Director, You've Grabbed the Wrong Script!

The peaceful days were fleeting. On the Land of Water's battlefield, Kirigakure, with a mindset of fishing in troubled waters, kept its troops stationary.

However, Ōnoki of Iwagakure was not one to sit still.

A two-thousand-strong ninja army advanced, directly crossing the border of the Land of Grass to attack Konoha's main camp.

The Land of Earth and the Land of Fire do not share a direct border; they are separated by three smaller countries. From south to north, they are the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Water.

The Land of Rain experiences constant rainfall and has Hanzō the Half-God, who has a neutral relationship with Konoha, prioritizing only profit. Advancing through the Land of Rain is not the optimal offensive route. Ōnoki did not want to fight Hanzō before fighting Konoha.

Then there is the Land of Long to the north. The Land of Long is a relatively powerful country besides the five great nations, and its ninja village also has many strong individuals.

Compared to the Land of Grass, the Land of Water is clearly a chicken bone – useless to occupy but a shame to discard.

Therefore, advancing through the Land of Grass, which has a weaker national strength and lacks high-end combat power, is the best route for Iwagakure's army.

Konoha, on the other hand, had set up its main camp on the border of the Land of Grass.

Its central geographical location allowed it to guard against a sudden invasion from the Land of Waves and also to support the Land of Rain battlefield.

In just half a month, Iwagakure, under Ōnoki's command, had launched five fierce attacks on Konoha's main camp!

For a time, the morale of Konoha's main camp on the Land of Earth battlefield was low.

Coupled with the subsequent departures of the Sannin, a lingering shadow had fallen upon the hearts of everyone in Konoha.

The Third Hokage felt his strength waning and realized he was truly old. Konoha was at a time of generational change, and he decided to quickly elect the Fourth Hokage.

With Sakumo Hatake dead and the Sannin gone, Minato Namikaze was undoubtedly the strongest and most reputable.

However, the Land of Earth battlefield was an immediate crisis.

After deliberation by the elder council, it was unanimously decided to send Minato Namikaze to the Land of Earth battlefield first.

The day the war subsided would be the day Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage.

This day also happened to be the day Konoha dispatched a large army to reinforce the front lines.

"Minato, Konoha's future is in your hands," the Third Hokage said solemnly to Minato Namikaze, the last towering tree among Konoha's new generation.

Konoha needed a great victory to boost morale. If they could repel Ōnoki of Iwagakure, Kirigakure of the Land of Water would retreat without a fight.

Conversely, if Iwagakure broke through, Kirigakure would undoubtedly pour in troops to take advantage.

At that point, the Kumogakure army, which was observing, might mobilize, and the Sunagakure army, having signed a peace treaty, might even turn against them.

Therefore, this battle must be won, not lost!

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Minato Namikaze nodded gravely, understanding the importance of this battle.

"Go," the Third Hokage placed all his hopes on Minato Namikaze, his dry cheeks deeply wrinkled.

"Depart!" Minato Namikaze waved his hand, and five thousand elite troops, all Chunin or above, immediately set off.

At the Konoha gate, in a dark corner, Danzo's eyes gleamed with a sinister light, flickering between the Third Hokage and Minato.

The corners of his mouth curled into a disdainful sneer. "Entrusting the future to a brat, Sarutobi, you're truly old!"

With a gust of wind, Danzo's whisper, along with his figure, vanished from the spot as if he had never been there.

Konoha's reinforcements marched with incredible speed. Led by the soon-to-be Fourth Hokage, everyone's heart was filled with a burning resolve.

A resolve to send the Iwagakure ninja back home. With the future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, leading them, they feared nothing!

As part of the reinforcement, Tōka was honorably assigned to be one of those rapidly traversing the forest.

However, what frustrated him the most was not being a ninja supporting the Land of Earth battlefield, but...

"I can't understand it, I can't understand it," Tōka had been repeating these words since he left the Konoha gate until now, as they were about to reach the border of the Land of Fire.

"Why was I assigned to Minato's squad? And isn't this guy the supreme commander of the Land of Earth battlefield? Why would he need a four-person squad?"

Tōka glanced at the two figures leaping ahead. One was as steady as a rock, the other as excited as a monkey. He truly didn't want to be there!

Why weren't there any cute, young girls in the squad!!

Uchiha Obito was also unhappy. It would have been great if Rin had been his teammate; not only was she skilled in medicine, but she was also gentle and, most importantly, very cute.

