The Kannabi Bridge Mission Had Changed Completely

"We can't stay here any longer. The Iwa Ninja may realize what's happened at any moment."

Imai Kenta hid the three Iwa Ninja corpses in the bushes, then spoke to Uchiha Kei and Namikaze Minato.

Just moments ago, Imai Kenta had sensed another squad heading their way. They were making straight for the cave where the three of them were hiding, so Imai Kenta had chosen to strike first.

Having a powerhouse like Namikaze Minato at his back made him feel much safer, which was why he'd dared to take the initiative as much as possible.

Imai Kenta's Sword Techniques were extremely impressive. In a single exchange, he'd easily taken out the enemy squad leader with a surprise attack.

Then, when the three remaining Iwa Ninja tried to split up and flee to report what had happened, he'd taken down two of them in almost the same number of strokes.

As for the last one, Namikaze Minato had caught up with him and dispatched him easily.

This had probably been their easiest mission so far. With Namikaze Minato there, this level of opposition really wasn't difficult for them.

"We should definitely leave. We've been resting for almost seven hours."

Namikaze Minato glanced at the sky. "But I have to say, you've both exceeded everyone's expectations. Especially you two. The battle has become so much clearer largely thanks to you. But our mission isn't over yet, so we have to keep going."

Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta both nodded. They'd much rather have shaken their heads, but they weren't stupid enough to do that.

They still had to live in Konoha, after all. Picking a fight with the Jonin Commander and Jiraiya's student would be a terrible idea.

The night before, they'd learned about the situation at the front and what kind of position they were in.

The situation there was now looking much brighter. Reinforcements from other fronts had continued to arrive, and with Jiraiya joining them, the Ninja fighting at the front had finally found someone to rally around.

It was a shame that Orochimaru had returned to Konoha to recover, but Jiraiya was more than enough. Besides, they still had Namikaze Minato!

To be honest, Namikaze Minato's presence at the front had an even greater deterrent effect than Jiraiya's.

In one battle, he'd taken out more than fifty Iwa Ninja in an incredibly short time. That fight had dealt the Iwa Ninja a devastating blow.

They'd only sent a few thousand Ninja to the battlefield, and one man had wiped out fifty of them in an instant. It was hard to imagine what would happen if he did that a few more times.

The reason Namikaze Minato had arrived late was that he'd just helped the Konoha Ninja ambush the Iwa Ninja. When he sensed Uchiha Kei needed help, he couldn't break away from the fight.

It had taken him several minutes to finish the battle as quickly as he could, which was why he'd shown up late.

But that very battle had made the Iwa Ninja lose all desire to keep fighting on the front lines. Namikaze Minato was simply too intimidating.

With Jiraiya in command and Namikaze Minato making such a brilliant showing, the Iwa Ninja no longer dared to act rashly on the front lines. There was another development that had also dealt a blow to their morale.

It was the decision Uchiha Kei had made on the spot: he'd rescued a large number of Konoha prisoners of war!

Some of the prisoners had wanted to return to the Konoha camp, but the Jonin among them, including Yamanaka Masato, had kept them in check. Once they learned about Uchiha Kei's mission, they'd done everything they could to help, throwing the Iwa Ninja's rear into chaos.

They'd clearly done a good job. No one knew how many of them were still alive, but the chaos they'd caused behind enemy lines had already affected the front.

They faced terrifying enemies head-on, while a group of Konoha Ninja had thrown their rear into disarray. Every Ninja carrying supplies or being sent to the front had to worry about an ambush.

Under this double blow, the Iwa Ninja had begun to retreat steadily. It was easy to imagine that the front lines would see total victory before long. Konoha might even be able to wipe out the entire Iwa Ninja force!

But that wouldn't serve Konoha's interests. Konoha needed living Iwa Ninja, not a pile of corpses!

Before the war between the Iwa Ninja and the Kumogakure began in earnest, they had to destroy Kannabi Bridge and bring the fighting on the Land of Grass battlefield to a decisive end. Then they could use those "lost souls" as political bargaining chips to secure concessions. That was the top priority.

The pressure on Uchiha Kei and the others was enormous. The Iwa Ninja were steadily retreating, and some of their forces had even started moving toward Kannabi Bridge. It was easy to imagine how dangerous that made things.

They were racing against time. If they didn't complete the mission in time, they might not have a way back. Even if they did make it back, their lives in Konoha would be over.

A trial, prison, even a death sentence would all be reasonable outcomes. Even if Konoha showed a little mercy and didn't blame them, they still wouldn't escape public condemnation.

The story of the Konoha White Fang was still fresh in everyone's memory. It was easy to see how badly things could go for Uchiha Kei and the others.

"Keep watch," Namikaze Minato continued. "I'll take Kakashi and Hyuga Aya back. After that, I'll go with you for the rest of the mission."

"You'll be coming with us after that?"

The news immediately lifted Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta's spirits. It could hardly have been better!

But the two of them were both old schemers, so they didn't let their feelings show. They were thrilled, of course, but acting too excited might affect Namikaze Minato's opinion of them.

Having Namikaze Minato protect them on the mission was exactly why they'd wanted to join Namikaze Squad.

After thinking it over, Uchiha Kei tentatively asked, "Should we send Chunin Nohara Rin back as well? The battles ahead might be..."

Nohara Rin had plenty of battlefield experience, but she'd always been under the protection of Kakashi, Obito, and Namikaze Minato.

But that wasn't her fault. As a Medical Ninja, she was already doing very well.

Just as not everyone could be Namikaze Minato, not every Medical Ninja could become Tsunade, even though they all looked up to her and aspired to follow her example.

Namikaze Minato frowned at Uchiha Kei's suggestion, then nodded.

It was true that no one knew how dangerous the battles ahead would be. Nohara Rin might become a burden.

Besides, she barely knew Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta. Forcing them to work together could cause unnecessary trouble.

It might have been fine on an ordinary mission, but Namikaze Minato couldn't afford to gamble with this one!

Without anyone realizing it, Uchiha Kei had sent the entire Kannabi Bridge mission in a completely unpredictable direction.

Even the people carrying it out had become individuals who'd never appeared in the Original work!

I wonder who the Third Hokage's "Sharingan hero" will turn out to be. Or will there be three Sharingan heroes?