Chapter 375: Battlefield Training
Chapter 375: Battlefield Training
"What bad luck, it's actually the Yellow Flash."
As soon as the Iwagakure ninjas saw Minato Namikaze and his team appear before them, they felt their already slim chances of escape completely vanish.
Minato had gained a reputation for his extraordinary speed among the Iwagakure ninjas during the conflict in the Grass Country, and he was the ninja they feared most after Jiraiya.
Now, after single-handedly holding his ground against Kumogakure's new A and B combo in the Land of Hot Water, Minato had become a renowned powerhouse in the ninja world, his threat level elevated once more. The Iwagakure ninjas knew they stood no chance of escaping him.
"Don't be arrogant," Obito and Kakashi said in unison, facing each other as they assumed battle stances. "We can handle them without your help, Sensei."
The two walked ahead, shielding Rin Nohara behind them, steadily advancing toward the five Iwagakure ninjas.
Minato, on the other hand, sent out several Flying Thunder God kunai to block off the routes the Iwagakure ninjas might use to escape.
He had no intention of fighting this time; he was merely here to support Obito and the others.
Before stepping out, Minato had already sensed the chakra signatures of the five Iwagakure ninjas. Only one of them seemed to be a jounin; the rest were likely chuunin or genin, opponents that Obito's team could handle.
The lead ninja, a special jounin from Iwagakure, was momentarily delighted to see Minato being so dismissive. If they couldn't defeat Minato, what chance did they have against these three children who looked around ten years old?
"If you want to use us to sharpen your blades, be prepared for your blades to break," the special jounin thought bitterly.
They would have faced certain death against Minato, but with Obito's team as their opponents, the odds changed.
With him as a special jounin and his teammates—three chuunin and a genin—they had the numbers to take down a jounin. He didn't believe these three kids were anything more than a jounin and two chuunin.
However, the special jounin didn't let his guard down. He knew that Minato wouldn't just stand by and watch; if his team was in danger, Minato would definitely intervene. But this was their only chance of survival. If they could take one of them hostage, they might be able to retreat, and at the very least, they could take out one Konoha ninja.
"Earth Style: Rock Cannon Jutsu!"
At the special jounin's command, the four Iwagakure ninjas gathered their chakra and spat out stones that hurtled toward Obito and Kakashi.
"Breath of Fire, Full Concentration!"
"Breath of Lightning, Full Concentration!"
Obito and Kakashi immediately focused their breathing as they prepared to strike.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito gathered his chakra in his throat and swiftly converted it into fire-attribute chakra, forcefully expelling it from his mouth.
Whoosh!
Intense orange-red flames spewed out, rapidly forming a massive fireball that careened toward the five Iwagakure ninjas.
The enormous fireball engulfed the stones they had spat out and continued toward their position.
"A genius ninja..." The special jounin clutched his sword tightly, his gaze fixed on Obito.
Faced with the formidable fireball, the Iwagakure ninjas had no intention of resisting head-on and scattered to dodge the attack.
"Flash—Double!"
Kakashi moved.
He didn't waste the opportunity Obito had created and immediately unleashed his leg chakra, the dazzling lightning flashing as Kakashi transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot forward.
Shush!
Two streaks of lightning flashed, and blood blossomed as two Iwagakure chuunin fell to Kakashi's blade.
The special jounin's eyelids twitched. He realized he couldn't dodge a blade that was so fast.
At that moment, the special jounin understood Minato's actions. Minato wasn't being dismissive; these three kids were no ordinary foes!
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Taking advantage of the opponents' evasive maneuvers to dodge the fireball, Rin quickly formed the seals and unleashed the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu, summoning a water dragon that charged toward the Iwagakure ninjas.
Just as the Iwagakure ninjas thought they had evaded the water dragon, Rin suddenly changed her technique, transforming the water dragon into a torrent that drenched them.
This was a technique displayed by Tsurushi during the Chunin Exams, which Muttsuki had successfully replicated after studying it for some time and then taught to Rin.
Because this technique required a high level of chakra shape manipulation, Rin could only use it when she was in the concentrated state of the Breath of Water.
"Lightning Style: Purple Electricity!"
Kakashi's hand erupted with chakra, and incredibly brilliant purple lightning appeared in his hand before dissipating into a vast array of electrical currents that enveloped the Iwagakure ninjas.
