"I can't stay here any longer. Iwa-nin reinforcements could arrive at any moment."
Imai Kenta finished concealing the bodies of the three Iwa-nin in the thick underbrush, then turned to speak to Uchiha Kai and Namikaze Minato.
Moments earlier, Kenta had sensed the approach of another enemy team heading straight toward their temporary hideout in the cave. Without hesitation, he launched a preemptive strike.
The fact that Namikaze Minato, the famed Yellow Flash of the Leaf, stood behind him gave Kenta the confidence to take the initiative.
Kenta's swordsmanship, honed to a razor's edge, proved lethal. With a single ambush strike, he eliminated the enemy squad leader. As the remaining three Iwa-nin tried to flee and warn their comrades, Kenta swiftly cut down two more. The final ninja tried to escape but was easily intercepted and eliminated by Minato.
This skirmish was by far the easiest encounter they'd had so far—thanks largely to Minato's overwhelming presence. Against such an elite force, even seasoned Iwa-nin stood little chance.
"It really is time to move," Minato said, glancing up at the darkening sky. "We've rested long enough—seven hours, at least. But I have to say, Kenta, you've surpassed expectations. It's thanks to you that our situation has improved so much. That said, our mission isn't over. Let's keep going."
Kai and Kenta nodded silently. They both might've preferred to protest, but they knew better than to question their commanding officer—especially not one who was Jiraiya's student and the rising star of Konoha. Burning that bridge would be suicidal in the ninja world.
Last night, they had already been briefed on the current status of the front lines. While the situation now appeared more stable—largely due to reinforcements arriving from other fronts, and Jiraiya himself joining the war effort—the real morale boost came from Minato's actions.
Though Orochimaru had recently withdrawn from the front for medical leave, Jiraiya's arrival and Minato's battlefield feats provided the Leaf forces with new confidence. In a particularly devastating engagement, Minato had reportedly wiped out over fifty Iwa-nin in the span of mere seconds—a crippling blow that shifted the entire momentum of the war.
The reason Minato arrived late to Kai's rescue was precisely because he had been coordinating a surprise assault on another Iwa formation. By the time he sensed Kai's distress, he couldn't immediately disengage. It took several minutes to finish off the enemy before he could rush to their side.
That battle's impact was immense—Iwa's frontline advance stalled completely. Minato's battlefield reputation became a psychological weapon; Iwa-nin feared him so deeply that they began pulling back to avoid further losses. On top of that, their morale was shattered.
Uchiha Kai had played a critical role, too. On a whim, he had chosen to liberate a large number of Konoha prisoners of war. Many had originally intended to return to the front lines but were persuaded by Jonin Yamanaka Masato to assist Kai's sabotage efforts behind enemy lines instead. Their disruption of Iwa's supply routes created chaos in the rear, which compounded with the pressure on the front.
That chaos worked. Supply teams feared ambushes, messengers were intercepted, and Iwa's communication broke down. Combined with Minato's terrifying presence on the battlefield, the double blow forced Iwa's forces into a slow retreat. At this rate, a full victory at the front lines seemed inevitable. Some even believed Konoha could completely wipe them out.
But such an outcome didn't align with the village's interests.
Konoha didn't want a pile of corpses—it wanted bargaining chips. Before hostilities with the Hidden Cloud escalated, the Kamubi Bridge needed to be destroyed to sever Iwa's supply lines. These isolated Iwa-nin survivors would then become leverage in future negotiations.
This is what made Kai's team's mission so dangerous. The retreating Iwa forces were converging on the bridge, possibly intending to defend it or secure their escape route. Whatever the case, Kai and his team were running out of time.
Failure meant more than just dishonor—it meant court-martial, imprisonment, or even execution. Konoha wasn't kind to those who failed critical missions. Even if the Hokage showed mercy, public opinion might not.
Everyone remembered Hatake Sakumo's fate.
"You two stay alert," Minato ordered. "I'm taking Kakashi and Aya Hyuga back to the main camp. After that, I'll rejoin you for the next stage of the mission."
"You're coming with us?" Kai asked, barely able to hide the relief in his voice.
This news instantly lifted the weight off Kai and Kenta's shoulders. But the two veterans didn't show it too openly—they knew better than to act giddy in front of a superior. Still, having Minato on their side was a game-changer. This was exactly why they had chosen to be part of Minato's squad in the first place.
After a moment, Kai spoke up again. "Should we send Nohara Rin back too? I'm worried the upcoming battles might be too much."
Though Rin had battlefield experience, she had always been protected—by Kakashi, Obito, and especially Minato. That wasn't a knock on her skills; as a medical ninja, she was already exceptional. But not every medic was Tsunade, and Tsunade was the gold standard they all admired.
Minato frowned in thought, then slowly nodded. Kai had a point. The next leg of their mission would be unpredictable and likely brutal. Rin didn't know Kai and Kenta well, and unfamiliarity could breed mistakes. This wasn't a mission Minato could afford to gamble on.
Unintentionally, the entire Kannabi Bridge operation had shifted course—now led by Uchiha Kai instead of the original team.
Who, then, would go down in history as the "Hero of the Sharingan"? Perhaps there would be three of them this time...