A huge crater appeared in the center of the forest, and all the trees and ground on the road were swept away.
——Even though Obito was far from the battlefield, he could still hear the body-shaking sound of explosions. Instinctively looking back, he saw Minato quickly catching up from behind.
"Mr. Minato? Have you dealt with the enemy?"
Obito stopped, waiting for Minato to catch up.
When Minato reached Obito, the latter noticed that Minato's right arm was severely injured, with a large amount of blood flowing down, and his appearance was quite disheveled.
This greatly surprised Obito, as it was the first time he saw Minato so badly injured.
Since joining Minato's class, he had never seen an enemy even touch Minato before being instantly killed.
In response to Obito's question, Minato shook his head and said, "No, let's just say I have a slight edge. Killing her outright with my current strength is very difficult. I'd need support from other Jonin."
Minato turned around and looked into the distance of the forest, where the opponent was also leaving the battlefield at high speed.
As he had analyzed, with his increasing importance on the Hidden Rock battlefield, Hidden Rock would send Ayane to deal with him.
This attack on his two students was probably also a trap to lure him in.
"So, does that mean that woman will return?"
Obito was a bit worried.
"No, for the time being, she can't oppose Konoha."
Minato stated confidently.
"?"
Obito was puzzled by his meaning.
"Alright, no need to worry. With me here, I won't let anyone hurt you."
Minato didn't explain further, but instead smiled and patted Obito on the head, showing a friendly smile.
"Yes."
"Also, congratulations on awakening the Sharingan, Obito. The gap between you and Kakashi will gradually close. But don't get too obsessed with this power; staying true to yourself is most important."
When Minato said this, his expression became serious.
Obito understood what Minato was talking about. At the moment he awakened the Sharingan, even with his usually thick nerves, he had a general understanding of how the Sharingan activates.
Minato's advice was something Obito took to heart.
◎
"What? You plan to leave now?"
In the Hidden Rock Camp of the Land of Grass, Kitsuchi stared wide-eyed at Ayane.
She had just arrived in the Land of Grass a few days ago, and now she wanted to leave? Did she not plan to honor their contract with Hidden Rock?
Ayane coughed a few times, her face pale, clearly injured.
"I have no choice. I don't want to do this, but the next time I encounter the well-prepared Yellow Flash, I definitely won't be able to avoid his attack."
What Ayane said left Kitsuchi at a loss.
They had hired Ayane at a high price, not to hear her say things that boosted the enemy's morale.
Seeing Kitsuchi's dissatisfaction, Ayane candidly rolled up her sleeve, revealing her white wrist.
On it was a black mark, incredibly eye-catching.
Kitsuchi's face changed instantly, and he instinctively took a step back, assuming a defensive posture against Ayane.
He was very familiar with that mark; it was the Flying Thunder God Mark required for Yellow Flash Namikaze Minato to perform space-time movement.
As long as this mark was present, no one could escape the pursuit of the Yellow Flash.
Even if they escaped for a while, they could not escape forever.
The Hidden Rock Ninja marked with this seal, without exception, all perished.
"You have been marked with this... and not dead?"
Kitsuchi stammered.
"Don't underestimate me. This mark is ultimately just for space-time transfer and possesses no offensive capability. As for what's going on on my side, whether there are traps set for him, Namikaze Minato wouldn't know. Once I'm out of his line of sight, even if marked, he won't act immediately."
Ayane's explanation made Kitsuchi understand.
Indeed, there were previous Hidden Rock Ninja who were marked but managed to escape back to the camp unscathed.
It was much later that Minato understood their situation and instantly killed them.
If marked, distancing oneself from Namikaze Minato's sight immediately would be much safer for the short term.
Especially for a ninja like Ayane possessing the Byakugan.
However, Kitsuchi still felt something was off.
Of course, there was another crucial reason that Ayane did not mention.
As the saying goes, "Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a well rope"—Minato was once trapped by Hakushi, losing his life, and only revived through a Sage Talisman from Mount Myoboku. If he wasn't 100% confident against those related to Hakushi, he wouldn't act rashly. This was the fundamental reason why Minato didn't act immediately after marking with the Flying Thunder God Mark.
"Sigh..."
Kitsuchi sighed.
Ayane was right; for now, her safety could be ensured. However, if she encountered Namikaze Minato again, who would undoubtedly be fully prepared, Ayane's chances of being killed would drastically increase.
After all, she was just a Renegade Ninja; when her life was threatened, she would undoubtedly retreat from the battlefield immediately.
This left Kitsuchi with no reason to persuade Ayane to stay.
"This mission is considered a failure. I won't take the deposit and payment; I'll return them to you in full. I'll wait until I remove the Flying Thunder God Mark from my hand. Carrying this thing every day makes me anxious."
Ayane took out a scroll containing sealed money, placed it on the nearby table, and walked out of the tent.
Kitsuchi picked up the scroll Ayane left behind, frowning deeply.