Inertia (Second Update)

Although Xu Yue possessed a high-level Sage Body and had pushed himself to the limit to unleash Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, he clearly had not reached the First Hokage’s level, where he could permanently alter the terrain.

Once his Chakra was exhausted and the targets caught by the forest had been drained dry, the vast expanse of trees rapidly began to wither.

Like a fleeting epiphany.

Uh, even Konoha’s ninjas had been hoisted up and drained by the forest.

Fortunately, it only absorbed Chakra and had not tyrannically drained their life force as well.

He had used even his final trump card this time, but the results had been outstanding.

This mission settlement should at least be guaranteed an A-rank rating.

That was only because Konoha had already been winning this battle. If he had sided with Iwagakure and turned the tide this time, it would probably have been at least S-rank.

Of course, Xu Yue would not be so shortsighted as to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

Counting only the mission settlement rewards, from the time he entered this Mission Space until now, he had already nearly caught up to the settlement reward from the entire Titan mission.

Sure enough, high risk brought high returns!

Actively interfering with the plot and forcibly entering high difficulty carried such immense risks that even Xu Yue’s current abilities had hovered on the brink of life and death, but the rewards were unimaginably great as well.

He just did not know whether the disturbance here had been noticed by the ever-present White Zetsu. That was truly troublesome.

He could only hope all their attention was on Obito right now. By the time everyone had recovered, it should be about time to head back…

After explaining his "true identity" as a Senju and Uchiha orphan to Minato Namikaze, and expressing his apologies for "concealing" it,

the future Fourth Hokage naturally bore no grudge and showed considerable understanding.

"Given time, Lord Yue’s achievements will be limitless. Everyone, you understand the level of secrecy this requires, don’t you?"

Minato Namikaze looked at the surviving Konoha ninjas on the battlefield. The smile was rarely absent from his face, and he seemed exceedingly calm.

Yet even Xu Yue sensed a chilling killing intent that froze the soul.

"Of course. We have fought for Konoha to this point, so do not underestimate our resolve."

The sole remaining jonin suppressed the excitement in his heart as he answered.

The others quickly echoed their agreement.

Xu Yue did not care much about the others’ responses. For now, he could only delay things for as long as possible.

More people should already know that he had learned the Flying Thunder God. Even if his teacher truly had some intentions, he should suppress them for now.

Orochimaru was greedy, but he was rational as well. He would not blindly do something where the losses outweighed the gains.

If he was not confident he could keep Xu Yue, who possessed the Flying Thunder God, then Xu Yue would still be his good disciple and useful assistant!

Rather than a vessel he could covet and crave!

The recovery ability of a high-level Sage Body was absolutely first-rate. Especially with Xu Yue’s disproportionately vast Chakra reserves, after only a brief rest, he had recovered to around fifty percent.

Once Minato Namikaze had caught his breath as well, Xu Yue took the initiative to remind him.

"Senior Brother Minato, I can’t shake my worries about Kakashi and the others. We should go check on them."

"Mm, that was what I was planning too."

After nodding in agreement with Xu Yue’s suggestion and making further arrangements for the surviving Konoha ninjas, who had likewise recovered some of their combat strength, Minato Namikaze and Xu Yue vanished from the spot one after the other, just as they had when they arrived.

Leaving only the Konoha survivors, who had narrowly escaped death, staring at one another.

The Yellow Flash, and that Uchiha clansman who had mastered Wood Style… those two would likely become remarkable figures in Konoha’s future…

Earth Style: Earth Split Palm!

The ninjutsu jointly performed by more than a dozen Iwagakure chunin struck the ground at once. The combined technique was even stronger than an A-rank ninjutsu cast by a single jonin.

The entire earth surged like rolling waves, crashing toward a pile of rocks at the center.

That was the scene Xu Yue faced the moment he arrived atop that rock pile.

Without much hesitation, he scooped up Rin beside him, flung out a Kunai, and vanished from the rock pile with her in the next instant.

The violent waves of earth directly buried the rock pile, along with Obito beneath it.

"Huh?"

It had been an instinctive action born of urgency, but once Xu Yue came to his senses, he realized that he could already use the Flying Thunder God to move with someone else?

This was undoubtedly proof that his proficiency had greatly improved. Was it because of Force Sense’s assistance? That seemed to be the only possible explanation.

It did not seem to offer him much help for the moment, but its influence was present at every instant.

"Lord Yue truly is a genius. You nearly gave me a fright just now."

Minato Namikaze, who appeared beside Xu Yue with Kakashi, was also surprised.

Teleporting someone with the Flying Thunder God might not seem like much, but using the Flying Thunder God on multiple targets was the foundation for extending it into the Flying Thunder God Barrier.

In other words, despite having mastered the Flying Thunder God only a short time ago, Xu Yue had already begun learning its derivative applications.

However, Minato Namikaze’s expression was grim when he discovered Obito was missing.

With Obito’s personality, if he were all right, he would never leave Rin unattended just to hide himself.

But right now, Minato would rather believe he had hidden out of cowardice!

"Sensei, Obito… Obito…"

Rin, who had also realized what had happened, paid no attention to how her teacher and "Uchiha Yue" had returned. Her voice trembled with sobs.

"I understand."

Knowing the outcome he least wanted to hear had come to pass, Minato Namikaze looked at the twelve Iwagakure chunin who had come as reinforcements, and a coldness appeared in his eyes.

"Lord Yue, leave these people to me. You don’t need to act…"

Almost the instant his words fell, Minato Namikaze once again demonstrated the true meaning of the Yellow Flash.

His methods of using the Flying Thunder God far surpassed Xu Yue’s. The twelve chunin were wiped out in an instant, without even the chance to react.

Xu Yue, who had not managed to claim even a single kill, had nothing to say.

So it had finally come to this, Obito…

He drove a Kunai viciously into the ground, raised his head to look at the utterly ruined terrain, and something like an inexplicable flame seemed to flicker in Xu Yue’s eyes.

This should be

the place…

Madara, you had better wait for me…

Obito’s "death" had changed Kakashi into a completely different person.

Yet he no longer gave off the same lifeless feeling as before. He seemed more human somehow. Carrying the will and eye of the "dead" Obito, Kakashi was no longer living solely for himself.

Along the way, Kakashi would occasionally touch his left eye, remaining silent.

But the mission still had to continue. Kannabi Bridge had yet to be destroyed.

Although the front line had temporarily slowed the enemy’s offensive due to Xu Yue and Minato’s powerful interception, the existence of that vital supply route could allow Iwagakure to make a comeback at any time.

"A Sharingan, huh? It seems your technique has been completed as well."

Kakashi did not want to talk, but Xu Yue wanted to speak with him.

Because of the words White Fang had spoken before his death, Kakashi could not ignore Xu Yue. He turned to look at him.

But what he saw was the Three Tomoe Sharingan spinning in Xu Yue’s eyes!

"It is ultimately the power of our Uchiha Clan. I think that if you want to properly see the world through Obito’s eye, you should learn how to use it from me. It will also help you complete that technique…"

Chidori acquired, one B-rank mission deducted. Sure enough, the self-created Rasengan was cheaper…

In the official published settings, Lightning Blade is S-rank while Chidori is A-rank. They are considered two different ninjutsu, though Kakashi originally developed Chidori; Lightning Blade could be considered its upgraded version.

Also, in response to something else: in Kakashi Gaiden, that Iwa ninja said, "No wonder the captain told me to run whenever I encountered the Yellow Flash," not that abandoning the mission would go unpunished. In my personal interpretation, that prestigious title was given by A after fighting the AB Combo~

There will be one final update later tonight.

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