"Everyone stay alert. Enemy count: two... Based on their chakra levels, both should be jōnin."
Namikaze Minato crouched and touched the ground lightly with his right index finger, activating a sensory ninjutsu. Not only did he detect the number of enemies, he could even gauge their strength with uncanny precision.
Standing beside him were his three disciples, each reacting differently to his words.
Kakashi Hatake's face was obscured by his black mask, but his eyes gave away a fearless, cold detachment.
Uchiha Obito, his goggles pushed up slightly, had visibly gone pale, clearly under immense pressure.
Meanwhile, their squad's medical ninja, Nohara Rin, stood with resolute eyes, appearing far more composed than Obito.
Just as Kyoichi had surmised,
this team of four was none other than Namikaze Minato and his three students.
They had come to the Land of Grass
with a singular goal: to sever Iwagakure's supply route by destroying the key strategic point — Kanabi Bridge.
"Kakashi, back me up. I'll handle these two enemies."
Minato reached into his tool pouch and pulled out a specially designed kunai shaped like a trident. As he surveyed the terrain ahead, he silently calculated the quickest way to eliminate their foes.
However—
"Sensei, how about you cover me instead?"
Kakashi had no intention of following orders.
"Kakashi, you…"
"Sensei, you said it yourself. Today, I'm the captain."
Kakashi's tone was resolute. He even brought up the authority Minato had previously granted him as leader of 'Team Kakashi.' It was clear he had made up his mind to take the offensive.
"Besides... I've been wanting to try out a new technique I've been developing— Chidori!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth,
his right hand burst into a dazzling flash of lightning, crackling with a screech like a thousand birds crying out in unison.
"What... what kind of jutsu is that?" Obito stared, stunned.
"That chakra... it's incredible!" Rin's eyes widened in awe.
This was the first time they'd witnessed Kakashi's new jutsu — Chidori.
"Wait, Kakashi—"
Just as Kakashi was about to charge forward,
Minato suddenly reached out to block him.
"The number of enemies just increased — now there are twelve… probably Shadow Clones!"
"It's fine, Sensei. With Chidori, even a group of enemies can be taken down in an instant—just like your nickname, the—huh?"
Kakashi's words abruptly stopped mid-sentence. He looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.
He wasn't the only one.
Even Minato's gaze turned blank.
Neither of them understood what had just happened.
---
A few seconds earlier, just as Kakashi was preparing to charge—
Magari gave Kyoichi the signal to attack.
Attack?
When he saw the gesture,
Kyoichi's eyes turned ice-cold.
So they really were planning to throw him out as cannon fodder.
But—
That was fine. If they were truly prepared to use him as a disposable pawn, then…
there was no reason for him to feel any guilt for what he was about to do.
Without hesitation, Kyoichi formed hand seals. Ten Shadow Clones appeared around him.
Then—
The clones all began forming hand seals in perfect sync.
"Earth Release: Rock Gun Technique!!!"
Ten mouths opened at once, launching small stone bullets, each no bigger than a jujube seed. But as the stones shot forward, they rapidly expanded in size — by the time they reached Magari, they had grown as large as lead balls.
Yes—
Kyoichi's target wasn't the Konoha shinobi below.
It was his own 'comrade' — Magari!
"Kyoichi, are you insane?!"
Caught completely off guard by the sudden betrayal,
Magari let out a furious roar, leapt backward in panic, curling his legs tightly against his abdomen and shielding his head and chest with both arms. He contorted his body into a tight ball, hoping to minimize the damage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
The lead-ball-sized stones smashed into the tree trunks, carving deep craters into the wood. Splinters flew in all directions like a rainstorm.
To be fair—
Magari's reflexes lived up to his reputation as a veteran jōnin. His hastily defensive posture allowed him to avoid the brunt of the attack. Only two stones struck him: one smashing into his right arm — the one shielding his chest — and the other hitting his left leg.
The bones in both limbs were shattered.
Even so,
the damage was enough to be called grievous.
With his right arm and left leg rendered unusable,
his combat effectiveness and mobility had dropped to near zero.
"Tch... Kyoichi! Are you out of your damn mind?! Do you even know what you're doing? Attacking your own comrade—are you trying to wipe out the Koeda Clan's bloodline completely?!"
Lying sprawled across the tree branches, Magari couldn't contain his rage. Despite the Konoha shinobi watching, he screamed in pain and fury.
"Comrade?"
Kyoichi let out a cold laugh.
He leapt down, landing right in front of the twisted, grimacing Magari.
Looking down at him, he sneered, "Magari, is that supposed to be a joke? Ask yourself—did you, Enkō, and Dani ever truly see me as a comrade? To you, I was probably just a piece of expendable cannon fodder waiting to be thrown away."
He leaned in, eyes sharp.
"And even if I didn't harm you, this so-called comrade—
would the Koeda Clan's bloodline survive anyway?" he retorted.
At those words,
Magari instantly understood.
There was no chance he would leave this forest alive.
Death was now inevitable.
"Hahaha! That's right! You Koeda bastards are doomed! No matter what, you're all finished! You betrayed Lord Tsuchikage! You betrayed the village! All traitors like you deserve to die like dogs!"
Since survival was off the table, Magari didn't bother begging.
Instead, he laughed maniacally, shouting curses at the Koeda Clan and dragging them down with him.
"A traitor? Maybe."
Kyoichi shrugged indifferently. He had never felt much attachment to Iwagakure.
The warmth and unity within his clan, on the other hand, had always felt like true family.
Looking at the twisted grin on Magari's face, Kyoichi whispered:
"But you won't live to see how this 'traitor's' story ends. And as for the Koeda Clan's future... it's none of your concern, Magari. You're already dead to us."
As soon as he finished speaking,
he flicked his wrist and flung a kunai straight into Magari's throat,
granting his incapacitated 'comrade' a swift end.
Then—
After confirming that all signs of life had left Magari's body,
Kyoichi stepped forward, hoisted the corpse over his shoulder.
Killing Magari
wasn't just about gaining freedom of movement.
It was also his entry fee for negotiating with Konoha.
"Now then,"
he turned his gaze toward the four Konoha shinobi who had silently watched the entire internal skirmish unfold.
"Time to introduce myself to the Yellow Flash…"