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Chapter 152: A-Rank Mission [The Ghost of the Uchiha]!
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 14:54:44 +0000 UTCChapter 152: A-Rank Mission [The Ghost of the Uchiha]!
"The Shadow of Darkness!"
"The Konoha Monster!"
"Everyone, run!"
Upon spotting the massive black beast in the sky, cries of terror erupted around the Kannabi Bridge supply point. The Iwagakure shinobi recalled the notice that had been issued in their village just two days prior: If you encounter the Shadow of Darkness on the battlefield, do not hesitate. Abandon the mission and retreat immediately!
However, before the Stone-nin could even begin to flee, two figures leaped from the back of the Shadow Creature, landing swiftly on the bridge to confront them.
"The Yellow Flash!"
"It's over... everything is over..."
"There's no point in fighting anymore..."
The arrival of Namikaze Minato shattered what little morale the Iwagakure shinobi had left. As for Uchiha Shisui, who landed beside him, he was completely ignored by the enemy due to his lack of distinct features.
"I never expected to be compared to the Captain or Minato-senpai, but... I really don't appreciate this kind of treatment," Uchiha Shisui muttered to himself before quickly forming hand seals and unleashing the signature jutsu that had made him a legend on the Iwagakure front.
"Mirage Body Flicker Jutsu!"
Multiple images of Shisui drew their swords and charged toward the Stone-nin on the bridge. Nearby, Minato, who had overheard Shisui's quiet complaint, shot an apologetic glance at his back before dashing into the Iwa defensive line at an even greater speed.
The Yellow Flash.
Shisui of the Body Flicker.
And the Shadow of Darkness circling in the sky above.
This level of power was far beyond what the defenders of Kannabi Bridge could ever hope to handle. Amidst the blur of black and yellow figures, Iwagakure shinobi fell to the ground one after another, collapsing like scarecrows in a wheat field battered by a gale, completely powerless to resist.
The one-sided slaughter on the bridge ignited the battle spirit of a certain Kenji, who wishes to remain anonymous.
"Amazing! Minato-sensei! And Shisui-senpai!" Kenji clenched his fists, his expression ecstatic. "Let me down! Let me down! I want to fight the enemy with Sensei and Shisui-senpai too!"
"So noisy," Hatake Kakashi commented coldly from the side. "With your skills, you'd only get in Minato-sensei's and Shisui's way."
"What did you say?" Uchiha Obito flared up like a lit firecracker, his face instantly changing. "I'm a ninja of the Uchiha clan, too! And a Chunin!"
"Your squad is certainly... lively," Nara Keisuke said, turning from his position at the front to face the two members of Team Minato, who were on the verge of a much louder argument. He temporarily ignored the apologetic-looking medic with her hands clasped together.
"How about I just throw you both off?"
"You—"
Obito whipped his head around angrily, ready to see who was spouting such nonsense, only to be met with Nara Keisuke's icy glare—a look one might give to a dead man. He immediately shrank back. But with the Uchiha clan crest on his back, Kenji couldn't afford to lose face.
"W-well... I was going to get down any—"
"Then get down!"
Keisuke couldn't be bothered with his antics. In the time it took for them to have this conversation, he glanced down and saw that Minato and Shisui had nearly cleared the bridge, leaving only two enemy shinobi standing. Just as his eyes swept over them, Minato cleanly slit the throat of one.
Survivors on Kannabi Bridge: Three.
"Shadow Gathering Jutsu!"
With a mere thought from Keisuke, a dark tentacle shot out from beneath him, wrapping around the still-boasting Obito's ankle with lightning speed. The solidified shadow tentacle was like a leash. Keisuke held one end, and with Obito tied to the other, he flung him off the back of the Shadow Creature like a piece of trash.
"Obito-kun!" Nohara Rin cried out subconsciously, reaching out to save her teammate.
Beside her, Hatake Kakashi shot to his feet.
"Rin, calm down." Shizune held the anxious girl, patting her back gently. "Look down. The battle is already over."
Hyūga Retsu said nothing, but she shifted her position slightly, subtly blocking the path between Kakashi and her captain.
Hearing Shizune's words, the two members of Team Minato immediately looked down.
"GAAAAAH—"
As Obito's duck-like scream echoed, Uchiha Shisui on the bridge below finished off the last Iwagakure ninja. Minato, whose senses were sharper, had already noticed Obito "jumping" off the Shadow Creature. The young sun-god sighed softly, leaped into the air, caught the squawking Kenji in his arms, and brought him safely to the ground.
Seeing their teammate rescued by their teacher, the other two members of Team Minato breathed a sigh of relief.
Nohara Rin looked at Nara Keisuke with a hint of complaint. She knew that he wasn't entirely to blame—the "hyperactive" Obito bore some responsibility—but that was still no reason to throw him off the back of a flying creature.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was pretending to casually observe the scenery, as if he wasn't the one who had just jumped up in a panic.
"Don't look at me like that, Nohara Rin-san," Keisuke said, holding his hands out to the young medic. "Your teammate wanted to go on a rampage on the bridge with Minato-san and Shisui. I just fulfilled his wish. The Yellow Flash and Shisui of the Body Flicker were in charge of the rampage; your teammate was in charge of the quacking."
Keisuke's description was so vivid that Rin didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh. Her minor complaint vanished without a trace. The white-haired boy standing nearby almost broke character, letting out a series of coughs from under his black mask as if he were uncomfortable.
Hearing Kakashi's coughs, Rin immediately shifted her focus.
"Kakashi, are you okay?" The medic walked over to him, her concern genuine. "Do you want me to check on you again?"
