"Yes, there are. Quite a few, actually."
Kiyohara spoke up.
Iwagakure ninja were the masters of the zerg rush approach, essentially mass-unit tactics.
They did not rely on fancy techniques, only overwhelming numbers.
The most classic example was when they sent ten thousand ninja to fight the Third Raikage.
Kiyohara could not even picture what that looked like. A whole valley filled with ninja, all sprinting through the mountains after the Third Raikage. Would they even fit?
"There are enemies nearby."
Kakashi nodded, backing up Kiyohara's words.
While talking, both of them kept their voices low and turned their backs toward the Iwagakure scouts so they would not be overheard or have their lips read.
"Looks like Kiyohara and Kakashi were the fastest this time. The others lagged a bit."
Minato nodded in approval.
Perfect. Both Kakashi's squad and Kiyohara's squad had a reconnaissance-type ninja.
"My path will not overlap with yours for much longer. From this point on, handle trouble on your own."
Minato intended to train both teams.
Since he was still here, even if they made mistakes, he could intervene instantly with the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
"Yes."
Kakashi responded quietly.
He tried to approach the suspicious area without drawing attention, but the moment he moved, shuriken sliced out of the distant bushes with a rapid whoosh.
Bang, bang, bang.
Kakashi drew his short blade in a flash and knocked aside three shuriken.
"They have already spotted us."
Kakashi felt a twinge of regret. So much for catching them off guard.
"Hehe, my turn."
Obito quickly formed hand seals and shouted:
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
Boom.
A tiny, pathetic fireball dribbled out of Obito's mouth.
"Cough, cough..."
His nerves had ruined the technique.
"The Konoha ninja found us. We fight to the death."
The middle-aged Iwagakure ninja frowned.
He had recognized Minato Namikaze as the leader.
His original plan had been to stay hidden, wait for Minato to leave, and then ambush isolated members.
But the moment he saw the Konoha group whispering among themselves, thirty years of battle experience told him they had already been exposed.
He prepared to attack first, hoping to catch them off guard, but even the ambush failed.
"Captain!"
A younger Iwagakure ninja hurled two more shuriken.
Kakashi was about to block them the same way as before, but Kiyohara moved ahead of him.
Forming three seals, Dog, Horse, Bird, Kiyohara finished in about a second and a half.
He drew two gleaming shuriken from his pouch and charged them with Wind Release chakra.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Wind-charged shuriken flew faster than ordinary ones, and their sharpness surged.
By integrating part of rogue ninja Kiyohara's talent, his Wind Release control had become far stronger.
A move like this would have been impossible for him before.
Bang, bang.
Kiyohara's wind-wrapped shuriken easily knocked aside the enemy's.
Right after that, two fireballs erupted with a booming blast. The shockwave blew leaves backward and sent grass rippling.
At such close range, the young Iwagakure ninja was blown into a bloody mess, a scorched smell rising from the remains.
"What just happened?"
Shiranui Genma hadn't been able to see clearly.
Kakashi was confused for a moment as well, until it clicked.
Explosive tags.
The enemy had attached explosive tags to the shuriken hilts. If Kakashi had blocked them with his blade, they would've detonated right in front of him.
Understanding that, Kakashi shot a glance at Kiyohara.
Without Kiyohara's warning, he would've been badly injured.
"Thanks, future me."
Kiyohara thought silently.
In truth, he had not noticed it either.
But the rogue ninja Kiyohara who floated beside him, visible only to him, had pointed it out, letting him react in time.
"Nicely done."
Minato nodded.
He had almost intervened himself, but Kiyohara's reaction was faster.
In the ninja world, hand speed was everything. Faster hands meant faster jutsu.
"Daiko!"
The middle-aged Iwagakure ninja shouted the name of the young comrade who had just been blown apart, but Daiko's brains were already splattered.
He could not be more dead.
Kiyohara gripped his kunai. Time to move in and clean up.
Those explosive tags had not killed just one person. The remaining three Iwagakure ninja had all been injured to some degree.
Taking down an already wounded chunin? That would be simple.
More importantly, whoever defeated an enemy had the right to their belongings.
Thinking of his loans, Kiyohara could not help swinging his kunai with renewed zeal.
Sorry about this, enemy friends. Turn into my shiny silver coins.
Clang.
The middle-aged Iwagakure ninja drew his sword and blocked Kiyohara's kunai, sparks spraying where the blades scraped.
His experience was extensive.
He had planned to knock Kiyohara's kunai aside with technique, but the explosion had injured his arm and he could not muster full strength.
Kiyohara pressed him relentlessly.
Seeing that, Kakashi did not hesitate either. He charged in to take on another opponent one-on-one.
"Ninja Art: Thousand Needles Rain!"
Genma puffed out his cheeks and spat the senbon from his mouth.
After forming hand seals, the needles split into a cloud of phantom senbon, all aimed at the last Iwagakure ninja.
Rin and Kurenai watched closely, ready to support at any moment.
Obito clutched his throat.
Using Fireball Jutsu required gathering Fire Release chakra there, and after messing up, his throat burned.
It felt like a mouth ulcer had formed inside it.
"Damn it, two explosive tags were too much."
The middle-aged Iwagakure ninja felt suffocated with frustration.
"I practiced Kenjutsu for twenty years. There is no way I lose to you."
He roared, ready to gamble everything on one last strike.
A wet sound followed.
Kiyohara drove his kunai into the man's abdomen and twisted hard to the right, crushing the organs inside.
With a heavy thud, the Iwagakure ninja collapsed, disbelief frozen on his face.
"That was the best plan you had?"
Kiyohara shook his head.
Aside from the one blown up at the start, this man had taken the worst damage.
Sometimes, anger really was just anger. Getting furious did not solve anything.
It was like staring at a math problem you could not understand. Anger did nothing.
At that moment, Kakashi defeated the last enemy, keeping one alive for interrogation.
"Well done."
Minato praised them.
Everyone performed well except Obito, who had been too nervous.
"Kiyohara, you do not need to loot so urgently."
Seeing Kiyohara rummaging through the corpse with enthusiasm, Minato let out a weary smile.
"Alright."
Kiyohara slowed his pace.
But he still had to loot. Ninja equipment did not pay for itself.