Merge, Rookies

In the Camp rest area, two figures, one tall and one short, stared at each other, creating an awkward moment. Just as Minato was wondering if he had really gone too far...

"Okay, no problem!" Taiichi's voice rang out in agreement.

"No, forget it, it's my fault—" Minato stopped mid-sentence, as if to confirm, and asked again, "Taiichi, what did you just say?"

Taiichi didn't hesitate any longer and gave a positive answer, "I said, no problem, let Kakashi and the others come with me. We're going on a mission tomorrow anyway, so we can go together!"

"Haha, good junior brother, I'll remember this favor!" Minato's face showed a relieved smile. Obviously, this matter had been weighing on his mind for a long time. He was genuinely worried that he had ruined the future of those three kids.

But now, with Taiichi's help, all these problems can be solved.

Others might not know, but how could he not understand Taiichi? There's no Ninjutsu, medical ninjutsu, or Sealing Jutsu that he doesn't know, and even his Kekkei Genkai is that there's an Uchiha in his team.

Kakashi and his group were perfectly suited to join Taiichi Squad.

Over there, when Kakashi, Obito, and Rin learned that they would be joining Taiichi Squad on a mission, Obito immediately cheered.

He jumped three feet high, grabbed Lin, and spun around. Clearly, being cooped up in the Camp for so long had made him quite depressed.

Kakashi, on the other hand, remained quite calm. He and Saori had been discussing Lightning Release Ninjutsu together for the past two days and had gained quite a bit from it.

Besides, he's not a newbie like Obito who's still excited about missions. If there are no missions, he can arrange his own time to train.

Lin, on the other hand, had a much more fulfilling time. Her experience at the Medical Camp was incredibly rewarding, and she had no desire to go on missions. However, considering that she would be on a mission with Taiichi's team, where she could learn even more, she gladly accepted.

With the Minato Squad having no problem, the two members of the Taiichi Squad were even less of a problem, and thus the plan for the two teams to temporarily merge was officially announced to begin.

Watching the team members chatting and laughing, Taiichi quietly asked Minato, "Is Senior Disciple Brother going on another mission alone?"

Minato glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then whispered, "The teacher's plan has progressed to this stage. I estimate that the Camp will have to retreat in a few days. During this time, the front line must hold on, otherwise the retreat will turn into a rout, and the situation will be completely different."

"Then you must be careful, Senior Disciple Brother Minato Sunagakure definitely dispatched their elite squads to hunt you down. The danger is greatly increased as you venture deep into Sunagakure's controlled territory."

Minato nodded silently. Of course he knew all this, but he had the Flying Thunder God Technique, which made him much safer. Even if he couldn't win, he could still escape.

But it's not necessarily the same for others. But in war, people always die. Ordinary ninjas can die, and these elite ninjas can also be sacrificed if necessary.

The next morning, Taiichi Squad received another order from their Commander, but this time it wasn't to penetrate deep into the Sunagakure's controlled area; they were simply to patrol the Konoha's controlled area.

Clearly, Minato had informed Jiraiya reported the specific situation of Taiichi Squad. Therefore, Taiichi Squad, which was supposed to be carrying out a high-risk mission, was reassigned to a regular mission.

Taiichi had nothing to say about this, since personal relationships exist everywhere. Besides, he didn't think he could have a carefree life within Konoha's controlled territory.

As dawn broke, the group of six quietly left the Konoha Camp and stepped into the lush forests of the Land of Rivers.

Taiichi walked at the back of the group, and seeing Obito and Rin who were clearly excited ahead, he immediately made arrangements. "Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, the three of you will act as scouts to Scout and clear the way, with Kakashi as the temporary Captain."

"Saori on the left flank, Yohei on the right flank, maintaining a 20-meter distance for cover and observation, and I'll bring up the rear."

He specifically emphasized, "Unless facing a life-or-death crisis, the three of you are responsible for assessing and dealing with all enemy squads and traps on your own."

He then turned to Yohei and Saori, "Unless the front team requests reinforcements or a skilled fighter appears, do not directly interfere in their battle. This is their actual combat!"

Kakashi frowned slightly, but still nodded in agreement.

Obito excitedly pumped his fist. "Don't worry, Taiichi, watch us!"

Lin took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

Seeing the optimistic attitude of his two teammates, Kakashi frowned even more deeply. He was no rookie and knew the cruelty and danger of the battlefield. With their current mindset, they were bound to suffer later.

