Team Minato

Obito had overheard their conversation. He immediately jumped up, making a fuss:

"Damn it, Kakashi! You didn't come to me—you went to Amada instead! Do you think I'm not good enough? I'm challenging you to a duel when we get back!"

He waved his fists, looking thoroughly indignant.

Kakashi didn't even look at Obito. He merely replied coolly:

"Come talk to me when you can keep up with me."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Obito behind to stamp his feet in frustration.

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

They came over and explained the group's next assignment:

"Our plans have changed a little. We need to stay here and provide support while we carry out other missions. So the task of escorting the intelligence back to the village is up to you six."

Minato and Kushina reminded them again and again to be careful.

They warned them that they might encounter enemies along the way and stressed that they had to protect themselves and their teammates.

The six listened carefully. After checking their gear, they set off for the village.

The sun sank toward the horizon, and dusk settled over the land.

Deep in a dense forest far from Konoha, several figures darted through the trees before stopping in a clearing.

It was Amada and the others.

They had been traveling for half a day, and everyone was tired. They decided to stop for a short rest and recover.

Obito dropped onto the ground and stretched, speaking casually:

"This whole stretch is inside the Land of Fire, and we're so close to Konoha. What enemies could there be? Our teachers are way too cautious."

Amada didn't let his guard down. He surveyed their surroundings, his expression serious:

"Obito, don't get careless. Anything could happen, especially at a time like this. Enemies could infiltrate the Land of Fire. We can't let our guard down."

Asuma and Kurenai nodded, agreeing with Amada.

Kakashi and Rin said nothing,

but their eyes kept scanning their surroundings, alert to every movement. They clearly hadn't let their guard down either.

Watching everyone act as if they were facing an enemy, Obito couldn't help but purse his lips. He thought they were being overly cautious.

He shrugged and said helplessly:

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

Amada didn't argue. He simply said:

"Everyone, get some rest. Then we'll keep moving."

After their break, the group set off again.

Amada looked up at the sky and spotted an eagle flying overhead. It circled for a moment, then disappeared into the distant horizon.

A faint unease stirred in his heart.

Meanwhile, three Cloud Village ninjas were quietly closing in nearby.

Their leader was a Jonin. He spoke in a low voice to the two companions behind him:

"There's a group of six Konoha ninjas not far ahead. Judging by their clothes and age, they're probably all Genin."

One of the Cloud Village ninjas grinned and said contemptuously:

"Boss, let's take care of them while we're at it. They might be carrying important intelligence."

The Jonin didn't answer right away. Instead, he closed his eyes,

using the vision of his summoning beast—the eagle that had just flown past—to carefully observe Amada's group.

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

"They're definitely a bunch of Genin. We can't just let them go now that we've found them. Our mission is to disrupt Konoha's operations however we can and weaken their forces. Move in. Make it quick."

The three silently and swiftly approached Amada's group.

As they continued along the trail, Amada suddenly stopped.

The others looked at him, puzzled.

Asuma couldn't help asking:

"Amada, why did you stop? Is something wrong?"

Amada didn't answer right away. He crouched down and quickly began setting traps on the ground.

Obito watched, completely confused, and couldn't help asking:

"Amada, what are you doing?"

Amada's expression was grave as he said:

"I have a feeling danger is closing in on us. If I set a few traps, we'll find out whether my instincts are right."

Kakashi frowned slightly at his words.

He didn't say anything, but he, too, felt a faint sense of unease.

He nodded, walked over to Amada, and began setting traps nearby.

Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a glance. Though they were puzzled, they chose to trust Amada's judgment.

Asuma said quietly:

"If Amada and Kakashi both think something's wrong, we should help too."

Kurenai nodded, and she and Rin began setting a few simple traps nearby.

Watching them work, Obito said dismissively:

"Don't you think you're getting a little too worked up?"

The simple traps were quick to set. Before long, they were done.

Amada said quietly:

"All right, let's get moving. If there really are enemies, these traps should confirm it and warn us."

The others nodded, and they quickly resumed their journey.

But they hadn't gone far when the three Cloud Village ninjas caught up.

One of the Chunins was so careless that he didn't notice anything unusual underfoot.

There was a soft click as he triggered one of Amada's traps.

The Explosive Tag inside the trap detonated, and the tremendous blast sent all three Cloud Village ninjas flying backward.

Before the shockwave had even faded, it set off a chain reaction. One trap after another sprang around them.

Countless kunai and shuriken shot in from every direction, raining down on them.

Though caught off guard, the Cloud Village ninjas were experienced. After a brief moment of confusion, they quickly regained their composure.

The Jonin leader rapidly formed Hand Seals and shouted:

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

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

The other two Chunins also used their own techniques, dodging or blocking as best they could, and barely managed to fend off every attack.

Even so, their advance had been delayed, and they'd suffered a few minor scrapes.

The Jonin leader's expression darkened:

"Those brats set traps... We really underestimated them."

One of the Chunins frowned and asked:

"Boss, they've already noticed us. What now?"

The Jonin leader gave a cold laugh:

"Now that they know we're here, there's no reason to hide. Pursue them at full speed. We can't let them get back to Konoha!"

Meanwhile, Amada and the others had already heard the explosion in the distance.

They looked back and saw a cloud of smoke rising from the forest.

Amada's eyes narrowed as he said quietly:

"The traps were triggered. There really is someone following us."

Kakashi nodded and said gravely:

"Any ninja who can make it this far into the Land of Fire won't be weak. They might be Jonin."

Obito had finally dropped his earlier nonchalance. His expression turned tense.

Asuma and the others grew nervous too.

Without another word, they quickened their pace.

Their figures darted swiftly through the forest,