Kirigakure Ambush

After Namikaze Minato rushed toward Kannabi Bridge, the interim commander Nara Suzaku doubled the number of patrolling ninjas, keeping a closer watch on the perimeter of the camp and the movements of Kirigakure.

At this time, there were many new faces in his unit, all reinforcements sent from the rear of Konoha. Most of them had graduated from the Ninja Academy not long ago, and the majority had already passed the Chunin Exams.

During wartime, every ninja village hoped their new recruits would become reliable combatants as quickly as possible to be deployed to the front lines at critical moments; therefore, the standards for the Chunin Exams were lower than they would be in the era of Naruto.

The new Konoha ninjas were gathered together. Aside from Kakashi, who had already been on the battlefield several times, most of the newcomers appeared very excited, feeling more or less thrilled about being able to participate in the war.

Kakashi simply leaned against a tree trunk to rest, looking listless and appearing as though he had no desire to pay any attention to his former classmates from the Ninja Academy.

Yet, he possessed a natural aura that drew attention, and wherever he went, he passively became the center of this small group, with almost all of his peers hovering around him.

"Kakashi, my lifelong rival! Now that I have also reached the battlefield, let us compete to see who can take down more enemies!"

Beside Kakashi, a youth wearing a green spandex suit said with a look of high spirits.

He wore a bowl cut, had exceptionally thick eyebrows, and was dressed in a green bodysuit; his overall appearance looked quite comical. This was Might Guy, who had focused on taijutsu since childhood and regarded Kakashi as his lifelong rival.

Guy was one of the few among his peers who had not yet become a chunin. In reality, his combat strength already exceeded the standard of a normal chunin. However, because he only excelled in taijutsu and could not pass the portions of the exam related to ninjutsu and genjutsu, he remained a genin just like his father, Might Duy, and suffered no shortage of cold glares within the village.

Nevertheless, Guy did not feel discouraged by this; he always maintained a vigorous fighting spirit, relying on a training volume far beyond what an ordinary ninja could endure to constantly break through his own physical limits.

At this time, Kakashi did not understand Guy's true strength, and as a youth, he lacked the maturity and insight he would possess later. In Kakashi's eyes, Guy was merely a very troublesome fellow who overestimated his own abilities, and he couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him.

Pretending not to hear Guy's challenge, Kakashi continued to keep his eyes closed to rest, appearing extremely cold and indifferent.

Just then, on the other side of Kakashi, a youth wearing goggles and the uniform of the Uchiha clan revealed a look of dissatisfaction and shouted, "Guy, Kakashi is my rival! It's not your turn until I've settled the score with him."

This youth was Uchiha Obito, the key figure whom Uchiha Madara regarded as his successor.

Most ninjas of the Uchiha clan had gloomy personalities, but Obito was an outlier; not only was his personality flighty, but he was also thick-skinned. Furthermore, his talent for taijutsu and ninjutsu was very average, leading to him being somewhat ostracized within his own clan.

Hearing Obito's words, Guy turned to look at him, shook his head with a serious expression, and said, "No, no, you lost to this humble one in our last match, so it is only right that this humble one challenges Kakashi first!"

Obito's face flushed red upon hearing this, and he glanced at the young girl standing nearby who was watching them with a smile.

This girl was Nohara Rin, another member of Team Kakashi besides Obito, who excelled in medical ninjutsu. Her personality was just like the smile she wore—gentle and infectious—and she was the person Obito had secretly been in love with for a long time.

Seeing that this idiot Guy had exposed his defeat in front of his goddess, Obito immediately became embarrassed and angry, arguing, "The last time was just an accident! I'm a chunin now; defeating you would be as easy as blinking."

Guy was a straightforward person; he completely failed to notice that Obito was just putting on a brave front. Nodding as if he had realized something, Guy said to Obito with a fighting spirit, "It seems you are also a hot-blooded man who refuses to admit defeat, Obito! You must have improved a lot during this time; why don't we fight now to decide the winner?"

Obito's expression stiffened; he knew his own level well. When he fought Guy last time, he couldn't handle the other's taijutsu at all. Even if they fought again now, the result wouldn't change, and he would only end up making a fool of himself in front of his goddess.

As the saying goes, a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him. Obito decided not to bicker with a brute like Guy. Clearing his throat with a pretentious air, Obito said sternly, "Forget it, I'll let you off the hook today. You should settle things with Kakashi first! Only after you defeat him will you be qualified to challenge this great one!"

Guy nodded earnestly, "Truly, a day apart feels like three autumns; I didn't expect you to have grown to this extent, Obito. It seems I will have to settle things with you after I defeat Kakashi!"

Seeing the two of them—one truly foolish and the other pretending to be smart—Rin, standing to the side, covered her mouth and chuckled, finding it quite amusing. Kakashi, meanwhile, shook his head helplessly, cursed "two idiots" in his heart, and prepared to walk away to keep his distance from them.

Just at that moment, a ninja from the Hyuga branch family responsible for reconnaissance suddenly returned to the camp. Even more eye-catching was the fact that he had sustained serious injuries, appearing as though he had encountered a fierce battle during his patrol.

"Everyone, prepare for battle immediately! The people of Kirigakure have launched a surprise attack!"