"Minato-senpai, why haven't we seen Kakashi and the others?" Hanekawa asked after Tsunade and Minato finished their discussion.
Hearing this, Rin Nohara instinctively looked over, her expression full of concern.
"They're out on a mission. Kakashi is leading the team, with Obito and Guy as members," Minato explained with a smile.
"No wonder," Hanekawa muttered, remembering that Kakashi Hatake was now a Special Jōnin qualified to lead a squad.
"As expected of Kakashi—he's already able to handle missions on his own," Rin Nohara said with a sigh of relief. She had feared something bad had happened to the three of them.
"Kakashi has indeed been a great help to me," Minato nodded in agreement.
Hanekawa could now confirm that Kakashi's promotion to Special Jōnin was largely to assist Minato in managing his students.
But this was an unavoidable decision.
Minato possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique, making him an indispensable rapid-response asset during emergencies. However, taking three students along with him would put a significant burden on the technique and hinder his ability to ensure their safety—especially since he was often deployed to the most critical and dangerous battlefields.
"Minato," Shibi Aburame approached and said, "Lady Tsunade has requested your presence at the main tent for a meeting."
"I'll head there right away," Minato replied before turning back to Hanekawa and the others. "Kakashi and his team should return soon."
After saying this, he followed Shibi to the main tent.
"I'll go to the meeting too," Hanekawa said after some thought.
It was better to hear the briefing directly to avoid missing any important information. Besides, with his knowledge of the original story's plot, he could offer Tsunade better strategic advice.
"Go ahead," Kurenai Yuhi said casually, accustomed to Hanekawa's habits by now.
"We'll wait here for Kakashi and the others," Rin Nohara added softly.
"Alright," Hanekawa said, entering the main tent.
Some people gave him surprised looks, but considering his feat of killing Kuriarare Kushimaru, his presence at a Jōnin meeting was understandable.
The Jōnin who had fought alongside him in the Land of Rivers greeted him warmly.
As expected, camaraderie forged during war was the easiest to build.
Hanekawa thought that if he participated in a few more battles, he'd become a familiar face among most shinobi—a great advantage for his future Hokage ambitions.
"Sensei," Hanekawa greeted Tsunade.
"Mm," Tsunade acknowledged without looking up, her focus on the map of the Land of Grass spread before her.
Hanekawa's gaze shifted to the map.
True to its name, the Land of Grass was dominated by vast grasslands. However, the areas marked for battle featured more complex terrains like mountains.
His eyes narrowed as they landed on a specific marker—the Kannabi Bridge.
No wonder it was so crucial.
The bridge was located deep in the rear of the Iwagakure forces.
In the original story, it was Minato and Kakashi's team who destroyed this bridge, securing victory in the war.
---
Outside the main tent, Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi were chatting casually.
After ten minutes, the sound of rushing wind broke the quiet.
Obito Uchiha appeared before Rin and Kurenai in a flash step.
"Obito," Rin greeted warmly.
"Why are you here?" Obito asked excitedly. "How long are you staying this time?"
"We're here to provide reinforcements," Rin explained after some thought. "We'll likely stay until Iwagakure's forces are repelled."
"That's great!" Obito said, his excitement palpable. "We can work on missions together again!"
"Rin, Kurenai," a calm voice interrupted. Kakashi Hatake had arrived late, his tone as steady as ever.
Compared to Obito's enthusiasm, Kakashi's demeanor remained composed.
"Seeing you all here makes me feel like my youth is burning again!" Guy declared with a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming brightly.
"You haven't changed a bit," Kurenai muttered, her mouth twitching slightly.
"Kakashi, congratulations on becoming a Special Jōnin," Rin said with a nod and a smile.
"Thank you," Kakashi replied briefly.
"I'm so close to becoming a Special Jōnin myself!" Obito declared, clearly unwilling to be left behind.
Rin hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
She didn't think Obito had reached the level of a Special Jōnin yet.
"Obito has made significant progress recently," Kakashi said after a pause. "But since he only uses Fire Release, he doesn't qualify for the rank."
Special Jōnin referred to shinobi with specialized skills in particular areas. Fire Release and the Sharingan didn't fall into this category.
Under normal circumstances, Obito could only aim for a full Jōnin promotion.
