First Cooperation

"Snap..."

The last piece of dry ration was crunched by Qi, then swallowed into his stomach.

They had been traveling for several days and had finally crossed the border. They were currently resting in a forest, which happened to be the location closest to their target.

At this moment, Qi, Kakashi, and the others were all resting in the woods, while Minato had gone ahead to scout the status of their objective.

"Why hasn't Sensei returned yet?"

Obito grumbled, looking up at the sky.

"This rain is coming at such a bad time. How are we supposed to burn the supplies later?"

"If you can't even burn the target under these conditions, it only proves your Fire Style isn't up to par."

Kakashi chimed in coldly from the side.

"Besides that, do you have anything better to say?"

"Kakashi, you..."

Obito's face flushed red with anger. Fortunately, he knew this wasn't the time for a quarrel, so he suppressed the fury in his heart and didn't lash out.

Seeing this scene, Qi couldn't help but shake his head.

This guy is really... although he knew he was acting out because of his father's suicide, taking things to the extreme, there was no need to act like a hedgehog.

The death of the White Fang of the Leaf affected more than just Kakashi; it was a bolt from the blue for the entire Hidden Leaf. The people who initially incited the rumors could never have imagined that a legendary god of war, the White Fang of the Leaf, would have such a delicate, such a... fragile heart.

Among the top-tier experts after the Third Hokage, the loss of three individuals impacted the entire development of the Hidden Leaf: the White Fang of the Leaf, Orochimaru, and the Fourth Hokage.

Kakashi could be considered a man of extreme misfortune. He was born at such a "coincidental" time. During this period, internal and external wars were constant; his family, teachers, and comrades died one after another, almost to the last man. It was no wonder that more than a decade later, he would advise Sasuke to give up on revenge.

What Sasuke was doing, he had already done; what Sasuke hadn't done yet, he had also already done. Naturally, he knew what the feeling and the outcome of revenge would be.

I should probably say something, right? Looking at these two, who would believe they are friends?

Qi watched Kakashi and Obito continuing their silent "confrontation." If he didn't know the plot, he would never believe these two were friends; it would be a stretch to even say they weren't enemies.

However, this job no longer required him to intervene, or rather, there was no time left for him to do so.

"It seems everyone is ready."

Minato, who had been out scouting the enemy, appeared suddenly in their midst without any warning.

"Sensei!"

Rin was genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart. This was what you called a savior; he had arrived just in time.

"Sensei, can we move out now?"

Kakashi stood up and brushed the dust off his pants. Although his tone was perfectly calm, his eyes revealed a hint of excitement.

As for Obito... that could no longer be called excitement; "agitation" would be more appropriate.

"Not much to say. The Rock Ninja have built a total of seven temporary supply stations in this vicinity, and we are going to destroy every single one of them without exception."

Minato looked at the four faces with completely different expressions before him, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"The village has recently launched a large-scale counterattack against the Rock Ninja. Right now, the main force of the Rock Ninja is confronting our army on the front lines, so there certainly won't be many ninjas left behind to guard these."

"That is to say, just like us, who have dispatched an elite unit, the Rock Ninja will also use capable ninja squads to guard this place to ensure supplies for the front, and there might even be Jonin present."

Kakashi wore his usual dead-fish face and said firmly, "That's what you mean, right, Sensei?"

"That's right. And the enemy does indeed have Jonin present. After all, these supply stations are used by the Rock Ninja to support the front-line battles."

Minato nodded.

"I will handle the enemy Jonin. Kakashi, Obito, you three will deal with the enemy Chunin and Genin. Rin, you provide support from the rear. With your abilities, I believe this won't be difficult."

"It's not difficult."

There was quite a bit of dissatisfaction in Kakashi's tone. Having become familiar with his personality over the past few days, Qi couldn't help but look over.

He knew this guy was about to "open fire" again.

"I don't know how many Jonin there are, but if there are two, you might as well let me kill one. As for the others, just leave them for those three to handle."

Sure enough, this guy was about to fire off a round.

"Kakashi, are you ever going to stop?"

This time, the one who spoke wasn't Obito, but Qi. Throughout this journey, he hadn't minded Kakashi's brooding, cold sarcasm, but at this critical moment of task allocation, he couldn't tolerate it anymore.

I don't want to lose my life here just because you, you bird-brained fool, like to play the brooding loner!

"Even if you carry the White Fang Short Blade, you are not the White Fang of the Leaf. Do you think Jonin are made of mud? You want to kill a Jonin? Wait until you become a Jonin yourself before you talk. If you want to die, don't drag everyone else down with you!"

These words were extremely blunt. Qi could tolerate anything, but he could not tolerate anyone endangering his life, whether that person was an enemy or a comrade.

In his view, if Kakashi wanted to brood, fine, that was none of his business. But if Kakashi wanted to gamble with his life as well, he wouldn't stay silent.

"What did you say!?"

The current Kakashi was the perfect example of someone lacking team spirit. The look he gave Qi turned cold, especially since the words "White Fang" had reopened the most secret scar in his heart.

"Do not mention that man in front of me! Anyone who cannot even follow the rules is nothing but trash!"

He practically roared these words, his eyes blazing with such intensity that it seemed he might try to fight Qi right then and there.

"That man is your father! If he is trash, does that mean you were born in a trash heap? You brat, you're far too young to be playing the brooding type. We are currently assigning a mission, do you understand? If you have objections, bring them up after the mission!"

Qi sneered. He wasn't about to fall for Kakashi's act. His Bloodline Limit had just finished evolving, and he was suffering from a lack of high-level opponents to test his strength against. His hands were itching for a fight, and if Kakashi wanted to throw down, he would be more than happy to oblige!

