Ryun's appearance instantly drew the attention of everyone present. Especially after he dealt with the two Iwa-nin Jonin, Kōka and Mogura, the three young shinobi looked at him with surprise, admiration, and shock.
So strong! They had heard of the Hokage's strength but had never witnessed it firsthand. During the Third Great Ninja War, Ryun had single-handedly dealt with four thousand shinobi before the main force caught up, so they hadn't seen him in action then.
The three youngsters had been with the main force and hadn't seen it either. Now, standing near the Kannabi Bridge and watching Ryun fight up close, they were utterly astounded. Two Jonin were killed so cleanly, without any hesitation.
Especially Obito and Kakashi, whose hearts were stirred like turbulent rivers, looking at Ryun's slender figure as if it were an insurmountable mountain.
Minato teleported next to Ryun using the Flying Thunder God Technique. Ryun smiled. "You, careless fellow. Only looking ahead, not watching the rear, right? What is more important, the mission or the students? They are the future flowers of Konoha."
Minato scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. It was true, he had only been thinking about letting the three youngsters watch the shinobi ahead and hadn't considered guarding the rear. If not for Ryun's appearance, the three youngsters would have been in big trouble.
"Teacher, sorry, your student was wrong," Minato said, lowering his head with a bitter smile.
Ryun patted his shoulder. "You should be grateful that Danzo told me about this mission and insisted we split into two groups to protect you."
"Speaking of Danzo, Minato, where is Danzo now?" Ryun asked.
Minato looked up and replied, "Teacher Danzo is confronting Tōshi on the main battlefield. Teacher Danzo summoned the One-Tails' true form and just repelled Tōshi's army. Then he told me to destroy the Kannabi Bridge quickly to cut off the enemy's supply line."
Ryun nodded. "Alright. I will leave this place to you. Bring the new generation of three youngsters back safely and soundly. If anything happens, your teacher will deal with you!" After saying this, Ryun disappeared from the Kannabi Bridge.
Minato nodded, then called the three youngsters back. "Everyone! Come back, that's enough!"
Hearing Minato's words, the three youngsters used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive at Minato's side. Minato first apologized to the three of them, because his lack of consideration had almost led them into danger.
Kakashi and Rin quickly waved their hands, saying it wasn't the teacher's fault, blaming the two Iwa-nin Jonin for their sudden ambush. Only Obito remained silent. He looked at Minato with a complicated expression, but finally nodded without saying a word.
Minato seemed to notice Obito's abnormality. However, he planned to personally apologize to Obito again after returning to the village. He felt that Obito had matured a lot in an instant.
"Obito, please set off the explosive tags," Minato instructed. Uchiha Obito snapped back to reality and nodded. "Teacher, Rin, Kakashi, please step back."
After Uchiha Obito finished speaking, the three moved backward. Uchiha Obito formed a hand sign with one hand. "Fire Release, Great Fire Annihilation!" Uchiha Obito took a deep breath and spat flames from his mouth towards the bridge.
Instantly, the explosive tags were ignited, setting off a chain reaction. Boom! Then, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Hundreds of explosive tags detonated in succession, the sound shaking the heavens, and the ground trembled continuously.
Obito's short hair was ruffled by the wind from the explosion, but his eyes showed no panic. It seemed that compared to the life-and-death parting in his dream, this scene was far less significant.
A large number of birds were startled and flew away. The centuries-old stone bridge collapsed and shattered. After completing this task, he turned and walked towards Minato, Rin, and Kakashi against the backdrop of the explosions.
"That was just a dream, right, Obito? Don't think about it too much. It's not Teacher Minato's fault. After all, he was facing so many Iwa-nin alone," Obito said to himself. But the more he said this, the more he thought about why he had seen that scene.
He was pinned under a rock, gouging out his Sharingan to give to Kakashi as a gift for his promotion to Jonin, and then he lost consciousness.
"Obito," Rin looked at Obito at this moment, her heart trembling. She felt as if Obito had become a different person, very lonely. She stepped forward and hugged Uchiha Obito tightly. "Obito. It is okay."
Uchiha Obito suddenly returned to reality from his wild thoughts. Looking at Rin in his arms, he suddenly took a deep breath. Yes, it was all in the past. Those scenes ultimately didn't happen, right? And now, Rin and I are already boyfriend and girlfriend. Don't think about it anymore.
Uchiha Obito's hands slowly rose, one wrapping around Rin's waist, the other stroking Rin's head, wishing he could melt her into his body.
"Yeah, it is okay. Everything is in the past," Uchiha Obito said, the corners of his mouth turning up. He didn't die. What happened in the dream didn't occur. So this is reality. This is real. As for those dreams, let them pass.
