The Power of a Jonin, Brat!

"The reason I've called everyone here is that I am the lead officer for this mission."

Namikaze Minato spoke once everyone had gathered.

"Your original team leaders have been sent on other assignments, so the three of you have been temporarily assigned to my unit."

Namikaze Minato looked at Kiyohara, Kurenai Yuhi, and Genma Shiranui.

"Understood, Lord Minato."

Genma Shiranui nodded.

With Namikaze Minato as the team leader, this mission might turn out to be unexpectedly easy.

Compared to the others who looked as if they were on a field trip, Kiyohara did not dare to be careless.

In terms of the current lineup, only Namikaze Minato and Kakashi, who was about to become a jounin, were truly powerful.

The rest of them were all chunin.

The only genin was Kiyohara himself.

In the past, he had tried his best to delay taking on dangerous missions and had never participated in the Chunin Exams.

Now that Konoha was facing a severe manpower shortage, it wasn't just old, seasoned genin like Kiyohara who were being called up; even rookies who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy were being sent to the front lines.

While this mission was labeled as reinforcement, it was more likely they would be tasked with odd jobs, essentially acting as a distraction.

The main objective was to blow up a bridge; having more people would serve to confuse the enemy, buying precious time for those planting the explosives.

"To better understand your capabilities, I would like to conduct a test."

Namikaze Minato said.

He was well-versed in his own students' abilities, but he knew nothing about the three of them.

Sometimes, being a genin didn't necessarily mean one only had genin-level strength.

It was very possible they simply hadn't had the time to take the exam.

"Obito, why don't you spar with Kiyohara first."

Namikaze Minato called out to Obito.

Kakashi was far too overpowered, and Nohara Rin was a medical ninja, so Obito was the only logical choice.

"Heh, perfect for a little warm-up!"

Obito grinned and pushed up his goggles, looking relaxed; he took great care of his precious eyes.

He didn't pay much attention to this guy who was only a genin.

After all, he was from the Uchiha clan, and even if he hadn't awakened his eyes yet, the confidence of his bloodline still flowed through his bones.

"Alright."

Kiyohara nodded and stepped forward.

Aside from practicing ninjutsu, Renegade Kiyohara had been teaching him combat techniques one-on-one over the past few days.

After all, having become a renegade, if one's combat ability wasn't up to par, they would have been killed long ago.

Therefore, although Kiyohara hadn't learned many ninjutsu, he had mastered a great deal of combat skills.

"Begin."

Namikaze Minato said.

Kiyohara prepared himself for the fight.

His chakra levels had previously been close to that of a chunin, but he had simply never taken the Chunin Exams.

Now, having merged with a portion of Renegade Kiyohara, his chakra reserves were comfortably beyond that of an average chunin.

Thus, Kiyohara felt confident about sparring with Obito.

In truth, Obito's combat ability wasn't bad, but before awakening the Sharingan, he lacked composure.

The spirit of Renegade Kiyohara manifested behind him.

"Remember, Obito has the physical constitution of the Uchiha clan; you only need to seize his opening."

Kiyohara nodded slightly.

"Begin."

Namikaze Minato announced.

Obito moved first!

He kicked off the ground, sending dirt flying as he closed the distance between them in an instant.

A kunai sliced through the air, aiming straight for Kiyohara's throat.

At that moment, Kiyohara also drew his kunai.

With a sharp metallic clang, a brilliant shower of sparks erupted.

Kiyohara's kunai blocked the attack, and he took a half-step back, dissipating the force of the strike.

"So fast..."

Obito had initially assumed Kiyohara was merely a genin, holding a degree of contempt for him in his heart.

Now, it seemed this guy was not so simple.

Following that, he flipped his Kunai, parrying upward and slashing downward in a seamless, continuous offensive.

Kiyohara's body moved almost entirely on instinct.

"Your movements are wrong; you should parry like this..."

The spirit of Renegade Kiyohara continued to explain combat techniques to Kiyohara.

