Kakashi Hatake turned around for the first time, walking unhurriedly, as if nothing had happened.
Obito Uchiha stood there, the red color on his face not completely gone. He looked at Kakashi Hatake's back, gritted his teeth, and then followed him in stride.
Minato stood in the center of the camp, his golden hair standing out in the morning light.
Next to him stood Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi, all three of them had serious expressions.
Seeing the three teenagers walking over, Minato showed a gentle smile on his face.
"Everyone is here." He said, "Today's task will be arranged by Mr. Shikaku Nara. You three follow me and don't stay too far away."
Kakashi Hatake nodded.
Obito Uchiha also nodded, but very hard, as if he was competing with someone.
Minato glanced at him, didn't say anything, just reached out and patted his shoulder.
He stood at the edge of the camp for a while, looking at the distant skyline.
That piece of gray is getting closer and closer, coming slowly like a tide, but not very fast. It is estimated that it will not really touch it until noon.
He turned around and walked back to the tent.
The three teenagers were still standing there. Kakashi Hatake was packing the medical bag on her waist. Lin was whispering something to Obito Uchiha. Obito Uchiha had a straight face and her ears were still red.
"Kakashi Hatake." Minato shouted.
Kakashi Hatake raised his head and came over.
His steps were steady, and the distance of each step was the same, as if measured with a ruler.
There was no expression on the face that was mostly covered by the mask, but Minato noticed his eyes.
Those black eyes were particularly bright in the morning light.
"Teacher." Kakashi Hatake stood in front of Minato, his back straight.
Minato looked at him and was silent for a moment.
Twelve-year-old jounin. Konoha The youngest jounin in history.
In just a few years, this child has already completed a journey that others could not complete in more than ten years since he graduated from the Ninja Academy.
Smart, calm, powerful, and perfect like an emotionless weapon.
But Minato knows that he is not.
He just doesn't know how to express it. In other words, he doesn't feel the need to express it.
"Congratulations on being promoted to Jonin." Minato's voice was gentle, with a reassuring power. He took something out of his arms and handed it to Kakashi Hatake.
That's a special Kunai.
Different from the ordinary Kunai, the handle of this Kunai is densely engraved with spells. Those lines are as thin as hair, glowing with a faint silver light in the morning light.
The blade is one inch longer than the ordinary Kunai, and the edge is ground extremely thin, like a piece of solidified water.
The entire Kunai is a bit heavier than ordinary ones when held in the hand, but the center of gravity is well matched and there is a strange sense of balance when held in the palm of the hand.
Kakashi Hatake took it, looked down at the techniques, and gently stroked the blade with his fingers.
His eyes widened slightly, a sign of surprise he rarely showed.
"This is my customized Kunai. Kakashi Hatake, you must cherish it."
Kakashi Hatake's fingers tightened a little, holding the Kunai, and his knuckles turned slightly white.
"Teacher..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his throat seemed to be blocked by something.
Minato patted his shoulder and said nothing more.
When Minato returned to the tent, Shikaku Nara had already drawn several lines on the map.
Those lines were drawn with charcoal, thick, thin, straight and curved, intertwined into a dense network on the yellowed paper.
Each line represents a team, each arrow points in a direction, and each circle is marked with a coordinate.
Shikaku Nara was squatting in front of the map, but before putting down the branch in his hand, he raised his head when he heard footsteps and glanced at Minato.
"Has it been arranged?"
Minato nodded, walked over, and squatted next to Shikaku Nara.
Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi also gathered around, and their shadows were stacked together on the canvas wall of the tent.
"The vanguard force has about two thousand people, and the main force is behind, advancing in three directions."
Shikaku Nara points several locations on the map with branches.
"Here, here, and here. The weakest link is the supply line. Their food, grass and ammunition have to be transported from Iwagakure. The only way is Kannabi Bridge."
His branch tapped heavily at a location on the map.
Minato looked at that point and was silent for a moment.
"Blow up Kannabi Bridge and their supplies will not be able to keep up," he said.
Shikaku Nara nodded.
"Without supplies, the 8,000-strong army will not be able to last for ten days. By then, they will have to retreat without us fighting."
The tent was quiet for a while. The wind came in through the gaps in the canvas, causing the corners of the map to tilt slightly.
"Do you have anyone to choose who will go?" Minato asked.
Shikaku Nara glanced at him and said nothing.
Minato knows what he is thinking. The task of blowing up the bridge does not require too many people. If there are too many people, it will be easier to be exposed.
Three or four elite teams are enough. But the strength of the northern defense line is already stretched thin. Each jounin has a fixed defensive position and cannot be deployed.
"In that case, I do have someone to choose from." Minato said, his voice calm.
Shikaku Nara looked at him, didn't ask any questions, just nodded.
Minato stood up and walked out of the tent. The sky was already bright, and half of the sun peeked out from the gaps in the clouds, dyeing the campground into a thin golden color.
Kakashi Hatake The three of them were standing at the edge of the camp, making final preparations.
Kakashi Hatake is checking the tool bag, counting Kunai and Shuriken one by one, moving quickly and accurately, like a precision instrument checking itself.
Lin squatted on the ground and took inventory of the items in the medical bag again. Bandages, hemostatic drugs, antidotes, and scalpels were sorted one by one, and then put back one by one.
Obito Uchiha stood aside, holding the few candies in his hand, not knowing where to put them, and finally stuffed them all into his trouser pocket, a bulging ball.
Minato walked over and the three people raised their heads at the same time.
"Kakashi Hatake." Minato said, "There is a task for you."
Kakashi Hatake stood up straight, with a straight waist.
Minato squatted down, picked up a branch, and drew a few strokes on the ground.
A line represents the national border, a circle represents the position of Kannabi Bridge, and several arrows represent the direction of advancement of the Iwagakure troops.
He painted very quickly, but every stroke was very clear.
"Your mission is to blow up this bridge."
He lit the circle with a branch.
"Cut off the supply line of Iwagakure. Mr. Shikaku Nara and I are facing the enemy from the front and attracting the enemy's attention. You take this opportunity to go around to the enemy's rear and complete the mission."
He raised his head and looked at the three teenagers.
"Any questions?"
Kakashi Hatake looked down at the picture on the ground and was silent for a few seconds.
"Where is the enemy's strength distribution?" he asked.
"The main force is in the front, and there won't be too many garrison troops left in the rear. But how many there are, you need to investigate by yourself." Minato looked at him, "You are the captain. It is up to you to judge."
Kakashi Hatake nodded and did not ask any more questions.