Two Ten-Consecutive Draws

The group chatted for a few more moments about the recent situation on the battlefield, but Minato Namikaze's expression gradually turned serious as he shifted the conversation to the matter at hand.

"Alright, enough idle talk. Let's get to the important business."

"The Iwagakure main force has broken through our defensive lines and surrounded the unit led by Jonin Mura. The situation is critical."

"We must depart immediately to rescue them and prevent Iwagakure from further encroaching upon our village."

At this, Minato Namikaze's gaze fell upon Aragaki Yasushi, Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai as he solemnly assigned their roles: "Tomorrow, your teacher and I will head to the front lines to pin down Iwagakure's main force and rescue Jonin Mura."

"Your squad's mission is to destroy Kannabi Bridge and sever Iwagakure's supply line. Only then can we create an opportunity for the front-line forces to surround and annihilate their army."

He paused, then added, "You have executed many missions involving sabotage and supply disruption lately, so you have plenty of experience. That is why I am entrusting this vital task to you."

"However, there is a high probability that an Iwagakure Jonin is stationed at Kannabi Bridge. Kakashi and his team will be joining you to provide mutual support."

"Once I have rescued Jonin Mura, I will use the Flying Thunder God to provide you with immediate reinforcements."

Finally, Minato offered a reassuring smile: "Overall, this mission shouldn't be too difficult. Just be careful."

Upon hearing this, Aragaki Yasushi felt his heart turn cold.

Not too difficult?

Are you joking?

This is Kannabi Bridge!

This mission is clearly set to hellish difficulty!

I knew it, it was bound to happen eventually. Why is it so hard to just farm points in peace and develop my strength?

Still, I didn't expect my squad to be the primary team for this, with Kakashi's team acting as support.

Sigh, it's all because I've been grinding missions so hard lately that Minato has developed unreasonable expectations of us.

Beside him, Asuma looked thrilled, rubbing his hands together as if he couldn't wait to set off.

Although Yuhi Kurenai looked a bit nervous, she nodded with a firm expression.

After all, what could be so difficult about just cutting off a supply route?

Besides, with Minato coming to provide support, what was there to fear?

In Yuhi Kurenai's eyes, this mission was practically a free ride to earn military merit.

Seeing this, Aragaki Yasushi had no choice but to agree.

"We will complete the mission."

The moment he finished speaking, a panel appeared out of thin air before his eyes.

[Mission: Destroy Kannabi Bridge]
[Reward: Points +2000]

Aragaki Yasushi's heart gave a violent jolt.

Two thousand points!

Did I read that right?

That's two thousand points!

If I pull from the limited banner, a ten-pull costs nine hundred points at a discount. These two thousand points are enough for two ten-pulls, with two single pulls left over.

Aragaki Yasushi instantly cast all his concerns to the wind.

It's just blowing up a bridge, right?

Let's do it!

Besides, the mission requirement is just to destroy the bridge. As long as I find the right opening and blow it up, the mission is complete.

Once the points are in hand, I can pull cards right on the spot.

As long as I can pull something powerful like a talisman or a mask, never mind an Iwagakure Jonin—even if the Tsuchikage shows up, I'll be able to make a clean getaway.

Surviving shouldn't be that hard, right?

After leaving the tent, Asuma and Obito were as excited as if they'd been injected with adrenaline.

After all, this was the first time they had been assigned such an important mission.

Previously, it had been nothing but intelligence gathering or sabotaging small outposts; they had never had the chance to participate in a mission that could influence the entire battlefield.

Even if they weren't going to the front lines and were only responsible for cutting off enemy supplies.

Aragaki Yasushi looked at their boisterous behavior, feeling speechless. Unable to watch any longer, he poured a bucket of cold water on them:

"Don't get too excited. The enemy will definitely have a Jonin stationed at Kannabi Bridge. This mission is extremely dangerous, so we must be cautious. Don't end up losing your lives before the bridge is even destroyed."

Upon hearing this, Obito immediately protested, shouting back, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just one Jonin."

"Kakashi is already a Jonin too; we'll definitely be able to handle it easily."

Obito's tone was incredibly arrogant, as if a Jonin were nothing more than a Genin he could crush at will.

Kakashi, standing to the side with his usual aloof demeanor, spoke indifferently: "The enemy has a jonin; we must be cautious and not let our guard down."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Obito, his tone cold and merciless: "Loser, don't drag us down. Otherwise, to complete the mission, I won't hesitate to abandon you."

Obito was instantly provoked into a frenzy, lunging toward Kakashi with claws bared while shouting: "You're the one who's the loser!"

Although Kakashi sounded cold, he was actually quite agitated inside.

Ever since the death of his father, the White Fang, he had fallen into a self-destructive cycle, obsessively throwing himself into high-risk missions.

To put it bluntly, he wanted to die on a mission to find release.

It was precisely for this reason that Kakashi felt such a surge of excitement after accepting this dangerous assignment.

Early the next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Aragaki Yasushi and his team packed their gear and set off to reinforce Mimura Hamaki and the others on the front lines.

Along the way, Asuma and Obito continued their bickering, while Yuhi Kurenai and Nohara Rin followed quietly behind, with Kakashi and Aragaki Yasushi bringing up the rear.

Minato Namikaze, Akimichi Doto, and the others took the lead to clear the path.

However, after traveling less than halfway, Minato Namikaze, Akimichi Doto, and the others came to a halt. After giving them a few final instructions, they turned and rushed toward the direction of the main battlefield.

After all, the situation on the front lines was critical, and Mimura Hamaki's group was still under siege; there was no time to waste.

Fortunately, Kakashi held a special kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God mark. Once Minato resolved the trouble on the main battlefield, he could use the Flying Thunder God technique to arrive and support them in an instant.

Because of this, everyone except Aragaki Yasushi felt that this mission would be relatively easy.

It was nothing more than sneaking toward Kannabi Bridge, finding an opportunity to blow it up, and then hunkering down to wait for Minato Namikaze to arrive, letting the Yellow Flash handle the slaughter.

They would provide the distraction, and Minato would handle the killing.

After parting ways with Minato, Aragaki Yasushi led the group, moving at a steady pace toward Kannabi Bridge.

They hadn't gone far when Kakashi suddenly stopped in his tracks, signaling everyone to be silent with a serious expression.

Someone?

Aragaki Yasushi muttered to himself, following Kakashi's gaze to scan the surroundings, but he didn't see a single soul.

Although his Origami abilities made Aragaki Yasushi a top-tier contender among chunin—even capable of trading blows with a jonin—the reality remained that for ordinary ninjas, whether jonin or genin, a strike to a vital point meant death.

The gap between them wasn't actually that large.

However, in terms of raw strength, Aragaki Yasushi still fell short of Kakashi.

For instance, in sensory perception and mission experience, Aragaki Yasushi truly couldn't compare to Kakashi.

Even though Aragaki Yasushi hadn't sensed anything, if Kakashi said there was a situation, then there likely was.

Yuhi Kurenai, Nohara Rin, and the others immediately stopped, not daring to breathe, their nerves tightening as they kept a vigilant watch on the surrounding forest.

But after waiting for a full three minutes, there was nothing but the sound of wind rustling through the leaves.

Obito finally couldn't hold back and muttered in a low voice: "Kakashi, didn't you just make a mistake?"

The moment the words left his lips, a black shadow suddenly lunged from the nearby bushes, wielding a short blade in each hand that glinted with a cold light, diving straight toward Obito.