Until they left the Land of Fire, Obito and his group hadn't encountered a single battle, but Obito didn't let his guard down because, based on past experience, they only encountered enemies in foreign lands.
Although Kakashi believed it was unlikely they would encounter enemies, he remained very cautious. After all, having run into unexpected situations four times in a row, he wasn't feeling very confident.
Unlike the ninjas, Izumi Soju gradually relaxed his vigilance because the journey had been peaceful so far, and he started to chat more.
"If you ever think about visiting the Land of Hot Water, I strongly recommend trying our country's natural hot springs—they're incredibly soothing. As for sightseeing, I suggest visiting Rose Street. The entire street is lined with roses planted by each household, and when the roses bloom, a gentle breeze sends beautiful petals flying everywhere. It's very romantic."
"A whole street lined with roses, that would indeed be very romantic," Rin imagined the scene of numerous red rose petals fluttering in the wind, her eyes sparkling as she spoke.
Obito, who had been keeping an eye on Rin out of concern for her safety, noticed the expression on her face and silently made a note of the name of this sightseeing spot, planning to take Rin there if he ever got the chance.
"Everyone, stop. There's something going on," Minato activated his sensing ability and detected many chakra signatures nearby, one of which was particularly strong, so he quickly alerted Kakashi and the others.
"There are quite a few ninjas nearby, but it seems like we just happened to run into them. Let's hide for now," Minato thought for a moment before continuing.
During a mission, the task comes first. They only needed to escort the client; there was no need to engage in any extra battles.
If Minato had been alone, he might have checked to see which village the ninjas were from and whether they posed a threat to Konoha, but since he had three young students with him, he didn't want to complicate things.
Although Obito didn't quite understand why they needed to hide, he didn't disobey the order and instead hid in a tree with Rin.
Minato continued sensing the presence of those ninjas, but he quickly noticed something strange: the ninjas, who had initially been on a different route, suddenly accelerated and headed straight toward them.
"Not good, the other side has a sensing ninja too," Minato immediately realized the reason.
He could sense the enemies, but without a way to conceal his own presence, their sensing ninja could detect them as well.
"Kakashi, take this," Minato handed the Flying Thunder God Kunai to Kakashi. In the previous bell-stealing exercise, Kakashi had performed the best, so Minato currently trusted him the most.
"The three of you protect the client and don't act recklessly. I'll handle the enemies," Minato instructed them with a serious expression.
He could sense that the chakra was extremely powerful, definitely not from an ordinary enemy.
"So it's Konoha ninjas. That works out perfectly," Fourth Raikage A nodded upon reaching the location and seeing the forehead protector on Minato's head.
Hidden Rock was too weak; even with two Jinchuriki, they were still being beaten by Konoha. The Hidden Cloud Elders had discussed increasing their efforts against Konoha.
"Be careful sir. This guy's chakra isn't weak, and judging by his appearance, he should be the one Hidden Rock calls the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. They say he's incredibly fast," Motomu relayed information about Minato.
In addition to his sensing duties, he kept records on many ninjas. The name Minato Namikaze was one he had gathered recently, known for his impressive performance in the war between Konoha and Hidden Rock.
"Incredibly fast, huh? Then I'd like to see just how fast he really is," Fourth Raikage A said with a calm expression. He didn't believe this so-called Yellow Flash could be faster than him. After all, his speed had already surpassed that of his father, the Third Raikage.
Fourth Raikage A considered himself the second fastest in the ninja world, with the first being the one disguised as a member of the Hidden Mist but actually from Sand.
"Isn't that..." Obito's face showed shock when he saw Fourth Raikage A and Killer B. He immediately recognized them as the formidable enemies Mutsuki once had to hold off, including the candidate for Raikage from the Hidden Cloud Village.
"Obito," Kakashi called Obito's name, exchanging a look with him.
Obito instantly fell silent. Mutsuki had reminded them several times not to mention the encounter with the Raikage candidate during that mission, only to say they encountered a Hidden Cloud Jonin who had been killed.
"So it's the Hidden Cloud's renowned A and B Combo," Minato frowned slightly. These were not easy opponents.
Compared to Minato, Fourth Raikage A and Killer B had gained fame earlier, as Hidden Cloud had fought against Sand long before. The A and B Combo had already made a name for themselves in the ninja world by standing over the corpses of Sand's elite ninjas.
Although Rin was the only one present who didn't know the full extent of Fourth Raikage A's power, she could sense from the atmosphere that they were facing formidable enemies. She watched the enemies in the distance with utmost caution.
"I've heard you're fast, but I don't think you're faster than me. What do you think?" Fourth Raikage A said before immediately entering Lightning Release Chakra Mode. His entire body was enveloped in bright blue lightning, as if he were clad in armor made of electricity.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Minato threw three Flying Thunder God Kunai, two towards the large trees on either side and one directly at the Hidden Cloud ninjas.
Clang!
