Ninja World: I'm really a support-type ninja

He pressed down Akira Hatake, who was about to get up and take over from Minato Namikaze, and without waiting for Akira to nod in agreement, he used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive next to Minato Namikaze.

"Minato-sensei, it's my turn."

“Okay.” Minato Namikaze nodded. “I’m counting on you from now on.”

Minato Namikaze jumped down from the tree branch and sat down in front of Akira Hatake and Might Guy, the three of them vaguely forming an inverted triangle shape.

This is a formation that ninjas form when resting or protecting important figures. It allows for quick reactions and mutual support in case of danger, and the gaps left between the three can prevent them from being wiped out by a large-scale ninjutsu.

In general, there are many details to consider when a ninja goes out on a mission. Even the slightest mistake could bring about their demise.

Fortunately, Minato Namikaze included this in his usual teaching, which made Class 8 like a precise gear, not only working together seamlessly but also operating very smoothly and in perfect harmony.

After eating and drinking their fill in silence, Minato Namikaze made a hand gesture, and the three of them stayed in their positions, some leaning, some sitting, with their eyes closed to rest. They soon fell asleep.

Kakashi, perched on a tree branch, concealed his presence and constantly shifted his position around him, dutifully fulfilling his duty of vigilance.

Time passed silently, and the crescent moon was now in the center of the starry sky.

"Kakashi, go and rest."

The first thing Minato did upon opening his eyes was to take over Kakashi's post. During the shift change, he patted Kakashi on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Kakashi. You did a great job."

"Thank you, Minato-sensei." Kakashi nodded, glanced at the sleeping Akira Hatake, and then turned his gaze back to Minato Namikaze's face.

"Minato-sensei, will we encounter any danger in the next mission?"

“Highly likely.” Minato Namikaze said with a serious expression, “When I first accepted the mission, I felt something was off. This mission from the Land of Grass seems to be trying to cover something up.”

“I think so too.” Kakashi nodded. “A 15-person ninja squad, plus us led by you, not to mention how important the intelligence is, just the sheer size of the team is enough to attract attention and is not conducive to the transmission of intelligence.”

“You’re very perceptive…” Minato Namikaze looked at Kakashi with appreciation. “But this is a mission assigned by the village. As ninjas, we can only carry it out. Even if we know there are problems, we can only make full preparations and do our best to complete the mission.”

“I understand the reasoning.” Kakashi’s voice was somewhat low. “But Minato-sensei, may I ask whether this mission was assigned by the Hokage, or… was it specifically assigned by someone?”

"Kakashi, you..." Minato Namikaze was somewhat surprised, but after thinking for a moment, he still told him the truth, "Since you are the one who carried out the mission, you naturally have the right to know."

This mission wasn't assigned by the Hokage, but rather from a list submitted by Danzo, which clearly designated Team 8 to carry it out.

"I understand, Minato-sensei." Kakashi nodded, then nimbly jumped down from the tree branch, formed a formation with Akira Hatake and Might Guy, and closed his eyes to fall asleep.

Although Kakashi questioned the true purpose of this mission, he trusted Minato Namikaze completely and naturally wasn't worried about any accidents happening while he was resting.

Minato Namikaze, who replaced Kakashi, gave Akira Hatake and Kakashi a deep look, a wry smile on his lips, and shook his head helplessly.

Having risen from humble beginnings to his current position through numerous hardships, how could Minato Namikaze be completely ignorant? Yet, the very fact that he understands everything but is powerless to do anything is what makes his situation even more agonizing.

Danzo Shimura has already begun...

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has relapsed into an old problem that had only recently begun to surface.

Being indecisive and constantly weighing the pros and cons to achieve a balance may not seem like a big problem at first glance, but if this continues, it will lead to a surge in internal conflicts within Konoha.

Because Danzo Shimura was a complete and ruthless tyrant.

To appease him is to indulge him the most!

Chapter 56: Using equipment to get assists.

Although Akira Hatake had the advantage of foresight and more than twenty years of life experience than his peers, he was not sensitive enough to the ninja missions in the Naruto world.

To put it bluntly, Akira Hatake had never killed anyone in his two lifetimes, nor had he ever carried out a ninja mission, so he didn't fully understand many of the intricacies involved.

Even if Akira Hatake couldn't figure it out for a while, Kakashi, who had already sensed something was wrong, wouldn't hide it from him.

The next morning, after the eighth squad finished their corrections, they continued their journey, in high spirits and at their peak.

"Brother, there's something I need to tell you."

Kakashi, trailing at the back of the group, caught up with Akira Hatake and walked alongside him, his face unusually serious and cold.

This was an attitude that Kakashi had never shown when talking to Akira Hatake before.

"What's wrong?" Akira Hatake's heart skipped a beat; Kakashi's attitude was far too abnormal.

"This mission is very likely orchestrated," Kakashi said succinctly. "A 15-man ninja squad, 3 intelligence operatives who need protection, plus our four members from Team 8—don't you think this intelligence-transmitting team is too conspicuous?"

