The Long-Awaited Land of Fire

"Third Mizukage, sink down."

Ye's toes had barely left the cliff's edge when the command in his mind had already slammed into the White Zetsu channel.

"Suppress your Chakra. Stay away from me."

The Third Mizukage had originally been moving along the tree shadows in the darkness, but upon hearing the order, his entire body directly merged into the mud.

His Chakra receded layer by layer until Ye's senses contained nothing but damp earth and cold, hard rock.

At that moment, the others also noticed Ye's unusual behavior.

Obito turned back while supporting himself against a tree root. His right eye was still unable to open, while his left was filled with vigilance.

"Who's coming?"

Ye did not turn around. His fingers had already settled on his sword hilt.

"Too fast to tell."

Kakashi placed his left hand on the hilt of his Short Sword, while his right remained hidden in his pocket.

"Iwagakure?"

"If Iwagakure had this kind of speed, Kannabi Bridge would've been renamed after them long ago."

The moment he finished speaking, golden light crashed into the four of their vision. A special kunai lay across his chest as a blond man appeared directly before them.

That man was Minato Namikaze.

The first thing Minato did upon arriving was count heads.

"Ye."

"Obito."

"Kakashi."

"Rin."

Only after calling all four names did Minato lower his kunai slightly, revealing a gentle smile.

"I wasn't too late, was I?"

Obito had originally wanted to raise a hand and strike a cool pose, but his right knee, wooden splint and all, buckled sideways, and he nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.

"Sensei, if you'd come a little earlier, I might've broken two fewer legs."

Minato's gaze paused on Obito's two splinted legs, then shifted to Kakashi's hidden right