The trap revealed

Minato was just about to kill Killer B when he discovered that, at some point, Killer B had already aimed his ninja blade at Minato's abdomen.

If he killed his opponent, his opponent would plunge the ninja blade into his stomach in that same instant.

Minato couldn't help smiling. "B, you really are a born ninja killer."

With that, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to his squad.

"Retreat."

If this had only been a chance encounter, A would probably have let matters end there.

But today was an ambush, part of an operation to wipe out the Uchiha. A absolutely could not let Minato leave like this.

Hearing A's threat, Minato frowned slightly, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

Outwardly, he remained composed and smiled gently. "You're worrying too much, Lord A. Since I've come, I naturally won't leave so easily."

As he spoke, he secretly formed hand seals, leaving a shadow clone behind to continue the standoff while his real body instantly teleported using a Flying Thunder God Kunai.

The camp was silent, with only a few Konoha ninja left on guard.

Minato's heart sank. He grabbed a medical ninja and asked urgently, "Where's the Uchiha Clan?"

The ninja answered in a panic, "The Elder led his men after the fleeing Kumogakure forces. He said he was going to wipe them all out!"

"Not good!" Minato clenched his fists.

The bait at Takekuri Gorge, the empty camp, the Uchiha's pursuit.

This was clearly a linked scheme to lure the tiger away from its mountain and lead it straight into a trap!

Without hesitation, he immediately set off in the direction the Uchiha had taken.

Two hours earlier.

Before Minato had set out with his squad, Dodai had already led Kumogakure's main force toward the Konoha camp.

Less than ten seconds after Minato left, Dodai arrived with his men on the outskirts of the Konoha camp.

Standing on high ground, Dodai surveyed the battlefield coldly and ordered in a low voice, "No need to fight to the death. This is only a probing attack. Just gauge the Uchiha's strength!"

Even now, Dodai was still keeping the secret from his subordinates. The bulk of the Kumogakure force still didn't know that this attack was a trap targeting the Uchiha.

The Kumogakure troops swiftly assembled, and Lightning Release ninja gathered chakra at the front, preparing to launch a surprise attack.

But before they could strike, several fireballs came roaring toward them, instantly engulfing several Kumogakure ninja.

The Elder charged out at the head of the Uchiha elite, his Sharingan gleaming in the firelight. He sneered, "Kumogakure scum, you actually dared to come to us!"

Yūto followed close behind, ecstatic.

A large-scale battle was the perfect opportunity to get himself killed!

He deliberately charged to the very front, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan locking onto a Kumogakure jonin as he taunted, "Come on! Let's see what the Raikage's men are made of!"

His opponent flew into a rage. Lightning Release chakra wreathed his entire body as he threw a punch.

Watching the power behind his opponent's attack, Yūto secretly rejoiced. This blow should be enough to injure me!

However, the Elder's Great Fire Annihilation suddenly swept in from the side, forcing the Kumogakure jonin back.

Yūto gritted his teeth in anger, but could only keep fighting.

On the other side, the Uchiha clansmen coordinated seamlessly, weaving Fire Release and shuriken into a net that drove the Kumogakure troops back again and again.

A Kumogakure chunin tried to launch a sneak attack, only for Yūto's Phoenix Flower Claw Crimson to pierce straight through his shoulder.

He sighed in disappointment. "Can't you even put up a decent counterattack?"

Seeing the Kumogakure forces gradually collapse, Dodai decisively ordered, "Scatter and retreat!"

At the sight, contempt flashed in the Elder's Sharingan. "Trying to run? The Uchiha's honor cannot be sullied! Everyone, pursue!"

Yūto hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Elder, watch out for a trap!"

The Elder snorted and grabbed him by the collar. "Coward! If you're afraid to die, crawl back to camp and hide in your shell!"

With that, he forcibly dragged Yūto along as he charged after the fleeing Kumogakure forces.

If Minato hadn't warned the Elder before setting out, the Elder would not have walked into the trap so easily.

But who was Minato? Jiraiya's student.

And who was Jiraiya? The Third Hokage's student.

As a staunch opponent of the Hokage, the Elder would never allow himself to follow Minato's orders.

Watching the camp grow farther and farther away, Yūto couldn't help speaking up. "Elder, we've chased them almost ten li now..."

Before he could finish, a glare silenced him. "What are you scared of? Back when I chased Iwagakure through the Land of Rain, I fought for three days and nights without once complaining of exhaustion!"

In truth, the Elder was feeling uneasy himself. The terrain grew narrower the farther they went, and the cliffs on either side looked as though they had been cut with a blade...

Just as he spoke, Dodai suddenly stopped running up ahead.

The Elder was just about to form hand seals for a Fire Release technique when five Kumogakure jonin leaped out around them, lightning flashing in every one's hands.

Dodai slowly turned around. "Surrender. There are only two of you Uchiha."

Cold sweat instantly broke out on the Elder's back, but he kept up his bluster. "You think you're enough?"

Meanwhile, he kicked Yūto backward. "Get back and report!"

"I'm not leaving!"

Yūto shouted loudly, inwardly overjoyed. He could finally die gloriously in battle!

Just as he thought that, the world suddenly spun before his eyes.

The Elder used his Sharingan to cast genjutsu directly on him.

Yūto's body began moving on its own, sprinting toward the camp.

Yūto's vision went black, and he felt as though he had been locked inside a dark little room.

He desperately pounded the darkness around him, but there wasn't even an echo.

That old man really didn't hold back... He gritted his teeth and gathered chakra, only to discover that his chakra pathways seemed to be bound in iron chains.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out in the distance.

It was the sound of the battlefield!

Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, Yūto frantically drove chakra against the pressure points around his ears, forcing the sound to penetrate the genjutsu.

A crack appeared in the darkness. Seizing the chance, he bit the tip of his tongue, the intense pain instantly clearing his mind. "Release!"

When he rushed back onto the battlefield, Yūto's pupils abruptly contracted.

The Elder's left arm hung limp, and his back had been charred black by Lightning Release, yet he was still using Fire Release to hold the escape route.

The flashing blades of the five Kumogakure jonin had almost surrounded him, but the old man was still roaring, "Get out of here! Stay out of the way!"

Yūto suddenly smiled and lunged into the fray. "Old man, I'm your student!"

He flung six shuriken bearing explosive tags, forcing several of the Kumogakure jonin back.

The Elder froze for a moment, then his bloodstained mouth split into a grin. "You little brat... Looks like teaching you wasn't a waste after all!"

Yūto looked at the five Kumogakure jonin around them, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.

He forced himself to take heart. He was doing this to return to Blue Star, not because the Elder had taught him!