Watching Kakashi and Rin together, an image of the boy he had just thrown off the bridge flashed through Keisuke's mind. If it wasn't for real love, who would be willing to...
"Hold on tight, everyone," Keisuke cleared his throat. "Since the work below is done, we should head down."
The Shadow Creature descended.
Minato and Shisui had already finished planting paper bombs across all the key structural points of Kannabi Bridge. Once detonated, the bridge would be utterly destroyed. By the time they finished their work, Obito had just barely recovered from his near-death experience.
Keisuke maneuvered the Shadow Creature closer to the three below. Shisui leaped up, and Minato followed with Obito in tow. The moment they landed on the shadow beast, both bowed apologetically to Keisuke in unison.
"Sorry, Captain/Keisuke. My clansman/teammate caused you trouble."
"What are you talking about!" Obito, emboldened by Minato's presence, found his courage. "He's the one who threw me off!"
"Yes, yes," Keisuke nodded repeatedly. "I'm the one who pushed him."
"See! I told you so!" Obito flashed a triumphant grin.
Minato glanced at Kakashi and Rin. The former looked disgusted, while the latter gave a slight shake of her head. Minato immediately pressed down on the chattering Kenji's head and bowed to Keisuke again.
"I'm sorry, Keisuke. I failed to control my subordinate."
It was a classic scenario. No matter how terrible a person's actions are, if they do one good thing, people will assume they aren't so bad at heart. Conversely, no matter how many good deeds someone does, if they do one questionable thing, people will think all their previous kindness was just an act. If Minato's first apology had a hint of parental politeness, his second one had already identified the "main culprit" of the conflict.
Even if Nara Keisuke was at fault, Uchiha Obito must have started it!
Just as Keisuke was about to wave his hand to show it was no big deal...
BOOM!
A heaven-shaking explosion erupted from below. The paper bombs planted all over Kannabi Bridge ignited simultaneously, blasting the massive structure, which had withstood years of wind and rain, into pieces. Broken chunks of the bridge and the bodies of the Stone-nin plummeted into the raging river below, sending up a massive spray of water.
"The mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge is complete," Keisuke said, cutting straight to the point. "Minato-san, what is your next objective?"
"I was just about to bring that up." Minato switched into mission mode, an aura of calm authority radiating from him that forced Kenji to shut his mouth. "My subordinates' primary mission was to destroy this bridge. I was also tasked with supporting the front lines. But after that last battle, the Iwagakure forces in the Land of Grass have been almost completely wiped out. I plan to continue the logistical disruption mission with Kakashi and the others, taking out more of their supply points."
After hearing Minato's plan, Keisuke nodded. "My team has the same mission: destroy Iwa's supply lines. In that case, should we continue to operate together? With their front lines shattered, we, deep in their territory, don't know how Iwagakure will react, not to mention Ōnoki is still active in the Land of Grass. If we stick together, we can watch each other's backs, especially since you have an injured member on your team."
The Kannabi Bridge mission had been completed with surprising ease. The Iwa forces stationed there hadn't posed any threat to Keisuke's and Minato's squads. However, that didn't mean they could ignore the dangers lurking in the shadows.
Minato glanced at Kakashi with some hesitation. He had originally intended for their teams to split up. With a top-tier ninja in each squad, destroying supply points would be effortless. Working together might be a waste of manpower; splitting up would maximize their efficiency.
But Keisuke had a point. With their front lines crushed, Iwagakure was surely in chaos. Under these conditions, operating behind enemy lines had become significantly more dangerous. If Kakashi were in perfect health, Minato wouldn't have worried. But he was badly injured...
'Should I send Kakashi and the others back to the Konoha camp to recover, while I continue the mission with Keisuke's team?' Minato thought, rapidly considering his options.
Just then, everything changed.
The massive splash from the bridge fragments falling into the river didn't dissipate. Instead, it began to form a strange, flat vortex.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!"
A faint voice echoed across the turbulent surface of the river. A continuous stream of water-style chakra poured into the river, causing the vortex to spin faster and faster.
Thwump—Thwump—
The massive vortex expanded outwards. From its smooth center, powerful jets of water shot up like cannonballs, rocketing towards the Shadow Creature in the sky.
"Keisuke! Dodge!" Minato, with his superior senses, was the first to detect the disturbance.
Keisuke sensed the attack a split second later. He calmly maneuvered the Shadow Creature, weaving through the barrage of water cannons, narrowly avoiding their impacts.
"Captain! The sky!" Shisui's warning came next.
The water cannons hadn't dispersed as expected. Instead, they converged high in the air, forming a colossal sphere of water. Inside it, the shape of a draconic creature could be seen swimming. The instant Shisui finished speaking, the sphere transformed into an immense, ferocious water dragon and lunged at the shinobi on the back of the Shadow Creature with terrifying force.
Shisui reacted instantly, rapidly molding his fire-style chakra and forming a single hand seal.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Seeing this, Minato also reacted in a flash, molding his own wind-style chakra.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale surged into the raging inferno. The wind fanned the flames, and the torrent of fire Shisui had unleashed instantly swelled into a sea of fire, meeting the ravenous water dragon head-on.
BOOM!!
The dragon and the sea of fire collided, erupting into a vast cloud of white steam. An explosion as loud as the one that had destroyed the bridge rocked the sky. A shockwave of superheated air expanded from the point of impact, buffeting the shinobi on the Shadow Creature.
[A-Rank Ninja Battle Mission has been detected!]
[A-Rank Mission: The Ghost of the Uchiha]
[Mission Objective: Defeat/Kill the attacking Water-Style ninja]
[Mission Reward: A-Rank Shinobi Secret Scroll]
