286-290

Chapter 286: Shocking Namikaze Minato 

Right after, Kazama quickly turned over the situation in his head and thought to himself, "Even if I told them the truth, they’d never believe something like time travel. Honestly, I wouldn’t have believed it myself not long ago. But if I don’t say anything, they’ll most likely assume I’m the enemy. That’ll make it even harder for me to find the Flame of the Living Being. What should I do?" 

At that moment, Kazama suddenly remembered how mysterious Konoha’s ANBU is. 

The ANBU rarely show their true faces, so Kazama decided to pretend to be one of them to earn the trust of Kakashi and the others. 

With that in mind, Kazama immediately turned to Kakashi and Namikaze Minato and said, “You’ve misunderstood. I’m not a spy. I’m an ANBU ninja from Konoha. I’ve been on a long-term secret mission, so it’s natural you don’t recognize me. But now that the Third Great Ninja War has reached its peak and the fighting is so intense, the Sandaime Hokage has dispatched me to the front lines to assist Minato’s squad in holding back the enemy.” 

“Is that true?” 

Minato looked Kazama up and down carefully. 

“It’s absolutely true,” Kazama replied, full of confidence. 

Minato nodded in response—not because he completely trusted Kazama, but because this was wartime. Even if he had doubts, he didn’t have the luxury to investigate deeply. 

Still, Minato had a sense that Kazama probably wasn’t an enemy. After all, he’d just helped Kakashi defeat the enemy moments ago. 

So Minato turned back to Kazama and said, “If you really were sent by the Sandaime, then let’s keep moving with the mission.” 

“But this guy’s acting shady. He probably isn’t someone we can trust…” Kakashi said with clear suspicion. 

“Haha… Kakashi, huh? I didn’t think you’d be so cautious. You’re already calling me a bad guy?” 

Kazama gave a helpless laugh after hearing Kakashi’s words. 

But he understood where Kakashi was coming from. If someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere and even blocked your attack, it would be natural to be on guard. 

“Kakashi, I get what you’re saying. But right now, we’re in the middle of a full-blown war. Our mission is to destroy the Shinmubi Bridge and stop enemy reinforcements from transporting supplies. That’s what matters most right now. Whether he’s a good guy or not, as long as he helps us complete the mission, then he’s an ally. But if he betrays us… I won’t let him off easy either.” 

As Minato spoke, he glanced at Kazama. 

Kazama, however, remained calm and simply nodded in response. 

Minato was slightly impressed. Even after hearing a direct threat, Kazama didn’t flinch at all. That level of composure earned Kazama a bit of respect in Minato’s eyes. 

Just then, a large group of enemy shinobi suddenly appeared ahead. 

Minato’s expression changed instantly—shock and tension flashing across his face. 

“What now…?” he murmured. 

“What’s wrong?” Kazama asked, puzzled. To him, it was just a few hundred enemies—nothing worth panicking over. So why was Namikaze Minato so shaken? 

Chapter 287: A Thousand Wood Clone Jutsu at Once 

"You don’t know the whole story," someone explained. "Our mission was originally to hold Kannabi Bridge, but somehow word leaked out. Now, the enemy has set up heavy resistance on the way there. If we can't reach the bridge in time and cut off their reinforcements, then Konoha might get completely surrounded." 

"Oh? Well, if that’s the case, why don’t we just beat through them?" Kazama replied casually. 

"Hah, you make it sound so easy." Kakashi immediately scoffed at him. 

"Do you even realize how many enemies are up ahead? We’re talking hundreds of them—and not just any enemies. These are full-fledged jōnin from Iwagakure, masters of large-scale area attacks. There’s no way a small group like ours can take them head-on." 

"Heh. So what if there’s a lot of them? Let me tell you—whether it’s one or a hundred, it’s no different to me." 

"What?! Are you drunk, or just full of hot air?" Kakashi couldn’t help but laugh, thinking Kazama was just boasting. 

Kazama didn’t even respond. In the blink of an eye, he activated Wood Style: Clone Technique (Mokuton: Bunshin no Jutsu). 

Within seconds, thousands of clones had filled the area. 

Kakashi immediately stumbled backward in shock. 

And it wasn’t just him—Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin were all utterly stunned. 

None of them had ever seen anyone summon this many clones before. 

And more than that—they were all Wood Clones, the exclusive jutsu of the legendary First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. 

This completely shattered everything they thought they knew. 

Minato looked at Kazama with even more curiosity now. But no matter how curious he was, this wasn’t the time to ask questions. 

The enemy was already closing in fast. 

At first, the Iwagakure troops had only seen five people in Kazama’s group. Confident in their numbers, they were already planning to wipe them out with ease. 

But they hadn’t expected Kazama to summon thousands of Wood Clones in one go. 

Now they were the ones outnumbered—and it shook them. 

Still, their commanding officer didn’t back down. The moment he saw all the clones, he was clearly surprised, but he quickly put on a mocking sneer. 

