The other squad still hadn't received the signal to engage.
The four of them exchanged glances and decided not to miss the opportunity.
They leapt out of the forest and charged swiftly toward the convoy.
"Watch out!"
Dozens of shuriken suddenly rained down on the carriage.
Kakashi reacted the fastest. His short blade swept upward like a barrier, deflecting many of the shuriken.
"Honda-san, hide!"
"Obito!"
At the same time, he signaled to Obito beside him.
"No need to remind me, Kakashi!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Obito's hand seals were incredibly fast. In an instant, a dozen fireballs shot from his mouth.
The kid even spun mid-spit, sending the fireballs whistling in all directions.
It looked quite impressive.
"It's just a feint! Obito, be careful!"
Kakashi's voice had barely rung out when four figures had already rushed to the front of the carriage.
With a single sweep of his short blade, Kakashi repelled one of them.
Then he lunged toward another.
"Damned brat!"
The Iwagakure ninja who was repelled clutched his chest in pain and, seeing the cut from the short blade, flew into a rage.
He drew the katana on his back and charged straight at Kakashi.
Seeing the hand seals Obito was forming, Gekko Chizan in the distance showed a hint of surprise.
It wasn't a Uchiha fire technique—it was Pakura's jutsu.
As specks of fire lit up around Obito's body, Gekko Chizan couldn't help but spit:
"This damned brat really did train with Pakura. He even learned her technique."
The Fireworks Jutsu was a weakened version of Pakura's Scorch Style.
When Pakura had previously fought Obito and Guy, she had formed four blazing fireballs. But in Obito's hands, the fire transformed into scattered sparks, spreading outward and blocking the remaining three Iwagakure ninja.
To be honest, this was a clever move by Obito.
Using flames to block the path bought his team time to regroup.
Even Gekko Chizan couldn't help but nod, acknowledging Obito's growth.
But in the very next second, he was stunned.
What did he just see?
Was that... red?
How could it be?
He wasn't the only one shocked—even the three Iwagakure ninja were frozen.
That blood-red eye—the Sharingan!
Even if it was only a single tomoe in each eye, it was still the Sharingan.
"When did this brat awaken the Sharingan...?"
"Seriously? How old is he? He already awakened it?"
Gekko Chizan's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Whoa, Chizan, your student's got the Sharingan..."
"Looks like a real prodigy, huh?"
Chōmei's voice suddenly echoed in Gekko Chizan's mind. Whatever Chizan saw, so could Chōmei.
After all, it was the Sharingan—one of the Three Great Dōjutsu.
There were members of the Uchiha clan who couldn't awaken it in their entire lives.
Normally, awakening the eye required intense emotional stimulation. But this kid had been in the village all along—what kind of trigger could he have had? My god, when did he awaken it?
"Damn! He's a Uchiha!"
"All together! Kill him!"
In the shinobi world, Uchiha represented absolute strength. Even though Obito was just a kid, awakening the Sharingan at his age—
if that wasn't monstrous, what was?
"Tch! In your dreams!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball surged out from Obito's mouth.
The scorching heat forced the three Iwagakure ninja to retreat.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was already in position. His short blade shimmered with a blue chakra glow.
"Swish!"
The chakra-infused blade swept out again.
Two of the three were slashed across the back, and blood spurted out instantly.
"Damn it!"
"Just two brats!"
"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!"
The only Iwagakure ninja who avoided the attack erupted in fury and decisively unleashed a jutsu.
The ground bulged upward, and a spike of rock shot out beneath Kakashi's feet.
Having just completed his attack, Kakashi could only leap backward to evade the sudden spike.
But the rock spike extended rapidly—and the Iwagakure ninja he had injured earlier appeared behind him, katana raised for a downward strike.
"Kakashi!"
"Watch out!"
Obito and Rin, hiding nearby, shouted in alarm at the same time.
Kakashi was now attacked from both front and back, with no room to dodge.
His face grew serious—he had already prepared himself to exchange his life for his opponent's.
The two Iwagakure ninja, on the other hand, grinned wickedly.
In their eyes, Kakashi was already dead.
But in the next second—
Gekko Chizan's figure suddenly appeared behind Kakashi.
A whip-like kick knocked him out of harm's way, and with a twist of his body, Chizan dodged the incoming katana and drove his fist into the attacker's abdomen.
The ninja was sent flying.
Just as the rock spike was about to strike, Chizan vanished again.
By the time he reappeared, he was already standing in front of the carriage, holding Kakashi by the scruff of the neck.
"Damn... so fast..."
"And that movement..."
"Is he the Yellow Flash?"
"No, wait, he's not blond..."
Hearing this, Gekko Chizan's mouth twitched. He thought: Yellow Flash? Just how much fear did Minato instill in these Iwagakure guys?
"Chizan-sensei..."
"I..."
Kakashi dangled from Chizan's grasp, suspended in mid-air. His collar pressed into his throat, turning his face red.
"Oh! Sorry, Kakashi."
"My bad, my bad."
Seeing Kakashi's flushed face, Gekko Chizan quickly let go.
Kakashi landed and took a deep breath, then gave his teacher a very unimpressed look.
Obito and Rin also rushed over to Kakashi's side.
Now that Gekko Chizan was here, the Iwagakure ninja posed no threat anymore.
"Damn! More reinforcements..."
"And that movement just now—we're no match! Retreat!"
On the battlefield of the Land of Grass, the Iwagakure shinobi had already witnessed Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God technique. The Yellow Flash nickname came from their own ranks.
More importantly, even the Tsuchikage had issued strict orders: the moment anyone encountered the Yellow Flash, retreat immediately.
Even though the man before them wasn't blond, who's to say the damned Yellow Flash didn't dye his hair to fool them? They weren't about to stick around and die.
Namikaze Minato: ...
The Iwagakure ninja ignored their injuries and bolted into the forest.
"Aiya~ You bully my students and now want to run?"
"That's not going to happen."
"After all, a family should stay together—your teammates are waiting for you below."
Gekko Chizan gave a small smile—but it was the smile of death.
Right before the three genin's eyes, he vanished instantly.
When he reappeared, he stood before the fleeing Iwagakure ninja.
And then he uttered that bone-chilling technique name:
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands..."