allendalepharm Chapter 336 The Mastermind
Chapter 336 The Mastermind
Chapter 336 The Mastermind
Since his conversation with the Third Hokage, Minato had clearly felt a change in his mission.
Whether it's Mimura Yomaki on the Western front or Orochimaru on the Northern front, the missions assigned to them are more intensive, and they come into contact with more people.
He even went to support the Eastern Front on several occasions.
Shuimen understood that the village was accumulating military merits and building its reputation for him.
Even Taiichi was transferred back to the village and temporarily hidden away because of these needs.
If he hadn't already discussed his ideals with Taiichi and understood that Taiichi had no interest in the Hokage position, he would have been worried that Taiichi might misunderstand him because of this.
According to Kakashi, Taichi is also a kind of insurance for this mission. With Taichi's help at the critical moment, Kakashi and the others' safety is naturally not a concern.
"Alright then, but don't let your guard down. The battlefield is ever-changing, and no safety measure can guarantee 100% safety."
Minato concluded by saying that he had fulfilled his duty as a teacher.
Specific task instructions were issued very quickly.
The Kannabi Bridge is a large bridge located in the Land of Grass, but close to the border between the Grass and Earth. It spans the two ends of a canyon and is the fastest passage between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth.
Iwagakure needs to quickly transport supplies to the front-line troops in the Land of Grass, and this is the most suitable location: otherwise, just taking a detour would take an unknown amount of time.
As a result, countless supplies cross this bridge every day.
As such an important bridge, Iwagakure takes great care in protecting it, with at least a large troop of ninja stationed there year-round.
This time, Minato and his team had a clear mission: to destroy the bridge at all costs.
Inside an empty tent at the Konoha camp.
Shuimen unfolded a huge map he had received from the mission, and the team members quickly gathered around him.
He surveyed his men who were on this mission.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were a team, and at this moment their eyes were filled with eager anticipation.
Another team, led by Choza Akimichi, was also staring intently at Minato.
"This is the Kannabi Bridge," Minato said, pointing to a bridge on the map near the Land of Earth. "Our mission is to destroy it and cut off Iwagakure's supply lines."
This is a crucial step in ending the Western front, but you must all be aware of the difficulties and risks involved.
This place is located behind the Rock Hidden Camp and is protected by the Rock Hidden Camp.
According to the latest intelligence, there are currently six Jonin stationed here, but we don't know if there are any other Jonin secretly stationed here.
In a somber tone, Minato explained the importance and difficulty of the mission to his team members, emphasizing the need to be prepared to make sacrifices in critical moments.
Akimichi Choza's massive body remained as steady as a rock, and he replied in a deep voice, "Understood, Jonin Minato. Just give us any mission you have, and we'll complete it successfully, even if it costs us our lives."
This shows Ding Zuo's determination, as he has made a solemn pledge. Behind him, the three team members also have resolute eyes, ready to sacrifice themselves for the cause.
On Kakashi's team's side, Obito straightened his chest, his face flushed with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, and spoke before Kakashi could.
"Minato-sensei, so do we. Please assign us tasks, and we will definitely not let you down."
Kakashi frowned slightly, nudged Obito with his elbow, and scolded him in a low voice, "Idiot, let the teacher finish speaking."
Rin also tugged at Obito, signaling him to tone it down. After all, there were other people present, and Obito, as a team member, had already crossed the line by answering questions prematurely.
Minato nodded, his finger sliding from the south of the Kannabi Bridge. "Choza, your squad will launch a feint attack from here first, to attract and tie down a portion of the enemy's forces."
Then, he pointed his finger to the north of the Kannabi Bridge and looked at Kakashi and the other two. "You launch a surprise attack from here, try to break through inwards, and make it look like you're going to blow up the bridge. But if you encounter heavy resistance, retreat immediately."
"Jonin Minato, shouldn't we switch our mission with Kakashi's? Their mission is too dangerous; it would be better if we took over."
Choji was doing this for Kakashi and the others' sake. As their senior, he naturally had to take on more responsibility at this time.
However, Minato knew that Kakashi and the others had Taichi's trump card to protect them, so he was quite at ease about their safety.
"Sir Ding, don't worry, they have ways to protect themselves, enough to handle this mission."
Seeing this, Ding said no more. After all, the first time could be considered as concern for a junior, but the second time would be questioning the captain.
Minato's gaze fell on Kakashi and the other two again. Sensing the weight in his teacher's eyes, Kakashi returned a calm look.
