Kapitel 272: Chapter 272: The Raikage's Second Setback
"Rin-chan, take the client and fall back a bit. Kakashi and I will hold them off," Obito said urgently as he saw Hidden Cloud ninjas charging toward them.
Rin was the weakest among them, so Obito instinctively assigned her a safer task.
Rin looked at Kakashi, who nodded in agreement. It wasn't feasible to focus solely on the battle and neglect the client. Having the weakest member, Rin, watch over the client while assisting in the fight was the best choice under the circumstances.
With the plan agreed upon, Rin fell back with the somewhat frightened client and prepared to assist with her chakra ready.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito quickly formed hand signs, concentrating chakra in his throat for a fire-type chakra nature transformation. He unleashed a massive fireball, about three meters in diameter, toward the approaching Hidden Cloud ninjas.
Although the Great Fireball Jutsu has many drawbacks, its low chakra consumption and high power make it an ideal opening technique. When the enemy's capabilities are unknown, using the Great Fireball as a probing attack is the best choice.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Kakashi threw a large number of shuriken, aiming to use the ninja tools to interfere with the opponents, making it harder for them to dodge.
The four ninjas did not take the attack head-on but scattered and used Body Flicker Jutsu to evade the Great Fireball. They drew their weapons to block Kakashi's shuriken and continued advancing.
"Such movements indicate considerable skill," Kakashi exhaled, feeling the pressure.
Although he didn't have the Identification Jutsu to directly see through the enemy's chakra and ninjutsu, Kakashi could tell from their reactions to the attacks that these opponents were not weak, and none of them were Genin.
However, this was within Kakashi's expectations, as they were facing a team led by a candidate for Raikage.
The last time they encountered a candidate for Raikage, just two Hidden Cloud ninjas had pushed them to the brink. If it weren't for Guy and Obito pushing their limits, Kakashi might not have been able to hold on long enough to gain clarity.
Gripping his White Fang short blade, Kakashi pondered his strategy.
If his teammate was Guy, he would have Obito provide fire support while he and Guy charged in together.
But now his teammate was Rin, who clearly didn't have the same suppressive power as Guy. While Enhanced Strength was formidable, it needed to land a hit to be effective.
"Let's assess their strength first. If none of them are Jonin, it won't be a problem," Kakashi decided as the enemy approached.
"Thunder Breathing, Total Concentration!"
Kakashi took in a large amount of oxygen to enhance his physical abilities, concentrating chakra in his lower body and quickly performing a nature transformation to activate the cells in his legs.
Kakashi then charged directly at Motomu, who appeared to be the leader. If the leader wasn't a Jonin, the others were even less likely to be.
Clang!
Kakashi's White Fang short blade clashed with Motomu's sword, creating a loud metallic collision sound.
"Your speed is impressive, but still insufficient in the face of my sensing," Motomu said, using his strength to push Kakashi back. He then gathered a large amount of chakra in his hand, transforming his sword into a lightning-infused weapon and thrusting it toward Kakashi.
Although he was a sensing ninja, Motomu was also a genuine Jonin, though not outstanding among Jonin.
At that moment, a kunai engulfed in flames was hurled at him, forcing Motomu to abandon his attack and evade the flaming kunai.
Using the high speed from Thunder Breathing, Kakashi quickly returned to Obito's side and said seriously:
"The leader of the Hidden Cloud group is likely a Jonin, and the other three could be Chunin, but there might also be additional Jonin."
Upon hearing Kakashi's assessment, Obito was worried. He had experienced the strength of Hidden Cloud Jonin firsthand; even with his second Tomoe Sharingan and Guy opening the second gate of the Eight Inner Gates, battles against them were incredibly difficult.
It would be manageable if there were just Jonin, and he and Kakashi could handle the situation or at least hold their ground. However, if there were also three Chunin, it would become overwhelming. It was clearly not feasible to let Rin take on the three Chunin alone.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito used the Great Fireball Jutsu to block the opponents from advancing and continued to fall back.
"The gap in combat power is too significant," Kakashi thought desperately for a solution to their predicament.
As he remembered the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his ninja tool pouch and Minato, who was currently engaging with the Raikage candidate, Kakashi realized that Minato was the only one who could resolve the situation.