The Iwagakure ninjas who had just been soaked by the water technique were thoroughly miserable, and only the special jounin managed to endure it. The other two Iwagakure ninjas were electrocuted and fell.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower, Scarlet Claw!"
Seeing that the special jounin's speed was limited due to paralysis, Obito mercilessly unleashed a B-rank fire jutsu, sending a barrage of fiery shuriken at the special jounin.
Boom!
An explosion rang out, and there was no longer any standing Iwagakure ninja on the field.
"You all performed exceptionally well, both in terms of teamwork and individual prowess," Minato praised generously.
At the start, he had been concerned that Obito would go all out and unleash a wide-area fire jutsu with full force.
While they could still win that way, it would waste a lot of unnecessary chakra, and encountering another enemy afterward would be dangerous.
Obito chuckled. "After all, it's just an A-rank mission. The enemies aren't that strong."
"If you had come alone, you'd know how strong they are," Kakashi said calmly.
"That's not a fair argument, Kakashi," Obito countered. "They're a team too, so why should I have to face them alone?"
"Alright, stop arguing," Rin interjected, trying to smooth things over. "Kakashi is just worried that you might get hurt because of your carelessness."
"I'm worried that your mistakes might put our entire team in danger," Kakashi emphasized.
"I..." Obito wanted to continue the debate with Kakashi, but Minato interrupted.
"Now that the mission is complete, let's head back to the camp to rest," Minato said with a gentle smile.
Although Obito and Kakashi often quarreled, Minato could see that they had a strong bond, and their bickering was just a part of their everyday interaction.
However, this was still a battlefield, and they had already expended a considerable amount of energy on their journey here. They needed to rest and conserve their strength.
"The camp? Aren't we returning to Konoha?" Obito asked, puzzled.
"During wartime, Jiraiya-sensei, as the commander of the forces, also has the authority to assign missions," Minato explained. "We can continue taking missions in this area for a while."
Since they were here to alleviate the pressure on Konoha, Minato naturally wouldn't return after just one mission. They needed to stay and take out as many enemies as possible.
Of course, for Obito's sake, Minato wouldn't accept any missions that were too dangerous.
"I see. That's quite convenient," Obito said, agreeing with Minato's decision and finding it reasonable.
If they had to return to Konoha and then get assigned another mission, traveling back and forth between the village and foreign lands would consume a lot of time.
Minato Namikaze was extremely useful as a ninja; he could effortlessly take down lower-level ninjas, and even hold his own against powerful opponents like the A and B combo. In a battle against a jinchuriki, he would be an excellent support.
"Hey, Old Toad, I'm here too. Don't I get any of those challenging A-rank missions?" Obito piped up, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm.
"Hmm, and Kakashi is here as well. Perhaps he'll become a famous genius ninja on the battlefield." Jiraiya nodded and smiled at Kakashi.
Obito scowled, feeling that Jiraiya was deliberately provoking him.
"And little Rin, we're in dire need of medical ninjas on the battlefield. Your help is much appreciated." Jiraiya then turned to Rin Nohara and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Damn you, Old Toad! I'm standing right here, and you act like you don't see me!" Obito was irritated that Jiraiya had praised everyone in the team except him.
"Eyepatch Brat, show some respect. Call me either 'Toad Sage' or 'Jiraiya-sama'," Jiraiya said, lightly rapping Obito's head with his knuckles.
"Otherwise, if you anger me, not only will you not get any A-rank missions, but you'll be stuck with C-rank or even D-rank missions every day."
"Alright then, Jiraiya-jiji (Gramps)," Obito reluctantly amended his address, still sounding somewhat unwilling.
There was no way he was going to call Jiraiya 'Sage'; in his mind, there were only two people worthy of that title—Mu Yue and the Six Paths Sage.
"You little brat," Jiraiya chuckled, finding Obito's stubbornness amusing.
"Jiraiya-sensei, stop teasing Obito. Let's get down to business and brief me on the current battle situation," Minato said, sounding resigned.
Jiraiya was far too carefree to get upset over something like being addressed formally, and he was simply teasing Obito for fun. Minato was all too familiar with this side of Jiraiya.
...
On Monday, Anko arrived at the training ground Mu Yue had mentioned.
Thinking that she was early, she was surprised to find that Mu Yue, Shisui, and the others were already there, leaving her as the last one.
"Good morning, Teacher Mu Yue and everyone," Anko greeted them with a casual smile, not bothered by her tardiness.
