The Kannabi Bridge Mission That Changed Everything

"We can't stay here any longer. The Iwa Ninja will likely react soon."

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

Just now, Imai Kenta suddenly sensed another squad heading towards their location, directly targeting the cave they were in. Therefore, Imai Kenta chose to strike directly.

Having the super-strong Namikaze Minato behind him gave him a great sense of security, which was why he acted "as proactively as possible."

Imai Kenta's swordsmanship was incredibly potent. In just one exchange, he easily took down the enemy ninja leader through a sneak attack.

Then, as the remaining three Iwa Ninja attempted to scatter and escape to relay intelligence, he eliminated two of them almost with a single slash each.

As for the last one, Namikaze Minato caught up and easily finished him off.

This could be considered their easiest mission yet. With Namikaze Minato present, this level of difficulty was truly not challenging for them.

"We really should go. We've been resting for nearly seven hours."

Namikaze Minato looked at the sky and said, "But I have to say, you've exceeded everyone's expectations. Especially you two. It can be said that it's precisely because of you that the battle situation has become so clear. However, our mission isn't over yet, so we must continue."

Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta both nodded. Although they both wanted to shake their heads, they wouldn't do such a foolish thing.

After all, they still had to live in Konoha. Offending the leader of this Konoha Jonin squad, Jiraiya's disciple, would truly not be worth it.

Last night, they had already learned about the current situation on the front lines and their current predicament.

Although the front line situation appeared clearer now, with troops from other resting fronts providing support—especially with Jiraiya arriving at the front—the participating ninja on the front lines seemed to have found their backbone.

It was a bit regrettable that Orochimaru had returned to Konoha for rest, but Jiraiya was enough. Moreover, they still had Namikaze Minato!

To be honest, Namikaze Minato's deterrent effect on the front lines was considerably greater than Jiraiya's!

Because in one battle, he instantly eliminated over fifty Iwa Ninja in a very short period. This battle dealt a huge blow to the Iwa Ninja.

They had only deployed a few thousand ninja in total, and having fifty instantly wiped out by one person—if this happened a few more times, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The reason Namikaze Minato was late was that he had just cooperated with Konoha ninja in a sneak attack on some Iwa Ninja. When he sensed Uchiha Kei's call for rescue, he couldn't disengage.

It took several minutes to quickly end the battle, which was why he was late.

However, it was precisely because of this battle that the Iwa Ninja had lost all desire to engage on the frontal battlefield. Namikaze Minato's deterrent power was too immense.

With Jiraiya holding the line and Namikaze Minato's spectacular performance, the Iwa Ninja no longer dared to act rashly on the frontal battlefield. Furthermore, another event had also dealt a blow to their morale.

That was Uchiha Kei's impromptu decision—he had rescued many Konoha prisoners of war!

Although some of these prisoners wanted to return to the Konoha positions, with the suppression from Jonin like Yamanaka Masato, coupled with their strong cooperation after learning about Uchiha Kei's mission, they truly caused chaos in the Iwa Ninja's rear.

It proved that they had done an excellent job. Although they didn't know how many were left now, the chaos they caused in the Iwa Ninja's rear had affected the frontal battlefield.

Facing a formidable enemy on the front lines and a chaotic situation behind them caused by a group of Leaf Ninja, every ninja delivering supplies or sent to the front had to worry about being ambushed.

Under this dual blow, the Iwa Ninja began to retreat continuously. It was foreseeable that it wouldn't take long for a complete victory on the frontal battlefield, and Leaf could even annihilate these Iwa Ninja!

However, this was not in Leaf's interest. Leaf needed living Iwa Ninja, not a pile of corpses!

Before the formal war between Iwa and Kumogakure began, the Kannabi Bridge must be destroyed to completely end the Iwa Ninja's war on the Land of Grass battlefield. Furthermore, using these 'wandering souls' as political chips to exchange for benefits was the top priority.

One could imagine the immense pressure on Uchiha Kei and his companions, especially as the Iwa Ninja continuously retreated, with some units even converging towards the Kannabi Bridge. The danger in such an environment was self-evident.

They were now racing against time. If they couldn't complete the mission in time, let alone whether they would have a retreat route, even if they did, they wouldn't be able to continue their careers.

Judgment, imprisonment, or even a death sentence were all normal outcomes. If they were slightly luckier and Leaf showed its magnanimity by not blaming them, they would still likely face public pressure.

The past of the Konoha White Fang was a vivid reminder, making one imagine how unlucky Uchiha Kei and his companions were at this moment.

"You all continue to maintain vigilance," Namikaze Minato said. "I'll send Kakashi and Hyuga Aya back. For the rest of the mission, I'll be with you."

"You'll be with us afterwards?"

This news immediately invigorated Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta. This was the best possible news!

However, neither of these old foxes showed too much emotion, even though they were ecstatic inside.

Finally, a powerful individual was here to save them. But if they showed too much excitement, it might affect Namikaze Minato's perception of them.

Having Namikaze Minato protect them on missions was precisely why they had wanted to join the Namikaze Squad.

However, after some thought, Uchiha Kei tentatively asked, "Should we send Chunin Nohara back as well? The upcoming battle might..."

Although Nohara Rin was a veteran of the battlefield, she had always been under the protection of Kakashi, Obito, and Namikaze Minato.

But this couldn't be blamed on her. 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 always looked up to Tsunade as their goal and role model.

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

Indeed, the danger level of the upcoming battle was truly uncertain, and Nohara Rin might become a liability.

Moreover, she was not familiar with Uchiha Kei and his companions at all, and forcing them together might cause unnecessary trouble.

If it were a normal mission, it would be fine, but this mission was something Namikaze Minato couldn't afford to gamble on!

Unknowingly, the entire Kannabi Bridge mission had completely veered in an unknown direction due to Uchiha Kei.

Even the individuals carrying out the mission had become characters who never appeared in the original story!

"I just wonder who the 'hero with the Sharingan' that the Third Hokage spoke of will become in the future. Or perhaps, three heroes with the Sharingan?"