sacrifice?

The death of Obito did not affect the mission's progress. The operation had to continue—especially since this one could determine whether the war would end early, or even whether the entire Third Ninja War could be stopped.

Kisuke had mentally prepared himself for this. As the indirect executor and "substitute player" for the mission, he knew what was expected. With the original team short on manpower, the Third Hokage had given Minato authority to appoint replacements. That alone showed how seriously the village took this operation.

Kisuke never expected to be pulled out. So after a good night's rest, he gathered his team and prepared to set off.

This time, though, he had confidence. After awakening his three-tomoe Sharingan, he no longer needed to hide it. He still wasn't fully familiar with its abilities and hadn't tested its limits, but even so, the power boost was real.

Would the Danzo keep tabs on him now that he had a Sharingan? Probably. Did he care? Not really. Worst case, he could slap a kunai to his forehead protector and make it everyone else's problem.

"But I can't let it go to my head," Kisuke thought to himself. "Three tomoe isn't Mangekyō, so until then I should keep a low profile while seeking benefits."

After packing up, Kisuke called Aya and Kenta and made their way to Minato, who had assumed de facto command of the remaining Konoha forces. Even Masato didn't object.

"Here's the situation," Minato began once everyone had gathered. "We've killed a large number of Iwa-nin here. That's going to draw attention. We need to move quickly. Yamanaka-san, your squad will act as decoys and draw enemy forces away."

"Understood, Namikaze Jonin," Masato nodded.

"Kisuke-kun, please stay," Minato added just as Kisuke turned to leave. "I have a new mission for you."

"A new mission?" Kisuke blinked, glancing at his teammates. Aya and Kenta exchanged wary glances. Being singled out never meant anything easy.

When the others left and only they remained, it was clear something big was coming. Their minds raced and They quickly pieced it together.

Minato's squad was technically four people—but Minato himself was always vanishing between the frontlines and rear operations thanks to Flying Thunder God. It was smart: it gave the illusion to the enemy that he wasn't behind their lines. Whether Iwagakure believed it or not didn't matter.

But now, with Obito gone, that team was down to two. Under normal conditions, they'd push forward. But things had changed. Kisuke's team had saved many Konoha ninjas, freeing up manpower and easing pressure on the decoy squads. They now had more than enough to support multiple missions.

Plus, Kisuke's team was balanced: two major dōjutsu users and solid combat experience. They were around Kakashi's age, too, which made cooperation easier. Aya and Kenta might've been a year or two older, but in the field, that didn't matter.

With strong synergy and reliable power, the three of them were a natural choice. Once they realized this, the anxiety faded. They even relaxed a little.

Compared to running distraction ops, this mission was likely safer. They had the numbers, dōjutsu, and Minato's support if anything went wrong. A solid survival rate.

Aya and Kenta glanced at Kisuke. If he hadn't awakened his Sharingan when he did, they probably wouldn't be here.

Of course, the village could've restructured teams, but throwing unfamiliar shinobi together mid-operation was a recipe for disaster.

As expected, Minato said, "I'm assigning you a top-secret mission. It's extremely important and could influence the outcome of the war. I need your team to carry it out. Any objections?"

"No," the three of them replied in unison.

"Good." Minato nodded. Then his expression turned serious. "It's dangerous, Kisuke-kun. But you're a full team, so you'll be leading it. Now, listen carefully. Here's the mission."

"I'm leading?" Kisuke was momentarily surprised but nodded. "Understood. I'm listening."

***

Sometimes, good luck hit you in the face when you least expected it. Like when Kisuke awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan—he hadn't been aiming for it, hadn't even been close to prepared.

Now it was happening again. Not only had he earned Minato's recognition for his earlier tactical maneuvering, he'd also been folded into the man's elite squad. Whatever the reason, it was a major upgrade.

This team was survival insurance. Kisuke vividly remembered that image from the original timeline—Kakashi, alone and battle-worn beneath the shattered ruins of Kannabi Bridge. And then later, Minato standing there, staring at the aftermath.

It proved one thing: Minato would show up when it mattered. He would ensure the mission's success, even if it meant skipping a fight. With a living legend like that in the wings, Kisuke felt a lot more secure than Aya and Kenta probably realized.

Of course, just because the Fourth Hokage-in-the-making had their backs didn't mean the mission would be smooth. Far from it. The road ahead was likely littered with landmines. But now, Kisuke had temporary command. That meant he could steer this ship with more precision, avoid the suicidal ideas.

