Aragaki Yasushi thought it over and decided it made sense.
He had done four ten-pulls in the Jackie Chan Adventures pool and hadn't gotten a single ability—just a pile of items.
If he could pull an ability from the new pool, he'd be making a killing.
After all, abilities were etched into his very being, unlike Talismans, which he had to hide carefully for fear someone might snatch them.
Suppressing his urge to draw, Aragaki Yasushi turned and headed toward Kakashi. Once they met up, the two hurried toward Yuhi Kurenai and Nohara Rin. Then the whole group ran toward Kannabi Bridge.
They hadn't even gotten close when they saw from afar that Kannabi Bridge had been blasted to smithereens by the Explosive Tags Obito and Asuma had planted. There wasn't even a scrap left.
As soon as they regrouped, Obito planted his hands on his hips and crowed smugly, "That mission was way too easy. Asuma and I blew up the bridge without breaking a sweat. There wasn't a challenge at all."
He sounded so smug you'd think he'd blown up the bridge all by himself.
Kakashi shot him a glance. "Idiot."
Asuma couldn't resist taking a jab at him, either. "Easy, my ass! That mission was not easy at all. Iwagakure sent three Jonin after us. If Yasushi and Kakashi hadn't come through, you'd have been reporting to the Pure Land by now."
Obito's face flushed red as he bristled, ready to argue back. But before he could get a word out, Aragaki Yasushi cut him off. "Enough. Stop arguing."
"Now that the mission's done, let's get moving. Don't waste time here."
He paused, then his tone turned serious. "Iwagakure must have more people stationed nearby. If reinforcements show up and surround us, getting out of here will be a lot harder. We can't complete the mission only to get ourselves killed."
Obito still wasn't happy, but he knew Aragaki Yasushi was right. He could only shut his mouth, disgruntled, and stop shouting.
Asuma secretly gave Aragaki Yasushi a thumbs-up, grinning like a fool.
Aragaki Yasushi didn't respond. The smile faded from his face as a serious question began to nag at him.
What about Uchiha Madara?
He couldn't remember all the details, but according to the original story, during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Obito was buried in a cave while trying to rescue Nohara Rin after she was captured. That was when Uchiha Madara saved him, setting him on the path to darkness.
But now, thanks to Aragaki Yasushi's appearance, Hikari and Taiseki never got the chance to capture Nohara Rin. Obito hadn't needed to risk his life to save her, so he hadn't been buried in a cave—and Madara hadn't saved him.
Aragaki Yasushi couldn't help wondering.
Had he changed Obito's fate?
If Old Man Madara couldn't find Obito, would he come out and cause trouble himself?
After all, Uchiha Madara must have had his eye on the kid for a long time. Obito had no chance of getting away!
Whether or not things would unfold as they had in the original story, Madara had surely already picked Obito as a chosen pawn. How could he let him go so easily?
Even if the plot had changed because of Aragaki Yasushi's arrival, and Obito no longer had to save Rin or get buried in a cave, that probably wouldn't stop Madara from making his move.
As for why Madara hadn't done anything yet, Aragaki Yasushi turned it over in his mind and came up with only two possibilities.
Either Obito was just one of many potential pawns Madara had picked out. One more or less wouldn't make a difference.
Or Madara was still waiting for the right moment to strike, watching from the shadows.
Whatever the case, Aragaki Yasushi knew one thing for sure.
He had to be careful. Madara probably wouldn't use him as material to corrupt Obito, but he might well decide Aragaki Yasushi was an annoying piece of trash and kick him to death.
The Horse Talisman could bail him out, so at least he could do sit-ups in the face of death now.
But Madara was so powerful that even in his twilight years, he could probably still deal fatal damage without much trouble.
Without giving it another thought, Aragaki Yasushi hurried everyone along.
The group didn't dare dawdle. They quickly left Kannabi Bridge and raced onward, finally taking cover in a secluded grove.
Kakashi pulled out the specially made Kunai engraved with a Flying Thunder God Mark.
The next moment, a familiar golden figure appeared before them.
It was Minato Namikaze.
Aragaki Yasushi's eyes lit up at the sight of Minato appearing out of nowhere.
So this is the Flying Thunder God?
He just appeared out of nowhere. No wonder it was like having a teleportation cheat!
Aragaki Yasushi envied him, but he knew his limits.
He wasn't untalented, but compared to a once-in-a-generation genius like Minato, he was worlds apart.
Learn the Flying Thunder God?
He'd probably still be practicing when his hair turned white and never learn it.
After all, in all of Konoha, only Minato and the Second had mastered the Flying Thunder God.
He was better off hoping to pull the Eye of Aurora.
That thing didn't need any training. Once he had it, he could teleport at will without leaving a mark. It was like Immortal Travel, far more convenient than the Flying Thunder God.
Besides, teleportation abilities weren't rare across different worlds.
Aragaki Yasushi believed he'd pull an ability like that sooner or later.
Minato Namikaze glanced over the six people before him. Seeing that no one was missing and everyone was safe, he smiled with relief. "Mission complete?"
Aragaki Yasushi nodded quickly. "Mission complete. Kannabi Bridge has been blasted to smithereens."
Minato Namikaze didn't ask for details. He trusted Aragaki Yasushi and Kakashi. He simply nodded. "Good. Thanks for your hard work. Let's head back."
They had just packed their things and were about to leave when Minato's expression suddenly sharpened, as if he had sensed something. With a flick of his fingers, he sent three Kunai flying in three different directions ahead.
The next moment, his figure vanished into thin air.
A split second later, a piercing scream rang out from behind the trunk of a large tree ahead.
Minato Namikaze reappeared before them, a faint trace of blood on the Kunai in his hand.
Behind the tree, Mahiru, an Iwagakure Jonin, was already lying on the ground, completely lifeless.
Aragaki Yasushi stared in shock.
So this was the Yellow Flash's power?
From spotting the enemy to taking him out, it had taken no more than three seconds. Mahiru hadn't even had time to react.
Aragaki Yasushi's heart tightened, and he marveled inwardly.
If he faced Minato, he probably wouldn't last half a minute, even with the Horse Talisman to back him up.
I'm still too weak. I need to save up points and draw stronger items and abilities!
But then Aragaki Yasushi had another thought, and his worry eased.
With Minato by his side, he didn't need to fear that scheming old bastard, Uchiha Madara!
Madara was already half-crippled. Even if he could beat Minato, he'd probably have to pay a hefty price.
As for taking Minato out?
That was pure wishful thinking!
After all, Homebound Minato was a top-tier powerhouse in the Ninja World, with the Flying Thunder God, a cheat-level Space-Time Ninjutsu, at his disposal. Even if he couldn't win, he could still run.
Even if Madara could beat Minato now, he couldn't keep him there.
And Minato wasn't far from his peak yet.
After all, once the Third Shinobi World War ended, Minato would become Hokage. Less than a year later, the Nine-Tails' rampage would happen, and Minato would die.
In other words, unless Aragaki Yasushi interfered with the plot, Minato had only a year or two left to live.
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