Chapter 37: The Final Line of Defense
"Trouble?"
Uchiha Kei frowned slightly. For something to be labeled as trouble by Minato Namikaze, it must be a problem of monumental proportions. Considering Minato's strength and perspective, one could only imagine how formidable the enemy must be this time.
Kei swallowed nervously. Don't tell me that guy—Kitsuchi—managed to retreat in time?
No, that didn't seem right. If it were just Kitsuchi, he probably wouldn't be considered "trouble" in Minato's eyes. Could it be the Third Tsuchikage himself?
Unlikely. The Third Tsuchikage still needed to guard against sudden strikes from the Land of Lightning—he couldn't possibly have come all the way to the Land of Grass.
Then who exactly could make Minato Namikaze say it's trouble?
No matter how hard Kei racked his brain, he couldn't figure it out. His only option was to look to Minato, hoping he would give them some clarity.
"The last defensive squad—we don't have a precise number, but I spotted at least two," Minato said, not one to beat around the bush. His voice was serious. "But neither of them are ordinary. One is named Gari. The other… is Han."
The moment Kei heard those names, his face twisted slightly. Imai Kenta didn't react—he clearly had no idea who those two were. But Kei definitely did.
He couldn't quite recall who Gari was—but Han, he remembered vividly.
If I'm not wrong, Han is the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails. He didn't appear much in the original plot, and even then, he was taken down fairly quickly by the Akatsuki. But Kei remembered that Han had once kicked Naruto, who was in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, clean across the battlefield.
That level of chakra and explosive power... Kei didn't even want to think about it.
What baffled him more was why this guy was even here. The Land of Earth was in a dire state, yet the Third Tsuchikage had still deployed the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki to the Land of Grass?
The old man must have some serious ambitions.
As for the unknown number of additional enemies—that part was vague, which made things even riskier. If they were lucky, there'd be fewer enemies. If not… well, let's just say the situation could get catastrophic.
Kei exchanged glances with Imai Kenta. Both of them understood that this was the endgame. They weren't as fortunate as Hyuga Ayaka, but they had opportunities that she didn't. Even if those opportunities seemed worthless now, they had no choice but to press on.
"I'll take on Gari," Kei said after a moment of thought. "Kenta, you go under the bridge and plant the explosive tags. I'll give you all of mine. It's a pity Ayaka isn't here…"
"I'll deal with Han," Minato said, cutting him off. He didn't linger on Ayaka's absence. Instead, he turned to Imai Kenta. "Kenta, you handle the tags—but stay alert. If there are too many enemies below the bridge, focus on stalling them. Kei and I will back you up when we're done. Understood?"
"Yes," Imai Kenta nodded. The task carried plenty of uncertainties, but it was still leagues better than going toe-to-toe with a Jinchūriki or an unknown elite.
One was out of his league entirely. The other? No intel—but anyone standing beside a Jinchūriki couldn't possibly be weak.
If there were no enemies under the bridge, Kenta would be in the safest position. But even he knew that was wishful thinking.
"Here, take these," Minato said suddenly, as if remembering something. He pulled two pills from his ninja pouch and handed them to Kei and Kenta. "These are from the Akimichi Clan. They're excellent for chakra recovery and have minimal side effects. But once the effect wears off, you'll feel extremely fatigued."
Kei nodded, accepted the yellow pill, and swallowed it without hesitation. Kenta shook his head and declined—his chakra regeneration was already abnormally fast, and not even he knew why.
But Kei was different. Ever since his battle with Kitsuchi, he hadn't fully recovered. Even after taking several soldier pills, the results had been subpar.
Now that they'd reached the critical moment, he didn't mind using a pill from the Akimichi Clan. He vaguely remembered their medicine—just don't take the red ones and you'd be fine.
Minato hadn't handed out any red pills, which reassured Kei. Almost immediately, he felt his chakra returning at an astonishing pace.
"Now, let me give you the rundown on Gari," Minato said, watching Kei recover. "He's part of the Iwagakure Explosion Corps. I've heard he possesses a kekkei genkai. He's young, but dangerous."
"A kekkei genkai?" Kei nodded. "Then I guess I chose the right opponent. A bloodline limit should be countered by another."
Kei had heard of Iwagakure's Explosion Corps before. If memory served, that kid Deidara had once been part of the same unit before defecting.
Deidara had a stroke of luck—he was both a future ally of the Fourth Tsuchikage and a disciple of the Third. Too bad his personality was so… eccentric.
Setting that aside, Kei had to admit Deidara was powerful. He'd even defeated—or potentially killed—the Fifth Kazekage.
The Explosion Corps was well-known. If Gari was a member, then he definitely wasn't someone to underestimate. The Third Tsuchikage wouldn't allow weaklings into that unit, much less place them beside a Jinchūriki at Kannabi Bridge.
Kei scratched his chin. Is Gari like Deidara? A guy with mouths on his palms playing with explosive clay?
If so, Kei needed to be extremely careful.
I remember Deidara was once taken down by Uchiha Itachi with a single genjutsu. I wonder if I could try that?
Kei could use genjutsu pretty well. After all, he had once used it on himself to forcibly awaken the Sharingan.
Suddenly, his expression turned a little odd. Come to think of it, I rarely use genjutsu.
Back then, it was inconvenient to show off Sharingan. But now, he could finally use it without restraint.
Still, his expression soon returned to normal. His first Sharingan opponent—Kitsuchi—probably wouldn't have been fazed by genjutsu anyway. They didn't lock eyes often, and Kei had to conserve chakra throughout the fight. Not to mention, most of his opponents weren't even worth using jutsu on.
But now, he was seeing his own weaknesses clearly. He had acquired a powerful tool—but hadn't developed it properly. That thought made him sigh inwardly.
Let's just end this war quickly. I've still got so much I need to refine.