Hatake Kakashi sighed as he watched this scene, then sat on the ground. He was exhausted from the journey. That Kōka was really fast. If he hadn't been promoted to Jonin and if Obito hadn't killed Ōishi, he felt he would have lost something. His left eye also hurt a little.
He rubbed his left eye, then lay on the ground like a salted fish. Minato smiled as he watched this scene and sat next to Kakashi, waiting for Obito and Rin's emotions to stabilize.
On the other side.
The Iwa-nin forces surrounded the One-Tails Bijuu at the border of the Land of Grass. "Lord Danzo, the Third Great Ninja War has ended. Our Iwagakure, as Konoha's ally, has lost many troops. Now we want to expand our territory a bit. Must your Konoha stop us?" Tōshi shouted from the hillside.
Danzo's voice came through. "Sorry, your actions have posed a certain risk to Konoha. I cannot let you attack the Land of Grass."
Tōshi's face darkened. "In that case, I apologize, Lord Danzo. I won't kill you, but please be unconscious for a while!"
"Demolition Team, advance! Sealing Squad, follow behind and seize the chance to seal the One-Tails Shukaku and Danzo!" Tōshi waved his hand. The Demolition Team charged towards Shukaku with explosive tag kunai.
"Gigigi! A bunch of little insects dare to attack your Lord Shukaku!" Shukaku's voice rang out, causing the shinobi present to grimace and cover their ears.
The One-Tails Shukaku's shout was very piercing and had an intimidating effect. Even the Iwa-nin troops found it difficult to move forward.
"Wind Wall!" Shukaku slammed its hands on the ground. A gust of wind surged from the ground, forming an invisible wall. The explosive tag kunai hit it but could not detonate.
Tōshi smirked. "Fire Release Jutsu!" As soon as he said this, the Iwa-nin Demolition Team formed hand signs. Flames blew into the wind wall, instantly turning it into a fire wall. The explosive tags inside were ignited by the flames and began to explode!
Boom, boom, boom, boom! The continuous explosions made Shukaku's body tremble, and it retreated three or four steps. Its face was gloomy. Damn it, these pesky insects, while not strong individually, were quite annoying to the Tailed Beast when combined!
"Roar!" The One-Tails Shukaku roared, and the Iwa-nin covered their ears again. Shukaku seized the opportunity. "Wind Release, Sand Air Bullet!" It opened its mouth and shot a transparent air cannon towards the Iwa-nin troops.
Instantly, the center of the Iwa-nin formation was hit by the Sand Air Bullet. Many shinobi were blown away, the formation was disrupted, and quite a few shinobi died on the spot, with limbs flying everywhere.
Tōshi took a sharp breath and murmured, "So this is the power of a perfect Jinchūriki, the Tailed Beast transformation? It is truly fearsome. But..."
Tōshi's eyes turned fierce. "For our Will of Stone, everyone, we cannot retreat! Everything is for Iwagakure!" As soon as he said this, the already somewhat chaotic army immediately calmed down. The fear on their faces faded, replaced by a rock-solid, determined expression, ready to face death.
With just one sentence, with a vague Will of Stone, Tōshi once again凝聚ed and ignited the fighting spirit of the Iwa-nin troops. He was truly a talent!
Danzo also noticed this. He quickly said, "Shukaku, see that shinobi on the hill? That one must not be left alive! As long as he is here, these Iwa-nin have a backbone. To capture the rebels, first capture the leader!"
Shukaku nodded. "Understood!" Then Shukaku dragged its huge body and began running across the battlefield. Tōshi saw this and his face changed. Damn, it is coming for me!
The Iwa-nin troops were also shocked and began using jutsu to stop Shukaku. But in the face of Shukaku's massive body, their jutsu were practically insignificant. Shukaku ignored all damage, its mind set on one goal: to tear Tōshi to pieces!
At that moment, a figure flew out. "Dust Release, Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
"Shukaku, dodge!" Danzo roared.
Hearing this, Shukaku quickly retreated, but it was too late. Its arm was enveloped by the Detachment of the Primitive World Technique and instantly turned into nothingness. Shukaku let out a cry of agony, but soon sand from the ground gathered, forming a new arm for it.
"Oh? As expected of the One-Tails. Even after being hit by my Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, it can still reform its arm!" Ōnoki laughed.
Danzo spoke up now. "Ōnoki, do you intend to make an enemy of Konoha?"
"Danzo, can you represent Konoha?" Ōnoki sneered. He actually had some ulterior motives, wanting to sow discord between Danzo and Ryun.
"I..." Danzo was about to say he could, but the words reached his lips, his mind suddenly turned, could he? He stopped.
"If Danzo cannot, then can you, Tsuchikage Ōnoki?" Ryun's figure suddenly appeared on top of Shukaku's head. He crossed his arms, looking down coldly at Tsuchikage Ōnoki.
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