Killer B drew his short blade and easily knocked the kunai Minato had thrown to the ground.
"What kind of aim is that? He missed with all three kunai," a Hidden Cloud ninja commented, mocking the situation and thinking that this Yellow Flash might not be as strong as rumored. After all, accurate kunai throwing was a basic ninja skill.
"I don't want to compete with you to see who's faster, but I have a good suggestion: you should leave quickly. I don't want to waste energy on anything outside of my mission," Minato responded, his expression showing no fear.
Even though the A and B Combo had a formidable reputation, Minato was confident in his abilities. His main concern was ensuring that Obito and the others wouldn't be caught in the crossfire.
"Even if it's not a mission, there's no reason to leave when we see an enemy," Fourth Raikage A replied before charging forward at full speed.
He unleashed a large amount of chakra to enhance his physical body, significantly boosting his physical abilities. Even his nerves were activated, increasing his reaction speed.
To the others, Fourth Raikage A's body had already vanished, leaving only a streak of blue light rushing towards Minato.
"I'm never betting with Kakashi again. This is way too dangerous," Obito thought, feeling the terrifying pressure coming straight at them. He regretted letting Kakashi say that earlier.
If Mutsuki were here, Obito wouldn't be worried at all. He'd even have the mood to joke around with Kakashi because Mutsuki had managed to gain the upper hand against Fourth Raikage A in a previous battle and successfully led them to safety.
With Minato, however, Obito wasn't so sure. He knew Minato was very strong, but he wasn't clear on just how strong.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was silently exasperated. This was the fifth unexpected situation they had encountered in a row, and now they were facing a candidate for Raikage, a truly formidable opponent. He felt like he'd experienced more in a few months than most people would in a lifetime.
As Fourth Raikage A charged at incredible speed, Minato remained calm. He possessed extraordinary reflexes and sensing abilities.
Before Fourth Raikage A made his move, Minato wasn't sure if he could react to the attack. But once A struck, Minato knew he could handle it.
Just as Fourth Raikage A was about to charge in, Minato tossed another Flying Thunder God Kunai. This time, he didn't throw it forcefully; instead, he gently tossed it upwards.
"Not moving? Let's see how you withstand my NinTaijutsu charge," Fourth Raikage A thought, already envisioning Minato's body being split in two by his attack.
But in the next moment, something unexpected happened.
Whoosh!
Minato used the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport to the large tree on the side.
Fourth Raikage A could only see Minato's figure flicker and then vanish from sight at a speed he couldn't comprehend, evading his charge.
A look of utter shock appeared on Fourth Raikage A's face. He couldn't understand how Minato had escaped in that instant or how he had dodged his attack. His mind was filled with confusion.
But then something even more puzzling occurred—Minato Namikaze, who had previously disappeared, suddenly reappeared above him. Gripping the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had tossed, Minato unleashed a surge of chakra in his hand, enhancing his strength as he aimed to strike Fourth Raikage A's body.
Fourth Raikage A noticed Minato Namikaze's attack, but it was too sudden and too fast. Even though he reacted, there was no way for him to dodge or defend.
At this critical moment, Minato suddenly sensed a blade infused with powerful Lightning Release energy coming towards him. He immediately abandoned his attack and used the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport back to the tree.
"Big brother, that guy can teleport using the kunai," Killer B quickly informed Fourth Raikage A of his discovery.
He had noticed Minato suddenly appear on the tree to evade Fourth Raikage A's charge and had a hunch. So, he threw one of his Thunder Swords towards the spot above Fourth Raikage A.
Originally, it was just a guess, but after seeing Minato move three times, always appearing near the kunai, Killer B was certain of this information.
"B, you did well this time," Fourth Raikage A praised Killer B as he quickly returned to the Hidden Cloud team. At the same time, he scanned the area and memorized the positions of all the Flying Thunder God kunai.
With his speed, Fourth Raikage A could cover the short distance in an instant. All he needed to do next was force Minato Namikaze to use the Flying Thunder God technique again.
As if reading Fourth Raikage A's thoughts, Minato once more threw three Flying Thunder God kunai, increasing the number of points he could teleport to.
Seeing that Minato Namikaze wasn't an easy opponent, Fourth Raikage A's subordinates decided not to interfere with him and instead engaged the other Konoha ninjas.
Motomu, leading three Hidden Cloud ninjas, charged towards Obito and his group.
Earlier, Mutsuki had instructed Obito and the others to use the Transformation Jutsu to disguise their appearances, so Motomu didn't recognize Kakashi and Obito. However, that didn't stop him from planning to eliminate them to disrupt Minato's focus.
"It looks like one Jonin and three Chunin. That's beyond what they can handle," Minato sensed the chakra of the Hidden Cloud ninjas charging towards Obito and the others and prepared to intervene when the opportunity arose.
With Obito and the others' current strength, handling a single Jonin was already their limit. If three Chunin were added to the mix, they would undoubtedly be overwhelmed.
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