Chapter 234

Uchiha Fugaku naturally would not refuse this request, and in the matter of the leading Jonin, he also gave Jiraiya face.

After all, in his eyes, Kakashi was a disciple of Namikaze Minato, and Minato was, in turn, a disciple of Jiraiya.

Their relationship should be pretty good, he figured. Even if there were some small misunderstandings within, they were, in any case, all part of the same lineage.

So, Kakashi inexplicably became the guiding Jonin of a bizarre class, thereby stepping onto the battlefield.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's been so long, and it seems like we haven't found anything, huh?"

Strolling through the woods, Naruto asked Kakashi somewhat boredly.

This kid, from the moment he left the village to now, always maintained a strong curiosity, as if anything could spark his interest.

However, Sasuke and Karin, who were beside him, were relatively quiet, and the two were constantly on guard against their surroundings.

It was evident that these two little ones were well-trained; Kakashi remembered that Sasuke seemed to be a disciple of Uchiha Kaito.

"Missions can be like this, especially ones like ours, which can seem dull."

Kakashi spoke nonchalantly, his gaze sweeping around the area before continuing.

"However, at times like this, you can't let your guard down, because we won't know where enemies are lurking.

Once you lose vigilance, the enemy can appear at any time to take your lives."

"Keep it down, idiot, this isn't some playtime game."

Sasuke shot Naruto a glance, then said quietly.

"I really don't know why they let you team up with us, seriously."

"Jerk, you're the idiot!"

Naruto bristled upon hearing this, yelling loudly.

"Don't forget, you often lose to me!"

Sasuke was immediately annoyed upon hearing this, but he remained quite restrained and did not pay Naruto any mind.

For him, participating in this war was an opportunity granted by his teacher, and for which his father had specially applied.

He took all of this incredibly seriously, especially since this war was also an opportunity for him to prove himself.

He couldn't mess it up, not under any circumstances, and nothing unexpected could happen.

"We have a situation!"

Karin, who had been quietly watching the play all along, was not worried at all that these two would become enemies because of a quarrel.

After all, she had seen such things happen countless times before, and she even found some enjoyment in the scene before her.

Of course, she also had her own mission to attend to, which was to use her perceptive abilities to scout the enemy.

At this moment, she suddenly sensed movement from chakra not far from them and immediately whispered a warning to Kakashi.

Kakashi, hearing this, immediately made a corresponding hand signal. Even though it was his first time leading Karin, he trusted his subordinates.

At this moment, even Naruto, the kid, immediately quieted down, although it was clear he seemed very excited now.

Meanwhile, Sasuke silently drew a kunai, his expression solemnly fixating on the front.

"Eight people, varying chakra levels, quite a few have low chakra levels."

Karin, after squinting and carefully observing for a while, slowly spoke.

Kakashi nodded in response, eight people, that should be at least two squads.

Although Konoha and Iwagakure had not fully engaged in battle, minor skirmishes had already begun.

In such skirmishes, it was quite normal for squads to be understrength for various reasons.

Of course, this could also be two squads like their own, where Jonin led Genin on missions.

Kakashi's gaze once again covertly swept over the back, and then he spoke in a low voice.

"We're not sure of the exact configuration of the enemy, but we can't let these people go. At the very least, we need to get some information out of them.

I'll handle the stronger ninjas, while you support me and deal with the others, understood?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!"

The three of them responded in unison, albeit softly, and yet from their replies, one could discern a thread of tension among them.

Kakashi nodded, and with a swift movement, vanished into the forest.

"Hide and wait for the right moment to strike."

Sasuke gave Naruto a hard nudge with his elbow and immediately found a spot to hide, with Karin swiftly following suit.

At this point, Sasuke had no more mental bandwidth to manage Naruto; engaging in a ninja battle for the first time, especially one with life and death at stake, he too was palpably tense.

However, he was also continuously adjusting his own emotions and breathing, striving to expel the fear rippling through his being.

"Ah!"

At that moment, a piercing scream echoed through the forest; Sasuke immediately realized that Kakashi had made his move.

Yet, he did not act immediately, instead, he silently waited, but his expression changed abruptly at that moment.

"Idiot!"

From the corner of his eye, Sasuke distinctly saw that Naruto, that idiot, had actually charged out directly, a sight that sent shivers down his spine.

He acknowledged that Naruto's combat power was actually quite decent, even Sasuke himself had been schooled in taijutsu by him.

But at this moment, they were facing an utterly malicious enemy; this battle determined not only victory or defeat but life or death!

"Stay calm, stay calm, Kakashi-sensei will surely protect Naruto."

Sasuke forcefully suppressed his emotions, continuing to crouch motionless in his spot, but Naruto's situation was becoming increasingly precarious.

Watching Naruto, continuously repelled, and the enemy who had drawn their weapon, ruthlessly lunging towards Naruto with it.

Sasuke's grip on his kunai tightened, and in the next moment, he suddenly vanished from his spot.

"Bang!"

Naruto was kicked to the ground, the enemy's strength genuinely surpassing his expectations, and their offensive was ferociously aggressive.

At this moment, Naruto clearly couldn't hold his own against these enemies; both his combat consciousness and his combat mentality were far too inadequate.

"It's bad!"

Seeing the enemy pouncing ferociously, the kunai in his hand gleaming with a chilling light, Naruto found himself entirely immobilized.

His excitement had completely dissipated, leaving only terror in its wake.

The kunai drew ever closer, the breath of death seemingly already present. Biting his teeth, Naruto lifted his hand to shield himself and closed his eyes.

"Squish!"

The sound of metal slicing through flesh echoed by Naruto's ear, and the next moment, drip-drop, drip-drop, something akin to rain fell upon his face.

Naruto felt no pain and immediately opened his eyes.

He saw the assailant who had attacked him slowly kneel to the ground, then bow his head down, motionless.

"He's... he's dead."

Naruto, witnessing for the first time a life vanishing before his eyes, was still somewhat stupefied at this moment.

He lifted his head a bit stiffly, gazing forward.

Dazzling sunlight filtered through the tree canopies, and he clearly saw a silhouette standing in the light.

Especially the eyes of this figure, those crimson eyes were exceptionally conspicuous and, simultaneously, exceptionally beautiful.

"Are you okay, crybaby idiot? Next time, don't be so dumb."

//

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