Why did he have to be replaced by this guy Tōka? However, the carefree Obito's displeasure only lasted for a moment, as he was incredibly excited to finally be able to go to the battlefield.

The only one who felt the team assignments were acceptable was Kakashi. He didn't dislike Rin, but he genuinely believed that the gentle and kind Rin wasn't suited to be a ninja.

Her value would be better utilized, and she would be safer, as a medical staff member in the medical department.

After graduating from the Ninja Academy, Tōka had been sent to the Land of Wind battlefield.

As for Kakashi, Rin, and Obito, setting Kakashi aside, Rin and Obito had clung to Minato's coattails and, following Tōka, had also become Chunin.

Although Minato's squad didn't directly participate in the Land of Wind battlefield, Minato's missions were hardly low-level!

Compared to their classmates who graduated in the same year, the three members of Minato's squad had naturally advanced faster.

Lost in thought, Tōka snapped back to reality, sensing an approaching presence.

"Tōka, why the long face?" Kakashi's figure suddenly appeared, maintaining the same speed as Tōka as he ran alongside him.

"Sigh..." Tōka sighed, unsure how to answer.

Did he have to tell Kakashi that Obito was being targeted by Madara, and that anyone in the squad could end up dead?

However, on second thought, Tōka felt that this was also good. At least Rin wasn't in the squad, so her situation would be safe.

What a shame it would be for Rin, such a cute, understanding, and adorable girl, to die!

Tōka could only comfort himself this way. He turned and glanced at Kakashi, then made up an excuse, "It's nothing, I just haven't been sleeping well lately..."

"Tch, not sleeping well? You're just scared!" Obito appeared beside Tōka at some point, looking smug.

With that, Obito proudly showed off the accessories on his Chunin vest.

Kakashi and Tōka looked straight ahead, completely ignoring him.

Tōka's situation was classified, but Kakashi knew a little bit about it. The bone forest at Kikyo Mountain couldn't be covered up with just a gag order.

Moreover, Tōka's strength was immense, with a bizarre Kekkei Genkai...

Kakashi didn't think he could defeat Tōka, not even achieve a 50/50 split.

The reason Tōka ignored Obito was even simpler: he genuinely believed Obito was not only stupid but incredibly stupid right now.

Talking to a fool lowers one's intelligence!

Perhaps he should let Madara take Obito away and give him a good talking-to.

Suddenly!

Just as Obito was fuming about being ignored by the two, a golden shadow abruptly appeared in front of the three of them.

A strange energy fluctuation spread out, enveloping the four of them.

Buzz!!

The scene shifted, the golden shadow flickered, like traveling through space and time.

Tōka, Kakashi, and Obito were instantly separated from the main Konoha forces and appeared in an unknown forest.

Compared to Kakashi's shocked expression and Obito's bewildered look, Tōka's expression was exceptionally calm.

He knew this was Minato Namikaze's ability, the Space-Time Barrier!

Tōka wasn't sure how strong Minato Namikaze was right now, but the Space-Time Barrier was a powerful ability capable of directly transferring Tailed Beast Bombs. Taking the three of them along was hardly surprising.

"Teacher, where are we..." Kakashi recovered and asked in a deep voice.

"Huh? Aren't we going to the battlefield?" the slow-to-realize Obito shouted along.

Looking at the serious Minato Namikaze, Tōka's mood was complex, a sense of foreboding welling up like a spring.

As the highest commander on the front lines, he had left his squad.

Could it be...

Tōka's pupils contracted sharply, and then he frowned.

Minato Namikaze saw all three of their expressions and secretly noted them down.

Kakashi: Steady, but too rigid in his actions.

Obito...

Minato couldn't think of how to describe this child for a moment. A bit hot-blooded, a bit of a blockhead?

He didn't know why these two words popped into his mind. He shook his head, casting aside the jumbled thoughts.

Finally, Minato's gaze fell on Tōka.

Was this kid really only seven years old? No, he seemed to be eight now.

He had been in Konoha for almost two years...

"Time flies so fast!" Minato smiled slightly, sighing, leaving the three of them baffled.

He looked at Tōka, "You've been in Konoha for two years, are you getting used to living here?"

"Hm?" Tōka raised an eyebrow. This guy really was material for Hokage, learning to speak formally before even taking office?

Tōka didn't respond, and Minato continued to look at him with a smile.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat strange.

The tall and the short gazed at each other "affectionately," with a "pink" aura filling the air.

Obito, being impatient, was about to speak but was stopped by Kakashi.