"Teacher, we will strictly follow the plan, and we will use that when necessary."
He was referring to the specially made Flying Thunder God Kunai that could summon Taiyi, which was their last trump card.
A hint of relief flashed in Minato's eyes, but more so a sense of solemnity.
He reiterated: "The battlefield is ever-changing. Remember, the primary objective is survival. I will handle the bridge myself; your main responsibility is to draw the enemy's attention."
Minato looked around at everyone again.
"Once the plan succeeds, immediately withdraw along the predetermined route; do not linger in battle!"
His gaze swept over Obito with particular sternness, causing the latter to shrink back, but he still nodded vigorously.
"Set off!"
Under the cover of night, the entire team quietly left the Konoha camp and stealthily made their way towards the Kannabi Bridge behind Iwagakure.
Their experience allowed them to skillfully circumvent the heavily guarded patrol routes of the Hidden Rocks, traversing rugged mountains and dense forests.
After a day and a night of arduous trekking, the destination finally came into view.
The Kannabi Bridge spans a deep ravine, like the spine of a giant beast.
Its bridge structure, made of solid rock and steel, appears massive and menacing in the dark night.
At both ends of the bridge, the watchtowers of Iwagakure stand tall, and Iwagakure ninjas clad in brown armor are clearly visible.
Even at night, vehicles transporting supplies and the figures of ninjas moving back and forth can be vaguely seen on the bridge.
"Wow—it's huge!"
Obito subconsciously swallowed, his previous excitement dampened by the sight before him. Could such a bridge really be destroyed by simple explosive tags?
"Alright, let's rest here until 4 a.m., then we'll proceed as planned."
"yes!"
Apart from the personnel on guard, everyone else sought secluded spots to close their eyes and rest.
Time passed by, and by 4 a.m., the time when people were most tired, the people of Konoha were already ready for battle.
At this moment, the bridge was deserted, with only Iwa ninja remaining on the watchtowers around it.
"action!"
With a low shout, Minato led his squad south into the dense forest, while Kakashi and his two companions headed north to their preparations.
Ten minutes later, shortly after Kakashi and the others arrived at their destination, a loud shout came from the observation tower on the south side of the bridge:
"Who's there!"
There was no response. Only a gigantic shadow, suddenly expanding in the darkness, rushed toward the watchtower at the bridgehead with an aura of crushing everything.
Several flares shot into the sky, and only then could everyone see clearly that it was a huge, rolling, fleshy ball, taller than the watchtower itself.
Multiply Technique: Human Bomber
With a deafening roar, the watchtower was smashed to pieces. As for how many Iwa ninja died, that remains unknown.
Immediately following, wind blades and fireballs flew out one after another, exploding on the Iwagakure's position and causing another round of chaos.
"Enemy attack! It's Konoha ninja!"
"Protect the bridge! Stop them!"
Shouts rose and fell as large numbers of Iwa ninja poured out of the fortifications.
Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Choza's team, Kakashi's eyes sharpened, and he hissed, "Go!"
He leaped out of his hiding place first, followed closely by Obito and Rin. Instead of rushing directly towards the bridge, they moved quickly along the edge of the cliff near the bridge.
The target is precisely the most critical support point under the bridge.
Along the way, explosive tags were thrown onto the bridges in preparation for causing chaos later.
Kakashi's team moved like three swift winds, skillfully dodging falling rocks and stray arrows, and quickly approached their target under the bridge pier.
As they drew nearer, an extremely provocative voice rang out from the shadows of the bridge pier, laced with blatant mockery.
"Hmph, a few little mice, thinking they can fool everyone like this!"
A tall, stern-faced Jonin from Iwagakure emerged from the shadows. He held a serrated longsword and had eyes as sharp as an eagle. It was none other than Iwagakure Jonin, Hiruzen!
Iwagakure was clearly prepared for Konoha's bridge-destroying operation, which is why they assigned a Jonin to guard this crucial point.
"A full-scale assault! Execute Plan B!"
Kakashi took the lead, his right hand crackling with intense electricity, and a chirping sound like a thousand birds chirping rang out from his right hand.
His speed increased dramatically, and in the blink of an eye he rushed in front of the demon leech, his right hand, crackling with lightning, stabbed towards the demon leech's heart.
At the critical moment, the demon leech dodged to the side, barely avoiding Kakashi's claw.
The powerful electric current still grazed his body, sending him flying far away.
"There are people from Konoha here too."
