"The reason I have assembled you all is simple. I will be taking command of this mission."
Minato Namikaze stood before the combined group, his white haori fluttering slightly in the breeze.
"Your usual Jonin Sensei has been deployed elsewhere, so your three-man cell has been temporarily assigned to my command."
Minato looked over the reinforcement team: Kiyohara, Kurenai Yuhi, and Genma Shiranui.
"Understood, Minato-san," Genma nodded, a senbon needle shifting in his mouth.
With the Yellow Flash as their commander, the tension in the group eased slightly. A mission led by Minato was usually a guarantee of survival.
Compared to the others, who looked almost relieved, Kiyohara did not dare to be careless.
He analyzed the lineup grimly.
Only Minato and Kakashi—who was on the verge of his promotion to Jonin—were elite fighters.
Everyone else was a Chunin.
And Kiyohara? He was the only Genin.
In the past, he had done everything possible to delay his promotion to avoid dangerous S-rank missions. He had skipped the Chunin Exams repeatedly.
But now, Konoha was bleeding. The village was facing such a severe manpower shortage that rank no longer mattered. Even rookies fresh from the Academy were being thrown into the grinder. A seasoned Genin like Kiyohara didn't stand a chance of staying behind.
Although this mission was labeled "reinforcement," Kiyohara knew the truth. They were likely going to be responsible for logistics and distraction.
The main objective was to destroy the Kannabi Bridge. Having more people would confuse the Iwagakure defenders, buying precious seconds for the demolition team.
"To better understand your current capabilities, I would like to conduct a test," Minato announced.
He knew his own students' skills inside and out, but he needed to gauge the combat readiness of Kiyohara's group. Rank on paper didn't always equal skill in the field. Some Genin were simply late bloomers who hadn't taken the exam.
"Obito. You spar with Kiyohara first."
Minato pointed to the boy in the orange goggles.
It was a logical choice. Kakashi was a prodigy who would end the fight too quickly, and Rin was a Medical-nin. Obito was the only suitable benchmark.
"Heh, perfect timing! I needed a warm-up," Obito grinned, adjusting his goggles with an exaggerated sense of cool. He treated his eyewear with more care than his weapons.
He glanced at Kiyohara with a relaxed expression. He didn't pay much attention to the guy in front of him. Just a Genin?
'I am an Uchiha,' Obito thought confidently. 'Even if I haven't awakened my Sharingan yet, elite blood flows in my veins.'
"Understood."
Kiyohara nodded and stepped forward into the sparring circle.
Besides recording Ninjutsu, the Missing-nin had been drilling combat techniques into his mind over the past few days.
After all, a Missing-nin lived a life of constant pursuit. If his Taijutsu wasn't up to par, he would have been killed long ago. Kiyohara might lack a vast arsenal of jutsu, but his combat instincts had been forcibly upgraded.
"Begin!" Minato signaled.
Kiyohara dropped into a stance.
His Chakra reserves had been close to Chunin level before. Now, after merging with the essence of his future self, he had surpassed the average Chunin.
Against the current Obito, he felt highly confident.
Obito's raw talent was decent, but he was impulsive. He lacked the cold calculation of a veteran.
'Remember,' the spectral voice of the Missing-nin whispered in his ear. 'Obito has the superior Uchiha constitution. Don't trade blows with strength. Seize his openings.'
Kiyohara gave a microscopic nod.
Obito moved first!
He pushed off the ground, dirt spraying from his sandals, instantly closing the distance. A Kunai sliced through the air, aimed straight for Kiyohara's throat.
Clang!
A brilliant shower of sparks erupted.
Kiyohara had drawn his own Kunai in the split second before impact. He blocked the strike and stepped back half a pace, neutralizing the force of Obito's charge.
'So fast...'
Obito blinked. He had assumed Kiyohara was slow. Now it seemed this guy wasn't simple.
Not letting up, Obito flipped his grip. He thrust upward, then slashed downward—a continuous offensive executed in one smooth motion.
Kiyohara's body moved almost instinctively.
'Your angle is wrong. Parry at forty-five degrees, then slide down the blade,' the Missing-nin instructed.
Listening to the experience of his future self, Kiyohara felt a sense of clarity. It was like having a cheat code.
Obito wasn't fighting a Genin. He was fighting a Genin piloted by a veteran Jonin.
As the exchange continued, Obito realized Kiyohara's movements were becoming sharper. At the start, he seemed clumsy, but with every clash of steel, he found his rhythm.
'His lower body is unstable. His center of gravity is too far back. Attack his left side and force him to pivot,' the spirit commanded.
Kiyohara obeyed instantly. He flipped his wrist, changing his Kunai from a defensive guard to an offensive slice, targeting Obito's left flank.
Obito stumbled, his parry delayed by a fraction of a second.
Gradually, the Uchiha was being pushed back.
Obito's eyes widened. 'This is just a civilian! How is his improvement rate so fast?'
Just a minute ago, Kiyohara was barely keeping up. Now, he was suppressing him!
'How is this possible?!'
The pressure mounted. Obito glanced peripherally at the sidelines. Rin was watching.
'I can't lose face in front of Rin! I bear the name of Uchiha!'
Obito's left hand darted into his weapon pouch. When it emerged, several Shuriken were clenched between his fingers.
Shurikenjutsu was an Uchiha specialty!
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Three shuriken flew from Obito's hand, curving through the air to block Kiyohara's upper, middle, and lower escape routes. The angles were tricky, proving that despite his goofiness, Obito trained hard.
'Don't forget the technique I taught you,' the Missing-nin whispered.
To everyone else, the air was empty. To Kiyohara, the ghost was hovering right beside him.
Kiyohara drew a single shuriken.
Swoosh!
It flew out, leaving his hand a split second later than Obito's. It didn't aim for Obito—it aimed for the incoming steel.
Cling!
With a crisp metallic ring, Kiyohara's shuriken struck the tail of the first incoming projectile.
Physics took over. The impact altered the trajectory of the first shuriken, sending it crashing into the second, which in turn knocked the third off course.
Cling! Cling!
Obito's inescapable triple-threat formation was shattered by a single throw. The weapons scattered harmlessly into the dirt.
"How could this be?!"
Obito's jaw dropped.
He hadn't even mastered the advanced Shuriken Deflection techniques yet, but this Genin had?
Shock made him careless. His defensive stance wavered.
Kiyohara didn't let the opportunity slip.
Obito saw a blur. Before he could raise his Kunai, a hand clamped onto his wrist like an iron vise. Simultaneously, a foot hooked behind his ankle.
"Ugh!"
Leverage applied. Gravity accepted.
Thud!
Obito slammed onto his back, the wind knocked out of him. Dust billowed around them.
When the dust settled, Kiyohara was crouching over him, the tip of a Kunai resting lightly against the Uchiha's throat.
The battle came to an abrupt halt.
The training ground was dead silent.
Even Kakashi, whose single visible eye usually held a look of utter boredom, showed a flicker of genuine surprise.
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