Minato Squad

Obito heard the conversation between the two from the side and immediately jumped up, making a huge fuss:

"Damn it! Kakashi, you actually went to Amada instead of looking for me! Do you look down on me? I'm definitely going to duel you when we get back!"

He waved his fists, his face full of indignation.

Kakashi, however, didn't even glance at Obito, merely replying indifferently:

"Talk to me when you can actually keep up with my pace."

Having said that, he turned and walked away, leaving Obito behind, stomping his feet in anger.

Just then, Kushina and Minato finished exchanging intelligence with Shikaku Nara.

They walked over and announced the new arrangements for the group:

"There have been some changes to the plan. We need to stay here to provide support and carry out other missions. Therefore, the task of escorting the intelligence back to the village will be left to the six of you."

Minato and Kushina repeatedly urged them to be extremely careful, reminding them that they might encounter enemies on the road and must protect themselves and their companions.

The six of them listened intently, packed their gear, and set off on the road back to the village.

The sun gradually sank in the west, and the sky grew dark.

In a dense forest far from Konoha, several figures darted through the trees, finally coming to a halt in a clearing.

It was Amada and his group.

After traveling for half a day, everyone was a bit exhausted and decided to stop for a moment to rest and adjust their state.

Obito plopped down on the ground, stretched, and said in a relaxed tone:

"This stretch of road is still within the Land of Fire, so close to Konoha—where would any enemies come from? The teachers are being way too cautious."

Amada, however, did not lower his guard; he scanned his surroundings with a serious expression:

"Obito, don't be careless. Anything can happen, especially at a time like this. It's not impossible for enemies to infiltrate the Land of Fire; we must not let our guard down."

Asuma and Kurenai nodded, expressing their agreement with Amada's view.

Although Kakashi and Rin didn't speak, their eyes remained vigilantly scanning the surrounding environment, clearly not letting their guard down either.

Obito watched them acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy and couldn't help but curl his lip, feeling they were being overly cautious.

He shrugged and said helplessly:

"Fine, fine, you're right. But I still think that even if there are enemies, we're strong enough to handle them."

Amada didn't refute Obito's words, only saying:

"Everyone, take a quick rest, then we'll continue on our way."

After the break, the group set off again.

Amada looked up at the sky and happened to see a hawk sweep overhead, circling for a moment before disappearing into the distant horizon.

A faint sense of unease rose in his heart.

At the same time, not far from them, three Cloud Village ninjas were quietly approaching.

The leader was a Jonin, and he whispered to the two companions behind him:

"There is a team of six Konoha ninjas not far ahead. Judging by their attire and age, they should all be Genin."

One of the Cloud Village ninjas grinned and said contemptuously:

"Boss, let's just take care of them while we're at it. Who knows, they might be carrying some important intelligence."

The Jonin leader didn't respond immediately, instead closing his eyes, carefully observing Amada's group through the vision of his summoning animal—the hawk that had just flown past.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and said coldly:

"Indeed, just a bunch of Genin. Since we've run into them, there's no reason to let them go. Our mission is to freely sabotage all of Konoha's operations and weaken their strength. Move out, and make it quick."

The three of them moved silently and swiftly toward Amada's group.

While on the road, Amada suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Seeing this, the others all wore expressions of confusion.

Asuma couldn't help but ask:

"Amada, why did you stop? Is there a problem?"

Amada didn't answer immediately, instead crouching down and beginning to quickly set traps on the ground.

Obito was completely bewildered and couldn't help but ask:

"Amada, what are you doing?"

Amada said with a serious expression:

"I have a feeling that danger is approaching us. Setting a few traps will allow me to verify if my intuition is correct."

Kakashi frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Although he did not speak, a faint sense of unease stirred within his heart.

He nodded, walked over to Amada's side, and began setting traps in the surrounding area.

Asuma and Kurenai exchanged glances; though they felt some doubt, they chose to trust Amada's judgment.

Asuma said in a low voice:

"Since both Amada and Kakashi feel something is wrong, let's help out as well."

Kurenai nodded, and she and Rin began setting up simple traps in the vicinity.

Obito watched them busying themselves, looking rather unimpressed as he said:

"Aren't you all being a bit too nervous?"

The simple traps were set up quickly, and before long, the group had finished.

Amada said in a low voice:

"Alright, let's get moving. If there really are enemies, these traps should be able to verify that and alert us."

The group nodded and quickly resumed their journey.

However, not long after they had departed, the three Cloud Village ninjas caught up to them.

One of the chunin, being careless, failed to notice the anomaly beneath his feet entirely.

With a soft "click," he stepped right into the trap Amada had laid.

The explosive tags within the trap detonated violently, the immense shockwave sending the three Cloud Village ninjas flying backward.

Before the aftermath of the explosion could dissipate, it triggered a chain reaction, setting off the surrounding traps one after another.

Countless kunai and shuriken shot out from all directions, raining down upon them in a dense swarm.

Although the incident was sudden, these Cloud Village ninjas were experienced; after a brief moment of panic, they quickly regained their composure.

The jonin leader formed hand seals rapidly and let out a low shout:

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust of wind swept outward, blowing most of the kunai and shuriken off course.

The other two chunin also employed their own methods, either dodging or blocking, and managed to fend off the remaining attacks.

Even so, their progress was delayed, and they had sustained several minor scrapes.

The jonin leader's expression turned grim:

"These brats actually set traps... I truly underestimated them."

One of the chunin frowned and said:

"Boss, they've already detected us. What should we do next?"

The jonin leader gave a cold laugh:

"Since they already know, there's no need to hide anymore. Pursue them at full speed; we must not let them return to Konoha!"

Meanwhile, Amada's group in the distance had already heard the sound of the explosion.

Looking back, they saw a plume of smoke and dust rising from the forest in the distance.

Amada's eyes narrowed as he said in a low voice:

"The traps were triggered; someone is indeed pursuing us."

Kakashi nodded, his expression serious:

"Ninjas capable of penetrating deep into the Land of Fire will certainly not be weak. They might be jonin."

Obito had also set aside his previous flippancy, his expression turning grave.

Asuma and the others also began to grow tense.

The group said no more and quickened their pace.

Their figures darted rapidly through the forest.