"The reason I've gathered everyone here is that I'm the primary commander for this mission."
Minato waited until everyone had assembled before speaking.
"Your original squad leader has been assigned to another mission, so the three of you will be temporarily placed under my command."
Minato looked at Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Genma.
"Understood, Minato-san."
Genma nodded.
With Minato as their squad leader, this mission might turn out to be surprisingly easy.
While the others looked like they were heading out on a picnic, Kiyohara's heart remained on edge.
Looking at this lineup, the only real powerhouses were Minato and Kakashi, who was on the verge of becoming a jōnin himself.
Everyone else was a chūnin.
The only genin was Kiyohara himself.
In the past, he'd deliberately avoided taking the chūnin exam, hoping to delay being assigned to dangerous missions for as long as possible.
But now, with Konoha facing a severe shortage of personnel, even veteran genin like Kiyohara were being called up.
Even fresh graduates from the Academy had to join the fight.
This mission was labeled as reinforcement, but in reality, they'd probably be doing grunt work, serving as distractions.
The main objective was to destroy a bridge. Having more people would help confuse the enemy and buy precious time for whoever was planting the explosives.
"To get a better sense of your abilities, I'd like to conduct a test."
Minato spoke up.
He knew his own students well enough, but he wasn't familiar with Kiyohara's group of three.
Being a genin didn't always mean having genin-level skills.
Sometimes people simply hadn't had the time to take the exam.
"Obito, why don't you spar with Kiyohara first?"
Minato called out to Obito.
Kakashi was too overpowered, and Rin was a medical ninja. That left Obito as the only viable choice.
"Heh, perfect chance to warm up!"
Obito grinned and pushed his goggles up, looking relaxed. He took meticulous care of those precious eyes of his.
He didn't pay much attention to this genin standing before him.
After all, he was an Uchiha. Even without having awakened his Sharingan yet, that bloodline confidence still ran deep in his bones.
"Alright."
Kiyohara nodded and stepped forward.
Beyond practicing ninjutsu, the Rogue Ninja Kiyohara had been teaching him combat techniques one-on-one these past few days.
After all, being a rogue ninja meant having formidable fighting skills, or you'd have been killed long ago.
So while Kiyohara hadn't learned many ninjutsu, he'd picked up plenty of combat techniques.
"Begin."
Minato announced.
Kiyohara readied himself for battle.
His chakra reserves had previously been close to chūnin level; he'd simply never taken the exam.
Now, having merged with part of the Rogue Ninja Kiyohara, his chakra reserves definitely exceeded those of an ordinary chūnin.
So sparring with Obito? Kiyohara felt confident he had this in the bag.
In truth, Obito's combat ability wasn't bad either. He just lacked composure before awakening his Sharingan.
The spirit of the Rogue Ninja Kiyohara materialized behind him.
"Remember, Obito has the physical prowess of an Uchiha. You just need to exploit his openings."
Kiyohara gave a slight nod.
"Begin."
Minato declared.
Obito moved first!
He pushed off the ground, sending dirt flying, and closed the distance between them in an instant.
His kunai sliced through the air, aimed straight at Kiyohara's throat.
In that moment, Kiyohara drew his own kunai.
Metal clashed against metal with a sharp ring, sending a brilliant shower of sparks.
Kiyohara's kunai blocked the attack while he simultaneously stepped back half a pace, deflecting the force.
"So fast..."
Obito had assumed Kiyohara was just a genin and had underestimated him.
Now it was clear this guy was no pushover.
Obito followed up with a flurry of attacks: flipping his kunai, slashing upward, then chopping down, all in one fluid sequence.
Kiyohara's body moved almost instinctively.
"Your form is wrong. You should parry like this..."
The Rogue Ninja Kiyohara's spirit continued coaching him on combat techniques.
Listening to his future self's experience, Kiyohara felt like scales were falling from his eyes.
Obito wasn't just facing one opponent. He was also up against old man Rogue Ninja Kiyohara!
The power of a jōnin, kid!
As time passed, Obito noticed that Kiyohara's movements were becoming sharper and more fluid, as if a clumsy apprentice had suddenly found his rhythm.
He kept attacking from impossibly tricky angles.
And Obito could tell that Kiyohara was improving bit by bit with each exchange.
"His stance is unstable. His center of gravity is shifting backward. Attack his left side and force him to move..."
The Rogue Ninja Kiyohara instructed.
Kiyohara flicked his wrist, changing his kunai strike from a thrust to a slash aimed at Obito's left side.
Sure enough, Obito looked more awkward now, his defensive movements showing a hint of hesitation.
As they exchanged blows, Obito gradually fell behind.
Obito's eyes widened. This was just a commoner, yet his improvement speed was incredible.
A few minutes ago, he could barely keep up. Now he was actively pressuring him!
"How is this possible?!"
The more Obito fought, the more alarmed he became. The pressure was mounting.
Rin was watching. He couldn't embarrass himself in front of her.
"It's almost like there's a master instructor right there, telling Kiyohara exactly how to attack and counter in real time."
Watching Kiyohara's rapid improvement, Minato couldn't help but think this.
Then he could only smile to himself.
It was just them here. Where would anyone else come from?
"Why does Kiyohara seem so much stronger than before?"
Kurenai's ruby-like eyes reflected Kiyohara's figure.
She and Kiyohara were old classmates; they knew each other inside and out.
Could it be that survival pressure had unlocked his hidden potential?
Regardless of what others speculated, Obito was now under immense pressure, his earlier confidence completely gone.
Damn it, Rin is right here!
Carrying the Uchiha name, I absolutely cannot lose!
Obito's left hand dipped into his tool pouch, and when it emerged, several shuriken were wedged between his fingers.
Shuriken manipulation was an Uchiha specialty!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three shuriken flew from Obito's hand, sealing off Kiyohara's high, middle, and low paths. The angles were razor-sharp, showing that Obito had clearly put in serious work on his throwing technique.
"Don't forget what I taught you."
The Rogue Ninja Kiyohara said.
His words could only be heard by Kiyohara.
To everyone else, he was like a ghost made of air.
Kiyohara nodded slightly, then drew just a single shuriken.
Whoosh!
Kiyohara's shuriken flew out, leaving later but arriving first, tracing an arc through the air and striking the tail end of Obito's first thrown shuriken.
Clink!
After a crisp collision, Kiyohara's shuriken seemed to curve, deflecting toward the remaining two.
Clink! Clink!
A series of sharp rings followed. Obito's confident triple-throw was completely neutralized by a single shuriken, all three scattering to the ground at odd angles.
"How is that possible?!"
Obito's eyes went round with disbelief.
Curving shuriken technique, something he hadn't even learned yet, and Kiyohara already knew it!
Caught off guard, Obito's defensive movements slowed for just a split second.
How could Kiyohara let this fleeting opportunity slip?
Obito only saw a blur before him. He'd barely raised his kunai to defend when Kiyohara's hand clamped onto his wrist like an iron vice. At the same time, a foot hooked behind his ankle.
"Ugh!"
Obito felt an irresistible force surge through him. His center of gravity vanished completely, and the world spun around him.
Thud!
A heavy sound rang out as Obito was slammed solidly onto the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
And the tip of Kiyohara's kunai was already resting lightly against his throat.
The fight came to an abrupt end.
The training ground fell silent.
Even in Kakashi's perpetually lazy gaze, a flicker of surprise appeared.