"Obito, Rin, this is your first time on the battlefield, so please be careful in everything you do, especially watch your step. Traps are very common on the battlefield." Kakashi was still worried about his teammates and emphasized the precautions for the patrol mission.

Unfortunately, some people are just slow-witted and won't learn their lesson until they truly learn their lesson.

The group spread out in formation, and the six of them moved quickly through the forest. The rising Sun Barrier shone through the gaps in the trees, casting beams of light slanted across the forest, and the forest, which had been quiet only with the chirping of insects and birds, was soon broken by a cacophony of sounds.

What should have been a peaceful patrol turned into chaos thanks to the newcomers' "real-world performance."

"Stop!" Kakashi called out in a low voice, cautiously observing the slightly messy ground ahead. But Obito was clearly still excited and didn't notice the abnormality under his feet, nor did he respond to Kakashi's command in time.

With a soft "hiss," the knot was triggered! Several sharp Kunai shot down from the treetops on both sides with a whistling sound.

"Watch out!" Kakashi instantly judged the angle, shoved Rin aside, and parried with his sword.

With a series of clanging sounds, they narrowly deflected all the Kunai.

Obito belatedly realized what was happening and jumped back, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat. He looked at Rin, who had just gotten up from the ground not far away, his face turning pale and then red, filled with shame.

"Obito! Trap warning is the top priority of patrols. Are you trying to kill everyone?" Kakashi reprimanded in a deep voice, his tone full of disappointment and frustration.

At this moment, Obito did not refute, but silently lowered his head. However, no one noticed that his fingernails had dug deeply into his palms, clearly indicating that this lesson had been profound for him.

The team continued patrolling, but having learned their lesson, everyone was noticeably more cautious, which was evident in the team's pace, which was now half again as slow as before.

But Taiichi didn't remind him that people can't teach you everything, but experience can teach you everything. Didn't you see Obito, who was so agitated just now, has become extremely cautious now? It's just that this caution is a bit excessive.

After another hour or so, the prolonged tension left Lin, who was the weakest among them, feeling somewhat mentally exhausted.

Suddenly, the shadows of the trees ahead swayed violently, instantly tightening my already somewhat scattered mind due to fatigue.

"Something's happening!" Lin exclaimed in surprise. Before she could even see the enemy clearly, she instinctively Hand Seals.

Water Style: Water Wave.

A torrent of water gushed out, sweeping wildly towards the woods ahead, startling a flock of Asuka and also scattering what was hiding behind the trees.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was just a small wild boar. They breathed a sigh of relief, having been genuinely startled by Lin's attack and thinking they had encountered some kind of enemy.

"Rin, don't be too nervous. Make sure you've identified your target before you make a move," Kakashi said patiently, rubbing his temples.

Lin nodded blankly. She wasn't a ninja with Chakra to begin with, and she had just released Water Release Ninjutsu that consumed a lot of energy due to the tension. In addition, the relaxation after being tense for a long time made her face look a little pale.

Taiichi was hiding not far from them, was also attracted by the commotion. His Chakra Perception was normal, but Rin suddenly released Ninjutsu, which startled him. He thought there was something wrong with his perception, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

However, looking in another direction, there was another group of people who were attracted by the Water Style and were rushing towards them at an extremely high speed.

Taiichi remained silent, quietly watching the two sides approach each other; this was also a test for Kakashi and the others.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and his two companions continued their journey. Although they were much more careful than at the beginning, newcomers like Obito and Rin still made mistakes from time to time, some big and some small.

These are all common problems for new recruits, which is why they are asked to perform low-level tasks for the first two or three months.

However, reality forced these newbies to go to the battlefield right after graduation, which is undoubtedly a tragedy.

Just as Kakashi was about to correct yet another of Rin's mistakes, they ran into another small team on their way.

Both sides were clearly taken aback. Kakashi and his group hadn't expected to encounter the enemy so suddenly. The other team, on the other hand, hadn't expected the Konoha people to be so brave, charging straight in without dodging or avoiding the commotion they'd created.

Clearly, the Sunagakure squad was more experienced overall; they reacted first and immediately organized an effective attack.

One person threw a barrage of hidden weapons to draw attention, another stepped back to Hand Seals in preparation for releasing Ninjutsu, and the other two charged forward to engage in close combat.

