The next day.
Morning.
Breakfast was nothing more than cold water and cold rice balls. The taste, naturally, left much to be desired, but shinobi were nothing if not resilient. None of the four—master and disciples—uttered a single complaint. They finished their flavorless meal as quickly as possible, then each began packing their gear in preparation for departure.
Oh, right—
Rin once again helped Kakashi check his wound, applied fresh ointment, and wrapped it in new bandages.
"It's much better now, but you still shouldn't push yourself too hard, or the wound will reopen…" Rin murmured her advice as she tied the bandage in place.
"Got it!" Kakashi replied dryly.
Once the bandaging was done, Minato, who had been quietly watching from the side, spoke up.
"Check your equipment, everyone. If everything's in order, we move out!"
"Yes, sir!" the three students answered in unison.
Following Minato's instructions, they gave their weapon pouches and backpacks another thorough inspection. Once certain there were no issues, the four set off again toward the northwest. But when they finally emerged from the dense forest into an endless stretch of bamboo groves—
Minato came to a halt.
"Kakashi, Obito, Rin… from here, we part ways."
His tone was serious as his gaze swept across each of his students.
"The two enemies we encountered yesterday were most likely part of a reconnaissance squad. Even though they turned on each other and ended up killing each other… there are bound to be more enemies ahead. And… that man, Koeda Kyoichi, might come back for another round…"
Truth be told—
If he had the choice, he wouldn't send Kakashi and the others on a mission this dangerous.
Even if Kakashi was already a jōnin, and Obito had awakened his double tomoe Sharingan yesterday… if they ran into that same man who had slipped through his grasp, the odds were still high his students would come out on the losing end.
Unfortunately—
There was no choice.
Konoha had fought the Sunagakure shinobi, then clashed with the Kumo. Now, here in the Land of Grass, the war with Iwagakure was raging fiercely. Meanwhile, in the east, forces led mainly by the Uchiha and Hyūga were locked in deadly combat with the Kiri. The village's manpower was truly stretched to the limit.
He himself had to head to the front lines to support the main force against the Iwagakure's offensive. The mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge could only fall to Kakashi's team.
"Sensei, don't worry! I'll protect Rin!" Obito declared earnestly.
From his eyes, one could see the boy's unwavering resolve—no trace of hesitation or fear remained.
"Eh?!" Rin's face flushed crimson.
For a moment, she was caught completely off guard, utterly unprepared for Obito to say something so… embarrassing!
"Captain, let's move!" Obito then turned to Kakashi.
"…" Kakashi's face froze in shock.
Even with half his face hidden by a mask, anyone could see the word shocked written all over him. Was the sun rising in the west today? This stubborn mule, Obito… actually called him captain?
Could it be… the end of the world was near?
His thoughts spiraled wildly out of control.
Even Rin, still stunned, forgot to blush, her already large eyes going perfectly round. It felt as if the Obito of today was a completely different person from the one yesterday.
"Obito, I understand your desire to protect your comrades. But if you recklessly throw yourself in harm's way for their sake, you'll only make those who care about you feel grief. So… protect your comrades, yes—but don't forget to protect yourself too." Minato's voice was gentle.
Obito lowered his gaze and said nothing.
Minato could only shake his head helplessly. Obito had certainly matured compared to before—but at the end of the day, he was still a thirteen-year-old boy… far from truly grown.
And it wasn't just Obito—
Kakashi was the same.
Though he appeared mature for his age, clinging to the shinobi rules as if they were the be-all and end-all… he was still just a boy rigidly bound by them.
"Kakashi, the rules are important… but they aren't everything. There are other things in this world worth cherishing. And… don't forget to adapt. Act according to the situation."
Kakashi, like Obito, lowered his eyes and remained silent.
You had to admit—
These two were supposed to be oil and water, constantly bickering whenever they met, yet at times their reactions were uncannily in sync.
"Rin, do your best!"
Lastly, Minato offered words of encouragement to his only female student.
While Rin was undoubtedly the weakest fighter on the team, he believed her mental fortitude surpassed both Kakashi's and Obito's. As a medical ninja, combat wasn't her main role—that was up to Kakashi and Obito.
So there wasn't much else he needed to say to her.
"I'll do my best!" Rin replied with a bright, energetic nod—completely unlike the other two, who were acting as if they'd turned mute.
Minato chuckled and shook his head.
Then, with a light clap—
Clap! The sound drew all three students' attention.
And then—
"One—disperse!"
In an instant, the bamboo leaves scattered across the ground were swept into the air by the force, and the four figures vanished from sight.
Master and disciples split up. Minato sped north, racing to the front lines to help Konoha's forces repel the Iwa's advance head-on.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin pressed on toward the northwest—their destination: Kannabi Bridge, a strategic point along the Iwa's supply route.
However—
Unseen by them, Kyoichi was trailing close behind.
He didn't strike immediately, instead biding his time with patience, waiting for the perfect moment.
He didn't have to wait long.
Before they'd even left the vast expanse of the bamboo grove, he sensed two other familiar chakra signatures approaching.
No one else—
It was Enkō and Dani.
Finally, Kyoichi thought.
Silently, he sank into the ground with the Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, easily bypassing Kakashi's team—who couldn't move at full speed due to keeping up their guard—and getting ahead of them.
He reached a mirror-smooth lake before they did, then quietly concealed himself behind Enkō and Dani.
The two were entirely unaware of his presence, their attention fixed on the approaching figures of Kakashi's team.
Of course—
It wasn't that their alertness or sensory skills were poor.
After gaining the Eye of God, Kyoichi had mastered high-level Earth Release techniques like Earth Spear, which had previously eluded him.
At the same time, his proficiency with the Earth Release techniques he already knew had skyrocketed. His Hiding Like a Mole Technique had gone from accomplished to perfect—moving underground caused even less disturbance than a worm wriggling through the soil.
Unless one had extraordinary sensory perception like Minato, or was a specialist sensor-nin…
Otherwise—
Not even a jōnin could detect Kyoichi's approach.