Though relying on others wasn't ideal, Minato seemed to be the only one who could help in this predicament.
At that moment, Kakashi saw Minato watching them from a distance. Minato had been waiting for an opportunity. Their eyes met, and Kakashi decided to trust Minato.
Kakashi threw the Flying Thunder God Kunai towards Motomu.
Since it was Kakashi's kunai, Motomu didn't pay much attention to it and failed to notice the Flying Thunder God Jutsu mark on it. He simply dodged to the side, planning to continue his advance.
Whoosh!
Minato used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to appear behind Motomu. He drove the Flying Thunder God Kunai into Motomu's body and then used his hand to place a Flying Thunder God Seal on Motomu before throwing him towards the Fourth Generation A.
Fourth Generation A hadn't expected Kakashi to have another Flying Thunder God Kunai. He looked at Minato with caution, quickly catching Motomu and pulling out the Flying Thunder God Kunai, then letting the Hidden Cloud Ninja tend to Motomu's injuries.
For Fourth Generation A, there were two people he was particularly concerned about: the first was Killer B, who was like a brother to him, and the second was Motomu, a rare sensing talent who was also very loyal to him.
While he would feel regret and sadness if the others died, Motomu's death would be more than just regret—it would be immense anger.
"Do not continue to act. Stay by my side and do as you're told," Fourth Generation A said sternly.
"Understood!" Motomu accepted Fourth Generation A's instructions.
After heavily injuring Motomu, Minato continued to focus on Fourth Generation A, preventing him from launching a high-speed attack on Obito and the others.
Seeing Minato take away a Jonin, Kakashi felt a moment of relief. He picked up his White Fang short blade and burst into speed, charging at the nearest Hidden Cloud Ninja.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!"
In this crisis situation, Obito couldn't afford to be cautious. He activated his Two Tomoe Sharingan and entered the Flame Breathing Total Concentration Breathing state, pushing his abilities to their peak. Holding a Kunai, he single-handedly blocked the two Hidden Cloud Ninjas.
"Sharingan!" Upon seeing Obito's eyes turn crimson, the two Hidden Cloud Ninjas immediately recognized it as the Kekkai Genkai of the Konoha Uchiha Clan. They abandoned their attack on Rin and decided to team up against Obito.
Obito was grateful for the evasive training Mutsuki had provided. Thanks to the powerful observational skills of the Sharingan and his excellent positioning, even when the two Hidden Cloud Ninjas used Nin-Taijutsu together, they couldn't touch him.
However, Obito also had limited offensive opportunities. The saying "two fists cannot withstand four hands" was accurate. Facing two opponents, Obito could only maintain an advantage but couldn't quickly defeat either one.
But Obito wasn't anxious. Since Kakashi was only facing one enemy, once Kakashi dealt with that opponent and came to help, the two Hidden Cloud Ninjas wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
Without waiting for Kakashi to finish off his enemy and come to help Obito, Rin saw that the surroundings had temporarily become safe and ran towards the surrounded Obito.
Both Obito and the Hidden Cloud Ninjas noticed Rin's arrival.
"This Uchiha is difficult to deal with. You hold him off, and I'll grab his companion to use as leverage," one of the Hidden Cloud Ninjas said decisively.
He believed that Rin's strength was likely very weak. If she had been able to help with Ninjutsu, she wouldn't have been just watching.
Before his companion could reply, the Hidden Cloud Ninja charged forward.
The other Hidden Cloud Ninja, though frustrated, knew that this was their only chance for victory. In a normal fight, their defeat was only a matter of time.
Seeing the Hidden Cloud Ninja charging straight at Rin, Obito realized that this Hidden Cloud Ninja must be underestimating the situation. He focused on dealing with the remaining Hidden Cloud Ninja while keeping a peripheral eye on the other side.
Already at a disadvantage in a one-on-two situation, the remaining Hidden Cloud Ninja quickly acquired several wounds.
"Hang in there!" Silently cheering for his teammates, the departing Hidden Cloud Ninja aimed a punch at Rin's head, trying to knock her out.
"Enhanced Strength Punch!"
Rin concentrated a large amount of Chakra in her arm and exploded with it, swinging her slender fist to meet the Hidden Cloud Ninja's punch.