"Obeying superiors is also a rule of being a ninja. You are nitpicking, which is a form of disobedience. If that is also breaking the rules, how are you any different from trash?"

He certainly didn't have the capacity to play the clever game in front of someone like Orochimaru, but dealing with a teenage Kakashi was more than enough.

You keep preaching about rules, don't you? Fine then, I'll use those very rules to crush you!

"I will naturally obey orders, but you had better not drag me down!"

Kakashi was infuriated, but he had no way to refute the point. In the end, he let out a sullen huff, effectively backing down.

"Alright, both of you stop arguing. A battle is imminent; what you need right now is unity."

Minato didn't expect Qi to build a "deep friendship" with Kakashi immediately upon arrival, as in reality, very few people could stand Kakashi's personality.

However, since Kakashi stopped demanding to challenge a Jonin, he didn't say anything further.

Just as Qi had said, no Jonin was made of mud. Although Kakashi had been nominated as a candidate for Jonin, it was only because Konoha was currently short on manpower and the village wanted to encourage the younger generation, leading them to consider promoting a teenager like Kakashi.

In terms of true strength, Kakashi could only be considered an elite Chunin. The gap between him and a true Jonin was not small. As an elite Jonin himself, Minato knew this better than anyone. If he hadn't been afraid of bruising Kakashi's ego, he would have rejected the promotion outright.

"Hmph!"

Hearing Minato's words, Kakashi stopped "emitting cold air" toward Qi. Both of them let out a simultaneous huff, marking a temporary "ceasefire."

"Honestly... Kakashi and Obito were already like this, I didn't expect Qi to have such a temper as well..."

Minato felt a slight headache, though he still trusted the combat proficiency of his team members.

"Then, it is decided. We will split up. I will first engage their Jonin, and you will follow up to eliminate the other Rock Ninja and burn the granary!"

As long as they are human, they need to eat. Whether you are a ninja or a commoner, without food, you are nothing but a dead fish; no one is an exception. Minato specifically ordered the burning of the granary, which could be considered quite ruthless.

If the Rock Ninja didn't want their forces to starve to death or resort to eating roots, bark, or even each other, they would naturally have no choice but to retreat. In any case, as far as Konoha was concerned, it didn't matter what the Rock Ninja became due to hunger; the suffering civilians wouldn't be from the Land of Fire anyway...

After finishing these instructions, Minato detailed several more specifics before waving his hand and vanishing.

"The teacher has left, let's prepare for battle."

Kakashi glared at Qi with great resentment before slipping into the bushes on the left.

They were incredibly close to the target—that was no exaggeration. The thicket to the left of the group stood almost directly atop a protruding boulder, and beneath the cliff lay the Rock Ninja's supply station.

Being able to sneak this close without being discovered was naturally Minato's handiwork. Under his leadership, the group had managed to reach this distance without the Rock Ninja noticing...

"There are five people visible on the surface. I just don't know if there are any hidden sentries. These five don't look like Jonin."

Kakashi lay on the ground, carefully observing the figures in the supply station.

"There are hidden sentries. They are right below us."

Qi suddenly interjected.

"Don't make me laugh. How would you know? You don't even have the Byakugan!"

Kakashi said indignantly.

"Don't think that blind guessing counts for anything!"

This kid is too petty, isn't he? I only teased him a couple of times...

Qi rolled his eyes.

"I can sense the enemy's chakra. At this distance, it's not a problem."

He gave up on explaining to Kakashi and turned to look at Obito and Rin.

"The Jonin should be inside the building. Even if they are, I can't detect them, and I wouldn't dare try. Otherwise, a Jonin would definitely notice me performing chakra sensing and subsequently discover our position."

"How many hidden sentries can you sense?"

Unlike the sour-faced Kakashi, Obito looked excited.

"Can you pinpoint their exact locations?"

"I can! Look..."

Qi used his hand to draw in the dirt, marking the locations of several hidden sentries as well as the group's current position.

"I can seal their movements. If you are fast enough, we can clear out these sentries before anyone else notices. They are all on the perimeter!"

"You can really sense them?"

Seeing Qi so certain, Kakashi set aside his grudge; he was, after all, an excellent ninja.

"I have no problem on my end. I just want to know if you can slaughter them before these sentries can call out to warn their companions!"

This time, Qi looked at Kakashi, enunciating every word.

Among the group, Obito and Rin were not the type capable of instant kills. The only ones with the ability to perform such a feat were himself and Kakashi.

Even though the White Fang had died early, what he had left behind was enough for Kakashi to learn a thing or two.

Qi had not forgotten that in the original story, more than a decade later, Hatake Kakashi's speed and Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage were both top-tier. In particular, his Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage was so masterful that even Pain, at close range, could not detect the traps Kakashi had set underground.

And these two skills were precisely the essence of the White Fang of the Leaf's Instant Kill Technique. Who would believe that Kakashi hadn't inherited the good stuff from his old man?

"Three seconds!"

Kakashi responded to Qi coldly.

"If the target is only a genin, I won't let him live past three seconds!"

"That works then..."

The corners of Qi's mouth curled upward.

"See that person in the middle of the camp? Among all the Rock Ninja currently stationed outside the supply depot, only that person's chakra level is at the chunin rank. Everyone else, including those hidden sentries, are all genin."

He extended both hands, forming a hand seal that looked rather strange.

"I will unleash my ninjutsu in ten seconds. Is that enough time for you to reach the first sentry?"

"Just unleash your ninjutsu. If I, Hatake Kakashi, can't keep up with your casting speed, then I am incompetent!"

Kakashi sneered, and in the next instant, his entire figure vanished from the side of the stone cliff...