### Chapter 14: Protecting Everyone Behind Me
"I need to be careful."
Kyouko thought to himself.
Mahiru's strength was very formidable; he was a genuine Jonin.
Kakashi was actually no match for him at all. In the original story, Kakashi only survived because Minato Namikaze stepped in to save the day.
Thinking of this, Kyouko decided to keep a low profile.
With a frown, he calmly moved everyone behind him for "protection."
"Everyone, be careful. There are twenty enemies, but most likely they are Shadow Clones."
Minato Namikaze spoke up.
Suddenly, twenty more auras appeared.
It was very likely the enemy used the "Shadow Clone Technique" to create physical clones.
"Sensei... let's charge. Please cover me."
Kakashi spoke.
He wanted to test out his newly developed jutsu.
"Absolutely do not be rash, Kakashi. You should bring up the rear."
Minato Namikaze said.
He then glanced at Kyouko, who had retreated to the back.
He couldn't help but nod.
Kyouko's vigilance was very good; Kakashi was too reckless.
The enemy's situation was unclear, so they needed to be fully prepared.
In Minato's view, no matter how strong a ninja was, a single kunai to a vital spot meant death.
"Sensei... today I am the captain, right? It just so happens I want to test the new ninjutsu I'm developing!"
Kakashi didn't listen to Minato's advice.
He lowered his body, letting his right hand hang over the grass.
Crackle!
Arcs of lightning flickered continuously in Kakashi's hand, sounding like the chirping of a thousand birds!
Chidori!
"Is that 'Chidori'?"
Kyouko observed the Lightning Release ninjutsu Kakashi unleashed.
At this stage, the technique was called "Chidori." Later, after Kakashi joined the Anbu and used "Chidori" to cut through a bolt of lightning, it was renamed "Raikiri" (Lightning Cutter).
"Chidori" and "Raikiri" were actually the same jutsu, with the same hand seals.
However, interestingly, according to the databooks, "Chidori" is listed as an A-rank difficulty jutsu, while "Raikiri" is S-rank.
"Even if there are many enemies, using this jutsu can finish them instantly!"
Kakashi looked confident, then ignoring Minato's obstruction, he charged straight out.
Zizizizizi!
The piercing sound cut through the silent forest.
"He actually charged straight over?"
Mahiru was stunned, not expecting Kakashi to attack head-on after discovering his presence.
Seeing this, he threw several shuriken, attempting to stop Kakashi.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Continuous sounds of breaking air rang out. Kyouko also threw shuriken at that moment.
The shuriken he threw collided with Mahiru's shuriken in mid-air, then fell to the ground.
"How is Kyouko's shurikenjutsu even better than mine, an Uchiha?"
Obito had intended to throw shuriken to help feint for Kakashi.
But before he could throw, Kyouko acted first.
Without obstruction, Kakashi's body was dragged by the "Chidori" in his hand, his speed rapidly enhanced, charging out like a bolt of lightning.
Poof!
After being pierced through, Mahiru turned into a puff of smoke.
Shadow Clone!
Everyone's heart tightened.
Shadow Clones cannot be seen through, even by the Byakugan.
Ninja can only rely on experience to judge which one is the original body.
Because Shadow Clones distribute chakra equally, naturally, one cannot tell which is the original.
While the others were stunned, Kyouko kept staring at the ground.
He knew Mahiru's next attack would come from the ground.
Sure enough, there was movement on the ground, and Mahiru popped out holding a kunai.
Obito looked panicked, thinking Mahiru was coming for him.
Unexpectedly, Mahiru changed direction and attacked Kyouko.
Originally, he wanted to kill the ninja with the Uchiha fan crest, representing the Uchiha clan.
But then he remembered that Kyouko was also the first to discover him, so he changed his target.
Clang!
Weapons clashed, and bright, sharp sparks flashed and disappeared.
"What!"
Mahiru was stunned.
This brat actually blocked his attack?
It was almost as if he was waiting there specifically for him!
While Mahiru was stunned, Kyouko threw another shuriken.
Poof!
Mahiru's Shadow Clone disappeared.
The biggest drawback for most ninja using Shadow Clones is insufficient chakra!
Mahiru obviously had this flaw too.
Creating twenty Shadow Clones meant his chakra was divided into twenty parts, so each one only had one-twentieth of the original.
Only someone like Naruto, who could squander chakra at will, could create thousands of Shadow Clones without being affected.
"Did the surprise attack fail?"
On the other side, Mahiru frowned slightly.
He had intended to kill one brat first, but unexpectedly failed.
"The eighteenth..."
Kakashi circled around, took out most of Mahiru's Shadow Clones, and went straight for Mahiru.
"Don't push your luck, you little brat!"
Mahiru was losing his cool.
It was one thing for that black-haired brat to detect his sneak attack, but now this white-haired brat with his calm face was also annoyingly persistent!
Mahiru chose an angle and swung his sword quickly. Kakashi was clearly losing control of his jutsu.
Mahiru saw this.
Minato Namikaze also saw this.
In the next instant, Minato disappeared from his spot.
When he reappeared, he grabbed Kakashi and dodged Mahiru's downward slash.
After delivering Kakashi to a safe place, Minato took off his backpack.
In the moment before it hit the ground, he used the "Flying Thunder God Technique" to teleport directly behind Mahiru, holding a kunai against him.
"Are you... Konoha's... 'Yellow Flash'?"
Mahiru broke out in a cold sweat, finally understanding why his superiors ordered them to flee upon seeing Minato Namikaze.
Squelch.
Blood sprayed, and Mahiru fell lifeless to the ground.
"Truly the Ninja World."
Kyouko watched Minato, usually a nice guy, ruthlessly take Mahiru's life.
Ninja had always been a dark profession; killing was common, just masked by Naruto's adventure theme.
"Ugh..."
Kakashi clutched his wound, and Rin Nohara hurriedly went to treat him.
Seeing Kakashi's failed showboating, Obito didn't hesitate to criticize him for acting recklessly and disobeying Teacher Minato.
"I don't want to hear lectures from you."
Kakashi glanced at Obito.
"You two, that's enough."
Minato flicked the blood off his kunai.
"This time, the only person who truly satisfied me was Kyouko."
Minato said.
With his voice, everyone's gaze shifted to Kyouko.
"Kakashi, rules are indeed important, but didn't I tell you? Depending on the situation, sometimes we have to adapt..."
Minato began to express his disappointment with this operation.
Kakashi was reckless, and Obito was clearly frozen in fear.
The genjutsu user Kurenai and medical ninja Rin weren't combat types, so that was understandable.
Genma was somewhat mediocre, average in all aspects; he didn't discover the enemy, but didn't drag the team down when attacked either.
This time, only Kyouko satisfied Minato