At Kai's command, everyone divided the work.
They laid down traps, set up defenses, then concealed themselves.
Only Uchiha Kai stood still, eyes fixed on Kannabi Bridge in the distance, feeling the pressure mounting in his chest.
On one hand, he had promised Minato, so of course he would pay attention to Minato's squad and keep an eye on them.
On the other hand, Uchiha Madara was about to make his move.
By stepping in here, Kai had already disrupted Madara's plans — would that old monster come out in person to challenge him to a duel?
As for Nohara Rin, he wasn't too worried.
Even if she ended up being turned into the Three-Tails' jinchuriki, he was confident he could protect her under Uchiha's banner. And if Minato pressed hard enough, even the Elders wouldn't dare go too far.
But all of that was small stuff.
What truly worried Kai was the kill order brewing back in the village.
He had a premonition. It was close.
If the village didn't move soon, his current mission would already be over.
As he was thinking this, Minato suddenly appeared beside him.
"Big Brother Minato, you're here!" Kai greeted me with a calm smile.
For someone of Minato's caliber, a mission of this level posed no difficulty.
"Mm. I've got the deployment map." Minato smiled back. "We can act any time now. But…"
He hesitated, expression conflicted.
Seeing this, Kai raised a brow. "Minato, just say it."
"I went back to the forward camp last night," Minato said after drawing a deep breath. "Nara Shikaku passed me the latest order from the village. It's for you."
He pulled out a scroll and handed it over.
He wasn't stupid.
After all his talks with Kai, Minato understood perfectly well — this was the village's way of moving against him.
And because the mission had been issued through proper channels, with nothing irregular on the surface, there was nothing Minato could use to object.
Kai looked at the scroll in his hand, and the corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile.
As expected.
The kill order had come.
He narrowed his eyes and unrolled it without hesitation.
The mission was simple:
"Obtain the complete deployment map of Hidden Stone Village's front-line operations. Mission Rank: S."
Minato spoke again, his tone heavy.
"The Hokage asked me to relay a message. He said destroying Kannabi Bridge alone wasn't worth spending two sealed forbidden techniques. This is your true mission. As for the bridge… that was just to ease you back onto the battlefield after being away so long, and to help me watch over my team."
"That's the Hokage's exact wording. Kai… I can help you with this one."
He grew solemn.
He knew this mission's death rate was sky-high.
This wasn't just a deployment plan for one post — this was the entire Hidden Stone front.
If Konoha had it, they could uncover Hidden Stone's overall objectives, phased operations, methods of attack… practically a guaranteed path to victory.
But was that realistic?
In all the shinobi wars so far, no great village had ever lost such a map.
Even Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, had never managed to accomplish something like this.
Which made the intent clear.
Especially given the village's strained ties with the Uchiha, Minato knew — this was designed to kill Kai.
So he was deadly serious now.
He couldn't stomach the village's methods, but since he couldn't refuse, he was determined to at least back Kai up.
He might not be able to complete the mission for him, but with Flying Thunder God, he could at least keep Kai alive.
Kai narrowed his eyes, then gave a faint sigh of relief.
Good.
Even if the Hokage faction had rotted, Minato himself was still a true friend.
After a moment's thought, he shook his head.
"No need. You've got your own mission, and you're already secretly watching over Obito and Rin. I'll manage. If I dared to come here, of course I made my preparations. When you finish your task, though, help me ask at the forward camp — where's Might Duy? I've been waiting this whole time and haven't seen him yet!"
Yes.
He refused Minato's help.
In Kai's eyes, Minato had enough on his plate — finishing his own mission, dealing with Black Zetsu, even possibly Madara himself.
That was plenty.
As for himself, he had made his own preparations. Worst case, he'd just slip away.
What mattered more now was Duy.
Had Sarutobi Hiruzen already discovered that Might Duy had mastered the Eight Gates?
Minato blinked, then gave a small smile and shook his head.
"Shikaku mentioned that. I thought it wasn't important at the time. A few days ago, his squad was out on a mission, but they returned yesterday. Shikaku kept him back at camp for you. When you finish this mission, you can take him directly. But I'm curious — why are you so interested in a mere Genin?"
Kai nodded, relieved.
Good.
As long as Hiruzen hadn't discovered this treasure, things were in his favor.
As for hiding it from Minato? No need.
They were allies now, and Kai trusted Minato's character.
After a moment's thought, he chuckled.
"Fine. But if it were anyone else asking, I wouldn't tell the truth. Duy is a true powerhouse. He's mastered the Eight Inner Gates Formation. If he opens the Gate of Death, even if only for an instant, that power is enough to crush a Kage-level opponent. Unless it's the Eight-Tails or Nine-Tails jinchuriki, anyone else would die."
"But Duy's too simple-minded. All he knows is training. He never shows off, so in everyone's eyes he's still just a Genin. But clearly… I've found a hidden gem."
Yes.
On this, Kai was confident.
Of course, Duy wasn't quite at the level of his son, Might Guy.
Guy had the better body, and Duy had deprived himself for years just to make sure Guy grew up strong.
So when Guy unleashed all Eight Gates, he could injure even Six Paths Madara.
Duy wasn't that strong.
Years of strain had already wrung his body dry.
But even so —
While he might not be able to kill Six Paths Madara, ordinary Kage-levels were no match for him.
In the original story, he had only taken down four of the Seven Swordsmen. That wasn't because he lacked the strength — it was because the rest ran too fast.
A man who burns bright for one second doesn't have the stamina for a chase.
If they hadn't fled?
Even the Mizukage would have died!
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