Just as Yūhi Kurenai and the others were still in a daze,
Whoosh!
A figure flashed into the scene, with short golden hair. As soon as he landed, he immediately threw six or seven shuriken, only then noticing the situation around him.
"It looks like you're all alright," he said.
Minato Namikaze let out a sigh of relief as he noticed the two corpses on the ground. Standing up straight, he asked, "Are these scouts from Sunagakure?"
The patrol wasn't just for Yūhi Kurenai's team; Minato's team was also nearby. Such missions were typically designed to train the lower-ranked ninjas in the team. After all, these Genin were not yet suited for direct combat on the frontlines, so missions like these were the perfect way to build their experience. Generally, a Chūnin would lead such a mission, and even when Jōnin had no tasks, they would sometimes take the lead on these types of assignments.
"No," Yūhi Shinku replied, noticing Minato's arrival with some relief. "These are two Jōnin from Sunagakure. This isn't just about intelligence gathering."
He paused for a moment, then turned to the approaching Kaede. "You're Kaede, right? Thank you for the timely assistance. But how did you end up here?"
"I was sent here by Lord Hokage to check on the frontlines," Kaede explained as he approached. "I happened to be passing through and noticed the fighting, so I came over. Things were pretty dangerous just now."
Kaede looked at Yūhi Shinku's shoulder wound. "How's your injury?"
"It's alright..." Yūhi Shinku assessed his injury and concluded it wasn't too serious, as he hadn't lost feeling in his right arm.
At this point, the rest of Yūhi Kurenai's team had snapped out of their stupor and rushed over. Yūhi Kurenai was the first to reach Yūhi Shinku, anxiously checking his wound. After a quick assessment, she relaxed a little before turning her gaze to Kaede.
However, at that moment, Kaede was still talking with Minato.
"Do you have a dispatch order from the Hokage?" Minato asked calmly, still holding a kunai infused with the Flying Thunder God technique, not completely letting his guard down. After all, he hadn't seen Kaede's earlier actions of taking down the two Sunagakure Jōnin and saving Yūhi Kurenai, so he couldn't be entirely certain of Kaede's identity.
Kaede wasn't bothered. He took out a small scroll and tossed it to Minato. Without looking at its contents, Minato quickly performed a single-handed seal, causing the scroll to glow faintly.
"Sorry about that..." Minato said with an apologetic smile as he relaxed his guard.
Kaede nodded understandingly. "No problem. This is a battlefield. If I were in your shoes, I'd confirm the identity as well. But, Minato, why are you here alone?"
Minato inspected the special scroll and code before confirming Kaede's identity, but Kaede had already recognized Minato's from the moment he arrived. The instantaneous Shunshin (Body Flicker) and the multiple kunai thrown as he landed were signature moves of Minato.
Kaede even noticed that Minato's kunai weren't just the ones he threw upon appearing—there were also kunai positioned on treetops nearby, indicating they had been placed there at some point. No wonder even the creator of the Flying Thunder God technique, Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, thought Minato's version surpassed his, both in speed and effectiveness.
Minato explained, "I was patrolling with Kakashi and the others nearby. Kakashi and the others are a bit slower, but they should be here soon."
"I see," Kaede nodded.
At this moment, Yūhi Kurenai finally found a chance to speak up, but she was at a loss for words, her wide eyes fixed on Kaede.
Since Kaede graduated, their interactions had decreased, especially with the war starting and each team having their own tasks. Some of the past memories had faded, but this moment was deeply etched in her heart, impossible to forget.
She kept replaying in her mind the scene where Kaede saved her and the way he had appeared, bathed in a silvery light, effortlessly dispatching the two Sunagakure Jōnin in an instant.
It was overwhelming!
She had been stunned earlier because she imagined that if Kaede had been in her position, he might not have been so helpless. But instead, Kaede had appeared in an almost dreamlike way and swiftly eliminated the two Jōnin, just as if they were mere ordinary ninjas.
one of them had been the ninja who had pushed their team into a tough battle.
"That was really dangerous," Kaede said, noticing Yūhi Kurenai's gaze. Seeing her staring at him in silence, he smiled and spoke first.
Although he wasn't sure of the exact situation earlier, Minato's arrival made him realize that even if Minato hadn't come, as long as Yūhi Kurenai avoided the critical areas like the heart, even with a large artery pierced, Minato would have been able to take out both Jōnin instantly.
There were also medical ninjas on the team, and with quick first aid, she wouldn't have died.
Of course, this outcome was undoubtedly the better one. After all, Minato would have been slightly slower, and even if Yūhi Kurenai survived, she would have suffered serious injuries, and the situation would have been very dangerous.
"Th-thank you..." Yūhi Kurenai looked at Kaede, wanting to say a lot of things, but in the end, she hesitated and only managed to utter a simple word of thanks.
Yūhi Shinku glanced at Kaede from the side.
From the look on his daughter's face, he could easily guess the situation between them, and he didn't oppose it. In fact, he was slightly impressed by Kaede's speed.
The two Sunagakure Jōnin had been dealt with in an instant, which also meant that he himself wouldn't be able to withstand Kaede's speed. Despite his young age, Kaede had already become an incredibly formidable ninja.
"You're welcome. As long as you're not injured, that's what matters," Kaede said with a smile.
Yūhi Kurenai was likely only around ten years old now, still far from the mature and alluring figure she would become in the years ahead. He wondered when she would grow up a little more.
Watching familiar faces grow little by little was a unique kind of joy.
With that thought, Kaede turned his gaze toward a particular direction where the sounds of movement in the trees could be heard. Moments later, three figures appeared from the forest and landed on the ground.
"Where are the enemies?!"
Uchiha Obito landed, kunai in hand, ready for battle.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. He could no longer hear the sounds of fighting, and since Minato had arrived ahead of them, it was clear the battle had already ended.
What surprised him was not only the presence of Minato and several other familiar Konoha ninjas but also someone he hadn't seen in a long time, his older brother, Kaede.
He blinked in surprise, not expecting to run into him here.
"Kaede?! What are you doing here?"
It wasn't Kakashi who spoke, but Rin, her voice full of pleasant surprise.
Kaede waved to Rin and smiled. "Just passing through..."
Whoosh!
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaede silently disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already standing behind Kakashi, his hand lightly resting on Kakashi's head.
Kakashi instantly reacted, ducking and spinning around to strike with his fist.
Smack.
Kaede easily caught his punch.
"It looks like you've grown quite a bit too, Kakashi."
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