, I have to go."
Minato Namikaze looked toward a rugged man with a ring of stubble on his chin.
Mimura Yohane, a seasoned jōnin, was the frontline commander of the Defense Corps—a man rich with battlefield experience.
"Did something go wrong with the mission to cut off Iwagakure?"
Yohane panted, glancing at Minato.
At his level, he naturally knew about the two-pronged operation.Most of Konoha's forces were holding off the Iwa army at the front lines,while a small team infiltrated behind enemy lines to destroy the Kannabi Bridge.
"Mm."
Minato nodded gravely.
He had already slain most of the enemy at the front.That crisis was resolved.
Now he needed to check on the bridge.As long as it stood, the enemy could still shuttle reinforcements freely—and that was unacceptable.
"I'll be back soon."
With that, Minato vanished.
"The Flying Thunder God..."
Yohane muttered to himself as he watched Minato disappear.
That jutsu was what had made Minato shine brightest during the war.
When Minato reappeared next,he found himself at the mouth of a collapsing cave.
Rocks crashed down around him—nearly striking his head.
"???"
He looked confused.
Wait, where even am I? Still in the Land of Grass?
He quickly tossed a special kunai outside the cave.
Shing!
A flash—and he reappeared outdoors, kunai back in hand.
They're up ahead…
He sensed chakra—Kiyohara's, Rin's, and others'.
Looks like the kunai I gave Kakashi fell into that cave,and after they escaped, they were ambushed and couldn't retrieve it.They must've kept running to avoid being surrounded.
Piecing it together quickly, Minato sprinted toward their position.
"Wow, you even killed Hikari and the others?"
Sumashi stared at the small Konoha group.
"To sneak in this far was already impressive,but to still be this combative… You've got guts."
His gaze fixed on Kiyohara.
"Based on our recon reports,you're the one who kept disrupting our sensors, right, brat?You're the reason those other rats got this far."
If the Kannabi Bridge were damaged,Sumashi would be held responsible.
He brought a squad of Iwa ninja to handle the threat personally.
Kakashi struggled to stand.He squeezed out every last drop of chakra from his battered body.
Lightning flared in his hand—Chidori sparked to life.
Blue arcs danced on his face, crackling in the woods.
But…
Three seconds later, it flickered out.His chakra hit bottom. His face turned pale.
"I can't even maintain it…"
Kakashi's bitter smile twisted on his lips.
He simply didn't have enough chakra.
Or rather—Chidori cost too much.His body couldn't sustain it yet.
Ever since getting the Sharingan, Kakashi felt like a leaky balloon.
Because he wasn't an Uchiha, his implanted eye couldn't be deactivated.
Unlike Uchiha who only turned it on in battle,Kakashi's Sharingan stayed active 24/7, constantly draining his chakra.
"Kakashi…"
Rin noticed.
She didn't know if Obito's eye was a gift… or a burden.
But it was his last wish.
His final request:"Use my eye to keep watching this world."
She couldn't bring herself to say anything.
"Let me handle this!"
Seeing Kakashi's "three-second performance,"Shiranui Genma shouted.
He launched a volley of senbon needles from his mouth—forming hand seals to multiply them into a dense rain aimed at Sumashi.
But Sumashi, a veteran special jōnin who specialized in Earth Release,was faster.
"Earth Style: Rock Theft Rod!"
He slammed one hand to the ground.A short but solid stone club burst from the earth,scattering the senbon.
Then—like a bolt—he closed in on Genma,his other hand now coated in hardened rock.
WHAM!
Genma's hasty defense shattered.He flew backward, slamming into the dirt, dazed.
"Genma!"
Kurenai gasped, forming seals to cast a genjutsu.
"Wait! Kurenai, don't!"
Kiyohara grabbed her arm, his tone urgent.
"His Earth Release is too dangerous. Don't charge in."
Just because Sumashi was a special jōnindidn't mean he was weaker than an actual jōnin.
For example: if Obito had taken the jōnin exam,even with the strength of a jōnin,his low "wisdom" stat might've had him stuck at special jōnin at best.
To be named full jōnin, one needed balanced stats across all fields.
In that sense, a special jōnin was often just a specialized jōnin.
"But…"
Kurenai hesitated, glancing around at the dozen-plus Iwa shinobi now surrounding them.
It was looking grim.
"Don't worry. I'll handle this."
Kiyohara's voice was calm.
Minato should be on his way.
All he had to do was stall.
He popped a soldier pill to recover stamina.
"Alright, Future Me… time to show them what the Blue Beast—uh no—what a future beatdown really looks like."
He whispered the words with a smirk.
Now it was up to the other him.
"It's been a while since I stretched properly."
Rogue Kiyohara smiled faintly.
His previous possessions had been too easy—now he could finally go all out.
Time to show them:
Even among jōnin… there are levels.
In the next instant, Kiyohara's aura shifted completely.
The immaturity in his eyes vanished—replaced by a steely, war-hardened glare.
He rolled his neck with a sharp crack,then looked toward Sumashi and the surrounding Iwa nin with an amused smirk.