Shouts from Iwagakure came from not far away. Kakashi knew he couldn't linger. He formed a hand seal and muttered, "Explode!"
The explosive tags that had been thrown out beforehand exploded one after another, while Obito and Rin also threw explosive tags in all directions to create even greater chaos.
"Walk!"
Kakashi called out, grabbed Rin beside him, and shouted at Obito, who was about to throw an explosive tag not far away.
The three of them immediately turned around and retreated at full speed into the distant dense forest.
"Chase them! Don't let them get away, especially that silver-haired guy!"
The demon leech roared and struggled to its feet, its chest charred from the fire.
I was careless, really careless. I didn't expect that guy to attack so fiercely.
I almost, I was so close to dying here.
The leech was still covered in cold sweat, its initial shock followed by extreme rage.
He personally led an elite squad of three Chunin to pursue the place where Kakashi and the others had disappeared.
Not long after the demon leech chased after them, two more Jonin from Iwagakure arrived at the scene. After checking the surroundings, the two quickly followed the tracks left by the demon leech and his companions and gave chase.
After the three groups of people left, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees not far from the bridge pier. It was Hei Jue, who had been hiding there. Unfortunately, no one had noticed his presence.
Less than five minutes later, the two groups of rock hermits met up.
"Dashi, Huoguang, what are you two doing here? Doesn't the bridge need someone to guard it?"
"I don't understand," Mohime asked, "compared to chasing these fleeing Konoha ninjas, the bridge is clearly the most important thing."
"There are still secret agents stationed over the bridge, enough personnel. But you, I saw you're injured. Are you sure you can handle this alone?"
Daishi glanced at the charred remains on the leech's chest, his tone laced with undisguised mockery.
The leech was taken aback by the question, and wanted to say that it was due to its carelessness, but it didn't say it out loud.
"Alright, instead of wasting time on this, why don't we hurry up and catch those three mice so we can go back sooner?"
Firelight smoothed things over and unconsciously quickened his pace. The leech thought it made sense; more people were indeed safer. So he said no more and quickened his pace to keep up with Firelight.
Ahead, among the three fleeing individuals, Kakashi was the first to notice something amiss. He had mastered the sensory ninjutsu taught by Minato, and although its effectiveness was limited, he could still sense something at such close range.
"Be careful, they're catching up, and—their strength is off, there are three Jonin and three Chunin."
These words were like a depth charge, creating a huge uproar in Obito and Rin's hearts.
What have we three done to deserve being hunted down by three Jonin? Does Kannabi Bridge no longer need to defend itself?
Before the three could figure it out, the presence of the Iwagakure ninja behind them had already gotten close enough for Obito and Rin to sense.
Kakashi no longer hesitated.
He took out bundles of tied steel wire from his ninja tool bag, one end of which was connected to a kunai and the other end to an explosive tag.
Kakashi flicked his hands left and right, sending explosive tags and kunai flying to both sides, creating several simple steel wires between the trees to trigger traps.
Obito and Rin followed suit, setting up various small traps along the route the three would inevitably take to escape. They didn't care how much damage they could inflict on the enemy; all they wanted was to delay their advance.
"boom"
As the first explosive tag detonated, Kakashi could clearly feel that his opponent had slowed down.
"They've disappeared. Were they killed in the bombing?"
Before Obito could finish speaking, a second explosion rang out.
"No, they just slowed down and are still trailing behind us."
Kakashi said calmly, while unconsciously quickening his pace, because he sensed that the speed of the Iwagakure village behind him had increased again.
"If the Iwa ninja catch up later, I'll have to call for backup. Three Jonin are not someone we can handle."
As he spoke, he took out the kunai that Taiichi had given him from his ninja tool bag, leaving it for them to save their lives in critical moments.
Rin and Obito both saw Kakashi's actions, but their reactions were completely different.
Lin nodded without hesitation. In her opinion, they had already completed their mission, and now, facing an insurmountable danger, their priority should be survival.
But Obito didn't think so. "Wait, Kakashi."
His face flushed red with excitement and a strong sense of pride, his crimson Sharingan staring intently at Kakashi's hand holding the kunai.
"Rin, Kakashi, we're not in dire straits yet! We haven't even met those three Jonin, and we're already asking for help? That's too embarrassing!"
He clenched his fist, his eyes burning with an indomitable spirit. "I have to give it my all and prove my worth."
"Obito, are you crazy!" Kakashi was both shocked and furious, staring intently at Obito. "This is not the time to play the hero. You'll die if you keep doing this."
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