"Heh, you little brat... You look like nothing but a weak little genin. And yet you think you can take on us jōnin? It doesn't matter how many clones you summon—they're useless!" 

Turning to rally his troops, he shouted, "Don’t be afraid! This punk is just trying to psych us out with those clones. He wants us to panic and retreat. But if we give it our all, we can beat him black and blue in no time!" 

His words fired up the Iwagakure shinobi. 

In the blink of an eye, they all charged toward Kazama and his team. 

Minato stepped forward, ready to join the fight. 

But Kazama stopped him. 

"There's no need for you to lift a finger, sensei. I can take them all down—easy." 

Chapter 288: “All I Know Is How to Dominate” 

As soon as Kazama finished speaking, thousands of his Mokuton (Wood Release) clones instantly appeared and, within moments, had knocked every last one of the several hundred Iwagakure shinobi to the ground. 

The sheer power and efficiency of Kazama’s Wood Release clones left not only Namikaze Minato stunned, but even the enemy ninja from Iwagakure were visibly shaken. 

Everyone knew that clones usually only retain about 30% of the original’s strength. But these Wood Release clones? Each one was far stronger than any of the Iwa shinobi individually. 

Which could only mean one thing: if his clones were this powerful, then Kazama’s real body must be on a completely different level. 

The Iwa shinobi were utterly shocked. 

Even the enemy commander looked like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But despite witnessing Kazama’s overwhelming strength, he wasn’t willing to back down. 

After all, he was a proud jōnin—a high-ranking ninja. There was no way he could accept being defeated by a mere genin. 

So without hesitation, he barked new orders, commanding his subordinates to launch a large-scale Earth Release jutsu to tear Kazama apart. 

“Doton: Doryūha! (Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave)” 

With the Iwa shinobi unleashing their Earth Release techniques all at once, the ground beneath Kazama and his allies began to tremble violently. It felt like a magnitude-12 earthquake had struck. Even Minato and Kakashi were thrown into disarray by the sheer scale of the jutsu. 

Seeing the enemy going all out, Minato quickly shouted for Kazama and the others to fall back. 

But Kazama just smiled and shook his head. 

“Just a bunch of Earth Release techniques? Nothing worth worrying about.” 

“What…?” 

Minato was baffled. A genin acting this calm—calmer than even a jōnin like him—was beyond strange. 

Just as Minato was about to question Kazama, something shocking happened. 

All of Kazama’s thousands of Wood Release clones began performing Earth Release jutsu of their own. 

“Doton: Chōjūgan no Jutsu! (Earth Release: Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique)” 

In an instant, the massive earthquake-like tremors were completely suppressed—and suppressed hard. 

Kazama’s clones had completely turned the tables. 

Seeing this, both the enemy and Minato were speechless. 

Nobody had expected that Kazama’s clones weren’t just strong in physical combat—they could also perform large-scale, high-level ninjutsu at the same time. 

And not just any jutsu—Chōjūgan no Jutsu consumes an enormous amount of chakra. 

Yet somehow, thousands of Kazama’s clones were casting it all at once. Thousands of simultaneous Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Techniques. 

It was beyond anything they could have imagined. 

Minato was genuinely impressed. Even he, a top-tier jōnin and almost at Kage level, couldn’t perform ninjutsu on this scale with clones. The chakra cost would be insane—even a Kage might not manage it. 

But Kazama, this seemingly ordinary genin, had done it. 

Minato couldn’t help but feel deeply shaken. 

And while everyone was still in shock, Kazama had already ordered his thousands of clones to defeat the remaining Iwa shinobi. 

“Let’s head to the Shinmubi Bridge right away,” Kazama said calmly. 

Minato and the others immediately nodded. They were in full agreement now. 

Even Kakashi, who had doubted Kazama at first, found himself beginning to respect the mysterious ninja. 

Chapter 289: Whoever Dares to Defy Gets a Beatdown  

At this moment, Kazama seemed to have become the new leader of Namikaze Minato’s team.  

Kazama’s top priority right now was, of course, to find the Flame of Life.  

But he also knew that delaying the search for the Flame of Life wouldn’t be a big deal.  

However, if he didn’t help Namikaze Minato’s team now, Kakashi, Obito, and Nohara Rin would face the pain of life-and-death separation.  

That was something Kazama absolutely didn’t want to see.  

Even though this was just a parallel world, and changing their fates here wouldn’t mean a thing in the real world, Kazama still couldn’t bear to watch them die.  

After all, Kazama was a genuinely kind person. Plus, whether it was Namikaze Minato, Kakashi, Nohara Rin, or Obito, they were all people he deeply respected and liked.  

So, Kazama knew he had to help them.  

Not long after, the group arrived at the Kannabi Bridge.  

But the moment Namikaze Minato set foot there, his heart skipped a beat.  

He instinctively took a few steps back, cold sweat dripping down his face.  

