Encountering the Enemy

[Hello everyone! I am Minato Namikaze, the temporary captain for this mission. Please guide me.]

Looking at the blond-haired youth before him, Haku was momentarily stunned before his gaze began to wander. As expected, he spotted a red-haired girl not far away. That must be Kushina Uzumaki.

Before Haku could get a good look, he felt someone tugging at his clothes.

[Haku, they're talking to you! Don't space out!]

[Ahem! Ah! Uh! Nice to meet you! I am Haku. These two are my teammates, Uchiha Yu and Hyuga Riko!]

Minato Namikaze seemed not to notice Haku's distraction.

[If there's nothing else, shall we depart?]

[We're fine, but don't you need to go over there?]

Haku said, pointing in Kushina's direction.

[Ah! Ah! Sorry, wait for me!]

Minato apologized as he ran towards Kushina.

Ten minutes later, Minato Namikaze said to the group.

[Alright, let's go. The sooner we finish the mission, the better.]

Haku's sharp eyes noticed a rather plain cloth bag hanging from Minato's waist, but he said nothing more, following Minato Namikaze out of the Konoha gates.

Minato Namikaze walked through the forest, not far from Haku.

[Lately, this forest in the Land of Fire hasn't been very peaceful. Many squads have been attacked by Kirigakure ninja here, so we need to be careful.]

[Careful! Ninja approaching ahead, nine Jonin-level!]

Before Haku could reply, he heard Hyuga Riko's warning from the front.

[Hmm? Evade to the left! We're no match for them head-on.]

Minato Namikaze gave the order without hesitation.

Upon hearing Minato's command, the others also changed direction to the left without delay.

[No, they're keeping up with us. They must have a sensory ninja.]

Five minutes after changing direction, Hyuga Riko's voice rang out again.

[It's still half a day's journey to our destination. We won't be able to shake them off by running like this. Their chakra is more abundant than ours. We'll run out of chakra before we reach our destination.]

When their next change of direction was discovered and they were followed again, Minato Namikaze approached Haku.

[There are nine of them, likely an elite squad. We're no match for them head-on. My team and I will stay behind to delay them as much as possible. You have the Byakugan, so continue forward. Once you reach the front lines, please ask Lord Orochimaru to send reinforcements.]

Hearing Minato Namikaze's words, Haku's first instinct was to object. As if sensing Haku's intention to protest, Minato didn't give him a chance to speak.

[There's no need to say anything. It's decided. The mission is the priority!]

[Kenjin! Set up Explosive Tag traps!]

Seeing Minato Namikaze begin to arrange his team to set traps to delay the enemy, Haku knew that nothing he said now would change his mind. He then called out to Hyuga Riko and Uchiha Yu to quicken their pace, hoping to reach the front lines quickly and return with reinforcements to rescue Minato Namikaze and the others.

Hyuga Riko and Uchiha Yu also understood the urgency of the situation and, without hesitation, moved past Minato Namikaze and the others, continuing forward.

Gradually, as Minato Namikaze and his team were busy setting traps, Haku and the other two began to pull away from them.

[Boom!]

Haku heard the sound of explosions in the distance, knowing that the enemy had triggered the traps set by Minato Namikaze and his team. It wouldn't be long before Minato Namikaze and the others engaged the enemy in close combat.

An hour later, Haku heard Hyuga Riko's voice again.

[Haku, three ninja are following us from behind. Judging by their chakra fluctuations, they should be three of the nine ninja from before.]

[Only three? If it's just three ninja, we should try to set up an ambush. Let's change direction a few times first to see if they have any sensory ninja.]

Upon hearing Hyuga Riko say that three enemies were pursuing them, Haku immediately adjusted his plan. He needed to confirm if there were only three of them and whether any of these three were sensory ninja.

[If there are no sensory ninja, we can ambush and take one down directly. We should be able to handle the remaining two. If there is a sensory ninja, it won't be easy to ambush.]

Uchiha Yu added.

Thus, after changing direction several times, Haku and the other two confirmed that the enemy was merely tracking them based on the traces they left behind. They unhesitatingly prepared to ambush them.

As for why they didn't just run, it was the same reason as before: the enemy Jonin had more abundant chakra than the three of them. Even if the enemy couldn't catch up to them now, once their chakra was depleted, the enemy would easily catch up.

So, the three of them had no choice but to force a confrontation.

[Here it is!]

Haku stopped at a small hill. The three of them made simple arrangements at the scene, creating a false impression that they were running further away.