Kannabi Bridge (12)

"What should we do?" Rin asked. Knowing that ten enemies were approaching, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Yami, can you estimate the enemy's strength?" Kakashi asked, regaining his composure and acting as a captain should. Sensor Ninjas can estimate a ninja's strength by sensing their chakra.

"Well…" Yami narrowed his eyes and pushed his soul vision to the limit. Despite not being able to sense the enemies' chakra, he could tell their strength by their soul power. Having met many ninjas of different ranks, he could estimate their power level by comparison.

"There are 6 Chunin, 3 Jonin, and…" Yami paused as he sensed the last person's soul power. "1 Elite Jonin."

"What?!" Obito blurted out. The others were equally shocked. An Elite Jonin wasn't just a title; they were the true backbone of any village. Even Konoha had only a few ninjas of similar rank, highlighting how rare and valuable an Elite Jonin was.

"An Elite Jonin should be commanding in the war. What the hell is he doing here?" Obito voiced what everyone was thinking.

Without a doubt, the presence of an Elite Jonin brought immense pressure. Just thinking about how their sensei Minato easily dealt with Jonins underscored the gap between a regular Jonin and an Elite Jonin.

"How far are they from us?" Kakashi asked.

"Around 90 meters. They're spreading out to surround us, so they know we're here," Yami said, sensing their movements.

"Shouldn't we retreat then? We're outnumbered and outmatched. Clashing with them would only result in a loss," Rin said, concerned.

"Kakashi…" Obito called. Everyone was looking at Kakashi, waiting for his instructions as he was the mission captain.

After considering everyone, Kakashi made a decision. "You all retreat. I'll hold them back."

"What?" Obito said, shocked. "You can't be serious, Kakashi. We're a team!"

"I know," Kakashi said firmly. "They've already noticed us, so we won't be able to escape their pursuit. And don't forget that we're in enemy territory. If we're held up even for a while, we could be surrounded. That's why someone has to stay behind and delay them."

"But Kakashi—" Rin began, but Kakashi cut her off.

"No arguments," Kakashi interrupted. "My injuries are mostly healed, and I'm the only one who can buy enough time for you all to retreat. Now go. This is an order."

Obito clenched his fists. "I'm not leaving you behind and go back to Konoha, Kakashi."

"Who said anything about going back to Konoha?" Kakashi continued. "After escaping the encirclement, you still have the mission to complete. Or did you forget?"

Even in this dangerous situation, Kakashi remained focused on the mission.

Seeing the team argue, Yami sighed. Despite Kakashi's convincing arguments, Obito and Rin refused to leave, wasting precious time as the enemy drew closer.

Honestly, Yami was thinking about ditching them, but if they survived and reported him, he'd be in great trouble, especially if one of them died. Minato would chase him to the ends of the earth.

Sensing the enemy about to arrive, Yami had enough. "Everyone shut up!"

The force of Yami's voice stunned them into silence.

"Kakashi is right. Someone has to stay and hold the enemy back so the others can escape," Yami said.

"See, I told you," Kakashi said, seeing Yami agree with him.

"And I'm the one most suitable for that role," Yami said.

"What?!"

"Yami-kun… no!" Rin didn't want her savior to be left as a sacrifice. After traveling together for days, she considered him part of the team.

Obito and Kakashi felt the same, neither agreeing to let him be the decoy.

"I don't have time for this shit," Yami said, annoyed. He flickered to Rin's side and placed an explosive tag on her neck before anyone could react.

"Huh, Yami, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Obito snapped, his Sharingan activated and glaring at Yami with murderous intent. The only thing stopping him from attacking was the explosive tag on Rin's neck. He didn't know Yami's intention and feared he might blow up Rin's head if attacked.

"Listen, I don't have time to babysit brats like you, so here's the deal," Yami said indifferently. "If you all don't leave this instant, I'll blow Rin's head off."

"Yami…" Kakashi said, stunned. Rin and Obito had similar reactions, but they understood this was Yami's way of forcing them to leave without feeling guilty.

"Go. You have until the count of 5," Yami said. "4… 3… 2…"

Seeing him count, everyone clenched their fists and started to retreat. Rin was the last to leave, her eyes filled with complicated emotions. Despite Yami's threat, she didn't harbor any hatred toward him.

After they left, Yami sighed. "Finally, those brats are gone. I was about to knock one of them out if they called my bluff."

Yami wasn't trying to act like a hero by staying behind. After seeing the enemy's thoughtful ambush, he suspected that Black Zetsu might be involved, so he wanted to stay away from Obito. Staying with him would result in nothing good. Who knew what would happen if he messed up and accidentally saved Obito? Wouldn't the old Madara come out to hack him to death for ruining his plans?

He thought confronting this enemy squad was safer than staying with Obito and the others. At least here, he could leave whenever he wanted with his invisibility. As long as he was careful, it wouldn't be hard for him to delay them for a few minutes and then hide somewhere for the rest of the mission. This way, no one could blame him if someone died, and he might even be rewarded for his heroic 'sacrifice.'

Without wasting any more time, Yami pulled three sealed scrolls from his pocket. With a bang, puffs of smoke erupted when he opened them, revealing stacks of explosive tags.

These weren't all made by him; some were 'donated' by shops in Konoha. Of course, the donations were made without the owner's consent, but they would be used for a good cause, so he wasn't stealing or anything.

"It's a pity I'll have to waste all of them."

Thinking about the money he could make if he sold all of them brought him heartache. With a sigh, he put his hand on them and poured his spiritual energy into them. Immediately, small eyes and mouths appeared on the tags.

'Creepy,' Yami thought, looking at the countless eyes staring at him. "Now, spread out."

"Aye!" the papers shouted in unison before spreading out in different directions and merging with the surroundings. Some tags were attached to trees, some to the ground, and others hid in bushes, covering the entire area.

"It's a bit straining to control this many." Sweat poured from his forehead as he felt the strain. He had absolute control over their actions within a 100-meter radius. In this radius, he could command them to blow up or move in any direction as long as he maintained his focus. But as soon as he lost focus, they would return to being ordinary explosive tags.

"Now, it's time for some professional acting."

Forming a seal, two shadow clones appeared beside Yami. He and one of the clones disappeared, entering stealth mode, leaving one clone behind.

Yami's shadow clone pulled out a blood bag he had collected from Kita, staining himself with the blood and collapsing to the ground, acting injured.

Sensing the enemy, he grinned.

"Let the show begin."

***

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