The group quickly left the Konoha stronghold and, without incident, passed through successive battle lines until they reached a dense forest. The trees here grew extremely tall, their thick leaves forming a nearly impenetrable canopy that blocked out sunlight—perfect for concealment.
They slowed their pace and cautiously advanced inside.
After just a few steps, Kakashi, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped. He raised his hand flat outward in a halt signal and began scanning the surroundings.
Seeing this, Minato gave a silent nod of approval and inwardly praised, Well done, Kakashi.
Anya's Spirit Transformation Technique had detected enemy presence within the forest from a distance. No wonder he had experience from the Great Ninja World War—his caution remained sharp even in this easily concealable environment. There were many shadow clones scattered throughout the forest; though individually weak, each occupied a blind spot among the trees, allowing them to monitor every path that must be taken. If a powerful ninja approached, they could even escape instantly.
As the group halted, Minato extended one finger and gently pressed it against the ground.
Within just a few seconds, he already had a clear understanding. He cautioned quietly, "Everyone, be careful. There are more than twenty enemies—likely all clones, with only one real one."
"It indeed looks that way," Kakashi replied firmly, staring ahead. "Master, let me go in first. Cover me."
"Calm down, Kakashi. You should stay back and support instead," Minato disagreed with his student's impulsive suggestion.
"Master, today I'm the team leader, right?" Kakashi countered. His hands had already begun forming hand seals as he confidently added, "This is the perfect chance to test my newly-developed technique."
"Pop."
A hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Kakashi's arm, interrupting his seal formation.
It was Anya, who had remained completely silent until now. He shook his head at Kakashi and said, "Don't use that technique."
Kakashi forcefully shook off Anya's hand, his eyes flashing dangerously as he lowly warned, "I don't need you to tell me what to do. Since you're here anyway, witness my style of combat—come forth, Chidori!"
[Chidori: Thousand Birds!]
"Chirp... chirp... chirp."
A massive, irregularly pulsing lightning-based chakra appeared in Kakashi's right hand, emitting dazzling arcs of electricity in all directions. Intense, bird-like screeches erupted from his palm, growing louder and louder until it sounded like a thousand birds shrieking all at once...
As Anya had predicted, Kakashi was going to use Chidori. Truthfully, he himself could have developed this technique long ago, so why hadn't he? First, the Lightning Blade Art already basically possessed Chidori's characteristics. Secondly, he found this technique too impractical—the sound it generated was simply too loud.
Using such a technique on the battlefield was like shouting to enemies, "I'm here! Come get me!"
Later, Kakashi's Lightning Cutter would become much more practical—an almost silent technique perfectly complemented by the Sharingan, evolving into a deadly combat technique that could rival his own Phantom Sword Art. Only then would copying it with the Sharingan make sense.
With a deafening explosion, Kakashi's Chidori, formed by hand seals from his right hand, shot straight toward the enemy, its incredible speed kicking up clouds of dust from the ground.
"I didn't expect him to charge head-on like this." A ninja hiding in the shadows observed Kakashi's movement, a cold smirk curling his lips. In a flash, he pulled out three shuriken and hurled them toward Kakashi's eyes, throat, and heart—the three deadliest points.
"Crackle… crackle…"
Several kunai from Minato flew in from behind Kakashi, striking the shuriken mid-air just before they reached him, sending them clattering to the ground.
"How is that possible?" The enemy ninja broke into a cold sweat. There was actually someone whose kunai technique was this precise—unbelievable.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Kakashi, already charging with Chidori, had traced the enemy's position through the shuriken's trajectory. His speed surged even further.
"Found you."
"So fast!" The enemy muttered in shock. Just as he reached for the long blade on his back, another kunai came flying at him.
"Oh no!" The enemy dodged the kunai, but before he could react, Kakashi's Chidori slammed into him full force.
Boom.
Thinking the enemy was finished, Kakashi's eyes widened as the body suddenly burst into a puff of smoke.
"Damn it, it was a shadow clone!" Kakashi's gaze turned icy cold. The Chidori in his hand still crackled with fury as he declared fiercely, "Then, the next one."
Suddenly, a ninja appeared before Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara, who were searching below. A hardened warrior forged by years of war, he radiated overwhelming killing intent. With presence alone, he sent the two retreating in fear.
[Lightning Bolt] flashed across Anya's body. As the enemy ninja moved, his entire body lit up with arcs of [Lightning Bolt] before vanishing into smoke.