Rin was visibly surprised, as Kakashi was not one to make baseless statements.
"My Fire Release is as good as any Jōnin's now!" Obito said proudly, noticing Rin's expression.
Thanks to the guidance of a mysterious elder, both his Sharingan and Fire Release had improved by leaps and bounds.
Of course, Obito had exaggerated in front of Rin.
At full strength, he could barely reach the level of a Jōnin by using advanced Fire Release techniques. Overall, his current ability was somewhere between a Chūnin and a Jōnin.
"Isn't Hanekawa here?" Kakashi looked around, puzzled.
Obito suddenly had a thought and couldn't help glancing at Rin.
If Hanekawa wasn't here, it would be a double celebration for him!
"He's attending a meeting in the main tent," Kurenai said, pointing toward the nearby large tent.
"Could it be that he's already become a Jōnin?" Guy asked, his excitement growing.
"Hanekawa defeated one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kuriarare Kushimaru. It's only natural for him to be promoted to Jōnin," Kakashi replied matter-of-factly.
Although they had been stationed in the Land of Grass, they had heard about the defeat of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. At first, they found Hanekawa's achievement unbelievable, but Minato had later confirmed the intelligence from the Leaf Village.
"Maybe he just got lucky and encountered a severely injured Kushimaru," Obito muttered.
"Don't talk nonsense, Obito," Rin said sternly. "Hanekawa killed several Jōnin at the Mist Village's main base."
"I…" Obito froze, shocked by Rin's unusually serious reaction, leaving him momentarily speechless.
"Hanekawa hasn't become a Jōnin yet," Kurenai interjected, shaking her head.
"I'll definitely become a Jōnin before he does!" Obito said, clenching his fists with renewed determination. His recent progress had boosted his confidence.
Rin ignored him. In her eyes, no matter how hard Obito worked, he couldn't catch up to Hanekawa.
"…" Obito realized that no one was paying attention to him, and he felt so frustrated he could almost cough up blood.
Even the usually gentle Rin didn't agree with him.
Damn Hanekawa! Obito clenched his teeth, his frustration boiling. He wished he could defeat Hanekawa right now.
Wait. Since Hanekawa was here at the camp, why not challenge him directly?
Jōnin weren't invincible. Just yesterday, he and Kakashi had worked together to take down an Iwagakure Jōnin.
Besides, he was confident his Fire Release far surpassed Hanekawa's, thanks to the guidance of his mysterious mentor.
"What kind of mission did you undertake?" Kurenai asked curiously.
"When Iwagakure suddenly retreated, Minato-sensei sent us to track them, just in case it was a ruse," Kakashi explained.
"They must have been scared off by us!" Kurenai said confidently, tilting her chin slightly with a smile.
"With you all here, we now have enough manpower and won't be as overworked," Kakashi nodded. "These past two days, we've been fighting nonstop without any rest."
Since Sakumo Hatake hadn't died in this version of events, Kakashi wasn't as much of a relentless killing machine as in the original story.
"It must have been tough, but I'm glad you're all okay," Rin said softly.
"It wasn't tough at all!" Obito immediately blurted, grinning foolishly.
At that moment, footsteps echoed in the distance.
"The meeting's over!" Kurenai exclaimed, her ruby-like eyes scanning the crowd until she spotted Hanekawa. She quickly waved to him.
"Kakashi," Minato called out.
"I'll be right there." Kakashi excused himself from the group and walked toward Minato.
"What's the situation with Iwagakure?" Minato asked.
"They've relocated their main base," Kakashi reported. "It's now about five kilometers further back from its previous position."
"That's strange," Minato murmured. "Just recently, they were launching aggressive attacks, acting impatient."
"Maybe Lady Tsunade's arrival intimidated them," Kakashi speculated.
"Unlikely," Minato said, shaking his head. "We don't have an overwhelming numerical advantage."
Tsunade glanced at Hanekawa briefly.
Could it be that this kid's guess was correct?
Was Iwagakure merely pretending to attack the Leaf to stall for time and mislead the Cloud Village?
"No matter what Iwagakure is planning, we can't let them step foot into the Land of Fire," Tsunade said firmly, collecting her thoughts.
"Yes!" Minato responded promptly.
