The smoke of battle at Kannabi Bridge had yet to clear completely.
Uchiha Lei swept his gaze over the ravaged battlefield and calmly offered the tense Kakashi a word of advice, signaling that he need not dwell on the gains and losses of the battle just now.
"The battlefield changes in an instant. Only by staying alive do you have a chance to kill the enemy."
With that, he said no more and moved first, racing toward the main battlefield deep within Sunagakure with the grave-faced Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi, whose gentle features belied her fierce fighting spirit.
The three vanished beyond the mountain forest in a flash, leaving the remaining watch over the battlefield to the reinforcements arriving behind them.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away on Kirigakure's border, the air was suffocatingly oppressive. A cold sea wind carried the damp reek of blood as it swept wildly across the entire tidal-flat battlefield.
This was a flanking checkpoint on Konoha's defensive line, as well as a vital route for intercepting Kirigakure reinforcements.
Two upright figures stood quietly atop the rocks, firmly guarding the passage.
The youth in front had brilliant blond hair and handsome, cool features. He wore a jonin vest over a fitted combat uniform, his posture straight as a pine, his bearing steady and sharp.
It was none other than Minato Namikaze!
Beside him, a plainly dressed yet powerfully built figure stood out.
Might Duy wore his signature green combat jumpsuit, his forehead protector neatly in place and his back ramrod straight. His eyes shone with vigor, and unabashed passion and valor radiated from him.
The two had been ordered to take a rotation guarding this Kirigakure war zone. They had expected only scattered harassment from ordinary Kirigakure troops, never imagining they would run straight into formidable opponents