"You're all here early. I arrived three minutes ahead of time myself," Mu Yue said.
"We all know each other, so let's skip the self-introductions and get straight to training," Mu Yue suggested, and the three students nodded in agreement.
Mu Yue then took out three bells from his ninja pouch and explained, "The training is simple. All you have to do is snatch one of these bells from me, and I'll teach you a powerful ninjutsu or taijutsu."
Although the bell test remained, Mu Yue had modified it.
The traditional bell test aimed to foster teamwork and camaraderie among teammates. However, given the vast difference in skill levels between Shisui, Anko, and the others, forcing them to cooperate might backfire. Thus, Mu Yue changed the rules: instead of passing or failing, he offered a reward for success. This bell test was no longer about fostering teamwork but about assessing individual strength and stimulating their desire to train.
"How powerful are we talking about here?" Anko asked curiously.
"Raiton: Inton Fake Darkness!"
Mu Yue swiftly formed the necessary hand seals, unleashing a sharp lightning spear that toppled a small patch of trees, the crashing sounds echoing through the area.
"Rangan!"
Mu Yue then gathered chakra in his feet and delivered a series of swift kicks, each one sending out a slicing attack that shattered the surrounding stones.
"Something like that," Mu Yue said with a gentle smile as he retracted his leg.
He had no shortage of formidable jutsu or taijutsu in his arsenal, but some were too advanced to teach at this stage.
"Wow, I want to learn that!" Anko's eyes lit up as she watched Mu Yue effortlessly kick out with enough force to shatter stones. That move was far cooler than spitting out little fireballs.
If she could master that and show it off to Tekka and Shin Tsukuyomi, they would be so jealous!
"If you want to learn it, come and take one of these bells," Mu Yue said casually, hanging the bells on his waist. "If you succeed, I'll teach it to you today."
"Okay!" Anko nodded eagerly.
"Teacher Mu Yue, there seem to be two bags of dumplings on the ground behind you that no one is claiming," Anko said, her eyes darting around as she lunged for the bells at Mu Yue's waist.
Bang!
Mu Yue tapped her on the head with his middle and index fingers, sending her flying a few meters away.
"Damn it! How can you not even fall for that?" Anko grumbled, frustrated that such a tempting bait didn't even make him turn his head.
"Usually, dumplings left unattended on the ground are spoiled," Shizune chimed in, unable to resist teasing Anko.
She was usually quite reserved, but Anko's antics were too much for her to keep quiet.
"That's not necessarily true. Maybe someone just forgot to pick them up," Anko argued.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!)
Shisui, utilizing his Breath of Fire to its fullest potential, spat out two massive fireballs toward Mu Yue.
Shisui was all too familiar with Anko's abilities, having routinely crushed her during their practical exams. As for Shizune, he had a good understanding of her skills as well, given that they had been training together recently. Thus, he didn't expect to rely on them for assistance in this bell test.
It wasn't that he didn't want to work with his teammates, but with such a large gap in their skill levels, it wouldn't be very meaningful.
Aside from the Transformation Jutsu and the Clone Jutsu, Anko only knew a basic D-rank fireball jutsu, while Shizune had focused all her skill points on healing abilities.
To be blunt, Shisui could take on both Anko and Shizune with just a single shadow clone. There was no need for teamwork here.
Of course, this was just in the context of training. In an actual battle, Shizune's healing abilities would be invaluable, and Shisui didn't presume that he would never be injured.
"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" (Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!)
Mu Yue gathered a large amount of chakra and spat out a thick water dragon that extinguished the two fireballs and continued toward Shisui.
Shisui immediately activated his Sharingan, his eyes turning blood-red as his perception heightened.
While Mu Yue's water jutsu involved a large volume of water, it wasn't something Shisui could easily block at this point. His best bet would be to counter it with the powerful Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, but that would consume too much chakra, so dodging was the more efficient option.
Whoosh!
As Shisui sidestepped to avoid the water dragon, Mu Yue concentrated his breath and chakra, appearing in front of Shisui in an instant and pointing a finger at him.
Bang!
Shisui instantly retreated at top speed, ending up flat on his back next to Anko and the others.
Seeing even Shisui, who had effortlessly beaten her, fail so quickly brought a sense of relief to Anko.
At least now she knew that it wasn't because of her own inadequacy but because the training was just that challenging.
(End of Chapter)
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