"The reason I called everyone here is that I'm the lead on this mission."
After everyone had assembled, Namikaze Minato spoke.
"Your original squad leader has been assigned elsewhere, so the three of you are being temporarily attached to me."
Minato looked at Kiyohara, Yūhi Kurenai, and Shiranui Genma.
"Yes, Minato-sama."
Genma nodded.
With Minato leading, this mission might turn out unexpectedly easy.
Compared to everyone else looking like they were headed on a spring picnic, Kiyohara didn't dare let his guard down.
In this lineup, only Namikaze Minato and soon-to-be jōnin Kakashi were real powerhouses.
The rest were chūnin.
The only genin was Kiyohara.
In the past he'd tried to delay dangerous assignments as much as possible, and never took the chūnin exams.
Now, with Konoha desperately short on manpower, not only wily veteran genin like Kiyohara but even fresh academy graduates had to go to war.
This "reinforcement" mission was more likely grunt work—drawing attention.
The main objective was to blow the bridge. More bodies meant more ways to confuse the enemy and buy time for whoever was planting the charges.
"To get a better handle on your strength, I want to run a quick test."
Minato said.
He knew his own students well, but not the situation with Kiyohara's trio.
A genin isn't always just genin-level strength.
Sometimes they just haven't had time to take the exam.
"Obito, you spar with Kiyohara first."
Minato called Obito out.
Kakashi was way too OP, and Nohara Rin was a medical ninja; that left Obito.
"Heh, perfect chance to warm up!"
Obito grinned, pushing up his goggles, relaxed as could be. He took great care of those precious eyes of his.
He didn't think much of the guy in front of him—just a genin.
After all, he was Uchiha. Even without his eyes awakened yet, that bloodline confidence ran in his bones.
"Alright."
Kiyohara nodded and stepped forward.
Besides training ninjutsu, Rogue Kiyohara had been coaching him one-on-one in combat these last few days.
If you're a rogue-nin and your fighting skills are lacking, you'd have been dead long ago.
So Kiyohara hadn't learned many jutsu, but he had learned a lot of fighting technique.
"Begin."
Minato said.
Kiyohara readied himself.
His chakra reserves had previously been close to chūnin level; he just hadn't taken the exam.
After fusing a part of Rogue Kiyohara, he was now solidly above an average chūnin's reserves.
So sparring Obito, he felt almost certain.
Obito's combat skills were decent too; he just wasn't steady before awakening the Sharingan.
Rogue Kiyohara's spirit hovered at Kiyohara's back.
"Remember, Obito's got an Uchiha's physique. Just catch his openings."
Kiyohara gave a small nod.
"Begin."
Minato announced.
Obito moved first!
He dug in with a stomp; dirt sprayed as he closed the gap in an instant.
A kunai sliced the air, straight for Kiyohara's throat.
Kiyohara drew his own at the same moment.
Clang! Metal struck metal, throwing a bright spray of sparks.
Kiyohara's kunai caught the attack as he slid half a step back to bleed off the force.
"Fast…"
Obito had figured Kiyohara was just a genin and looked down on him a little.
Turns out this guy wasn't simple.
Obito flipped, lifted, and chopped with his kunai—an unbroken chain of strikes.
Kiyohara's body moved almost on instinct.
"Your angle's off. Parry like this…"
Rogue Kiyohara's spirit kept narrating technique.
Listening to his future self's experience, Kiyohara felt like a dam had burst.
Obito wasn't just fighting him—he was fighting "Grandpa" Rogue Kiyohara too.
Jōnin power, kid.
As the minutes passed, Obito realized Kiyohara's movements were getting sharper and smoother, a clumsy apprentice suddenly finding his rhythm.
He kept attacking from impossible angles.
And Obito could feel it—Kiyohara was improving bit by bit in real time.
"His base is unstable, weight too far back. Hit his left lane—force him to move…"
Rogue Kiyohara said.
Kiyohara flipped his wrist, turning a stab into a slice, and cut toward Obito's left.
Sure enough, Obito looked more awkward; his parry paused for a split second.
Back and forth they went, and Obito gradually fell behind.
His eyes widened. A civilian—improving this fast?
A few minutes ago Kiyohara was barely keeping up; now he was pressing the attack!
"How is that possible?!"
The longer it went, the more rattled Obito became.
Rin was watching. He didn't want to lose face in front of her.
"It's like there's a master right here, calling Kiyohara's moves and counters in real time."
Watching Kiyohara's rapid improvement, a thought bubbled up in Minato's mind.
He could only smile.
It was just them here—who else could there be?
"Kiyohara seems way stronger than before."
Kurenai's ruby eyes reflected Kiyohara's figure.
She'd been his classmate forever—she practically knew him inside out.
Maybe the pressure to survive had sparked his potential?
Speculation aside, Obito was now under a mountain of pressure—nothing like his initial confidence.
Damn it, Rin is right here!
Carrying the Uchiha name, I absolutely can't lose!
He slid his left hand into his pouch and came up with several shuriken clipped between his fingers.
Shuriken handling was an Uchiha specialty!
Swish, swish, swish!
Three shuriken spun from Obito's hand, sealing Kiyohara's high, mid, and low lines. The angles were devilish; he'd clearly put in work on his throwing.
"Don't forget the trick I taught you."
Rogue Kiyohara said.
Only Kiyohara could hear him.
To everyone else, he was just a ghost in the air.
Kiyohara dipped his head—and drew only one shuriken.
Whip!
His shuriken flew late but arrived first, tracing an arc in the air to strike the tail of Obito's leading shuriken.
Ting!
With a crisp ping, Kiyohara's shuriken caromed like it had turned mid-flight and ricocheted into the other two.
Ting! Ting!
A rapid series of chimes—Obito's confident triple throw was undone by a single shuriken, the three blades clattering off at skewed angles.
"Impossible!"
Obito's eyes went round with disbelief.
A curving-trajectory shuriken technique—he hadn't even learned that yet, and Kiyohara had pulled it off!
Caught off guard, his guard hand slowed for a beat.
Kiyohara wasn't about to waste the instant.
Obito saw a blur; he barely lifted his kunai to defend when Kiyohara's hand clamped his wrist like iron, and a foot hooked his ankle.
"Ugh!"
An irresistible force yanked his balance away; the world flipped.
Thud!
Obito hit the ground hard, kicking up a puff of dust.
Kiyohara's kunai tip was already resting lightly at his throat.
The match ended, clean and sudden.
Silence fell over the field.
Even Kakashi's perpetually bored eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.