"This time, we will split into two teams to carry out the mission."
Minato Namikaze scanned the faces of his subordinates, his expression serious.
"Kakashi, Rin, and Obito will form the Infiltration Team. Your objective is to reach Kannabi Bridge and destroy it. Kiyohara, Genma, and Kurenai, you will be the Diversion Team. Your job is to engage the Iwagakure patrols on the perimeter and draw their attention away from the bridge."
"Blow up the bridge? What bridge?"
Obito blinked, looking utterly confused. "And why is a bridge so important?"
He wasn't exactly a scholar; he probably couldn't even point to Kannabi Bridge on a map.
"The Land of Grass acts as a buffer zone between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire," Kiyohara explained, stepping in before Kakashi could insult Obito.
"Currently, Iwagakure has invaded the Land of Grass. Thousands of their shinobi are gathered on the front lines. If they break through, they can march straight into the Land of Fire."
'Actually,' Kiyohara thought to himself, 'the mission is simple: Push the lane, flank the enemy, and backdoor their Nexus. It's a classic MOBA strategy.'
'As for whether we survive? The High Council doesn't care. We are the minions in this game. Unless I farm enough gold to buy a Guardian Angel, death is permanent.'
"Is that right, Minato-sensei?" Obito asked.
"Indeed. Kiyohara is absolutely correct."
Minato gave Kiyohara an approving look.
Kiyohara possessed the tactical mind of a Chunin. In peacetime, promotion required leadership skills and situational analysis, not just combat power. Chunin were expected to lead squads, not just throw punches. This was why many Chunin with average combat skills but high intelligence ended up as Academy instructors or Proctors.
"But... what does that have to do with blowing up a bridge?" Obito scratched his head. "Can blowing up one bridge really stop a thousand ninja?"
"Obito, think," Rin said gently. "The fact that they can launch such a massive offensive means they have a secure supply line. An army needs food, weapons, and tools."
"Exactly," Kurenai added. "Kannabi Bridge is the choke point. It's the only major route for their supply caravans. Cut the bridge, and their frontline starves."
Genma nodded silently, shifting his senbon.
Kakashi just rolled his eye, looking exasperated.
Everyone understood. Everyone except Obito.
Kiyohara shook his head internally.
'According to the Official Databook, Obito's Intelligence stat is a measly 2. For context, even Rock Lee, Kiba, and Choji have a 4. Akamaru the dog probably has a higher stat than him.'
"Oh! I see!" Obito slammed his fist into his palm, feigning comprehension.
Minato smiled patiently and explained it one more time, just to be safe.
This mission was the tipping point of the war. But with Konoha fighting on three fronts, they didn't have the manpower to send an army. That was why it fell to a few kids and their sensei.
Just as Minato was about to give the order to move out, his ear twitched.
Enemies.
Minato's hand instinctively drifted toward his Kunai pouch. He could kill them in a heartbeat.
But he stopped.
There was one detail he hadn't told the team: He wouldn't be holding their hands for the entire mission. He needed to leave them to support the main front lines.
He needed to see how they reacted to a crisis now, while he was still here to save them if they failed.
So, the Yellow Flash pretended not to notice.
"Someone's here," the voice of the Missing-nin echoed in Kiyohara's mind.
Years of being hunted like a dog had made the spirit's senses razor-sharp.
"Enemies?"
Kiyohara's expression tightened instantly.
'Go place a Ward for me,' Kiyohara projected his thought.
"A... Ward?" The Missing-nin paused. "You mean you want me to float over and scout?"
"Yes. You're invisible. Go."
"You really treat me like a tool," the spirit grumbled.
"Please, future me!"
"Fine. But I have a range limit."
The spectral form of the Missing-nin drifted out of the urn, floating toward the source of the disturbance.
As he moved about ten meters away, he felt his spirit destabilizing.
"I can't go too far," the spirit warned. "Any further and I start dissipating."
He stopped in the middle of a thicket. Hiding there was a four-man Iwagakure squad.
"Four targets," the Missing-nin reported instantly. "One Chunin leader, three Genin. They are equipped with standard gear. The leader has a Fūma Shuriken on his back. Positions: Twelve o'clock, hidden in the brush."
"Very good," Kiyohara thought.
This was the ultimate cheat. An invisible, intangible drone.
If he ever passed by the Hokage Tower, could he send the ghost in to peek at the Scroll of Seals?
'No, wait,' Kiyohara corrected himself. 'He can't flip the pages. Unless someone else is reading it, he can't learn anything.'
"Hmm?"
Kakashi suddenly froze.
He felt a prying gaze. A killing intent.
'There are enemies here!'
Minato watched Kakashi out of the corner of his eye and secretly nodded.
'As expected of the White Fang's son. A genius.'
Sakumo Hatake... a man whose fame once eclipsed even the Sannin. Minato often wondered: If Sakumo hadn't committed suicide, would he be the one wearing the Hokage hat right now?
It was a tragedy. A man who survived countless S-rank missions, only to die by his own hand in the village he loved, crushed by the weight of public opinion.
"Ka—"
Minato opened his mouth to warn them.
"Minato-sensei," Kiyohara interrupted sharply. "There are four enemies hidden to the south. Twelve o'clock. Likely Iwagakure scouts."
Minato's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
'He sensed them all?'
Not just the presence, but the exact number? That was better sensing than Kakashi.
"Enemies?"
Obito panicked, quickly pulling his goggles down over his eyes.
"Where?"
Kurenai drew a Kunai, her relaxed posture instantly shifting into a combat stance. She pressed her back against Kiyohara's, trusting his call.
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