Obito was thick-skinned, but Kakashi was sensitive. He knew that Teacher Minato must have something important to say to Tōka.

After a moment of silence, seemingly uncomfortable being stared at by Minato, Tōka pouted and said, "It's okay, I'm managing, barely."

"Phew~" Minato secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't dislike Konoha.

As for a sense of belonging to Konoha, after he settled down and started a family...

Thinking of this, Minato chuckled awkwardly. Tōka settling down and starting a family seemed like it would be in ten or twenty years.

"Tōka has made good friends in Konoha too, right?" Minato said, glancing at Kakashi. Although he was several years older than Tōka, the only few people in Konoha who could talk to Tōka were limited.

Kakashi, Kai, and Tōka had a relatively good relationship.

"I suppose so," Tōka nodded perfunctorily. He could mostly guess what Minato was going to say next, but he really disliked conversations that involved beating around the bush.

As far as he was concerned, it was a complete waste of time!

Without waiting for Minato to continue, Tōka got straight to the point. "Lord Minato, you can just say whatever you need to say directly. If I can do it, I will. If I can't, I'll do my best."

Minato was slightly taken aback by this. He had underestimated the eight-year-old in front of him.

He really shouldn't have been looking at Tōka like he was just a child!

"Since you've put it that way, I'll be direct as well." Minato's expression turned serious, and even his tone became solemn.

"Here we go!" Tōka's gaze sharpened, knowing that what Minato was about to say was extremely important, possibly even the mission itself!

Kakashi and Obito exchanged a glance, putting away their usual casual demeanor and playful banter.

Minato nodded with satisfaction. Overall, he felt his two disciples were pretty good.

"First, I'll analyze the current situation for you all..."

Konoha, vast and prosperous, was situated in the center of the continent, surrounded by the four great nations.

Although the Land of Wind had been defeated, hundreds of their elite shinobi had escaped, and their top-tier combat power remained a significant threat.

The Land of Water was embroiled in civil war, yet they had lost seven ninja swords to the Land of Fire, a major blow. Now, they had amassed thousands of troops on the border. While it was still only minor skirmishes, they had formally declared war on Konohagakure.

The Land of Lightning possessed formidable military strength, second only to Konoha's deep reserves. They had remained silent, but that didn't mean Kumogakure would stay silent forever. Kumogakure was waiting for an opportunity to strike Konoha a heavy blow when it was at its weakest.

Finally, there was the Land of Earth, Iwagakure, a problem that needed to be addressed urgently.

Ōnoki, possessing the Kekkei Tōta Dust Release, was undoubtedly powerful. Since their advance into the Land of Grass, they had forcefully pushed the Konoha camp to the brink of collapse.

If Konoha received no reinforcements within a month, the front line would break.

"I believe you all understand the criticality of this battle. Victory will bring peace," Minato's voice grew heavier, and his eyes became sharp.

If they failed... then in the rear, in Konohagakure, their families, friends, and everything they held dear would be destroyed.

Kakashi immediately thought of his father and the glory of the Hatake clan.

Obito, on the other hand, first thought of his loved ones, of Rin...

Tōka tilted his head, his dark eyes flickering subtly, their depth unfathomable. No one knew what he was thinking.

"We've dispatched five thousand elite troops for reinforcements this time, but the frontline forces are basically composed of Genin. This reinforcement will only slightly balance the combat power of both sides," Minato continued.

"To repel Iwagakure, with the forces currently deployed, it's impossible to achieve in less than three to five years!"

Konoha could afford to wait, and Konoha couldn't afford to wait.

The Land of Lightning and the Land of Water wouldn't give Konoha that much time, even though they hoped Konoha and Iwagakure would wear each other down.

Kakashi's small face tensed. He reached back and touched the short sword strapped to his back, his eyes filled with determination.

He suddenly spoke up, "Teacher, what is the mission?"

"Yeah, Lord Minato, stop beating around the bush and just tell us the mission directly," Obito said, pushing up his forehead protector. He shouted, "I am Uchiha Obito! What mission could possibly stump me?!"

Tōka pursed his lips, remaining silent.

Minato's gaze sharpened slightly. He had said all this hoping Tōka would give his all...

Since it had come to this, all he could do was trust him.

Minato took a deep breath and then spoke, "We have only one mission this time..."

With a rustle, a map was unfurled.

Minato's finger pointed to a spot on it, which was clearly within the Land of Earth.

"Kannabi Bridge!" (To be continued)