Minato, about to intervene, noticed that Anya had already taken out the enemy. He couldn't help but admire the other's speed before sternly warning Obito Uchiha and Rin, "Stay sharp. Don't lose focus."
"Yes," Obito replied quickly, his eyes already misty without him realizing it.
"Kakashi is in danger." After easily eliminating the enemy's clone, Anya warned Minato.
Trusting Anya's judgment completely, Minato activated the Body Flicker Technique without hesitation.
There, Kakashi had already pinpointed the enemy's real body. Kakashi's hand crackled with Chidori while the enemy held a ninja blade. Both launched their final strikes with no attempt at defense.
As both seemed about to strike fatal blows, Minato suddenly appeared between them. Moving at blinding speed, he grabbed Kakashi and yanked him away—but not before the enemy's blade sliced across Kakashi's shoulder.
Minato carried Kakashi back to where the others stood.
Rin Nohara rushed over, panic in her voice. "Kakashi, are you okay?"
After setting Kakashi down, Minato closed his eyes and thought silently to himself, I've got him.
Then, he loosened the strap of the backpack on his shoulder and casually let it fall.
"Oh no! How could this be…"
The ninja hiding in the shadows watched in horror, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks as his entire body stiffened. Cold sweat poured down his face because he had no idea when a chilling shuriken had already appeared at his throat.
Only then did the backpack Minato had casually discarded finally hit the ground, revealing just how fast his Flying Thunder God Technique was.
Anya, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel astonished in his heart—Minato had improved again.
His Flying Thunder God Technique no longer required a specially-prepared kunai as a marker—an even more impressive feat was that the marker could now be mobile, making it nearly impossible to defend against. In other words, once marked, one would be as good as half-dead—Anya himself included. He couldn't possibly maintain Susano'o while eating, sleeping, or even using the bathroom.
This technique was truly unbeatable. At least for now, Anya couldn't think of any way to counter it without using the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"So you're Konoha's Yellow Flash," the enemy ninja muttered fearfully. "Back in Iwagakure, our superiors warned us that if we ever encountered that guy, we should run immediately. Now I finally understand exactly what they meant."
As soon as the enemy ninja finished speaking, Minato's shuriken swiftly cut through his throat, ending his life.
Minato, having eliminated the enemy, returned to the middle of the group and looked at Kakashi, who was being treated by Rin. "Kakashi is injured. We'll withdraw from here temporarily and regroup."
"I'm fine," Kakashi replied stubbornly, glancing sideways at Anya.
"How can you be fine? You got yourself into this condition because you didn't listen to Master," Uchiha Obito immediately scolded loudly.
"You're not the one to lecture me, Mr. Uchiha hotshot who was crying in fear just now," Kakashi said contemptuously.
Upon hearing this, Obito Uchiha stammered in embarrassment, "Th-that was just because my eyes were irritated by dust and started tearing."
"Do you know Ninja Principle Number Twenty-Five..."
"Enough!" Anya directly interrupted their quarrel with a cold shout and looked at Minato, who was standing beside him with a grim expression. "It seems you haven't taught them well, Master. They don't even understand the basics of teamwork. In their current state, they're heading straight to certain death if they attempt that mission. Let them return. This mission—we can handle it just the two of us."
"No way. This is my mission. I don't need anyone else to complete it for me," Kakashi coldly replied while staring at Anya.
"Kakashi, what Night said earlier was right. Rules and discipline are indeed important, but they're not everything. A ninja must think on their feet according to the situation. And we are a team—we must primarily rely on cooperation between each other," Minato said sternly with a serious expression, his voice carrying a note of anger. "One more thing, Kakashi. Don't use that technique in real combat again. Chidori is a piercing attack concentrating all force on a single point. Though it possesses tremendous destructive power and speed, its attack direction is too narrow. Also, its tremendous speed prevents you from clearly observing your opponent's movements. It's not yet perfected."
"This is the first time I've seen Master getting angry," Kakashi thought, clearly feeling dejected. Still, he muttered stubbornly, "I understand, but this is my very first mission since becoming a Jonin. I must succeed."
Minato looked at the stubborn Kakashi with a quiet sigh, then exchanged a glance with Anya.
Anya silently nodded.
"It's already late. Let's find a place to rest," Minato said. "If Kakashi's injuries have recovered by tomorrow, we'll continue as planned."
