Kaito Akaden (Kaito)

Chapter 11: Team Minato's Mission Briefing

A few days after their training session, Minato and his team received a summons to the Hokage's office for a crucial mission. Kakashi was assigned to lead a mission to destroy the Kannabi Bridge, while Minato himself was tasked with engaging the Stone Village army on the frontlines, a battle that had pushed the Leaf Village to the brink of defeat.

As the departure time neared, a small crowd gathered at the village gates, among them Team Minato. Kushina and I were there to see them off. Amid heartfelt farewells and some stern words from Kushina, who warned Obito against recklessness, Minato posed the question, "Are you ready?" In unison, his team responded, "Yes, sensei." Turning towards us, Minato added, "Kushina, Kaito… see you soon."

Kushina chimed in, "Take care and give it your all, everyone!" Kakashi and Rin nodded in response, while Obito seemed less interested. Kushina then turned her attention to Obito. "And you, Obito?"

Obito raised an eyebrow, his face showing irritation. "What's it now?"

With a serious expression, Kushina continued, "You can be clumsy, rash, a bit of a bumbler, and let's not forget, a knucklehead. So, be extra cautious out there! Because if you come back hurt, you won't just get my fist! Got that!"

Obito lowered his head, but a wry grin crept onto his face. "Who do you think I am, anyway?! I'm going to become Hokage, Lord Obito Uchiha! So don't worry; there's nothing to be concerned about. I'll ensure the mission's success and bring everyone back without a scratch. That's a promise!" he declared confidently.

Kushina smiled in response. "You better keep that promise," she said, and they both shared a laugh as we watched.

I turned to Minato and embraced him tightly. "Please, be careful. I don't know why, but please, just be careful, okay?" Minato returned the hug and reassured me with a smile, saying, "Don't worry; we'll be fine."

After a few more exchanged words, they embarked on their mission. Kushina and I stood there in silence, watching them disappear into the horizon. "I hope they'll be alright," I said to Kushina.

"They'll be fine. They're strong, you know," Kushina replied with a reassuring smile.

Over the past few days, I had subtly hinted at my concern to both Minato and Kushina about the mission. I was fully aware that this moment marked the turning point when Obito would be recruited by Madara and Zetsu, a pivotal event in the Naruto timeline. Preventing this occurrence could potentially change the course of many future events, including the Nine-Tails attack.

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A few days after departing from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Team Minato found themselves at the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. During the journey, Minato explained the situation to the team.

"As of today, Kakashi has become a Jonin like me," said Minato.

"We'll split into two units led by Kakashi and myself in order to give us the best chance of success. We are suffering from the biggest lack of manpower the Hidden Leaf Village has ever seen, remember," explained Minato.

"Kakashi will be the captain of a three-man squad, with you and Rin, Obito."

"Actually, Obito, remember our talk about giving Kakashi a present?" Rin asked Obito.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening," said Obito with a scowl.

"This is my gift, a custom-made Kunai knife just like the one I carry. It's sort of heavy and odd-shaped, but once you get accustomed to it, it's easy to use," Minato added.

Rin then handed Kakashi her gift, saying, "and this is from me. Here, I made a personalized med kit for you, Kakashi. I adjusted things a little to make it easier to use."

"Yeah, thanks," replied Kakashi, then looked at Obito with an expectant expression.

"What about you, Obito?" asked Rin.

Embarrassed, Obito replied, "If you were expecting a gift from me, you can forget it."

"Well, I wasn't expecting anything from you anyway. It probably would have just been a piece of junk. Useless crap like that would just be excess baggage," Kakashi said.

"Kakashi, you just wait until my Sharingan awakens!" said Obito, clearly offended by Kakashi's remark.

"Oh, come on! Don't start fighting," pleaded Rin.

Seeing things getting out of hand, Minato intervened. "Alright, you three, come here; I'll explain the mission."

"We're getting close to the border now," said Minato as he laid a map on the ground. "It's this line here. According to Intel, the Hidden Stone has deployed over a thousand shinobi to the front lines."

"They've advanced considerably since the last time," noted Obito.

"The Land of Fire shares borders with the Hidden Grass. We should have stepped in long ago," surmised Kakashi.

"If the Hidden Stone is able to invade like this, it must mean they have an efficient system for reinforcement," commented Rin.

"Hence, our mission is here… Kannabi Bridge. To crush one's enemy at the battlefront requires an immense number of ninja. So ninja like us who focus on sabotage missions are forced to work in small, select teams," said Minato.

"The bridge… you say? So our mission is infiltration," said Kakashi.

"Right! Team Kakashi, your mission is to infiltrate the enemy's backline, then blow up the bridge they're using for supplies before withdrawing. Meanwhile, I'll head for the frontlines to hold off the army," said Minato. "So, we'll go together towards the border, but once we're there, we'll split up and begin our mission," he added, looking at his team and thinking, 'Hope everything goes well; I'll have to finish up at the frontlines fast and head back to assist them.'

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