There was a kind of flash that was beautiful and deadly: the flash of Minato Namikaze... A streak of yellow flickered through the night sky like a wavering firefly, appearing and vanishing in an instant. He always appeared and disappeared with a kunai at just the right moment.
Wherever he appeared, one Rock Ninja after another was caught completely off guard. In an instant, their throats were slit, their windpipes cut, their hearts pierced...
Every flash meant death. When the shrill whistles began blowing in rapid succession, the Rock Ninja finally reacted. Earthen walls surged up from the ground, forming a defense. One hemispherical shell after another enclosed the soldiers, and Minato Namikaze disappeared.
The whistles sounded at various frequencies. It was the Rock Ninja's customary method of giving orders.
The ground split under the force of Splitting Earth Palm, forming a fissure more than ten zhang wide and successfully blocking the Hidden Leaf's advance.
Three earthen beams stretched across the fissure, connecting its two sides. Huge balls of earth formed, each one zhang in diameter and weighing thirty tons. They rolled straight along the beams toward the Hidden Leaf forces. The Hidden Leaf shinobi could only leap aside like grasshoppers.
Everything in their path was crushed. The Rock Ninja also poured out of their earthen shells and charged into battle.
More earthen beams appeared. The Rock Ninja used the earthen balls to clear a path, launching a large-scale counterattack.
The Hidden Leaf formation was scattered, forcing the shinobi to form small groups of three and fight back against the Rock Ninja with kunai and shuriken.
In the chaos, the Hidden Leaf shinobi repeatedly used the Three Basic Techniques. The Transformation Technique in particular was a tremendous advantage amid the confusion. A sudden transformation made one look like a Rock Ninja, allowing a surprise attack as a "comrade." The Rock Ninja were almost entirely unprepared for it.
Clones appeared and vanished, bewildering the eye. It was impossible to tell the real from the fake as both sides traded blows. Casualties mounted on both sides.
Uchiha Kin moved through the battlefield, treating every wounded shinobi he came across. The wounded would then spring back into action, full of energy.
Tiger Power Great Immortal, Deer Power Great Immortal, and the third Tiger-Deer-Sheep Combined Great Immortal were especially fierce. Their fur was the best defense. They didn't even bother dodging shuriken, charging straight through them. The shuriken did little more than graze them, while a single blow from any of them could easily and brutally kill an enemy.
After a full half hour of chaotic fighting, the Rock Ninja had suffered considerable losses, but the Hidden Leaf hadn't lost a single person.
"Beep, beep, beep!"
Three sharp whistles sounded, and the Rock Ninja all withdrew. As they retreated, they did their best to take the corpses with them.
Uchiha Kin said, "Stay alert. I need to rest for a while." Taking advantage of the rare lull, he closed his eyes for a short nap.
Meanwhile, the commander of the Rock Ninja vanguard was troubled. "Their Medical Ninja is too good. We have to find a way to take him out.
"Otherwise, our attacks will only be pointless sacrifices. If I'm not mistaken, that must be Uchiha Kin—the Man Who Steals Souls from Death."
A Rock Ninja suggested, "We'd better call for reinforcements from the rear and request a demolition squad. This group of Hidden Leaf shinobi is tough to deal with. I'm sure everyone saw their initial formation... We have to take them seriously."
"Damn it, their tactics are clearly meant for large-scale warfare. That's not like the Hidden Leaf at all!" A burly man pounded the table.
The Rock Ninja remained quiet for the rest of the day. Uchiha Kin slept until eleven o'clock, then woke up with his energy fully restored. "Did anything happen while I was resting?" he asked. The answer was, "No."
Minato suddenly appeared. Seeing that Uchiha Kin was awake, he asked, "You're up? How are you feeling?"
Uchiha Kin nodded. "Pretty good. The Rock Ninja haven't made a move all morning. It'd be great if we could complete the mission like this."
"I hope so... Since everything's quiet here, I'll get going..." Minato Namikaze said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Uchiha Kin called someone over. "Go prepare a cup of honey water for Minato, to replenish his energy." A moment later, someone brought a cup of honey water to Minato Namikaze. "This stuff is great on the battlefield.
"Soldier Pills contain honey, but they also have drugs that stimulate your potential. It's best to avoid taking them unless necessary. Honey water is a better way to replenish your energy."
"Thanks." Minato Namikaze drank the honey water and left. Half an hour later, he returned again, each time bringing news of his squad's latest movements.
Led by Kakashi, Minato Squad had already ventured deep into an area heavily guarded by the Rock Ninja. They were getting closer and closer to Kannagi Bridge.
"It's so beautiful here. What a shame it's been engulfed by war," Nohara Rin murmured. This land of birdsong and fragrant flowers, blanketed in grass, grieved for the fate of the small nations, reduced to a battlefield between Earth and Fire.
Bees crawled over the flowers and grass, darting through the air at low altitudes. Some of them were the eyes of the Kamizuru Clan, and before the squad knew it, they had already relayed the information to the Rock Ninja. A "trap" had been prepared for Minato Squad along with the message.
Based on the squad's movements, the trap was positioned directly to the south, not far from the cave where Uchiha Madara was.
The Rock Ninja's movements had caught Nara Tama's attention. In a single instant, he figured out what was going on...
"The Kamizuru Clan. In the right season, their ability to gather information and scout is better than the Aburame Clan's."
After all, even an ordinary shinobi who paid a little attention could recognize Kikaichū. But the Kamizuru Clan's Ninja Bees were different—they looked just like ordinary bees. Who would notice them resting among the flowers?
They couldn't exactly destroy every flower and blade of grass in sight. And what kind of jutsu could wipe out all that vegetation covering the land?
Wouldn't destroying it only alert the enemy?
Obito and the others soon arrived. The Rock Ninja immediately unleashed a series of combination jutsu attacks with blinding speed.
First, Earth Flow Walls rose up, hemming the three of them in from every side. Two Rock Ninja jonin appeared. "So they're just three little brats from the Hidden Leaf." "Has the Hidden Leaf run out of shinobi? They're sending three brats on a mission like this? Hahaha..."
Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and Obito instinctively formed a defensive formation. Kakashi said quietly, "Obito, once I break through their jutsu, get out of here at once."
Obito stared at him. "What are you talking about? I'm not running away, you idiot." He gripped his kunai and fixed his gaze on the Rock Ninja. "Come on, you bastards! I'll show you what I can do!" He formed hand signs and spewed a column of fire into the sky.
It shot straight toward the two Rock Ninja jonin.
Firelight, Demon Leech!
Bright yellow flames blazed, concealing a crackle of thunder beneath their roar. A dazzling flash of lightning followed.
One of the Earth Flow Walls came crashing down!
Before you continue