Kakashi

"What's going on?"

Watching the Iwa Ninja leave camp one after another, Uchiha Kei was dumbfounded.

Just as they were about to act, a Communication Hawk suddenly flew in. These hawks were common, and were a convenient way to send messages.

What happened next left Uchiha Kei puzzled. The stronger Iwa Ninja quickly gathered, then killed the three remaining Konoha prisoners and left.

Uchiha Kei wasn't the only one dumbfounded by the scene. Yamanaka Masato himself was probably just as confused.

Only after all the Iwa Ninja had left did the Konoha Ninja cautiously emerge and gather nearby.

Yamanaka Masato assigned some Ninja to check on the dead Konoha Ninja, while the rest gathered to discuss what to do next.

After all, such a sudden gathering and departure couldn't be a good sign.

"Aya, can you see what those Iwa Ninja are up to?" Yamanaka Masato asked after a moment's thought, looking at the only member of the Hyuga Clan present.

"I can." Hyuga Aya didn't refuse, but added, "If they're too far away, I might not be able to see them. My abilities are limited."

"That's fine. We can follow them and take a look."

A Jonin named Kageyama Kosuke spoke up. "They might lead us to their base. If so, we can cause some damage nearby and draw enough of them into pursuing us. That would help relieve the pressure on Namikaze Squad."

Uchiha Kei frowned. Looking at the man, he suddenly regretted saving him.

Another damn fool infected by the Will of Fire. Did he even know where Konoha Village had come from?

Did he even know who had said that phrase first?

The idiot didn't know a damn thing, yet he was spouting nonsense like this. He was practically sending them to their deaths!

Uchiha Kei had no intention of throwing his life away here. He considered breaking away from the group and continuing with his own plan if things went south.

Having authority was a strange thing. If Uchiha Kei were a Jonin now, his Uchiha status would let him make plenty of decisions.

But, thinking about it, if Uchiha Kei were a Jonin now, that would mean one thing—he'd revealed his Sharingan.

At this stage, there was no hiding the Sharingan. Three Tomoe meant three Tomoe; one couldn't simply disappear.

Revealing his Sharingan would bring him plenty of benefits, and he might not even have to take on missions like this. But Uchiha Kei understood one thing clearly: the Hokage's higher-ups weren't happy with the Uchiha Clan. They simply hadn't had many opportunities to act during the war. Just look at how many years after the war it took them to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan!

"Though the Nine-Tails Incident served as the fuse, I don't believe they could have acted so decisively and coordinated so well without planning it in advance."

As an Uchiha, Kei couldn't help viewing these matters in the most malicious light.

The Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall hung over his head like a blade. Uchiha Kei actually thought Uchiha Fugaku could have saved the Uchiha Clan. After all, that guy was a crafty old fox.

He'd hidden his Mangekyo until the day he died, and no one had known about it. If he'd really fought a desperate battle to turn things around, he might have stood a chance.

Unfortunately, he seemed disappointed in the state of the Uchiha Clan, and his love for his son outweighed his love for the clan.

Then he went insane, and that was that.

They followed the main force onward. The Iwa Ninja seemed to have received an important mission, and they were being remarkably careless as they went.

They left far too many tracks behind. It hardly seemed like something a group of competent Ninja would do. Even Yamanaka Masato wondered if the enemy was deliberately leading them into an ambush.

After following them for about ten minutes, Hyuga Aya made a new discovery.

"I think I've found their meeting point," Hyuga Aya said with a frown. "There seems to have been a major collapse there, and there are a few people. It's Kakashi!"

"Kakashi?" Uchiha Kei looked at Hyuga Aya in shock. "Are you sure it's Kakashi? What happened?"

Uchiha Kei wasn't the only one taken aback. The few Jonin, including Yamanaka Masato, were just as surprised.

Kakashi was a member of Namikaze Squad, and Namikaze Squad was the very team their mission was meant to protect!

If they'd been exposed and were being hunted, that meant the mission had failed. Hadn't all their efforts been for nothing?

But Uchiha Kei saw things differently. He seemed to realize what was about to happen.

If nothing unexpected had happened, Uchiha Obito had been crushed beneath the rocks by now, and his eye might already have been transplanted.

Kakashi, with his newly transplanted eye, should be about to unleash his full power. Unfortunately, the eye wasn't his, and he'd eventually collapse from exhaustion and pass out.

That would be when Namikaze Minato arrived to rescue them. Kakashi and the others might seem to be in danger, but in reality, they were perfectly safe.

At the thought, Uchiha Kei began making plans of his own again.

"Where's Minato Jonin?" Yamanaka Masato asked, frowning at Hyuga Aya, oblivious to Uchiha Kei's wandering thoughts.

"I can't find him," Hyuga Aya replied calmly. But Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta could tell she was excited!

That was right. If even the key team for their mission had been wiped out, they could retreat from this hellhole right away.

The war might drag on because of it, but at least they'd survive!

"We can't do that." Kageyama Kosuke suddenly shouted. "We have to rescue them. They're crucial to the mission. We can't let the mission all those people died protecting fail like this!"

At that moment, Uchiha Kei suddenly found Kageyama Kosuke a little likable.

He'd forgotten that he'd regretted saving the man earlier. They couldn't abandon the mission. Uchiha Kei knew what would happen next, and he knew that the only way to be safe—even temporarily—was to stay close to Namikaze Minato!

With that in mind, Uchiha Kei spoke up instead of staying silent. Rather than follow the others to intercept the Iwa Ninja, he could go straight to Namikaze Minato and take shelter.

"Here's what we'll do," Uchiha Kei said. "You handle the Iwa Ninja. I'll take my squad to rescue them."

"You?" Yamanaka Masato paused.

"Yes. Once we've rescued them, our Byakugan can help them escape and find you quickly. This mission is suited to our squad."

"Fine. I'm leaving this mission to you!"