Disobedience and Reinforcements

In the Land of Rain, at the Konoha command camp.

A three-man team ran in from outside the camp.

"Captain Shintaro!"

Shintaro looked up and saw two familiar faces outside.

Hayama, Kosuke, and the chubby Chunin Tekuno.

The three of them were so exhausted that they couldn't even wipe the dust and bloodstains off their bodies before bursting in.

Shintaro knew that with the strength of Hayama and Kosuke, they must have gone through a tough battle and run around in chaos.

Moreover, these three were part of a team sent by Shintaro to the Land of Grass.

Therefore, even without them speaking, he could already guess the general outcome.

"Is there something unusual in the Land of Grass?"

"Yes, we discovered an Iwagakure force and sneaked in to investigate. We estimate there are at least a thousand of them!"

Hayama looked excited, not just because of the urgent military situation, but also because he felt he had made a contribution.

Kosuke, also experiencing his youthful and energetic phase, advised from the side, "Hayama, calm down."

Shintaro walked over, waved his hand to indicate that Kosuke didn't need to preach at this moment, then patted Hayama's shoulder and said, "You've made a great contribution now."

"Iwagakure plans to secretly attack the Land of Fire and invade our country from the Land of Grass. There are currently fewer than 500 troops on the northwest defense line, so it might be difficult to resist."

"I will now request instructions from the village to send troops for reinforcement. You also go and prepare for battle."

Hayama, Kosuke, and Tekuno all nodded solemnly and walked out of the camp.

Shintaro went back to his seat and immediately wrote a letter, explaining the current situation in Konoha and Iwagakure's movements in the Land of Grass, and took the initiative to request reinforcements for the northwest defense line.

He was worried that Jonin Mimura Hamaki at the northwest defense line was also anxiously awaiting reinforcements.

However, a day later, Shintaro heard that Iwagakure and Konoha were officially at war on the border of the Land of Grass, but what awaited him was an order to stay silent.

The order required him and all the troops stationed in the Land of Rain to remain silent.

The reason given was that Iwagakure might attack Konoha from the Land of Rain, so Shintaro and the troops in the Land of Rain couldn't act rashly. They explained that the northwest defense line would naturally receive other reinforcements.

Shintaro scoffed at this.

He and his troops in the Land of Rain were the closest reinforcements to the northwest defense line and the most promising to save the situation.

This decision by Konoha's top management completely went against Konoha's interests and only cared about the ideas and interests of the top management itself.

Shintaro was very disappointed with the current senior management.

"Kosuke-senpai, even though you're a Genin, you're the best in the village in terms of strength and character. While I'm away, you'll be responsible for organizing the troops."

Shintaro called Kosuke to the camp to explain the matter.

Upon hearing this, Kosuke immediately understood Shintaro's intention and tried to persuade him, "Captain Shintaro, you are disobeying orders..."

Obviously, Shintaro planned to leave the troops in the Land of Rain and go to the rescue alone.

But the orders from Konoha clearly stated that Shintaro must stay silent, so this was undoubtedly an act of disobedience.

"Kosuke-senpai, do you think the Hokage and senior management are doing the right thing?" Shintaro asked calmly.

Kosuke lowered his head and shook it slightly.

Shintaro then left without looking back.

When Kosuke lifted his head, Shintaro was already gone.

He sighed and murmured, "Following orders is the iron law of a ninja..."

Kosuke was the most typical ninja, so he would obey the orders of the Hokage and his superiors even if he knew they were wrong.

But Shintaro was different. In a sense, he wasn't even a ninja.

The word "obey orders" couldn't restrain him.

Shintaro went alone to aid the Konoha ninjas at the northwest defense line.

❀❀❀

At this time, some reinforcements had arrived.

The so-called reinforcements turned out to be Team 7 led by Minato.

Minato, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.

Judging by their ranks, the two Jonin and two Chunin were considered an elite team, but they clearly didn't qualify as reinforcements.

What qualified this team as reinforcements was the famous Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato.

The four of them were now in the Land of Grass, gathered, and Minato pointed to a map on the ground and began giving instructions.

"We have two missions. The first is to cut off Iwagakure's crucial supply line in the Land of Grass and blow up the Kannabi Bridge. The other is to support the Konoha frontline troops. I decided to give the first task to Kakashi."

Kakashi looked up upon hearing this, "No problem, Minato-sensei, I promise to complete the task."

Minato nodded slightly, then looked at Obito and Rin.

"Kakashi is now your temporary captain, and you must obey his orders."

Rin nodded obediently, and although Obito was unsure, he wouldn't lose his temper like a child on the battlefield, so he pursed his lips and nodded.

Minato continued, "I will escort you to the interior of the Land of Grass, and then we'll split up. This will ensure both tasks are completed to the maximum extent."

"Understood." Kakashi, as the temporary team leader, nodded on behalf of Obito and Rin.

Minato then packed up his map, and the four continued moving toward the interior of the Land of Grass.

Soon, they passed through the grasslands and entered the towering forest at the heart of the Land of Grass.

"Stop."

Minato gave the order, and Kakashi and the other three immediately took defensive positions.

"There might be enemies nearby."

He squatted down, pointed his finger at the ground, and began using sensory ninjutsu to explore.

At this moment, on a tree trunk not far away, an Iwagakure ninja stood by a tree, ambushing with a long knife in hand.

"I originally came just to observe the terrain. I didn't expect to encounter Konoha ninjas and these three brats. How lucky..."

This person was none other than Mahiru.

He had now divided into twenty shadow clones and was conducting a reconnaissance mission here.

Although the [Kage Bunshin no Jutsu] was a ninjutsu invented by Konoha's Second Hokage, it inevitably spread due to its practicality.

Besides combat, the most common purpose of the [Kage Bunshin no Jutsu] was to gather intelligence.

Because all the memories after the shadow clone was released would return to the main body.

Minato finished investigating the current information and said, "There's only one enemy, but there are twenty shadow clones."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi formed a seal with his hands, and instantly a thousand birds chirped, and lightning suddenly appeared in his hands.

"Since there's only one person, just confront the main body directly."

After saying that, Kakashi ignored Minato's persuasion and rushed forward.

Mahiru was delighted to see this and sneered inwardly, "You're overestimating your abilities!"

Besides shadow clones, he was also good at speed and sword skills, which would only hold off Kakashi's currently flawed Chidori.

Mahiru's main body attacked Kakashi, while the shadow clones sneaked out from behind to attack Obito and Rin.

Obito and Rin hurriedly responded. Fortunately, with Minato's help, all the shadow clones were quickly eliminated.

But there was another problem on Kakashi's side.

Although Kakashi's Chidori was powerful, it was too fast. Kakashi rushed towards Mahiru with Chidori, and even he couldn't react.

The most terrifying thing was that Mahiru reacted. He swung his sword sideways, and it seemed that Kakashi's arm was about to be cut off.

Minato rushed in a flash, embraced Kakashi, and lifted his arm, avoiding disaster. At the same time, he slightly touched Mahiru's leg with one hand, and a series of text marks rose on Mahiru's body.

Sensing that the situation was unfavorable, Mahiru retreated to hide behind a tree.

In a flash, Minato appeared behind Mahiru.

"Are you the Yellow Flash?! No wonder the boss said we could abandon the mission when we saw you..."

Mahiru reacted too late, but unfortunately, it was too late.

Minato's kunai slit Mahiru's throat, ending his life.