"Captain, unless something unexpected happens, those Konoha ninja should be in this area."
On the outer edge of the forest, more than twenty Iwagakure ninja had gathered. A young Iwa ninja spoke in a low voice.
Many of them looked battered, their faces smeared with ash—clear signs that they, too, had been affected by last night's massive explosion.
Fortunately, their luck had been better than most. Some had survived by pursuing Might Guy, others had been out on patrol and weren't in the depot, while the rest had rushed over from elsewhere.
Even so, the rage in their hearts was burning.
What those Konoha ninja had done was utterly humiliating—like grinding grain naked, humiliating themselves in circles!
Setting aside the fact that the enemy had slipped into the rear lines, just the failure to defend their camp was already a disgrace.
Worse still, the attackers had detonated the explosive tags in the depot, blowing up a special jōnin along with a whole group of stationed ninja!
After this incident, their future in Iwagakure couldn't be described as "promising"—utter despair was more accurate.
No matter the reason, they had to kill those Konoha ninja!
"Since we've found them, split into teams and search thoroughly. We must find them!"
The Iwa ninja leading the group spoke through clenched teeth, his hatred for Konoha plain to see.
But just as they were about to move, a sudden flash of color appeared in the sky.
All the Iwa ninja looked up to see a signal flare streaking upward, trailing a long plume of smoke.
"This…?"
The squad leader froze, as did the others around him. None of them had expected things to turn out like this.
"Captain, what should we—"
The young ninja from before asked cautiously, clearly shaken.
The color of that flare meant reinforcements, and at a very high priority.
"We…"
The leader looked at the flare, then back at the forest ahead.
After a moment's hesitation, he spoke.
"We go provide support first. Something important must be happening over there.
Our own reinforcements are on the way as well. Leave one squad behind to maintain contact—the rest follow me!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"They left?"
Inside the forest near the cave, Yamashiro Aoba whispered to Haori with a strange expression.
Guy was just as confused. He'd already braced himself for a desperate fight, only for things to take this turn.
"Yeah. Looks like they ran into something serious,"
Haori nodded, though his expression was far from relaxed.
He knew exactly why the Iwa ninja had withdrawn—because the system had already given him the answer the moment they left.
[New Side Quest Acquired]
[1. Support Kakashi and Nohara Rin]
[2. Cooperate with Iwagakure and eliminate Kakashi's squad]
[Rewards unknown]
There was no doubt about it—the signal flare had been fired by Iwagakure, and if nothing unexpected had happened, Kakashi's team was in trouble.
Seeing the quest options made Haori's head throb.
He had to admit it—moving in this direction had been intentional.
His goal was to encounter Minato Namikaze.
With so many pursuers behind them, one misstep and it'd be lights out.
Only meeting someone like Minato could truly guarantee their safety.
And he also wanted Minato—and Kakashi's team—to know what he'd done.
It was perfect for building reputation.
Haori was desperate to rise.
But what he'd wanted to run into was Minato, not Kakashi's current squad.
Unfortunately, his luck had decided otherwise.
"Let's go."
Taking a deep breath, Haori accepted the quest despite his frustration.
At the very least, he comforted himself with one thought—Minato would come.
"Captain, why don't we take this chance to leave?"
Aoba froze for a moment before speaking quietly.
"The situation over there is unclear, and the danger level is high. Shouldn't we stick to the plan?"
Relax—we are sticking to the plan.
It's just that the timing's awful.
"Aoba, do you remember what I said the core objective of this mission was?"
Haori asked as he walked forward.
"I remember—this is a mission to end the war!"
Guy answered immediately.
He didn't really understand why Haori wanted to go, but his admiration for Haori had long since reached new heights.
And Haori was the captain—whatever decision he made, Guy would support it.
"You mean…"
Aoba was sharp. With just that hint, he immediately grasped the idea.
"Iwagakure might have run into Jōnin Minato's unit, so they fired the signal flare?"
"Exactly. Jōnin Minato's squad is the main force—we're just support."
Haori nodded and sped up after quickly checking their surroundings.
"Iwagakure even abandoned the search for us. The most likely reason is that they encountered him.
Minato's strength speaks for itself. They'd need numbers to hold him back.
As the core of this mission, his unit can't afford to fail. No matter what, we have to go take a look."
His reasoning was flawless.
Guy and Aoba both nodded unconsciously.
Indeed—something big enough to make Iwagakure mobilize like this could only be Minato's squad.
And that squad was the key to the entire operation. Seen this way, they really did have to check it out.
Without realizing it, Guy and Aoba had already been stamped with Haori's way of thinking.
Their cooperation back in the Land of Whirlpools, followed by fighting together in the Land of Grass, had built deep trust.
And Haori's analysis was airtight.
More importantly, what he'd done last night had genuinely earned their admiration.
Smart. Strong. A classmate.
How could someone like that not be trustworthy?
"Got it, Captain!"
Guy gave a thumbs-up, his dazzling white teeth gleaming in the sunlight.
"Let's go save Kakashi!"
"Settle down. We need to proceed carefully."
Aoba shot Guy a look, though Guy just laughed it off.
Aoba was used to it by now—aside from getting overexcited, Guy was solid in every other way.
"Then let's move."
Seeing the team united, Haori nodded inwardly.
Then, unbidden, Uchiha Fugaku crossed his mind.
Even a small mission squad knew the importance of unity—
So why, at such a critical moment, had that pig of a man been obsessed with his so-called balance?
"When we get back, I'll find a way to deal with him."
The thought hardened Haori's resolve—but thinking of Fugaku reminded him of something else.
"Judging by the quest details, it's only about saving Kakashi and Nohara Rin.
That probably means Uchiha Obito is already dead.
Still… we need to be careful.
Because Uchiha Madara is nearby."
At the thought of Madara, Haori instinctively pressed his lips together.
Even clinging to life, that old monster was terrifying.
Haori couldn't help wondering—if he were captured by Madara, should he play along…
Or find a way to pull out Madara's oxygen tube?
"Haori…"
As Haori was thinking, Aoba suddenly spoke, sounding a bit awkward.
That single line nearly made Haori stumble.
"Um… are we… kind of leading a bunch of enemies over there?"
That question almost broke him.
At that moment, only one thought echoed in Haori's mind—
Damn it. Did I just become a guide for the enemy?
~~--------------------------------
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