Listening to the experiences of his future self, Kiyohara felt as if he had been struck by a sudden realization.

Obito wasn't just facing him alone; he was also facing the veteran Renegade Kiyohara!

The power of a jonin, kid!

As time passed, Obito noticed that Kiyohara's movements were becoming increasingly sharp and fluid, as if a clumsy apprentice had suddenly found his own rhythm.

He was always able to launch attacks from impossibly tricky angles.

Moreover, he could feel that Kiyohara was improving bit by bit.

"His stance is unstable, his center of gravity is too far back; attack his left side to force him to move..."

Renegade Kiyohara instructed.

Kiyohara flicked his wrist, changing his Kunai from a thrust to a slash, attacking Obito's left flank.

As expected, Obito appeared more awkward, and his parrying motion showed a momentary hesitation.

Between the two of them trading blows, Obito gradually fell onto the defensive.

Obito's eyes widened; for someone who was just a commoner, his rate of improvement was shockingly fast.

A few minutes ago, he could barely keep up with the rhythm, yet now he was actually starting to actively suppress him!

"How is this possible?!"

The more they fought, the more alarmed Obito became, his pressure mounting rapidly.

Rin was watching, and he didn't want to lose face in front of her.

"It's almost as if there's a master on the scene, telling Kiyohara in real-time how to strike and counter."

Watching the rapidly improving Kiyohara, Namikaze Minato couldn't help but let this thought cross his mind.

Immediately, he could only smile.

There was no one else here but them, so who else could it be?

"How does it feel like Kiyohara is much stronger than before?"

Kurenai Yuhi's ruby-like eyes reflected Kiyohara's figure.

She and Kiyohara were old classmates, practically knowing everything there was to know about each other.

Could it be that under the pressure of survival, Kiyohara's potential had been triggered?

Regardless of what the others guessed, Obito was now under immense pressure, no longer possessing his initial confidence.

Damn it, Rin is right here!

Bearing the name of the Uchiha, I absolutely cannot lose!

Obito reached his left hand into his ninja tool pouch, and when he pulled it out again, several shuriken were wedged between his fingers.

Shurikenjutsu was the Uchiha's specialty, after all!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three shuriken were flung from Obito's hand, sealing off Kiyohara's high, middle, and low paths at tricky angles; it was clear that Obito had put in hard work on his throwing techniques.

"Don't forget the technique I taught you."

Renegade Kiyohara said.

Only Kiyohara could hear what he said.

To everyone else, he was just a ghost like the air.

Kiyohara nodded slightly, then pulled out only one shuriken.

Whoosh!

Kiyohara's shuriken flew out, arriving later but striking first, carving an arc through the air and hitting the tail of the first shuriken Obito had thrown.

Clang!

After a crisp ringing sound of impact, the shuriken Kiyohara had just thrown veered off as if it had turned a corner, striking the remaining two shuriken.

Clang! Clang!

In a series of crisp chimes, Obito's self-assured triple strike was completely dismantled by a single shuriken, the projectiles scattering crookedly onto the ground.

"How is this possible!"

Obito's eyes went round with disbelief.

He hadn't even mastered the art of curved Shuriken yet, and here was Kiyohara doing it!

Caught off guard, Obito's parrying motion slowed by a split second.

How could Kiyohara let such a fleeting opportunity slip by?

Obito's vision blurred; just as he raised his Kunai to defend, Kiyohara's hand clamped onto his wrist like an iron vise, simultaneously tripping him with a foot.

"Ugh!"

Obito felt an irresistible force surge through him, losing his center of gravity entirely as the world spun around him.

Thud!

With a dull thud, Obito was slammed firmly onto the ground, kicking up a bit of dust.

And the tip of Kiyohara's Kunai was already resting gently against his throat.

The battle came to an abrupt end.

The training ground fell into complete silence.

Even in Kakashi's habitually lazy gaze, a flicker of surprise flashed by.