"Ahh!"
A sudden scream echoed from afar.
Drops of blood splattered onto the previously empty ground.
"How is this possible! How could you possibly detect my presence!"
After a sharp accusation, the invisible ninja who had seemingly vanished suddenly appeared in shock beside Rin Nohara, with a rigid shuriken embedded in his chest.
He stumbled backward in shock before crumpling to the ground.
"Heh, don't underestimate me," said Obito with a bitter smile while leaning on Rin, still holding his shuriken-throwing pose.
"Taiseki!"
Dammit, you actually saw through Taiseki's technique! Kagami, Mamushi—you two deal with those kids. I'll hold off this Jonin!"
The leader immediately issued his command.
Not even Kakashi could believe it at first.
His attention was suddenly drawn to Obito's eyes.
Two deep red Tomoe swirled steadily around the iris!
"It's the Sharingan! Obito has awakened the Sharingan! That explains it. As the ultimate counter to all Genjutsu, the Sharingan would definitely see through invisibility techniques!"
Kakashi instantly felt his fighting spirit ignite.
[Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique]
A series of sharp shurikens quickly flew toward the enemy leader.
"Hmph, you think such a basic move can work on me!" The leader effortlessly hurled a kunai, blocking all the incoming shurikens.
However, when the weapons collided mid-air, a violent explosion occurred.
"So you used Explosive Tags, huh? How laughable. Such inferior tricks won't do anything to me." The leader laughed loudly and charged straight at Kakashi.
But Kakashi's lips curled into a faint smirk.
The plan worked!
The two swiftly engaged each other.
"Ha-ha, kid, even though you're clever, you're still just a child. With my years of experience, there's no way you could beat me!"
The leader jeered as he attacked, clearly gaining an upper hand right from the start.
Exactly as he claimed, despite Kakashi's genius, his youth proved to be a disadvantage. Though Konoha's Taijutsu was refined, Obito's lack of combat experience left him no match for the experienced enemy leader.
After only several moves, Kakashi started having trouble defending himself.
Meanwhile, Rin also began struggling far away.
She had never been a combat-oriented ninja. If not for guidance from Obito's Sharingan, she probably couldn't have even thrown her shuriken accurately.
"Surrender now, kid! Your fate is already sealed today!"
The leader taunted once more.
Yet at this moment, Team 7 showed absolutely no sign of wavering. Even though they were losing the fight, their fighting spirits kept rising higher and higher.
Because they all understood one thing:
The Explosive Tag had detonated just now!
Yes, that explosion sound would surely attract reinforcements to come.
"Who truly wins or falls remains to be seen—this fight isn't over yet!"
Kakashi stubbornly endured the relentless attacks from the leader. Just as he seemed about to face certain death, a mysterious figure abruptly appeared on the battlefield.
His eyes blazed with intensity.
A cold glint swept over everyone present, piercing and sharp.
"Who!"
"Die!"
The leader of the Tsuchimura clan let out a startled cry, but before he could react, a shuriken pierced through his neck.
"You bastard!"
A shadow kicked him down and instantly flashed to Rin Nohara's side.
[Shinra Tensei!]
With a furious roar, a white chakra barrier erupted around Rin. A shockwave shot forward, sending two nearby ninjas flying.
His head lolled to the side.
He's dead...
"Ye Liang! You finally came. I knew you'd come to save us!"
Overcome with emotion, Rin rushed into Ye Liang's arms, leaving him awkwardly flustered.
"Damn it! Team Seven almost got wiped out! You scared the hell out of me!"
Ye Liang broke into a cold sweat.
It was only now that he remembered what this mission really was.
The infamous Kannabi Bridge incident—
Shippuden had only mentioned it briefly during Minato's flashbacks, which was why Ye Liang hadn't recognized it at first.
In the original story, Minato led his team to Kannabi Bridge for what should have been a simple sabotage mission—but things went wrong regardless.
Team Seven was ambushed here by the Tsuchimura clan!
In that battle, Rin Nohara was implanted with the Three-Tails Isobu, ultimately leading to her tragic death!
Kakashi lost an eye.
After giving his Sharingan to Kakashi, Obito was crushed beneath a massive tree, turning half his body into pulp. He eventually turned dark and became Tobi!
"Damn it! How could I forget such a crucial plot point? What a huge oversight!"
Ye Liang felt deep regret.
How could someone who lived in the Naruto world forget such a key moment?
Unforgivable!
Luckily, everything still ended on a positive note—or else Ye Liang would've remained horrified at his mistake.
"Phew, since everyone's safe, we should get ready to leave. Earlier, I noticed large numbers of ninja from the Land of Earth nearby—they'll probably arrive soon."
Ye Liang said dramatically.
But actually, all of that was a lie...
If not for Kakashi's explosive tag, Ye Liang would still be snoring away.
But whether it was true or not, Ye Liang just wanted to get out of here—fast.
If this was truly Kannabi Bridge, then this was the center of war. Whether there were enemies hiding nearby or not, this location would inevitably become a battlefield later on.
"Alright, let's go then."
Kakashi replied nervously. Swiftly, he threw several explosive-tagged shurikens toward Kannabi Bridge before coming over to carry Obito onto his back.
"Let's move."
They reached an agreement and prepared to leave—but suddenly, the leader of the Tsuchimura clan, who had already been stabbed in the heart by Ye Liang, charged straight at Ye Liang.
Even though his heart was wounded, he was still alive!
"I won't let you ruin Master's plan—die!"
Clutching a shuriken tightly in his hand, he lunged directly at Ye Liang.
"Watch out, Sensei! That shuriken has an explosive tag on it!" Kakashi warned urgently.
Clearly, this shuriken was one of the tools Kakashi had originally planned to use to blow up Kannabi Bridge.
Before Ye Liang could react, the enemy leader grabbed hold of him tightly.
"Damn it!"
Being from the modern world, he still lacked in combat instincts. He quickly activated Shinra Tensei, preparing to push away the leader clinging onto him.
But before he could fully activate it, the shuriken's Explosive Tag exploded.
It had even detonated before reaching Ye Liang! At this rate, the leader of the Tsuchimura clan must have planned to take Ye Liang down with him in a suicide attack.
"What the hell!"
After the explosion, Ye Liang transformed into a piece of split wood!
"Thank goodness I learned the Substitution Jutsu from Anko back then; otherwise, I'd really be done for today!"
Ye Liang took a deep breath, heart still pounding. That moment nearly scared the wits out of him.
Dying for a mission is noble... unless you're the one dying.
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