Three Jonin?

"Is everyone alright?"

Shinji asked with concern, his gaze sweeping over his companions.

They all shook their heads, though their expressions remained grim.

That sudden sneak attack had caught everyone off guard.

Obito, in particular, was trembling slightly, with even a trace of tears glinting at the corners of his eyes. But when he recalled Teacher Minato's guidance from the night before, he quickly forced himself to pull himself together.

I have to become stronger.

I'm a man who's going to become Hokage!

He swore it silently to himself.

"Thank goodness for you just now, Shinji!"

Nohara Rin knelt on one knee, carefully treating Kakashi's shoulder wound—the injury Mahiru had inflicted earlier.

Kurenai and Asuma nodded as well.

Asuma had originally been dissatisfied with Minato's decision to appoint Shinji as the team captain, but now he was completely convinced.

In that instant, no one besides Shinji had managed to react.

Yet Shinji had remained calm in the face of danger and instantly dispelled several Shadow Clones.

"You really pulled through, Shinji."

He raised a hand and lightly punched Shinji's shoulder in thanks.

Space twisted slightly. A flash of golden light vanished, and Namikaze Minato appeared before them.

Shinji could not help but feel a surge of envy.

That was the Flying Thunder God, one of the very few Space-Time Ninjutsu in the shinobi world. Looking across the entire shinobi world, only a handful of people could master it.

I wonder how many Points it takes to learn the Flying Thunder God. It's an S-rank ninjutsu, after all, he muttered to himself.

Minato swept his gaze over the group and spoke solemnly in encouragement.

"As shinobi, you must remain calm at all times... This is something all of you should learn from Shinji."

He first offered the group a few pointers, then once again warned Kakashi not to use Chidori for the time being. Finally, he focused on praising Shinji for keeping his cool under pressure.

Shinji vaguely felt that Minato's favorability toward him was steadily rising. He was close to successfully winning him over.

With a thought, he summoned the System Panel and opened Namikaze Minato's details page.

[Character: Namikaze Minato]

[Skills: Rasengan Lv.max, Flying Thunder God Lv.3, Four Symbols Seal Lv.2, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique Lv.max...]

[Estimated Points reward upon successful conquest: Ambiguous Relationship/100,000 Points, True Love Relationship/500,000 Points...]

[Note: Extremely high difficulty rating. He is a man as dazzling as the sun, but unfortunately, his heart already belongs to someone else. In his eyes, there is only that red-haired girl.]

Shinji ignored the note on the System Panel entirely. His eyes settled on the first reward of one hundred thousand Points, and his heart grew hot with anticipation.

From here on out, I need to put on a good performance.

After taking a brief rest, the group set off again.

When they reached a fork in the road, Minato suddenly raised a hand to signal the team to stop. He spoke with a serious expression.

"I'll head to the front lines to provide support and draw the enemy's attention. From here on, it's up to you."

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

Minato's gaze passed over the group before finally settling on Shinji. He took a kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and casually tossed it over.

"Shinji, keep this kunai with you. As long as you carry it, I can reach you at any time. Kakashi and the others already have one."

Shinji caught it steadily, and his gaze fell upon the words "Sword of Love" engraved on its handle. He immediately understood.

This was a special kunai etched with Minato's Flying Thunder God formula.

He nodded solemnly. "I'll keep it safe."

Minato said no more. After bidding them farewell, he flashed away and sped toward the left fork.

Shinji and the other five continued along the other path. About twenty minutes later, the group gradually slowed down.

"We're almost there. Stay alert," Kakashi reminded them quietly.

Shinji nodded slightly.

He knew full well that waiting ahead were the Iwagakure jonin, Firelight and Oishi. One specialized in Earth Release and close-range suppression, while the other excelled in camouflage, invisibility, and assassination.

With me here this time, I definitely won't let Rin get taken away.

He silently encouraged himself.

With his current strength, plus Kakashi's, holding those two off should not be a problem.

Just then, a blurry figure on a tree trunk ahead to the right solidified slightly.

Shinji immediately let out a low shout.

"Enemies! Ahead, at two o'clock!"

"Huh? Where?" Obito narrowed his eyes and looked for a long while, but saw nothing. Confused, he turned back.

"Everyone, stay alert!"

Shinji warned them sharply again. With a flick of his wrist, three Shuriken shot from his hand.

Clang! Clang! Clang—!

The three Shuriken seemed to strike an invisible barrier, and the crisp clash of metal rang out. Everyone's expressions changed at once.

Kurenai's heart tightened, and she blurted out.

"There really is someone!"

Above the tree trunk, the air warped and blurred like rippling water. A camouflage-like outline slowly emerged, revealing Oishi's cold face.

Oishi's gaze swept over the group before finally settling on Shinji. His tone carried both surprise and chill.

"Brat! How did you find me?"

He paused slightly, staring at Shinji's eyes before snorting. "Hmph, so it's the Sharingan."

From behind a nearby rock, a figure suddenly sprang out. Short swords were strapped to Firelight's forearms, and with a crossing motion, he slashed straight down at Asuma.

"Die, brats!"

Kakashi rushed forward in an instant, drawing the short sword from his back to block. The two blades collided viciously.

Clang—!

"Two jonin. This is trouble!" He abruptly turned and growled at Shinji. "You deal with the one who can turn invisible! Obito, Rin, come with me and hold this guy back!"

His judgment was swift. Shinji had the Sharingan and could see through camouflage invisibility, while this Iwagakure jonin before them was clearly the close-combat, heavy-assault type—perfect for Kakashi to restrain head-on.

Shinji immediately drew his short sword and gestured to Kurenai and Asuma.

The next second, five phantom clones split off from his side and charged forward together.

The situation instantly fell into a stalemate.

Oishi was firmly countered by the Sharingan, while Shinji used his speed and phantom clones to constantly harass and restrain him.

On the other side, Kakashi was well-rounded in every aspect. His ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and genjutsu were all solid, making it difficult for Firelight to break through for the moment.

With Obito, Asuma, and the others assisting from the side, they managed to hold them off for now.

Firelight swept his sword sideways, forcing Kakashi and the other two back. A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Mahiru still hasn't contacted us. Looks like he already fell into your hands. Not bad, brats."

Shinji also retreated back into formation with Asuma and Kurenai. The two groups gathered again, warily watching the two Iwagakure jonin.

"Find a chance to retreat. With our current strength, we can't force our way through," he said in a low voice.

Kakashi remained silent, his grip on his sword tightening further.

"But the mission!"

"We need to stay alive to complete the mission!" Obito cut in urgently. "If this drags on, we'll all die here!"

No one noticed another presence silently approaching through the shadows behind them.

"Watch out behind you!"

Kurenai's expression changed drastically. She caught sight of something unusual and immediately leaped forward to intercept it as she shouted the warning.

But the figure was unbelievably fast. He raised an arm and struck straight at Kurenai.

"Why is there a third person?!"

Shinji's heart shook violently.

Who was he? How had he appeared here?

No, something was wrong with this man. He was no ordinary person, because through Shinji's activated Sharingan, he could see violent, destructive Chakra wrapped around the man's fist.

"Kurenai! Don't touch his fist!"

He screamed the warning, but it was already too late. Without a second thought, Shinji hurled the short sword in his hand with all his strength.

Yet the man neither dodged nor evaded. His fist smashed directly into the blade's tip.

Boom—!!

A violent explosion erupted, and the shockwave swept outward, instantly tearing the team's formation apart.

Kurenai, closest to the blast, was violently flung away by the shockwave. She spat out a mouthful of blood midair, slammed heavily into the ground, and could no longer move.