Support Senior Kakashi!

Shinku ran on, glancing back at Kakashi. Complicated emotions welled up inside him.

Kakashi's arrival might buy them a chance to survive, but the Sunagakure ninja were formidable. Even Kakashi might struggle against three of them alone.

The night wind in the valley was bitterly cold.

Shinku did not slow down, but the spy's pale face and Kakashi's carefree smile kept flashing through his mind.

Kawaki Aoba stood on a treetop in the distance. A light wind brushed past him, carrying a damp, chilly mist.

His gaze pierced the dense shadows of the trees and settled on the chaotic battlefield nearby.

Yuhi Shinku's figure flickered in and out of the swirling sand. The clash of puppet metal mingled with the ninjas' battle cries, harsh and urgent.

Aoba breathed evenly, his hands in his pockets and his face utterly calm, as though none of it concerned him.

But inside, he was anything but calm.

Yuhi Shinku was an Elite Jonin of Konoha, renowned for his genjutsu and Taijutsu. He had once been one of Aoba's instructors at the Ninja Academy.

Back then, Shinku had been strict but kind, quietly pointing out his students' weaknesses during training.

Now, watching three Sunagakure ninja surround Shinku, Aoba's eyes darkened slightly. His fingers curled into fists inside his pockets.

"Aoba, what are you waiting for?"

A low voice sounded beside him, tinged with impatience.

Aoba turned his head. Kakashi leaned against a nearby trunk, his silver hair gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

A mask covered half his face, leaving only one languid yet piercing eye visible.

"If you don't act soon, Shinku really won't last."

Aoba did not answer at once.

He looked back at the battlefield. Shinku appeared somewhat hard-pressed under the puppets' assault, but every dodge and counterattack was remarkably precise.

Aoba knew