Seeing the usually calm Namikaze Minato show such an expression, Kazama grew even more puzzled. He immediately turned to Minato and asked, “Minato-sensei, why are you so shocked?”  

“You don’t understand,” Minato said, gesturing for Kazama to look at the three ninja standing on the Kannabi Bridge.  

“Those three are elite jounin from Iwagakure, known as the Slaughter Brothers. They’re incredibly strong and specialize in coordinated ninjutsu. When they work together, even a proper Kage-level shinobi would struggle to stand against them.”  

As Minato spoke, the Slaughter Brothers suddenly used an Earth-Style jutsu, reinforcing and thickening the Kannabi Bridge’s structure.  

“Damn it!”  

Seeing this, Minato’s heart sank again.  

Even a fool could tell that the Slaughter Brothers were doing this to stop Minato’s team from destroying the Kannabi Bridge.  

If Minato and his team couldn’t destroy the bridge, they wouldn’t be able to stop Iwagakure’s reinforcements.  

And if that happened, Konoha would be in serious danger.  

“Damn it! I was planning to use my Flying Thunder God technique to keep those three busy, then lure them away so you guys could blow up the bridge. But I never expected the Slaughter Brothers to beat us to it and make the Kannabi Bridge indestructible. What do we do now?”  

Even the brilliant strategist Namikaze Minato was at a loss.  

“Heh, don’t worry. No matter how tough they’ve made the Kannabi Bridge, I’ve got a way to destroy it,” Kazama said with a confident grin.  

“What? Are you serious?”  

Minato was stunned by Kazama’s confidence.  

Before Minato could even process it, Kazama, in the blink of an eye, unleashed his Perfect Susanoo.  

The moment the towering Perfect Susanoo appeared, Minato, Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin all collapsed to the ground in shock.  

They had never seen such an insanely powerful technique before! 

Chapter 290: I Alone Can Take On Ten Thousand  

When it came to familiarity, Obito had only heard about this Susanoo from his fellow Uchiha clan members.  

But he had never actually seen it with his own eyes.  

So, when he saw an outsider performing the Uchiha clan’s forbidden jutsu, Obito was utterly stunned, his jaw practically on the floor.  

And now, with Kazama’s perfect Susanoo towering before them, the three infamous Kirikazu brothers on the Shinmubi Bridge caught sight of Minato Namikaze and his team.  

With cold sneers, they charged toward them.  

“You filthy bastards! We three brothers have been waiting here for you to walk right into our trap. Don’t think you can fool us with this pathetic illusion nonsense and act all high and mighty!”  

Even though the Kirikazu brothers saw Kazama’s perfect Susanoo, they had never encountered this jutsu before. They assumed Kazama was just putting on a flashy show.  

They thought his Susanoo looked impressive but was useless in a real fight.  

So, without hesitation, they rushed straight at Kazama’s Susanoo.  

But what the three of them didn’t expect was that their combined strength was nowhere near enough to stand up to Kazama’s Susanoo.  

In just a few moments, the so-called legendary Kirikazu brothers were reduced to mincemeat by Kazama’s overwhelming power.  

Seeing the infamous Kirikazu brothers, who were known far and wide, unable to last even a single round against Kazama completely shattered Minato Namikaze and his team’s worldview.  

While Minato and the others stood there in shock, Kazama wasted no time. Wielding the Susanoo’s sword, he hacked the supposedly indestructible Shinmubi Bridge to pieces in a matter of seconds.  

Witnessing Kazama’s incredible strength, Minato, Kakashi, and the others were even more dumbfounded.  

They never could’ve imagined that the S-rank mission to destroy the Shinmubi Bridge would be handled so effortlessly, so easily, by Kazama.  

They hadn’t expected their own Konoha village to produce such a monstrous genius.  

And as Kazama chopped the Shinmubi Bridge to bits, the Iwa ninja army ahead saw him destroy their supply line. Naturally, they were enraged, practically jumping with fury.  

For any other ninja village, losing a critical bridge like this might’ve forced them to give up.  

But not for Iwa.  

Even without the Shinmubi Bridge, they wouldn’t stop fighting.  

Iwa ninja were masters of Doton (Earth Release), capable of building bridges with their jutsu.  

So, the Iwa ninja swarmed toward Kazama like a tidal wave, ready to take him down.  

At that moment, Minato noticed the Iwa army wasn’t engaging Konoha’s main forces but was instead charging straight at them.  

His heart skipped a beat.  

He hurriedly shouted to Kazama, “Hey, kid, we need to fall back now! Our mission was to destroy the Shinmubi Bridge, and we’ve done that!”  

“Exactly!” Kakashi chimed in. “The enemy’s moving in ways we didn’t expect. We can’t afford to take them head-on!”  

“With just the four of us, there’s no way we can fight thousands of Iwa ninja!”  

Kazama smirked. “Heh, relax, guys. I, Kazama, specialize in taking on ten thousand enemies all by myself!”