Kakashi Hatake stood on the hillside, lowered his head, and looked at his right hand. The hand was stained with blood. The lightning had dissipated, but the fingers were still trembling slightly.
It's not fear, it's pain.
His eyes hurt. The stinging pain coming from the depths of his eyeballs felt like someone was pricking his retina with a needle.
Too fast.
So fast that his eyes couldn't keep up.
If the jounin just moved a little bit at the last moment, if he misjudged the position of the main body, if the more than twenty Shadow Clone were not scattered but gathered together--
Kakashi Hatake Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and suppress those thoughts.
He turned around and walked downhill.
His steps were much slower than when he went up, and every step was steady, but Minato noticed that his breathing was a little unsteady.
"Kakashi Hatake." Minato walked up to him and looked into his eyes.
Kakashi Hatake raised his head. The exposed eye looked normal, but Minato saw that there was an unnoticeable blur deep in the pupil.
"The technique is very powerful." Minato said, "But there is a problem."
Kakashi Hatake looked at him and said nothing.
Minato stretched out his hand and pointed at Kakashi Hatake's eyes.
"Your eyes can't keep up with your speed. When Chidori thrust, you moved too fast, so fast that even Sharingan couldn't see the surrounding situation clearly. If the enemy is on guard, if the enemy is faster than you, if the enemy--
"I know." Kakashi Hatake interrupted him.
Minato looked at him and said nothing.
Kakashi Hatake lowered his head and looked at his hand that was still shaking slightly.
"I know." He repeated, his voice very soft.
"This technique is not complete yet. It's so fast that my eyes can't keep up. If the person just moved, if he took a step aside when I thrust-"
He didn't say any more.
Minato patted his shoulder.
"Take your time. You are still young and have plenty of time to perfect it."
Kakashi Hatake nodded, took his hand back, rubbed it on his pants, and wiped away the blood.
Obito Uchiha ran up from the hillside and ran to Kakashi Hatake. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
There was a very complicated expression on his face.
There was shock, reluctance, and something indescribable.
"You... what kind of technique are you doing?" He finally choked out a sentence.
"Chidori." Kakashi Hatake said.
Obito Uchiha opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked at Kakashi Hatake's hand that was still shaking slightly, at his face that was mostly covered by a mask, and at his eyes that were as calm as if nothing had happened.
He suddenly remembered what Kakashi Hatake said just now.
I am the captain today, teacher.
Captain.
This guy, who is as big as him, is already a jounin. He can already kill a jounin by himself. He can already create techniques that he can't even imagine.
And what about him?
He couldn't even give a gift.
Obito Uchiha put his hands in his pockets, clutching the candies so hard that the wrappers were wrinkled.
"Let's go." Minato said, breaking the silence, "Time is running out."
He turned around and continued walking towards the border.
Kakashi Hatake followed him, the pace was slower than before, but still very steady.
Obito Uchiha looked at Kakashi Hatake's back and gritted his teeth.
Chidori.
He remembered.
One day, he will also create his own technique.
One day, he will become stronger than Kakashi Hatake.
The four people continued to walk forward, and the sky became brighter and brighter. The sun completely peeked out from behind the clouds, dyeing the entire field a bright golden yellow.
No one spoke. Kakashi Hatake walked in front, and his pace resumed its previous rhythm.
The right hand that had been used Chidori was in his pocket. No one saw it, but his fingers were still trembling slightly.
He blinked his eyes, and the stinging sensation slowly faded away, turning into a sour and painful feeling, as if he had stayed up all night without closing his eyes.
Kakashi Hatake, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped. Obito Uchiha almost bumped into him and stopped quickly.
He raised his head and found that they had reached a long ridge.
Below the ridge is an open plain, and at the end of the plain are continuous mountains with a narrow pass in the middle.
That's the national border.
Minato stood on the edge of the ridge, looking at the pass in the distance.
He didn't look back, but his voice reached everyone's ears clearly. "That's it."
Three teenagers stood behind him, none of them spoke.
Minato turned around with that gentle smile on his face.
He looked at Kakashi Hatake, looked at Lin, looked at Obito Uchiha.
"After that pass, we are in the enemy-controlled area."
Minato's voice is very calm.
"My mission is to attract the enemy's attention from the front. Your mission is to go around to the rear and blow up Kannabi Bridge. From here on, we will split up.
Kakashi Hatake nodded and said nothing. He took his hand out of his pocket and hung it by his side, with his fingertips slightly curled. The hand stopped shaking.
Minato walked up to Kakashi Hatake and looked at him. The two looked at each other for a while, and Minato reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
The shock wasn't heavy, but Kakashi Hatake's shoulders sank slightly.
"Kakashi Hatake, you are the captain. Don't show off when you are in danger."
Kakashi Hatake raised his head, and the exposed black eye looked at Minato, very calmly. "I know."
Minato looked at him and smiled.
I am reassured, but I am also worried.
Don't worry because this child is calm enough, smart enough, and strong enough.
I don't feel at ease because he is too calm, too smart, and too powerful. So powerful that sometimes he forgets and feels pain himself.
Minato smiled and said nothing more. He turned around and walked a few steps in the direction of the pass, then stopped without looking back.
"I'm waiting for news from you. After completing the mission, use a flare to notify me. I will come to pick you up."
Then he left.
His pace was so fast that before Obito Uchiha even had time to say "Teacher, take care", the golden figure had already walked far away.
Kakashi Hatake watched the figure disappear on the other side of the ridge and was silent for a moment. Then he turned around and looked at Lin and Obito Uchiha.
"Let's go."
His voice was not loud, but firm.
The three people came down from the ridge and walked into the plain. The grass on the plain was very high, reaching up to the knees, and it rustled when they stepped on it.
The mountains in the distance are getting closer and closer, and the outline of the pass is getting clearer and clearer.
It was a narrow canyon, with the mountain walls on both sides as steep as a knife. At the bottom of the canyon was a winding path, and at the other end of the road was Kannabi Bridge.
After walking for about half an hour, the terrain began to change.
The flat grassland was gradually replaced by gravel and low shrubs, and the ground became pitted, as if it had been hit by something.