"You don't look that weak, and he didn't look that strong."
Standing beside the body that had been cut in two, Kakashi glanced at Qi and made a strange, sarcastic remark.
"But that was a good plan, even if it was a little risky."
"Thanks for the compliment. Want to 'spar' with me sometime, too?"
Qi was nearly choked by Kakashi's sarcastic jab. He shot a disgruntled glance at the White Fang Short Blade in Kakashi's hand.
Although he had rarely seen Kakashi use a sword in the manga in his previous life, he was now certain that Kakashi was skilled with one. The claim that Kakashi had been too young to inherit White Fang's skills clearly didn't hold water.
He hadn't forgotten that he himself had started training at six. In the Shinobi World, there really were some prodigies who became Jonin at that age. They were rare, but they existed—and Kakashi was one such case. The village would probably promote him to Jonin very soon.
Even though he had great confidence in himself, Qi had to admit that Kakashi was indeed a little stronger than he was right now.
"What about Obito and Ling?"
Kakashi asked, but his eyes were fixed on the other side. The sounds of battle kept coming from over there. Obito and the others were clearly fighting—
In response, Qi simply pulled several Kunai from his ninja pouch and flung them over. A few screams rang out, and the noise on the other side immediately died down...
The mist hadn't lifted yet. Apart from Qi, who knew the Hidden Mist Technique, everyone else had pitiful visibility...
"Can you dispel the technique now?"
Kakashi slipped the short blade back into its sheath with a reverse grip.
"Teacher's already made his move. I took care of the people left outside, so it's time to set the place on fire."
"Mm."
Qi nodded. He knew it was time to get down to business. He formed a hand seal, and the thick mist around them quickly began to thin. In just a few breaths, it had almost completely dispersed.
"Kakashi, are you all right?"
As the mist cleared, Obito and Ling came into view. Several Rock Ninja lay sprawled around them. Some had been killed by Qi's Kunai just moments ago; the others had fallen to Obito and Ling.
The granary was large, but it had its limits. Qi and the Chunin had been fighting so fiercely that there was no way Obito and Ling hadn't heard them. Naturally, they'd been worried.
"It's fine. Let's get on with the mission. No one's going to bother us now."
Qi grinned and pointed at the mountains of grain around them. Then he and Kakashi turned to leave, bringing Ling along with them.
"Got it!"
Obito's laughter rang out behind them. He could finally set the place ablaze without holding back. Truly a cause for celebration...
The supply depot had four granaries and three armories. Since the Rock Ninja might send reinforcements, the four of them had limited time. They naturally chose to burn only the granaries and leave the armories alone.
As soon as Kakashi left the granary, he headed straight for the other three. They each took one.
They didn't know Fire Style, but they had Explosive Tags. Those things were like Fire Style you could carry around. Grain had always been easy to burn; it caught fire at the slightest spark. In less than fifteen minutes, all four granaries in the supply depot were ablaze, crackling as the flames roared...
"The mission... is complete..."
The four of them stood on the cliff where they'd been earlier, silently watching the supply depot below. It was now completely engulfed in flames, and the blaze had painted the whole sky crimson. Even if the Rock Ninja tried to put it out, there was no point. At best, they could save the armories.
"Let's go meet up with Teacher."
Kakashi's eyes were as calm as still water. He had killed the most people this time. Of the skilled Rock Ninja stationed there, Minato had dealt with the Jonin, while Qi had lured the remaining strong fighters into the granary, where they'd all died. Kakashi alone had killed nearly all the ordinary Genin.
Kakashi really was formidable. There had been an advantage from their elemental matchup, but his efficiency at killing was still terrifying. Qi knew he couldn't have done the same.
The four soon left. They didn't want to be surrounded by an enraged force of Rock Ninja reinforcements. This was nothing like their earlier surprise attack. On open ground, fighting a full force of Rock Ninja head-on would leave them dead without a trace.
Qi also understood something now: the Land of Water wasn't as isolated as he'd imagined. His Ice Release was no secret to the bloodline clans. His plan to exploit the enemy's unfamiliarity with the Yuki clan's abilities had apparently been wishful thinking.
"Lesson learned... That Rock Ninja seemed very familiar with the Yuki clan's Ice Release. He pinned me down in an instant. I can't be so careless next time."
Touching the section of hair that had been cut off beside his ear, Qi felt a chill run through him. Today, he'd come within a step of death...
"Wait! There's someone up ahead!"
A powerful surge of chakra came from ahead. Qi's expression changed at once, and he hissed a warning. In the blink of an eye, all four of them were lying low in the grass.
"Can you tell who it is?"
Hidden completely in the grass, Kakashi rested one hand lightly on his sword hilt as he warily watched their surroundings. The four of them had been careful as they made their way here, leaving no tracks and even planting misleading clues. So it shouldn't be a Rock Ninja pursuit squad; they couldn't have caught up so quickly.
The Rock Ninja excelled at frontal group combat, but when it came to tracking, they were probably the weakest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"They don't seem to be Rock Ninja, but they're definitely not our people either!"
Qi's tone was firm. Who counted as their people? Right now, they had only one ally: Minato. And this chakra definitely didn't belong to him!
"Rustle..."
The area was covered in dense grass that stood half a person tall. It was just as hard for Qi and the others to see the newcomers as it was for them to be seen. If the other side was moving stealthily, too...
More importantly, this wasn't the Land of Fire or the Land of Earth, but a small country between them. During the Shinobi World War, it was a favored battlefield for the great nations' shinobi—and an ideal place for murder, looting, and disposing of bodies.
In short, people died here all the time, and no one could ever be sure who had died.
At last, after the four waited anxiously, the newcomers appeared. Qi was puzzled, while the other three were astonished.
Qi was puzzled because he had no idea who these people were. Kakashi and the others were shocked because they recognized them. Not only did they know who they were, but in the early stages of the Third Shinobi World War, these people had been Konoha's enemies—Sunagakure's shinobi!
The Third Shinobi World War had been sparked by the Kazekage's disappearance. The Sunagakure Ninja believed Konoha was to blame, and the war had erupted as a result. At the Battle of Kikyo Castle, Sunagakure suffered heavy casualties. Then the Rock Ninja took advantage of the situation and invaded, forcing Sunagakure to sign a ceasefire with Konoha and become its ally against the Rock Ninja.
So these so-called allies were really half-enemies... An alliance didn't make them friends! The Sunagakure Ninja hated the Rock Ninja, but they hated Konoha just as much. There were plenty of people in Sunagakure who opposed the alliance with Konoha.
"It's the Sunagakure Ninja! Damn it, what are they doing here?!"
A cold glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes as he growled under his breath.
"Something's wrong! Very wrong! There's something off about these people!"
Kakashi suppressed his presence as much as he could. This time, his hand wasn't merely resting on the sword hilt; he had gripped it tightly.
His father and the Sunagakure Ninja were "old friends." The White Fang Short Blade in his hand had cut down quite a few of their Jonin. If this group of Sunagakure Ninja discovered that the son of their old "friend" was right here, the outcome would be anyone's guess...
"I know something's wrong, but could you keep your voice down...?"
Qi was startled by Kakashi's string of growls. He nearly punched Kakashi unconscious just to shut him up.
"If you know something's wrong, why are you shouting...? Want them to spot us? Let's watch and see what they're up to..."
And just then, the dusty and weary Sunagakure Ninja finally came to a stop...