And if it came down to it, with the right coordination and a little clever use of Minato's Flying Thunder God technique, Kisuke could "call in the cavalry" even without holding the kunai himself. That was the kind of backup you didn't underestimate.

Why had Minato given him command? It wasn't hard to guess. Sure, they were a full, established team—Aya, Kenta, and Kisuke were already used to working together. But it also kept Kakashi on a leash.

Minato had talked to him, sure, but grief didn't vanish with a pep talk. His mental state was a mess. Kisuke had seen it in his eyes. Giving command to Kisuke was a safeguard—someone Kakashi couldn't ignore. Someone who could hold him accountable without starting a power struggle.

Besides, Kisuke had just saved both Kakashi and Rin's lives. That gave him leverage, whether he wanted it or not.

And it worked. Kakashi hadn't objected at all. No pushback, no snark. Just a quiet nod. Good enough.

As for the mission itself—it was exactly what Kisuke had guessed. Aya and Kenta exchanged a quick glance the second Minato explained the plan. The look they shot Kisuke afterward was almost accusatory, like you planned this, didn't you?

Well, yeah. He had.

They'd landed in the safest part of the operation. With the bait teams drawing attention and Minato free to roam the front, their group got the softest possible assignment for a deep infiltration op. It wasn't without risk—but compared to the alternative? This was practically a vacation.

But what surprised Kisuke the most was that after Minato brief them with their new mission, a new system window appeared in front of him.

It told him that he was facing A rank mission and the rewards is minimum to 500 point depends on the performance.

Kisuke of course was pleasantly surprised. More points means he will be able to buy suitable combat technique more means to protect himself during the war.

Once Minato left to reinforce the front, Kisuke took full control. The team setup was simple. He already understood Kakashi's skill set, and Rin was a medical ninja—useless in a fight but essential to keep breathing. Kisuke assigned Kenta to protect her.

He would've preferred to handle that himself, but odds were he'd have to deal with enemy forces head-on. Kakashi and Aya were too useful to waste. Kenta, with his brawler's style and decent sensory skills, could handle it—assuming the enemy didn't realize Rin was the medic. If they did, Kenta would be the first to be targeted.

The five of them advanced quickly through the dense forest, encountering scattered Rock Ninja patrols along the way. But Aya's Byakugan gave them plenty of warning, and Masato's bait units had soaked up most of the enemy's attention. For a while, it was almost too easy.

Easy CP kept increasing Kisuke points which made him wish every mission would be this rewarding.

Then things changed.

After several days, the pressure started to build. Rock's rear guard wasn't numerous, but they were damn thorough. Aya's Byakugan picked up chokepoints, blockades, and trap-laced terrain on every route forward.

Even when they found openings, the paths were crawling with tripwires, hidden tags, and chakra signatures that didn't belong to cannon fodder. The enemy had upgraded.

"This isn't sustainable," Kisuke muttered, sitting against the cool stone of a shallow cave. He hadn't expected the enemy to lock down the rear this fast. "They must've figured it out. Our prisoner camp raid probably tipped them off."

"They're not idiots," Aya said beside him. "Between that and missing patrols, they know something's off."

Kisuke gave her a sideways glance. Thanks, Captain Obvious. If these guys were easy, Konoha wouldn't need a walking nuke like Minato to tilt the scales.

The worst part? Their fallback plan—waiting for the bait units to draw attention—might already be blown. If those teams got wiped or pinned, no help was coming.

That meant one thing: they might have to punch straight through. Something Kisuke absolutely didn't want to do.

"Can you tell which unit they are?" Kisuke asked, rubbing his chin.

Aya shot him a look like he'd grown a second head. "What, you think I can ID regiments by chakra signature now? Why don't you just grab a Rock ninja and interrogate them? You've got those shiny new Sharingan eyes, right?"

Kisuke smirked. Fair point.

Then Kakashi spoke up. "We could try the path with the lightest defenses,"

Kisuke and Aya both frowned immediately.

"It's obviously a trap," Kakashi continued, unfazed. "Even if we show ourselves, they're probably watching it. Waiting."

"Then why bother?" Kisuke asked, eyes narrowing. "You want to walk into an ambush?"

"I'll go alone," Kakashi said calmly, rising to his feet. "I'll use shadow clones. Same trick you guys used when you played bait. This time, it's my turn."