Departure

"This is... Chidori?"

Uchiha Kei leaped through the trees, examining the gift from Kakashi in his hand.

For a ninja, looking at things while moving was perfectly normal. Sometimes, you had to act and process intelligence simultaneously. Uchiha Kei, having spent so much time on the battlefield, was naturally capable of this.

What Uchiha Kei hadn't expected was that Kakashi would actually give him Chidori. It left Uchiha Kei speechless.

Uchiha Kei did lack some decisive Ninjutsu, a technique that could forcefully break through an enemy's defenses.

His Mangekyo's ability was powerful, truly powerful. Although the Consumption was also terrifying, it could indeed be decisive in battle.

Unfortunately, to some extent, this ability could only be considered an auxiliary one at this stage.

Furthermore, this ability was currently a "non-renewable resource." Uchiha Kei didn't dare to mess around and go blind.

It was for this reason that Uchiha Kei had picked up a knife from an Iwa Ninja's Corpse. While the material of the knife was similar to a Kunai, Uchiha Kei was more willing to trust the sharpness of the knife.

Another important reason was that a knife was much longer than a Kunai!

In the past, when using the Sharingan stealthily, he could only choose to attack with Kunai up close, which reduced the chance of exposure.

Now that Uchiha Kei dared to use a regular Sharingan, he naturally had to ensure his own safety.

However, just as Uchiha Kei decided to use swordsmanship, Kakashi turned around and gave him the scroll detailing his experience practicing Chidori. This put Uchiha Kei in a difficult spot.

Couldn't you have just given it to me earlier?

Now, Uchiha Kei didn't seem to have the time to learn this Ninjutsu. Uchiha Kei understood that Kakashi's intention was probably for him to learn it later. Simply put, it was to ensure he returned alive.

This was a good blessing, but how could Uchiha Kei not be tempted holding this thing?

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Kei's rationality suppressed those unrealistic thoughts.

He silently put away the scroll, then looked up at Namikaze Minato. "Thank Kakashi for me."

"You should thank him yourself," Namikaze Minato shook his head. "Have some confidence. No matter the outcome, I will bring you all back."

Hearing this, Uchiha Kei finally breathed a sigh of relief. This was the guarantee he had been waiting for!

Imai Kenta's eyebrows also twitched, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he once again wore that Harmless smile.

Why follow Namikaze Minato?

Besides the fact that he was incredibly strong, it was also because he could completely escort Uchiha Kei and the others back to the Konoha base!

Initially, Uchiha Kei had envied Hyuga Aya, but now he wasn't thinking about that woman anymore. He might even be able to return with some honor.

Although Uchiha Kei had always considered honor and such things the most useless, because he just wanted to survive, he had done many outrageous things for that purpose.

However, with his life secured, Uchiha Kei could also consider such matters, thinking of the future.

If Uchiha Kei truly became the sole 'Sharingan Hero,' his standing in Konoha would implicitly increase, even if there were 'three Sharingan Heroes'!

Of course, correspondingly, Uchiha Kei would also attract more attention from Konoha's higher-ups.

But so what?

At that time, the Third Hokage was resigning in disgrace and still had to deal with Orochimaru's issues.

And Danzo would seize this opportunity to realize his Hokage dream. This was a window of opportunity; even if people paid attention to Uchiha Kei, it wouldn't be excessive.

By the time they were done, Uchiha Kei might have already thoroughly studied his Mangekyo.

Although the Fourth Hokage accepted Jiraiya's belief, and his own disciple was a member of the Uchiha Clan, it was a pity he died too soon.

Moreover, the newly ascended Fourth Hokage didn't have the chance to consolidate his power, otherwise, Orochimaru wouldn't have directly called the Fourth Hokage a puppet of the Third Hokage.

If not for the Nine-Tails incident, perhaps the Uchiha Clan's future would have taken a different direction, or perhaps if the Fourth Hokage hadn't died during the Nine-Tails incident.

As Uchiha Kei was pondering these messy thoughts, Namikaze Minato suddenly raised his hand, signaling them to stop.

Uchiha Kei immediately became alert, but he inwardly exclaimed his carelessness.

Standing beside a strong individual indeed provided a sense of security; otherwise, Uchiha Kei wouldn't have had so many stray thoughts. Focusing his mind and gathering his Chakra, Uchiha Kei also activated his Sharingan.

Uchiha Kei's Chakra recovery was average, but he already possessed a certain combat capability.

"Many targets ahead." Namikaze Minato placed one hand on the ground, sensing for a moment before speaking softly, "Most have average Chakra strength, but there are a few with good Chakra strength. I'm not sure if they are Shadow Clones or real people."

"It seems we're not far from our target," Uchiha Kei said, taking out a map and glancing at it. "Captain Namikaze, do you have any intelligence on our opponents?"

"Sorry, I don't know either. Also, please call me Minato," Namikaze Minato shook his head. "We might be the first and only Konoha ninja to enter here. We can only take it as it comes."

"I understand," Uchiha Kei took a deep breath and slowly drew the Ninja Sword from his waist. "In that case, let's fight quickly. Kenta and I will clear the outer ninja, and the rest will be left to you, Captain Minato. How about that?"

Namikaze Minato nodded. Although Uchiha Kei's approach seemed a bit presumptuous, he didn't mind.

Besides, this was also the plan he had in mind. Those with good Chakra strength might just be some Jonin.

Although Namikaze Minato was modest, his strength had indeed reached a level where he could easily deal with many Jonin.

And those with average Chakra strength would be better handled by Uchiha Kei's squad. The two of them were old teammates, so their coordination should be absolutely fine.

Namikaze Minato would never know that he had actually misunderstood. He had already taken out a Kunai and taken a deep breath.

The next moment, his terrifying Body Flicker Technique was displayed, and in an instant, he vanished before Uchiha Kei and Kenta's eyes.

Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta exchanged a glance, and they also quickly followed. They were now very close to completing their mission, and what they needed to do now was to accelerate the end of this mission!

"You go left, I'll go right?" After Namikaze Minato had completely departed, Uchiha Kei tilted his head and suggested.

"Mm, you're the captain, you decide," Imai Kenta smiled and nodded without refusing.

"Then, let's go."

"Okay, Captain."