You Are the Real Heroes

"Perfect. A little warm-up."

Before the words had even faded, Kiyohara, possessed by Renegade Kiyohara, moved, leaving an afterimage where he stood.

Rather than charging straight ahead, he rushed toward the three Iwagakure chunin along a curved path.

"So fast!"

One of the Iwagakure chunin only had time to cry out before hurriedly throwing a punch.

Possessed Kiyohara neither dodged nor retreated. His right hand seemed to casually catch and twist, borrowing the force of the blow to hurl the man straight into his companion beside him.

He then ducked beneath the third man's kunai thrust and kicked him squarely in the knee joint.

Crack!

A bone-chilling sound of breaking bone rang out, and the Iwagakure ninja screamed as he collapsed.

Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears!

Seeing this, Sumashi immediately formed hand seals, and several sharp stone spears erupted from beneath Kiyohara's feet.

Yet Kiyohara seemed to have foreseen it. Just before the stone spears burst forth, he lightly tapped off the ground and leaped away first.

At the same time, he casually flung the kunai he had taken at Sumashi's face, forcing him to interrupt his next set of hand seals and block.

"What... is going on with this guy?!"

Sumashi was inwardly horrified. This brat's movements, gaze, and combat experience were completely different from before!

It was the fighting instinct that could only be forged through countless battles.

Kurenai Yuhi and Nohara Rin stared in stunned silence.

Nohara Rin covered her mouth, her eyes full of disbelief.

"How did Kiyohara... suddenly become so strong?"

Kurenai Yuhi's beautiful eyes were wide with shock as well.

In the field, Kiyohara exchanged a direct blow with Sumashi, using skillful force to deflect most of the power behind the stone fist.

But his body's chakra reserves and strength were limited after all. The impact forced him back several steps, and his arm went slightly numb.

Facing several people at once also drained him greatly.

My old self was still too weak...

Whenever Renegade Kiyohara possessed him, he could always feel this body's limits.

Even if he pushed himself to full capacity, he could not fight like this for long.

Sumashi also noticed Kiyohara's exhaustion and sneered.

"At the end of your rope! Everyone, get him!"

The remaining dozen or so Iwagakure ninjas surrounded him again, unleashing all their killing moves!

At that critical moment—

A golden flash appeared in the center of the battlefield as though it had teleported there!

There had been no warning whatsoever, as if he had always been meant to stand there.

The newcomer had dazzling blond hair and wore a green ninja flak jacket. His handsome face bore a calmness that put others at ease.

It was none other than Namikaze Minato!

He did not even spare them a second glance. The special kunai in his hand had already turned into streaks of afterimages.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The throats of three Iwagakure chunin were slit by kunai almost simultaneously. Their faces still held expressions of shock as they collapsed helplessly.

Sumashi's pupils shrank sharply. A powerful sense of danger made every hair on his body stand on end as he shouted,

"Yellow Flash!!"

Almost instinctively, he tried to use Earth Release to burrow underground and escape.

But Minato moved even faster!

Flying Thunder God: Second Step!

With a flash, Minato appeared behind Sumashi, and the special kunai in his hand mercilessly slashed across his back.

Boom!

Sumashi flew away like a kite with its string cut. After crashing through a large tree, he lost all signs of life.

Then Namikaze Minato repeated the process and dealt with the remaining enemies.

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.

The battle that had been on the verge of collapse was instantly reversed by one man's arrival.

At that moment, Renegade Kiyohara also released his possession, returning control to Kiyohara himself.

For some reason, Kiyohara always felt as though armor had just been dismantled from his body...

"Whew..."

Kiyohara panted. Renegade Kiyohara had just used his body at full power, and now that it was over, every inch of him ached.

"Just as expected of Namikaze Minato."

Kiyohara looked at Namikaze Minato ahead of him as he thought this.

The Iwagakure ninjas who had put them under such tremendous pressure were nothing more than miscellaneous fodder Minato could clear away with a flick of his hand.

After all, Namikaze Minato was one of the three strongest civilian-born ninjas.

As for the other two, Kiyohara believed they were Might Guy of the Eighth Gate and Sage Kabuto.

None of those three possessed a Kekkei Genkai. They had reached the end through nothing but their own talent and hard work.

Unfortunately, later on, they could only become supporting figures, buying time and creating opportunities for Naruto and Sasuke.

Minato turned around and looked at the panting, nearly exhausted Kiyohara, then at the stunned Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi, Nohara Rin, and Genma Shiranui.

An apologetic expression appeared on his face as he said,

"Sorry, I came too late."

Looking at the collapsed rocks behind them and the Sharingan in Kakashi's left eye, Namikaze Minato could already guess what had happened.

Obito had probably... sacrificed himself.

"Thanks to you, Kiyohara."

Namikaze Minato looked at Kiyohara.

While he had still been far away, he had seen Kiyohara holding off several Iwagakure ninjas by himself.

If not for Kiyohara, Kakashi and the others would never have lasted until he arrived.

Kakashi would not be standing there now. He would have fainted from chakra exhaustion.

"This is what I should do. I will not abandon any companion. That is my ninja way, Lord Minato."

Kiyohara shook his head.

Now that Namikaze Minato had arrived, the mission could be said to be ninety-nine percent complete.

All that remained was for Namikaze Minato to take them to destroy the bridge, after which Kiyohara could return and claim his military merit.

For now, he just needed to properly demonstrate his Will of Fire.

Sure enough, Namikaze Minato froze for a moment upon hearing Kiyohara's righteous words.

He inwardly marveled at how great Kiyohara's resolve was.

"Good thing Lord Minato came. Otherwise, we definitely wouldn't have escaped."

Genma Shiranui wiped the Senbon that had fallen to the ground with the corner of his clothes and put it back in his mouth.

He felt as if he had taken a trip through the gates of death. He had nearly gone to report to the Pure Land.

Namikaze Minato fell silent at Genma Shiranui's words. After a long while, he said,

"No. I am not the real hero."

Namikaze Minato actually felt somewhat guilty.

The Kakashi squad and Kiyohara squad had made the greatest contribution. They had gathered enemy intelligence and brought the special kunai he had marked into the enemy-controlled area.

Only then had he been able to wipe out all those Iwagakure ninjas in one sweep, saving a great deal of time and effort.

"Then who is the real hero?"

Genma Shiranui was somewhat dumbfounded.

"It is Kiyohara, Kakashi, and Obito. It is also all of you. You are the real heroes."

Namikaze Minato shook his head.

Kiyohara in particular had performed exceptionally in this mission, completely surpassing Obito, who possessed Uchiha blood, and Kakashi, the son of the White Fang.

That allowed Namikaze Minato to see his own reflection in Kiyohara. Back then, he too had gradually become outstanding step by step.

"All right, we should leave. Once we destroy the bridge, we can return to the village."

Namikaze Minato said.

"We can finally go back to the village."

A smile appeared on Kurenai Yuhi's small face, and she visibly relaxed.

At the latest, they would be able to begin their journey back to the village tomorrow, right?