Chapter 90. What is This?

Chapter 90. What is This?

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My name is Kakashi.

That day... perhaps I really shouldn't have returned to regroup!

Kakashi stared blankly, rolling his eyes. His left eye, still injured and untreated, barely allowed his right eye to catch a glimpse of Obito in the distance.

The injury didn't matter to him.

After all, as a ninja, he had long prepared himself for such situations.

However—

With a sigh of helplessness, he looked at the short blade in his hand and muttered to himself, "A hero, huh?"

His eyes reflected a swirl of memories.

Before long—

A bitter smile crept onto his face.

Thinking about Obito's plan made his stomach churn. If given a choice, he would have refused.

But now, there were no alternatives.

As Obito had said—

This was their only chance.

Even Obito, who originally wanted to redeem his reputation, decided to use that jutsu again. What else could Kakashi say?

Indeed, because of the notorious reputation as pervert, Obito had vowed to change himself. But... accidents seemed to follow him every time.

During the Chunin Exams, it happened. On the battlefield, it happened.

And now… here it was again.

It seemed likely—

That Obito would never truly change.

So—

Since the decision was made, as a ninja, Kakashi resolved to execute the mission strictly!

"Sigh~" Kakashi let out a long breath, sheathing his short blade behind him.

Glancing at their target in the distance, he exchanged a serious look with Obito.

Then—

Both nodded solemnly at each other.

Action!

...

Kannabi Bridge absolutely could not be compromised.

Every Iwagakure ninja understood this in their hearts. If anything happened to Kannabi Bridge, their reinforcements and supply lines would be cut off. If Konoha launched a fierce attack at that point and they couldn't hold their ground, there would be no escape!

Thus—

Under the orders of Tsuchikage-sama!

Even if it meant death!

They had to protect this location.

Taiseki, the Iwa ninja stared at the captive girl they had taken and muttered grimly, "Team Kakashi!"

Names carry weight, just like shadows cast by trees.

Even though Kakashi had made a name for himself in the Third Ninja War at such a young age, underestimating him just because of his age could cost a ninja their life.

Especially earlier—when he used the Camouflage Jutsu to turn his body transparent, it still wasn't enough to successfully ambush Kakashi. All he managed was to injure the silver-haired kid's eye.

This proved—

Those two kids couldn't be underestimated!

"Taiseki, do you really think those kids will come back?" asked his partner, Kakko. "No matter how you look at it, they'd just be walking to their deaths!"

"No matter what, we must remain vigilant!" Taiseki cautioned gravely. "Even if they don't come—"

Before he could finish speaking—

His eyes narrowed sharply.

"Kunai! They're here!" Taiseki quickly turned, forming hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Sure enough—

Even if they were Konoha's prodigies—

Even if they were renowned young geniuses of the Third Ninja War—

In the end, they were still just kids.

Driven by emotions... they really came!

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The sound of kunai striking the rocky surface echoed. But... Taiseki noticed something, his tone turning somber. "Explosive tags!"

At that—

"Boom!"

An explosion roared.

Kunai paired with explosive tags—

A common combination, so it didn't catch them off guard.

Besides, using explosive tags here wasn't the best idea.

One wrong move, and the rocks could end up crushing them too!

As expected—

Not long after, the explosions subsided. The kunai and explosive tags were gone. It seemed the enemy had stopped using explosive tags.

Or perhaps… they had run out!

After all, explosive tags weren't cheap these days. As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, even Iwagakure couldn't afford to use them as freely as before.

No matter how wealthy Konoha was, they couldn't possibly outspend Iwagakure by several... wait!

Taiseki almost forgot—

Konoha still had 600 million ryo in reserve!

As the dust settled—

Just as the Iwa ninja prepared to lower their Earth-Style Wall—

Suddenly—

Another wave of kunai!

"Damn it!"

Every Iwa ninja cursed under their breath. How did Konoha have so many explosive tags?

