"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 96: Infiltration and Kakashi's Jutsu
"Huff... huff... I—I'm not going to waste my breath on you..."
Obito, who had tried his hardest and still couldn't even touch Kakashi's sleeve, finally gave up the chase. He plopped down angrily on the grass of the training field, glaring at Kakashi, who hadn't even broken a sweat.
"It's already this late. Why hasn't our new captain arrived yet? Did something happen?"
Rin, who had watched their chase from start to finish, finally spoke up with concern now that the two boys had quieted down.
"Who knows? Maybe he's related to Obito—otherwise, how could he have such a poor sense of time?"
Kakashi squinted up at the sun, now high in the sky, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glare.
"I wonder who the captain is... Don't tell me they're assigning us a chunin?"
Obito muttered under his breath.
"Yo, everyone here?"
Just as the three fell into awkward silence during their long wait, an ice mirror suddenly crystallized in their midst, and Feng Bai's voice emerged from within.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin: "???"
Stepping out of the ice mirror, Feng Bai looked at the three stunned faces and silently praised his carefully orchestrated entrance.
That's right—Feng Bai had deliberately arrived late.
Upon learning that his teammate was Obito, the infamous king of tardiness, Feng Bai decided to fight magic with magic. If Obito was always late, then he'd be even later!
"Uh, Feng Bai, what are you doing here?"
Seeing Feng Bai in full Konoha jonin attire, Obito hadn't quite processed the situation yet. He scrambled to his feet happily, approaching to ask about his intentions.
"Idiot Obito, isn't it obvious? Feng Bai is our new captain."
Kakashi stepped away from the training post and walked up to Feng Bai.
"Huh? Really?!"
Obito's excitement was palpable, his smile growing even brighter as he eagerly awaited confirmation from Feng Bai.
Looking at Obito, who was as excited as a golden retriever, Feng Bai's mouth twitched.
Why does this kid seem so thrilled to be on my team?
I'm actually pretty reluctant about this—what if I can't keep an eye on you and you get crushed by falling rocks again?
But...
Feng Bai glanced over Kakashi, Rin, and Obito, then looked toward the distant Konoha gate. He pulled out the scroll Hiruzen had given him: "Well, Kakashi's right. From today forward, I'll be taking over as Team 7's captain in place of Brother Minato. That's all!"
...
Iwagakure's sudden attack forced Hiruzen to recall Jiraiya from assisting Orochimaru, putting him in command of the fight against Iwagakure.
This made Jiraiya quite melancholy.
During the battles with Kirigakure, he had Mitokado Homura for command and Orochimaru for tactical planning. All he had to do was act as the spearhead, and he even had time to work on the plot for "Yuki-onna Story Part Three."
Speaking of which, that Yuki-onna series was selling incredibly well—just one volume's profits equaled all his previous works combined.
Now he had to worry about commanding against Iwagakure. Forget gathering material; if he didn't become the enemy's "material," he'd count himself lucky.
These days, Jiraiya was so on edge that even using the bathroom was nerve-wracking, afraid an Iwa ninja might tunnel up from the ground and attack him—that would truly be a blooming disaster.
Fortunately, his most outstanding student Minato had been sent over by Hiruzen, and even Uchiha Fugaku had joined the battlefield with his four-year-old son. This made Jiraiya feel somewhat better.
"A war of attrition clearly disadvantages us, given that the enemy's numbers far exceed ours."
Fugaku's voice interrupted Jiraiya's reminiscence.
Standing before the map, Fugaku pointed toward Amegakure: "The Iwa ninja are attacking from both the Land of Rain and Land of Grass, stretching our already thin forces even thinner. Using our current numbers to defend against a two-pronged invasion is highly unrealistic. I propose we concentrate our forces and eliminate one of their divisions."
Fugaku was considerably more active here than when he was back in the village.
At Konoha's high-level meetings, as the Uchiha clan head facing Hiruzen and Danzo, Fugaku's only option was to agree.
But with Jiraiya—who held no particular prejudice against the Uchiha—Fugaku could freely express his opinions.
After all, Jiraiya had certain secrets that Fugaku knew about.
"No need to worry much about Amegakure. Hanzo the Salamander isn't exactly mild-tempered; he won't allow Iwagakure's army to pass through his territory freely."
Understanding Hanzo's temperament, Jiraiya reassured Fugaku not to worry. Before long, Hanzo would feel threatened and strike at the Iwa forces crossing the Land of Rain.
Of course, if Hanzo and Ōnoki decided to cooperate, then all bets were off.
"There aren't many Iwa ninja coming through the Land of Rain. Fugaku, you and your clansmen will handle those enemies."
Based on current intelligence, Jiraiya assigned the smaller Iwa force to the Uchiha contingent.
"Yes."
Fugaku wasn't discouraged by the rejection of his proposal and agreed as usual.
Seeing Fugaku had no objections, Jiraiya stood up: "In that case, let's begin today's battle."
There was one thing Jiraiya hadn't told anyone present: Hiruzen had already dispatched a small squad to sabotage Iwagakure's supply route at Kannabi Bridge.
Of everyone on the Iwagakure front, only Jiraiya was aware of this mission.
Several days later.
Feng Bai led his squad quietly into the battlefield.
To avoid drawing attention, the group deliberately chose a concealed and treacherous route.
"Konoha ninja? Just four kids? Looks like we Iwa ninja are really being underestimated."
Hidden in the bushes, Mogurō was conducting solo reconnaissance when he spotted Feng Bai's group.
"Hey, Feng Bai."
Kakashi, at the front of the formation, suddenly stopped.
"Yeah."
Seeing Kakashi's expression, Feng Bai immediately signaled everyone to take cover, then began sensing the number of enemies ahead.
"Discovered? No matter—they've already entered my domain."
Having already positioned shadow clones around the perimeter, Mogurō smiled confidently, preparing to strike and eliminate these kids directly.
"I'll keep that kunoichi alive for interrogation... Hm? Where's this cold wind coming from?"
Before Mogurō could act, information about his shadow clones being destroyed flooded into his mind.
So fast—how is that possible?
In almost an instant, the ten shadow clones positioned on the outer perimeter were eliminated one by one.
On the other side, seeing Feng Bai had made his move, Kakashi also leaped from cover, rapidly advancing toward Mogurō. In his hand, a ball of lightning crackled with sharp chirping sounds.
"Let's test my newly developed jutsu on this guy!"
"So fast!"
Drawing his ninja blade and seeing Kakashi already in front of him, Mogurō seized upon the opening created by Kakashi's excessive speed, ready to strike. 🔥 Want to read the next 50+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
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