Kannabi Bridge (2)

After some time of traveling, the group came to a stop and gathered around Minato, who took a scroll out of his pocket.

"We're close to the border, so be careful," Minato reminded them. He spread out a map on a nearby stone. "This is the current offensive line of the Iwa Village invasion. Their advance has reached these locations," he explained, pointing to various spots on the map.

"The battle line has advanced further than before?" Obito exclaimed, examining the map.

"Yes, the situation is critical. After I send you to the Land of Grass, I'll rush to the front battlefield," Minato said.

"The enemy's advance means they have sufficient rear support, right?" Rin asked, beginning to understand the mission's importance.

"Correct. Our target is the Kannabi Bridge, the only bridge in this area. With many ninjas at the front line, a small number of elite ninjas can sneak in and obstruct the enemy," Minato confirmed.

"An infiltration mission?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, Kakashi. Your team's goal is to sneak behind the enemy, find the Kannabi Bridge, destroy it, and then evacuate quickly."

"Understood!" Kakashi immediately agreed without questioning further.

"If we want to blow up the bridge, we'll need explosive tags, right?" Yami asked. He had his own explosives but didn't want to use them yet.

"I have them in my backpack," Minato pointed to his bag. "After you complete your infiltration, I'll meet up with you for the bridge bombing mission."

"Understood," Yami replied. Knowing Minato would meet them later assured their retreat plan. All that remained was to execute the mission without dying.

"Kakashi is now the captain. I'll be with you until we reach the Land of Grass, and then we'll split up." Minato took out a special kunai and handed it to Kakashi. "Today is an important day for Kakashi, so consider this a gift. I hope you find it useful."

"Thank you," Kakashi accepted the kunai.

"I also have a gift for you, Kakashi," Rin said, handing him a small emergency medical kit that she carefully made. Kakashi nodded in gratitude, then extended his hand to Obito.

"What's this for?" Obito felt embarrassed. "I don't have anything for you!"

"I didn't expect anything from you anyway," Kakashi shrugged casually.

"You jerk…" Obito gritted his teeth, noticing Rin's disappointment, which made him feel even more ashamed.

"Um, do you need my gift?" Yami suddenly felt interested in joining in. He wanted to see the reaction of Kakashi later.

"What gift?" Kakashi asked, noticing Yami's empty hands.

"A piece of advice and a story. But I'll save the story for later. I'll just give you the advice first."

"Advice?" Both Kakashi and Obito looked at Yami curiously.

"Yes. After defeating the enemy, don't forget to finish them off."

"That's it?" Kakashi seemed bored.

He had expected something more useful, but instead, he received advice he already knew.

"Okay, the mission officially begins now. We are crossing the border to the Land of Grass!" Minato reminded everyone to stay vigilant and move quickly. "If you encounter any enemy forces, avoid direct confrontation. Our main objective is the bridge."

The team nodded, fully understanding the importance of their mission.

"Any questions?" Minato asked, looking at each of his team members.

"No, Minato-sensei," Kakashi replied, while the others shook their heads.

"Good. Let's move out," Minato instructed, folding the map and placing it back into his pocket.

After walking for a while, Yami suddenly stopped.

"Wait!"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked, noticing Yami's abnormal behavior as he kept looking around.

"About 80 meters ahead, there's an enemy ambush," Yami's eyes glowed with a purple hue as he scanned the surroundings.

"How did you know that? Are you a sensor?" Kakashi asked in surprise. He couldn't think of anything else that would allow Yami to detect enemies from such a distance.

Sensors were rare and highly valued in the shinobi world. Yami's ability to sense enemies indicated a rare talent.

"Well, something like that," Yami answered vaguely. He wasn't a pure sensor ninja, but he had managed to sense the enemy using a variant ability of soul perception. By eliminating the ability to sense emotions, he could extend his soul-sensing field to a 100-meter radius, allowing him to detect nearby souls.

"Huh? What kind of answer is that?" Obito grumbled. "Are you even sure there are real enemies?"

"Obito!" Rin called, but Yami interrupted her.

"If you doubt my words, you can ask him," Yami shrugged and glanced at Minato.

"Huh, Sensei?!"

Everyone looked at Minato in doubt. As their teacher for years, they knew that Minato was a sensor ninja and would be able to confirm if Yami's words were true.

"That's right, there's a group waiting for us," Minato confirmed, looking at Yami, feeling a bit skeptical. This young Chunin constantly surprised him, and he couldn't help but wonder how Yami's previous companions had died on missions.

"Huh, so he really was telling the truth," Obito said in surprise, looking at Yami. But Yami ignored him and instead asked, still unsure.

"Group? I only sensed one person," he asked with doubt. Using his soul vision ability, he had only detected one enemy hiding, despite Minato's claim of a group. Were the others hiding outside his range or using some kind of concealment technique?

"Yeah, there are five of them, but I think they're just shadow clones. There's only one real enemy," Minato explained.

"I see," Yami nodded. It made sense. His ability allowed him to sense souls, since the clones didn't have one, he wouldn't be able to detect them. He mentally noted to not heavily rely solely on his ability to avoid making the same mistakes.

"So, what should we do, Sensei?" Rin asked, seeking guidance.

"Don't ask me. Kakashi is the team leader, remember?" Minato smiled. He was curious to see how Kakashi would handle his first obstacle as a captain.

"What are you talking about?" Obito interjected. "Since we know the enemy's location and their number, of course we should attack."

"It's not that easy," Rin shook her head. "Our mission is supposed to be a secret, remember? Confronting the enemy head-on would only expose us and jeopardize our mission."

"No, I agree with Obito," Kakashi suddenly said, surprising Rin and Obito. They hadn't expected him to agree, especially with Obito. Kakashi ignored their looks of surprise and explained his reasons. "Based on Minato Sensei and Yami's words, the enemy has already set up an ambush and is waiting for us, which meant he already noticed us. Taking a detour and avoiding the enemy would only give them time to call for backup, and we could find ourselves surrounded by multiple teams instead of just one."

"So, what's your plan?" Minato asked, inwardly impressed by Kakashi's calm analysis of the situation and his ability to make the right decision on his first mission as a captain.

Kakashi looked ahead towards where the enemy was supposedly hiding before giving his opinion. "We need to eliminate the enemy quickly before they have a chance to call for backup."

***

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