"The reason I've gathered you all here is because I am the one in charge of this mission," Minato said once everyone had assembled.
"Your original squad leader had been assigned to another mission, so the three of you will be temporarily merged into my team."
Minato looked toward Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Shiranui Genma.
"Yes, Lord Minato," Genma nodded.
With Minato as their jōnin leader, this mission might unexpectedly turn out to be quite easy.
While everyone else wore the relaxed expressions of people going on a spring outing, Kiyohara did not dare let his guard down.
In this lineup, only Minato and Kakashi—soon to be promoted to jōnin—were true powerhouses.
Everyone else was merely Chūnin.
The only Genin present was Kiyohara himself.
In the past, he had tried to delay participating in dangerous missions as much as possible, which was why he had never taken the Chūnin Exams.
But now, with Konoha stretched thin and manpower severely lacking, not only old Genin like him but even the freshly graduated kids from the Academy had to be sent into war.
Although this mission was labeled as "reinforcement," but it was more likely they would be doing miscellaneous support roles like basically serving as distractions.
The main objective was to destroy the bridge.
The more people they had, the easier it would be to mislead the enemy and buy precious time for the demolition team.
"To understand your abilities better, I'd like to run a small test." Minato announced.
He knew his own students well, but he had no idea what Kiyohara's team was capable of.
A Genin didn't always mean Genin-level strength—it could simply mean they hadn't taken the exam yet.
"Obito, spar with Kiyohara first."
Minato called Obito's name.
Kakashi was too advanced, and Rin was a medical ninja, so the only suitable choice was Obito.
"Hehe, perfect chance to stretch my muscles!"
Obito grinned, adjusting his goggles. His mood was relaxed—after all, he treasured those precious eyes of his and took great care not to damage them.
He didn't take the Genin in front of him seriously.
After all, he was an Uchiha. Even if he hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet, the pride of his bloodline ran deep in his bones.
"Alright."
Kiyohara nodded and stepped forward.
In recent days, aside from ninjutsu training, the missing-nin Kiyohara had spent the last few days teaching him one-on-one combat techniques.
After all, if a missing-nin didn't have strong fighting skills, he would have been killed long ago.
So even though Kiyohara hadn't learned many ninjutsu, he had learned plenty of battle tactics.
"Begin," Minato declared.
Kiyohara redied himself for battle.
His chakra reserves had always been close to that of a Chūnin—he simply never took the exam.
Now, after fusing with part of the missing-nin Kiyohara essense, his chakra exceeded that of an ordinary chūnin.
So, sparring with Obito? Kiyohara felt almost completely confident.
Obito, truthfully, was also quite capable—but without a Sharingan, he lacked steadiness and calm.
Behind him, the invisible spirit of missing-nin Kiyohara appeared.
"Remember, Obito has the Uchiha's physical prowess. Just focus on exploiting the openings in his movements."
Kiyohara subtly nodded.
"Begin!"
Minato declared.
Obito moved first!
He kicked off the ground, dirt scattering as he closed the distance between them in an instant.
His kunai cut through the air, thrusting straight toward Kiyohara's throat.
At the same moment, Kiyohara also drew his kunai.
Clang!
Metal collided with metal, sparks scattering as Kiyohara deflected Obito's attack and stepped back half a pace to disperse the force.
So fast… Obito thought
He had assumed Kiyohara, being only a Genin, would be easy to handle.
But this guy wasn't simple at all.
Obito pressed on—flipping his kunai, thrusting upward, then slicing downward—his flowing offensive seamless and continuous.
Kiyohara's body moved almost entirely on instinct.
"Your defense is off—you should parry like this…"
Missing-nin Kiyohara's spirit instructed, feeding him battle wisdom.
Listening to the guidance of his future self, Kiyohara felt his understanding blossom like dawn breaking.
Obito wasn't facing just one opponent—he was up against Kiyohara and the rogue-nin's experience combined.
The power of a jōnin, kid!
As time passed, Obito realized that Kiyohara's movements were becoming sharper, smoother.
From a clumsy apprentice who had suddenly found his rhythm.
Kiyohara kept attacking from angles so unconventional that Obito could barely predict them.
Worse, he could clearly feel it—
Kiyohara was improving bit by bit right in front of him.
"His footwork is unstable. His weight leans backward. Attack his left side and force him to move…"
The Missing-nin Kiyohara advised.
Kiyohara flipped his wrist, switching from a stab to a slicing motion, aiming for Obito's left.
Sure enough, Obito's movements became noticeably awkward. His guard lagged for a fraction of a second.
Back and forth they went, but Obito was gradually pushed into a disadvantage.
Eyes widening, Obito could hardly believe it.
A mere civilian—
and yet progressing this fast?
A few minutes ago, Kiyohara could barely match him.
Now he was pressing Obito back?!
"How is this possible?!"
Obito grew increasingly alarmed.
The pressure weighed heavily—after all, Rin was watching.
He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of her.
Kiyohara can fight Obito evenly. This mission shouldn't be a problem.
Seeing Kiyohara's rapid growth, Minato couldn't help but think so.
"Why does Kiyohara seem stronger than before?" Kurenai wondered, her ruby eyes reflecting his figure.
She and Kiyohara had been classmates since childhood. She almost knew him inside out.
Could it be that under the pressure of survival, his potential had awakened?
But however others speculated, Obito was now under crushing pressure.
His earlier confidence was long gone.
Damn it, Rin is watching!
As a member of the Uchiha clan, losing is unacceptable!
Obito reached into his pouch and flicked his wrist—three shuriken appeared between his fingers.
Shurikenjutsu was a specialty of the Uchiha!
Three shuriken flew out, sealing Kiyohara's upper, middle, and lower lanes.
Their angles were sharp—proof of Obito's hard work.
"Don't forget the technique I taught you."
Missing-nin Kiyohara reminded him.
Only Kiyohara could hear his words.
To everyone else, the spirit was nothing but air.
Kiyohara nodded subtly, then pulled out just one shuriken.
Swish!
His shuriken shot out, trailing a slight arc through the air, striking the tail of the first shuriken Obito threw.
Cling!
With a crisp ring, Kiyohara's shuriken bent its course like it had a mind of its own—
and hit the remaining two shuriken.
Cling! Cling!
A chain of clear metallic sounds echoed.
Obito's confident three-shuriken combo was dismantled completely by a single throw.
The shuriken clattered uselessly to the ground.
"How is that possible?!"
Obito's eyes widened round like saucers.
The technique to make shuriken bend midair, he hadn't even learned that yet.
But Kiyohara already mastered it?!
Caught off guard, Obito's defense slowed for a split second.
Kiyohara would never miss a fleeting chance like that.
Obito saw only a brief blur.
He barely raised his kunai in defense before Kiyohara's hand clamped down on his wrist like an iron vice, and Kiyohara's foot hooked his ankle.
"Ugh!"
A force he couldn't resist surged through him.
His balance was completely shattered.
Thud!
Obito crashed hard onto the ground, dust scattering.
Kiyohara's kunai rested lightly against Obito's throat.
The battle was over.
Silence filled the field.
Even Kakashi, usually indifferent and lazy-eyed, showed a flicker of surprise.
(End of Chapter)