Kakashi, Obito, and Nohara Rin all understood the importance of this mission. They nodded. "Understood, Sensei. We'll be careful." Obito was especially emphatic: "Don't worry, Sensei. I'll keep an eye on Kakashi and make sure he doesn't do anything reckless."
Kakashi shot Obito a glance and thought, Do you have any idea what you're saying? You're the one I'm talking about. But after being teammates for so long, he was used to it.
Minato smiled. Having someone like Obito on the team really was a good thing. At times this tense and oppressive, all it took was one comment from him to lighten the mood a little and relieve some of the pressure. Minato couldn't help feeling a little more confident about the mission ahead.
He looked toward Uchiha Kin. "We'll move out once Kin's team is underway. For now, get some rest while you can."
"What's he doing?" Obito asked curiously, then urged Kakashi and Nohara Rin, "Kakashi, Rin, should we go take a look?"
The two of them were intrigued as well. Seeing that the three wanted to go, Minato followed along. After all, he was young, too!
And so, Minato Squad headed over together.
They saw a group of wounded soldiers practicing hand seals one by one, apparently working on a ninjutsu. Minato was friends with Fugaku, and recognized the seals for Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique at a glance. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. Obito recognized it too. "That's Phoenix Sage Fire Technique! Why are they practicing that?"
Before long, someone managed to learn it. Whenever one of them succeeded, Uchiha Kin nodded in approval. "Once you've learned it, don't waste any more chakra. Just practice the hand seals."
He also mocked those who failed. "Are you sure you're seasoned shinobi? You can't even learn a technique this simple!"
Of course, even the slowest learners only needed three or four tries before they could use it. But as beginners, the results were underwhelming.
Uchiha Kin was satisfied, though. Being able to use the technique was enough. Its power didn't matter; what mattered was having it at all.
"Form up!"
More than three hundred people assembled.
Obito asked Minato, "Sensei, what's he going to do?" Kakashi frowned, just as puzzled. "Maybe he's getting ready to move out?"
Minato frowned too. "Learning a Fire Style technique at the last minute before battle won't make them combat-ready in time. It takes at least several months to master a technique well enough to use it effectively. What's the point of doing this?"
"Let me explain our mission. Before we set out, I'll make sure every detail is clear, so no one gets carried away and throws their life away for nothing.
"Everyone, remember this: our mission is to block the Rock Ninja's advance. Remember those six words, and understand that our primary objective is to stop their advance. We have to hold the Rock Ninja at the border and keep them from pushing any farther.
"Remember: block their advance! Block their advance! Block their advance! Not kill the enemy. I don't want anyone getting carried away and misunderstanding our mission.
"Your lives are precious. Every person we lose is one less person in our ranks, one less fighter. If our forces are weakened, our defense line could collapse, letting the Rock Ninja pour through. So get your heads on straight.
"Don't do anything foolish. Don't get your comrades killed. Don't put the village in danger because of your own recklessness. Understand my orders, and keep our mission clear in your minds at all times.
"Dying is easy. All it takes is one impulsive decision. Staying alive and completing the mission—that's hard."
Uchiha Kin's gaze swept over the more than three hundred people. When he looked toward Minato Squad, he nodded at Minato, Kakashi, Obito, and Nohara Rin in greeting.
He paused for a moment to let the shinobi absorb what he'd said, then continued. "Next, let's discuss tactics.
"The Rock Ninja specialize in Earth Style Ninjutsu. In one-on-one combat, they favor Hardening Jutsu; for ambushes, they use Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage. As for group combat... our tactic is to work in teams of three, using Phoenix Sage Fire as our main attack. Two people will create an opening for the third to use Phoenix Sage Fire.
"In other words, A and B create an opening for C to use Phoenix Sage Fire. Then you rotate, with C taking the place of A or B to use Phoenix Sage Fire.
"We need to attack in waves, breaking up the Rock Ninja's main force and dividing them into smaller units..."
It was a very detailed and highly targeted strategy.
"Remember this: if the enemy doesn't move, we don't move. If they move, we move. We're not trying to kill them; we're trying to stop them. The priority is to split them up and turn the fight into chaos." Having finished his summary, Uchiha Kin waved his hand. "Move out."
The troops split into three groups and set off, each led by Yakushi Nonō, Dai, or Qingshan Yi.
Obito asked, "Sensei, what exactly is Kin's tactic?" He hadn't quite understood it.
"Use waves of Fire Style attacks to divide the battlefield and impede the Rock Ninja's advance. His idea..." Minato thought, It's not very shinobi-like! "But with this strategy in place, I feel much better about things here."
Under cover of night, the more than three hundred shinobi spread out across the battlefield in groups of three. The more perceptive sensor-types were also distributed among the different sections to help pass along information.
Uchiha Kin leaned against a tree. He quietly formed a hand seal, and his shadow roamed freely through the darkness, covering a radius of ten kilometers. It had traveled more than halfway around when it suddenly stopped. At the other end of the shadow was a cave.
Inside, a group of old people and children hiding from the war sat in silence. A thin-eyed boy opened his eyes and walked out of the cave.
He let out a soft chuckle. "Kannagi Bridge. Is it about to begin? Such a huge bridge... what a difficult problem."
A tendril suddenly emerged from the shadow on the ground. An eyeball sat at its tip, its pupil completely white.
Byakugan!
The boy held out a hand. A tendril emerged from his palm as well, connecting to the eyeball and drawing it into his stomach.
The boy marveled, "I really am a genius. I combined the principles of the Ninjutsu Body Flicker Technique with this Shadow Body Flicker Technique. Using the night to transport things is pretty handy. And they even remembered to give me a Byakugan... With the Byakugan, my mission will be much easier."
If anyone from the Hidden Leaf Village had seen the boy, they would have recognized him as a member of the Nara Clan.
And anyone who had known Uchiha Kin and Hyuga Ken since they were classmates would have recognized him too. He was their teammate—
Nara Tama.
Nara Tama's figure followed the shadow as it stretched toward Kannagi Bridge. Using the Byakugan's keen vision, he avoided the Rock Ninja's gaze. He wasn't moving blindly. He was looking for—
The Rock Ninja knew the Hidden Leaf Village would certainly try to deal with Kannagi Bridge, so they had kept an ambush in place.
All he had to do was find the ambush site.
The rest was just waiting!
Waiting for Minato Squad.
Before you continue