"Alright, then this mission is entrusted to you. Work hard—I believe in you," Ye Liang said, lightly tapping Kakashi on the forehead as a sign of encouragement.
"Understood! We'll get right on it!"
Kakashi was secretly thrilled—Teacher Ye Liang actually touched my head!
Receiving recognition from such a powerful figure immediately filled Kakashi with pride!
He quickly dashed toward the Kannabi Bridge, with Obito and Rin trailing behind, their eyes filled with envy.
At this moment, the bridge appeared completely deserted. Kakashi cautiously inspected the surroundings before carefully advancing.
Meanwhile, Ye Liang casually found an unoccupied tree trunk to take a nap.
"Kakashi, it's completely empty here. There's no one around. Let's just go straight ahead," said Obito, carelessly making his way toward the bridge.
"Not so fast. Although it seems deserted now, it doesn't mean there are no hidden ninjas."
"Tsk, more like *you'll* be the one on your knees first. Don't say I didn't warn you. Our task today is just observation. Rumor has it that an elite Jonin from the Land of Earth has appeared here."
"Hahaha."
Watching the two bicker like that, Rin couldn't help but laugh.
"Rin, since you're speaking up, what do you think? Should we continue hiding, or go ahead now?" Upon hearing Rin speak, Obito immediately asked.
"I think we should just go directly. After all, it's a covert mission. Better to finish it quickly and report back," Rin replied.
After hearing her words, Kakashi let out a slight sigh. But since both insisted, he could only follow them.
Just moments after the group had left, the previously motionless underbrush began to tremble slightly.
"Chief, they've fallen for it! Should we attack now?"
"Not yet. Wait until they fall into the trap, then we'll move in for the finishing blow. Twice the result with half the effort!"
The leaves in the bush rustled—hidden within were several figures so well-camouflaged they looked like the very plants themselves!
Their bodies were emerald green, blending in just like chameleons!
"Hatake-kun, let's plant some explosive tags here. The bridge's structure is rather fragile. Blowing up the surrounding areas should be enough to destroy the suspension bridge."
Rin Nohara suggested.
Although her combat skills were lacking, her theoretical knowledge was quite solid.
"Alright, we'll go with your plan."
As Kakashi agreed, he and Obito quickly moved toward the surroundings to start placing explosive tags.
However, just as they arrived at the target location, a series of shuriken suddenly shot down from high above!
"Watch out! It's a trap!"
Kakashi reacted instantly, quickly raising his kunai to block. As an elite Jonin, countering such a basic shuriken trap was a simple task for him.
But Rin Nohara was in serious danger.
"Rin! Get behind me, quickly!"
Always thinking of Rin, Obito disregarded his own safety and immediately rushed in front of her.
Yet at this stage, Obito's abilities were still underdeveloped. He couldn't even properly counter such a basic shuriken trap. After barely blocking a few, his body was already riddled with wounds.
"Damn it!"
[Earth Release - Earth Flow Wall!]
A towering earthen wall shot up rapidly, forming a sturdy shield before everyone. Earth-style ninjutsu consumed a massive amount of chakra, yet proved highly effective against such wide-range attacks, instantly creating a complete fortress for the group.
"Are you guys okay?" Kakashi checked the others' injuries.
"I'm fine! But Obito got seriously injured saving me!" Rin Nohara quickly removed Obito's upper garment and activated Mystical Palm Technique to heal him.
She was the Medical Ninja of the team.
Since the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha had gradually realized that including Medical Ninjas in teams could greatly reduce casualties, so this practice was kept.
"There's no time to heal—serious injuries or not. If I'm not mistaken, enemies are nearby. We must break through immediately."
"But what about Obito?"
Before Rin could finish speaking, Kakashi already lifted Obito onto his back.
"Let's move."
The group immediately began retreating.
But at that moment, four yellow-clad figures blocked their escape route.
"So you're the Hidden Leaf ninja? Never imagined Konoha would send weaklings like you into battle—did all the adults die off?"
"Haha, Taiseki, your mouth gets nastier by the day. Though this young lady here isn't bad—I kind of like her."
"Damn you! If you dare touch even one hair on Rin, I'll beat you to death!" Obito thrashed wildly while shouting atop Kakashi's back.
"Rin, take good care of Obito. I'll handle them."
Kakashi immediately entrusted Obito to Rin Nohara and stepped forward alone.
These four emitted intense pressure—definitely Jonin-level fighters. Rin's group were merely Genin. While they could assist somewhat, clearly they couldn't face opponents like these head-on right now.
However, if they only needed to buy some time, Kakashi believed he could handle it.
In his view, the only way to escape safely now was to contact their teacher, Ye Liang, who was on patrol nearby!
[Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!]
A massive water dragon surged straight toward the heads of the four enemies.
These four should be ninja from the Land of Earth, so Wind Release and Fire Release techniques wouldn't work effectively. Only Water Release could somewhat counter them.
All leaped away quickly.
"Oh ho, this kid actually knows advanced jutsu. Seems he's a Konoha genius. No wonder Konoha dares sending these brats here to perform missions."
"Hmph, they underestimated us too much! Even if he's a genius, he's still just a child! Taiseki, you go deal with those two kids behind first—this genius will be our job."
"Understood, chief!"
[Ninjutsu - Shadow Camouflage!]
The ninja who had taunted earlier acknowledged with a sound, suddenly turning translucent before completely vanishing from sight.
"No wonder we couldn't detect them earlier—they possess such special techniques. Obito! Rin! Be careful!" Kakashi hastily warned his companions behind him. By then, however, the enemy had already charged directly toward him.
Their appearances were extremely similar—somewhat overweight. Except for the leader whose aura felt particularly strong, the rest probably wouldn't pose significant threats to Kakashi.
Clang!
One of them yanked out his long sword from behind and swung it straight down at Kakashi's head.
A true master of the blade.
[Earth Release: Palm of the Shattered Earth!] The leader slammed both palms to the ground, sending a surge of chakra through the earth. The land behind Kakashi exploded, cutting him off from Obito and the others.
"Kid, you've got nowhere to run now!"
The last ninja attacked Kakashi from the side.
[Earth Release: Crushing Stone Collapse!]
The ground rippled like waves, rushing toward Kakashi.
"Not good— they're boxing me in and closing in from every side!"
Kakashi realized the dire situation.
This was getting serious—fast!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!