Since it was her first real battle, Rin was concerned about her strength and used half of her Chakra for this punch.
Seeing Rin's delicate and slender arm, the Hidden Cloud Ninja was extremely dismissive. He thought that a girl with arms thinner than his own would never be able to match a Ninja who had trained Taijutsu for a long time.
Bang!
A figure was sent flying at high speed, crashing into a tree and breaking it.
The Hidden Cloud Ninja fighting Obito was dumbfounded as he watched his teammate being sent flying. Is this how you catch people?
His teammate was stunned, and the Hidden Cloud Ninja who was knocked away was even more bewildered. He couldn't believe his strength was surpassed by a girl who looked so frail.
But the intense pain in his palm and the blood reminded him that it was true. He found it incredibly difficult to move even a single finger, feeling as if the bones in his palm were all shattered.
Bang!
Obito seized the opportunity and used a Konoha Whirlwind to kick the remaining Hidden Cloud Ninja away.
The Hidden Cloud Ninja facing Kakashi had several severe bleeding wounds and was in extremely poor condition.
As Fourth Generation A continued to attack Minato, Minato used Flying Thunder God once again.
Fourth Generation A scanned the surroundings rapidly, having noted all the locations and ready to use his speed to attack Minato at any moment.
But another unexpected event occurred. This time, Minato appeared directly next to Killer B, holding a Kunai aimed at Killer B's head.
"There shouldn't be a Kunai with a sealing technique there," Fourth Generation A's face darkened significantly.
"Could it be that he can carve such techniques onto people?" Fourth Generation A thought of the injured Motomu and quickly considered a possibility.
The Flying Thunder God Kunai embedded in Motomu had already been removed by him, and only Motomu and Minato had had direct contact there.
Killer B, with his extremely fast reaction speed and decisive actions, almost instantly pointed his sword behind him.
Unlike Fourth Generation A, who was actively attacking, Killer B, who had been in a state of readiness, had the opportunity for a counterattack due to his extreme reaction.
"If you want to risk mutual destruction, come at me; I'm not afraid," Killer B said calmly without turning around.
Despite his young age, Killer B understood the cruelty of being a Ninja and trusted that his older brother would avenge him. At that time, the injured Minato Namikaze wouldn't stand a chance against his older brother.
"Although you are an opponent, I admire you. Your reaction and decisiveness are worthy of being called a Ninja killer," Minato praised.
From initially seeing through the Flying Thunder God information to now, with Killer B's extreme reaction to his attacks, Minato believed that Killer B would definitely have a place in the future Ninja world.
"Everyone, let's all stop and take a step back. We're not in a mission conflict, and this isn't a battlefield," Minato said.
He didn't intend to kill Killer B because it would provoke Fourth Generation A into a furious rage. Given Fourth Generation A's strength, if he were to erupt in anger and attack Obito and the others, it would be difficult for Minato to protect them.
The decision to severely injure rather than kill Motomu was partly to set up for future attacks and partly to avoid worsening the situation during negotiations.
Minato saw potential in Killer B, Obito, and Kakashi, believing they could all grow and become strong, and it was uncertain who would be stronger in the end.
Fourth Generation A considered it and agreed to cease combat, allowing the three Hidden Cloud Ninjas to support each other and return without further attacks.
While Killer B was willing to exchange his life for Minato Namikaze, Fourth Generation A didn't want to see his close brother die. Even if he could kill the injured Minato later, he wouldn't want to.
Minato and Fourth Generation A's words seemed to hit the pause button suddenly; the enemy ceased their attack. Minato spoke again, and Obito and the others also stopped, standing together to protect the client.
"Minato Namikaze, I remember you. You're quite impressive," Fourth Generation A said solemnly.
Before encountering Minato, he had only ever been defeated once, by a Mist Ninja who also used Lightning Release Chakra Mode. This was the second time he had faced such a situation.
"I won't forget you either," Minato replied seriously.
He had a premonition that this wouldn't be their last encounter. With Hidden Cloud and Konoha at war, their paths might cross again during a major conflict.
In the end, both sides parted ways. Fourth Generation A and his subordinates sought a place to heal, while Minato and his team continued their escort mission.
After this encounter, Minato quickly took Obito and the others back to the Land of Fire to avoid any further dangerous situations.
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