"Yes," Kakashi replied quickly, his face lighting up with joy.
Night fell, and a gentle breeze stirred the air. Under the shining stars and bright moon, the sky looked even deeper and bluer.
Anya and Minato sat quietly on a large stone, gazing at the sky together without speaking. They shared a quiet understanding built from years of growing up together, making it easy for them to stay silent without discomfort. Even when working together, they could feel each other's presence and support, making them feel secure and fearless.
However, this wordless understanding was interrupted when Obito, unable to sleep, quietly crept over, stepping lightly toward Minato.
Minato turned around, looking puzzled at the dispirited Obito with a questioning expression.
Obito sat down, his voice heavy with sadness. "I know how important teamwork is. But... Kakashi always looks down on me, treating me as a useless fool. I'm from the Uchiha Clan, known as elites, yet I'm always at the bottom. I admit Kakashi is amazing, but..."
At this point, Obito Uchiha paused, his expression full of negativity.
Minato softly replied, "Kakashi is the son of Sakumo Hatake, the legendary ninja also known as the Legend of the White Fang—a title earned for his unmatched skills. Even the legendary Sannin respected his father greatly. Growing up beside such a genius, it's normal to feel discouraged when comparing the two of you."
"White Fang?" Obito Uchiha looked thoughtful. "I've heard that name before. I heard he was a hero who died protecting the village."
"No, he didn't die in service. He committed suicide," Anya suddenly said, still looking at the sky.
"Suicide? How could such an outstanding ninja do that?" Obito Uchiha couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Anya, hiding behind her mask, gave a sarcastic smile and calmly said, "He was blamed by the villagers. During a mission, he infiltrated the enemy's camp and obtained a highly valuable intelligence report for Konoha. However, his teammates were captured by the enemy. Without hesitation, he gave the intelligence report to the enemy to save his teammates. As a result, the villagers started blaming him, even those he had saved came forward to criticize him. Eventually, unable to bear the pressure, he committed suicide. That's roughly how it happened."
Seeing the shocked expression on Obito Uchiha's face, Anya became interested and curiously asked, "What, do you think he was stupid?"
"No, he was a hero."
Obito Uchiha hesitated for a moment, then said with deep reverence, "At least in my heart, that's how it is. If a ninja who abandons a mission is trash, then someone who abandons their comrades is even worse trash."
"Hehe." Minato chuckled, admiration in his eyes as he looked at Obito. "Since that incident, Kakashi has become the person he is now. So, Obito, even just a little bit, try to understand him, okay? Kakashi doesn't have bad intentions."
"Yeah, I understand," Obito Uchiha quickly replied.
After Obito left, Minato gazed at Anya with some concern.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You don't think I cried, right?" Anya teased playfully.
Minato teased back, "I want to see if you've been crying. Mind taking off your mask?"
"Okay."
Anya lifted the mask, revealing a sharp and proud face beneath—standing in stark contrast to the bright and handsome Minato before her.
The two stared at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Minato gave a light smile and said, "Looks like you've really put that behind you."
"Of course," Anya replied with a slightly distant tone. "I'm not a child like Kakashi, who can afford to throw tantrums."
Without anyone realizing it, an entire night had passed. The sun once again shone upon the earth, and cheerful birdsong woke the sleeping group.
Rin Nohara carefully replaced the bandages on Kakashi's shoulder. After applying some [Medical Ninjutsu] treatment, she gently spoke, "It's improved a lot since yesterday, but if you overdo it, the wounds might reopen."
Kakashi waved his arms a few times and felt no pain at all. He thanked Rin, saying, "Thanks, Rin. I'm fine now."
Seeing that Kakashi was mostly recovered, Minato energetically addressed the group, "Now that Kakashi's injuries have healed, we should move out. Today, we'll split into two teams right here. Everyone, do your best."
"Yes." The three responded in unison.
Minato's expression turned serious as he stepped toward them and sternly said, "Yesterday was just a lone scout ninja. From now on, you'll certainly face enemy squads. Be cautious and focus more on teamwork."
"Yes, Master."
Seeing the confident looks on the three's faces, Minato still couldn't shake his worry. He quietly exchanged a glance with Anya, clearly hoping that she would protect them well.
Anya returned a confident glance.
Minato gave Anya a brilliant smile before vanishing instantly.
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