Inside the carriage, Uzumaki Raiden sent Kakashi and the others to deal with the bandits blocking the road. Just as he was about to rest his eyes again, the voice of Kurama echoed in his mind.
"Raiden, there's something strange about the chakra of those bandits. In terms of strength, they're not weaker than that white-haired brat."
"Aren't you going to take a look?"
In the swirling sea of consciousness, Kurama slightly opened his long, narrow fox eyes, grinning as he spoke.
"It doesn't matter. A ninja's strength isn't determined by chakra alone."
"Kakashi and the others can handle it. Don't worry."
"But you, Kurama, why are you suddenly so concerned about those kids?"
Raiden was surprised by Kurama's words. He wasn't the type to meddle in such matters. Even though Kakashi and the others had been with Raiden for a long time, Kurama had never shown any interest in them.
"Hmph!"
"Those people are an important part of our fight against Uchiha Madara. I just don't want to lose valuable combat power."
Kurama snorted and closed his eyes again, feigning indifference, though his fox-like face betrayed his tsundere nature. Raiden chuckled but didn't call him out on it. Instead, he offered reassurance:
"Don't worry, I'm watching."
"Even though Kakashi and the others are Minato's disciples, after spending so much time with them, I already see them as my own juniors."
"And as you said, they will be a crucial force for Konoha in the future—important allies in our fight against Uchiha Madara."
As Raiden spoke, his Kagura's Mind Eye spread outward, covering the entire area. His expression shifted slightly when he noticed a corpse lying on the roadside ahead. He hadn't expected the bandits to be so ruthless, killing without hesitation.
"The world has become too chaotic," Raiden sighed, sitting up straight.
At the head of the convoy, a few bandits stepped forward to inspect the cargo, pulling passengers from the carriages and gathering them in front of the convoy. Those in the rear, more alert to danger, abandoned their belongings and fled into the distance.
"Hey, hey! Don't run away!"
"If you run, I won't be able to stop myself!"
The bandit leader, noticing some passengers escaping, narrowed his eyes. In his mind, these people already belonged to him—how could they just leave?
Grinning, he casually shook the long blade in his hand before throwing it at the fleeing civilians.
"Go to hell, bastards!" He laughed, joined by the bandits around him. To them, killing was nothing more than entertainment.
"Clang!"
Just before the blade could pierce one of the fleeing passengers, a kunai shot from another direction, striking the sword in mid-air. The force altered its trajectory, embedding it harmlessly into the ground. The terrified man didn't dare to look back and continued sprinting into the woods.
"A ninja?!" The bandit leader's expression changed. He hadn't expected any ninja to be part of the convoy. Quickly scanning his surroundings, he signaled his men. A few bandits moved to attack—but before they could react, a sharp whistling sound filled the air.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Kunai appeared out of nowhere, flying at high speeds toward the bandits. Some were unable to dodge in time, collapsing into pools of blood as the kunai struck. The bandit leader, however, reacted quickly, dodging the attack just in time.
"Itachi's shuriken skills are still as precise as ever. He took out four of them in an instant."
"I can't fall behind!"
Above the bandit leader, Uchiha Obito's voice rang out. The bandit, having just evaded the shuriken barrage, barely had time to breathe before instinctively looking up.
A young man was soaring toward him, kunai in both hands, descending at high speed.
"Be careful! There's more than one enemy!" the bandit leader shouted, forming hand seals in rapid succession.
"Earth Release: Rising Stone Walls!"
At his command, two stone walls shot up from the ground on either side of him, closing in rapidly. But this jutsu wasn't meant to trap him—it was a tactical move. The moment the seals were complete, he leaped backward, escaping the enclosed space just before Obito landed.
Obito's kunai cut through empty air, missing its mark.
"Damn it, he dodged!" Obito muttered under his breath, preparing to pursue the bandit. But as he stepped forward, the ground beneath him suddenly gave way.
A trap!
For a brief moment, Obito's mind went blank, and in that instant, he lost the best chance to escape.
"Chidori!"
Just as the stone walls were about to crush him, a burst of bright blue lightning illuminated his vision. The sharp chirping of a thousand birds filled his ears.
"Boom!"
When Obito snapped back to his senses, Kakashi Hatake was standing in front of him, facing the bandit leader. The walls that had nearly crushed him were now reduced to piles of rubble.
"Hey, Obito."
"You need to be more careful. Stop making things harder for your teammates!"
"Aren't you aiming to become Hokage? If you keep messing up like this, that's never going to happen!"
Kakashi turned his head toward Obito. His familiar tone made Obito freeze for a moment before his face flushed in embarrassment.
He had assumed these were just ordinary bandits—easy prey. Yet he had almost gotten himself trapped and had to be rescued by Kakashi.
The realization stung.
But he quickly adjusted his mindset. Tightening his grip on his kunai, his expression turned serious. The tomoe in his Sharingan spun.
"You don't need to lecture me!"
"That was just an accident!"
Obito stepped forward to stand beside Kakashi, both of them locking eyes on the bandit leader. Meanwhile, in just moments, the coordinated efforts of Uchiha Itachi and Rin Nohara had already wiped out most of the bandits.
The three remaining bandits, sensing the overwhelming danger, instinctively moved closer to their leader. The four of them now stood back-to-back, warily eyeing the four ninjas surrounding them.
"Boss, everyone else is down!"
"These are Konoha's ninjas—they're strong! That brat is from the Uchiha clan. We can't take them!"
"And that woman… she's not ordinary either!"
The surviving bandit, having barely escaped from Itachi and Rin, pressed his back against the leader's and reported in a panic. The leader, hearing this, turned toward Itachi and Rin. His face darkened when he noticed Itachi's eyes—those unmistakable Sharingan.
"There are two of them from the Uchiha clan?"
"This just got a lot more complicated."
(End of this chapter)