This is what a well-coordinated team should look like. On the other hand, Kakashi seems to have no clear understanding of his role. Obito with the enemy's attack, he froze in place, his back-and-forth movements clearly indicating that he was struggling with whether to attack or defend.

Lin understood her role; as a medical support, she immediately retreated and threw Shuriken to assist in the attack.

Fortunately, the team also had the experienced Kakashi, who easily deflected the incoming Kunai while running. At the same time, his right hand rang out with Chidori, and his speed increased rapidly. With a single thrust, he killed the fastest Sunagakure Ninja.

Using his momentum, he didn't stop and directly bypassed another Sunagakure Ninja in close combat, heading towards the two ninjas hiding behind him.

At this moment, the Sunagakure Ninja's Ninjutsu was also ready: Wind Style: Kazekiri Technique.

Blades of Wind Blade hurtled towards Kakashi, but they couldn't stop Kakashi. He leaped left and right, twisted his upper body, or moved sideways, often dodging the Wind Blade with minimal movement.

In just a few breaths, Kakashi closed in on the two Sunagakure Ninja. With a swift movement of his Short Sword, he brought both ninjas within his attack range, and his fierce attacks left them utterly helpless.

While the fighting was raging on one side, Obito and Rin were getting into trouble behind them.

The Sunagakure Ninja, seeing Kakashi pass him, ignored him and also charged towards the rear of Konoha.

It was only then that Obito realized what was happening, or rather, embarrassingly, he was forced to realize it.

Because the enemy was already right in front of him, a wave of shame washed over him in an instant. His face turned bright red, and without thinking, he took out Kunai and stabbed it at the Sunagakure Ninja.

The two were instantly entangled, but how could Obito, a rookie, be a match for such an experienced veteran?

With Lin's cooperation, the two of them could have put up a fight against their opponent. But now, Lin can only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Hidden on the right flank, Yohei used his Sharingan to observe everything. As he watched the situation on the field, his brows furrowed more and more. This battle was simply unbearable to watch. Not only was there no coordination, but the two sides were also constantly hindering each other.

His troublesome cousin was the one who started this disaster.

He realized that if this battle continued like this, it would most likely end with Kakashi escaping alone, while Obito and Rin would simply be saying goodbye.

In the arena, just as Obito was being forced into a frenzy by the Sunagakure Ninja and was about to lose, a kunai Kunai with electricity flashed by and struck precisely the Obito aimed at Kunai. The lightning on the kunai instantly paralyzed the Sunagakure Ninja.

Just then, Yohei arrived in Body Flicker from a distance, his Kunai already slicing across the neck of the Sunagakure Ninja.

Kakashi, who had been extremely anxious, finally felt relieved when he saw Yohei and Saori make their move, and began to focus on dealing with the enemy in front of him who was now in complete disarray.

The outcome was predictable; already holding a slight advantage, he fought with increasing confidence and ended the battle in no time.

At this moment, Taiichi slowly emerged from behind a tree, looked at the several corpses lying on the ground, and then at Kakashi and the other two who were still panting. He shook his head silently.

"What a disgrace! A Special Jonin, leading two Genin, was almost wiped out by two Chunin and two Genin."

The three lowered their heads in shame, especially Obito, who felt utterly mortified.

Taiichi pointed at Kakashi: "You, disregarding the lives of your teammates, only care about killing the enemy! Those who know you understand that you want to finish off the enemy as quickly as possible so you can turn back to help your teammates. Those who don't know you would think you're just using your teammates as expendable resources to delay the enemy."

He then pointed to Obito, who had performed the worst. "You have no self-awareness, are impulsive and brainless, and have no sense of proportion in battle. You are utterly useless."

Finally Taiichi looked at Rin again, not knowing what to say. He could only say that Rin's skills were lacking and that she had run into two idiot teammates.

"Remember every mistake you made today! You were able to emerge unscathed this time because we were here. On a real battlefield, any one of those mistakes you made would have been enough to kill or injure you or your teammates several times over."

Taiichi looked at everyone, each of them wishing they could disappear into the ground, and said nothing more.

"Clean up the battlefield, let's rest for half an hour, and you can all think about what else needs to be done."

The three exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with bitterness. The excitement they had felt during their patrol had vanished, replaced by a heavy sense of shame. This introductory lesson on the battlefield, though not fatal, was enough to leave an indelible mark on them.