"Get some rest. Starting tomorrow, we resume missions," Tsunade instructed before heading to her tent.
"Long time no see, everyone," Hanekawa said as he approached Kakashi, Guy, and Obito, smiling.
"Hanekawa!" Guy immediately perked up. "How about a youthful showdown?"
"Fight me first!" Obito interjected.
Obito Uchiha extended his hand, stopping Might Guy in his tracks.
"Obito, Hanekawa has been traveling all morning. It's not a good time for sparring," Rin said instinctively, glancing at him.
Obito's heart ached.
Rin, why have you become like this?
"I'm fine with it," Hanekawa replied.
A sparring match wouldn't take too much time, and who knows—he might even unlock a new skill. Especially since his C-level perk, Fire Spitter, hadn't been upgraded in a while.
When he defeated Mei Terumi previously, his C-level perk, Lots of Water, had been upgraded to B-level, increasing his Water Release aptitude by 150%.
Perhaps Obito's current strength would be enough to trigger an upgrade. Hanekawa guessed that for a perk to level up, the opponent needed to have strength surpassing a Chūnin, nearing Jōnin level.
"Be careful, and stop before it gets serious," Rin advised once she saw Hanekawa agree.
Obito felt even more frustrated.
Rin, why are you so obedient in front of him?
"Please," Hanekawa said, standing before Obito and forming a hand seal for a duel.
A flash of crimson glinted in Obito's eyes as he immediately activated his Sharingan, revealing two tomoe in each eye.
This was to ensure he wouldn't fall for Hanekawa's genjutsu right at the start.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Obito didn't hesitate and initiated the attack.
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, sending waves of scorching heat through the air.
Rin, standing within the range of the fireball, immediately felt an overwhelming heat. For the first time, she fully realized that Kakashi hadn't been exaggerating when he spoke about Obito's recent improvements.
Even Kurenai looked surprised. Obito's abilities had indeed grown significantly.
However, compared to Hanekawa, he was still far too slow.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Hanekawa, unmoved by the advancing fireball, calmly formed hand seals.
A wall of water rose up, extinguishing the fireball upon impact. The collision of water and fire filled the area with a thick mist.
Obito wasn't surprised; he knew one Great Fireball wasn't enough to take down Hanekawa.
His goal was simple: to create mist.
In the mist, while the Sharingan's vision would also be impaired, it was still superior to normal eyesight.
Body Flicker Technique!
Obito vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Hanekawa amidst the mist.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
Without hesitation, Obito formed hand seals and unleashed a linear stream of flames that roared forward like a fire dragon.
Just as the flames were about to strike Hanekawa, a water dragon materialized out of nowhere, intercepting the fire dragon and dousing it instantly.
More mist filled the air, leaving Obito stunned.
How did Hanekawa know where I was?
Suddenly, the ground beneath Obito rose, forming a dragon head.
"What?!" Obito was startled and quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to evade as the earth dragon spat mud bullets.
Boom!
Obito crashed into a mud wall, momentarily stunned.
When did this wall get here? How does Hanekawa predict my movements so accurately?
"Damn it!" Obito gritted his teeth and formed hand seals again.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!
He unleashed a series of fireballs, each accompanied by shuriken hidden within the flames, scattering toward Hanekawa.
Obito's gaze sharpened. This was a B-rank Fire Release technique with a dual-layered attack: the flames distracted, while the shuriken struck unexpectedly. He had already used this technique to deceive several Iwagakure shinobi in recent battles.
Water Release: Water Bullet Barrage!
Hanekawa remained in place, calmly firing precise water bullets that struck each shuriken, neutralizing the attack.
"How is this possible?" Obito muttered in disbelief.
A whistling sound filled the air. Looking up, Obito saw a mass of clay descending from above.
He quickly leapt backward, only to crash into yet another mud wall.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Obito blasted the wall apart with a fireball, but as he stepped forward, the ground beneath him transformed into a massive swamp.
Obito began sinking, panic rising in his chest.
What kind of jutsu is this?!
Just as he tried to escape, the sound of thunder echoed. Looking up, he saw Hanekawa pressing his hand to the ground.
Lightning surged across the swamp, enveloping Obito in an instant.
Obito let out two cries of pain before collapsing unconscious.
_
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