The Root operative accepted the mission and withdrew. Minato Namikaze glanced over the others and said, "Uchiha Kin will lead the interception unit. Does anyone object?" Originally, Minato had favored a jonin named Dai.
Dai had performed admirably in this war. He'd been wounded several times and had plenty of experience. He should have been the best choice to lead them.
But Uchiha Kin's performance just now had changed Minato's mind...
Dai might have been able to command a conventional battle.
But in an environment this dangerous, complicated, and difficult, with the enemy overwhelmingly stronger than them, perhaps only Uchiha Kin could turn things around. Clearly, he was better suited to lead than Dai. Minato asked for everyone's opinion instead of making the decision unilaterally because this would be their battlefield.
"I agree!" Yakushi Nonō was the first to voice her support. Another jonin followed, and then Dai also expressed his agreement.
Uchiha Kin pressed his lips together. "I'll lead everyone and make sure we complete this mission. Please trust me!"
Someone said, "Lord Kin has always been someone we can trust. It's an honor to follow you."
Uchiha Kin nodded. "Mm."
He'd deliberately let Minato see him deep in thought earlier, then analyzed the situation without hesitation. That had been the whole point!
If possible, he had to seize control of his impending "fate." And to take charge of even this little bit of it, he had to become a commander. Those being commanded had no say in whether they lived or died; all they could do was obey.
Minato turned to Danzo. "Elder Danzo." He was about to continue when Danzo cut him off.
Danzo raised his one remaining hand to stop Minato, his face full of righteous resolve. "I'm sorry, but I can't take part in the fighting on the western front. I must lead my men to the eastern front at once. They need me more there!"
After a pause, he added, "In fact, I only came to the western front because the Akatsuki organization was active on the battlefield and affecting the Hidden Leaf.
"Now that this matter has been resolved, I should be on my way. The eastern front..." He put on an expression of helplessness.
He portrayed the helplessness of someone who wanted to fight to the death but was forbidden by an imperial decree so vividly that it was almost lifelike.
Minato had no choice but to say, "Then take care, Elder Danzo."
"I'll be going ahead!" Danzo didn't linger for a moment, afraid that if he stayed even a few minutes longer, he wouldn't be able to leave.
"Everyone, go get ready," Minato told the group before leaving to brief his team: Kakashi, Obito, and Nohara Rin.
The others looked to Uchiha Kin. "Nonō, Dai, Qingshan Yi—you three are on this assignment. Decide among yourselves and get me information on the hospital personnel, including the medical staff and the wounded, as soon as possible.
"First, note their specialties in ninjutsu. Second, their chakra reserves. Don't worry about anything else. The sooner, the better..."
Now that he was in command of the unit, the first thing Uchiha Kin had to do was "know himself": how many cards they had to play, and what abilities the ninja under his command possessed. Only by getting a clear picture of that could he figure out how to fight.
If he knew nothing about them, they'd probably just have to throw shuriken and kunai together with a "one, two, three." How was that any different from throwing their lives away?
Soon, the three returned with the information they'd gathered.
There were seven medical personnel in all, including Uchiha Kin and Yakushi Nonō. There were 312 lightly and seriously wounded. The only jutsu most of them knew was the Three Basic Techniques. Beyond that, they had only taijutsu and the ability to throw kunai and shuriken.
One person knew Wind Release. One Uchiha had a single tomoe in one eye, and another Uchiha had replaced his eye with a normal one...
One Uchiha hadn't awakened his Sharingan, and one person knew Fire Release...
"Every Rock Ninja in Iwagakure seems to know Earth Release. They've got Hardening Jutsu, Earth Flow Wall, Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage, Earth-Style Rising Excavation—and a whole bunch more. How come all the Hidden Leaf has is the Three Basic Techniques, the Three Basic Techniques, and the Three Basic Techniques?
"Is this reasonable? So all those jutsu in the Scroll of Seals are just for the Third Hokage to read alone in some dark little room, huh?" Uchiha Kin grumbled to himself. The situation at hand only added more bitterness to his complaints.
If everyone listed in the report had a jutsu specialty of their own, the battle to intercept the enemy would undoubtedly be much easier.
But now...
Uchiha Kin took a deep breath. "Damn it, am I supposed to make them throw shuriken on the count of three? This is ridiculous."
He set down the report, summoned Nonō, Dai, and Qingshan Yi, and had them assemble the team. Uchiha Kin stood at the front of the group. "A major battle is imminent. We're about to face a fight with a nine-in-ten chance of death. Everyone here should be a seasoned ninja.
"The battlefield is always a place where people can mature quickly. And I'm sure a seasoned ninja can learn a little jutsu without much trouble.
"I'm going to teach you a jutsu now: Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. It's a C-rank jutsu that lets you spit out a series of flames, one after another. You all—"
"Uchiha Kin, what are you doing? How can you teach the clan's jutsu to outsiders?" The Uchiha with a single tomoe in just one eye shouted. He couldn't believe Uchiha Kin had made that decision.
Uchiha Kin glanced at him and sneered. "Idiot. If you're dead, what good is it to guard your jutsu? Besides, it's just Fire Release. Is that a clan jutsu?" As if the Sarutobi Clan didn't know Fire Release—or Kakuzu, for that matter.
He ignored the Uchiha and began explaining the principles and hand seals for the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique in detail.
The three Uchiha familiar with the technique stared wide-eyed in disbelief... Uchiha Kin's explanation differed in many ways from what they knew. He'd added so many details that suddenly everything made sense.
"So that's how Phoenix Sage Fire works. No wonder I could never get it right!" They didn't doubt Uchiha Kin's talent for ninjutsu.
Anyone who could develop a unique Nerve Secret Technique at such a young age was certainly a genius.
The only thing Uchiha Kin couldn't do was awaken his Sharingan.
But that only made the Uchiha, especially those who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan and were listed in the Clan Registry, feel even more conflicted. His dazzling talent was more and more a source of regret—and increasingly hard to look at.
Uchiha Kin said, "We don't have much time. Show me what seasoned ninja are capable of. This battle is as good as won!"
"We'll win!" the wounded shouted.
Elsewhere, Minato was briefing his three students. "During the mission, Kakashi will be in charge. Obito, especially you—don't do anything reckless. We'll be deep behind enemy lines, and it's very dangerous. Kannagi Bridge is a particular target of the Rock Ninja."
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