Could it be… they really used that 600 million?

Not impossible!

After all—

The prolonged war, coupled with rising prices, had strained every village. Even if Konoha tapped into their reserves, it wouldn't be surprising.

But if that were the case—

Did Konoha just gain another 600 million?!

The Iwa ninja grew increasingly uneasy. We have to get this intel back!

However.

Unexpectedly—

This wave of kunai didn't seem to have explosive tags attached?!

"We've been tricked! Guard the captive!" Taiseki roared. "The rest of you, distract the enemy and charge forward! I'll use camouflage to sneak through!"

His eyes glinted coldly.

Konoha genius?

This time—

He would definitely deal with that so-called Konoha genius!

After receiving responses from his comrades, Taiseki wasted no time and quickly formed hand seals.

"Camouflage Jutsu!"

His body seemed to merge seamlessly with the surrounding rocks, vanishing completely from sight.

At the same time—

The remaining Iwa ninjas exchanged glances.

They dissipated their Earth-Style Wall and swiftly shifted from defense to offense.

Meanwhile—

On Kakashi's side, he noticed the change and smirked slightly. According to the plan he and Obito had crafted:

First wave: Use kunai with explosive tags to draw attention.

Second wave: Use plain kunai to confuse them, repeatedly and relentlessly!

Until they were forced to attack!

It couldn't be helped—

Explosive tags and kunai weren't exactly cheap these days.

Thankfully, Obito had a wealthy dad, which allowed them to waste supplies like this.

And now—

Kakashi's lips twitched.

It was his turn to act!

As the Iwa ninja charged toward him, Kakashi's expression remained calm. He had specifically chosen a position with enough distance between him and the enemy.

Quickly, he reached into his ninja tool pouch to retrieve something.

After this, I'll definitely make Obito replace this pouch for me!

Under the puzzled gazes of the Iwa ninjas—

Without hesitation, he hurled the object high into the air.

Immediately—

"Be careful!"

The Iwa ninjas didn't dare let their guard down.

They couldn't identify what was wrapped in the cloth, so they weren't about to take any chances.

But—

Why throw it into the sky?

That high up... even if it were an explosive tag, it would only inflict minor injuries.

While they hesitated, forming two groups—one to defend and one to continue the assault—

Suddenly—

Kakashi pulled out several more kunai.

These had explosive tags attached.

The Iwa ninja's expressions changed instantly, and one of them shouted, "Watch out! Those are explosive—" Mid-sentence, his gaze turned puzzled as he noticed the kunai were also aimed at the sky.

What is this guy trying to do?

Shouldn't he be throwing them at the enemy?

Those wouldn't even reach them!

Everyone froze in confusion.

At that moment—

"Boom!"

The explosive tags detonated in the air!

While the blast caused a slight shockwave, the Iwa ninjas were unfazed and continued their charge.

However—

"What is this?"

A sticky, gooey substance landed on an Iwa ninja's face, prompting a startled cry.

Moments later—

"What is this?"

"What is this?"

"What the heck?"

"It's warm! And... a little bitter!"

One of the Iwa ninjas exclaimed.

Suddenly—

"Damn it! It's shit!"

"Konoha threw shit!"

As the furious shouts of the Iwa ninjas filled the air, Kakashi's lips curled into a subtle smile. Calmly, he muttered, "It worked."

At the same time—

Forced out of camouflage by the... substance, Taiseki's expression darkened. Ignoring the filth covering him, he whipped around and yelled, "The captive!"

But—

It was too late!

"Hahaha!"

A boisterous laugh echoed from above.

A figure—

Appeared before Rin as she looked up, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Through the falling... dirty rain—

With a confident grin, the figure landed in front of her.

Like a hero, with a glowing aura (and smudges of black), he gave her a thumbs-up and proudly declared, "Behold, the great Uchiha Obito-sama has arrived!"

"..."

It's indeed Obito after all!

Rin's face... was full of surprise.