“Indeed!” Hatake Akira has always been quick-witted, especially in the Naruto world, where he has raised his survival instincts and vigilance to the highest level.

One wrong move and you're dead; anyone would do the same.

“Intelligence transmission needs to be done in secret. Such a high-profile intelligence transport can only mean two things.” Akira Hatake figured out the key point: “One is that we have become bait, drawing fire for the real intelligence personnel; the other is that someone wants to use the mission as an excuse to ambush us.”

"My brother's guess is exactly the same as mine, but I'm more inclined to think the second one is right." Kakashi glanced at Akira Hatake with some concern, then focused his gaze on Minato Namikaze, who was leading the way.

"Someone is planning to make a move against Minato Namikaze..." Kakashi made his judgment. "Although with Minato's strength, he wouldn't fail a mission against most ninjas, the addition of the three of us is a real burden..."

Kakashi had something left unsaid, but how could Akira not understand the subtext in his words?

If the two brothers' assessment is correct, then Minato Namikaze's situation is almost identical to that of Sakumo Hatake in the original work.

To complete the mission means abandoning one's disciples; to abandon the mission means to bury one's own bright future.

Given Minato Namikaze's temperament, he would most likely choose the latter.

However, Akira Hatake didn't seem to care much about this. He just smiled indifferently. He was very confident in his preparations, and the person behind this farce was underestimating him!

"Kakashi, trust Minato-sensei, and trust my abilities too." Akira Hatake encouraged Kakashi, "Think about your current strength, and think about Minato-sensei's strength. With me supporting you, let alone a squad of ninjas, even a whole battalion of ninjas would come, we wouldn't be afraid at all!"

"I'm not afraid of any of that!"

Kakashi looked deeply at Akira Hatake, his eyes filled with an indescribable mix of emotions. "I was worried about you, brother!"

"In a battle between ninjas, the first priority is to eliminate the medical, sensory, and support ninjas in each other's teams. If we are surrounded... you will definitely be their first target."

“However…” Kakashi paused, then his voice became gentle and steady, “My brother will definitely be alright before I die.”

"You better give us something to look forward to!" Hatake Akira was touched, but he didn't hold back. "Where did your former arrogance go? And don't underestimate me, I have a trump card too, okay?!"

"Even so, if we encounter unavoidable danger during the mission, brother must..."

"Escape?" Hatake Akira interrupted Kakashi with a laugh. "That's impossible. I will never turn my back on the enemy. That's no different from suicide. Besides... I have more than enough resolve to do so!"

Now that he has come to the Naruto world, Akira Hatake has adjusted his attitude over the past seven years, and his hard work over the past year has somewhat made up for the aftereffects of his previous laziness.

Even if he can't compare to Kakashi, with the help of the Ming Shi Yin hero template, overall, Hatake Akira is still one of the best among his peers.

"Ming, Kakashi, focus on the journey!"

Minato Namikaze's reminder was perfectly timed, reflecting his considerate and gentle nature.

Although the tone was stern, it still warmed the hearts of Akira Hatake and Kakashi.

Minato Namikaze, known as "Always with a Girl," remains as reassuring as ever, and his personal charisma is undoubtedly the best among ninjas of his time.

……

At the speed of a ninja, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would take about two days to travel from Konoha to the Land of Grass on the border.

However, in order to meet the challenges ahead, Minato Namikaze made very detailed plans before setting off on the mission, setting up several places for Team 8 to rest. So they did not arrive in the Land of Grass until the evening of the third day.

In Kusagakure, Minato Namikaze has completed the mission handover with the Kusagakure squad of the First Company.

"Let's set off then, and come back as soon as possible."

“Okay.” One of the three Grass Ninja under protection nodded in agreement. “We’ll leave the rest to you, Minato Namikaze. We will follow all your instructions.”

"In that case, let me explain the escort plan I devised earlier..."

Minato Namikaze's subsequent retelling was exactly the same as the plan he had previously told Akira Hatake and the others, and none of the Grass Ninja raised any objections after he finished speaking.

Meanwhile, Akira Hatake, who stood silently observing from the side, lowered his head slightly, effectively concealing the greed and desire in his eyes.

The 15 Grass Ninja who were assigned to flank and protect the three intelligence agents were all Chunin-level, with one even reaching the level of Special Jonin.

The three intelligence agents were relatively weak; two of them were genin, while the leader was a chunin.

Even so, Akira Hatake desperately hoped that all 15 Kusagakure Chunin would defect, so that he could earn at most 1410 gold coins and at least 750.

This significantly shortened the distance to where he would purchase the pre-ordered equipment.

As he thought about it, Akira Hatake became excited; he simply couldn't resist the temptation of increased strength.

"Regardless of whether you were the instigator or not, I hope you can arrange more backup plans, otherwise these few people alone won't be enough for me to farm!"

Secretly anticipating what was to come, Akira Hatake put aside his ulterior motives after seeing Minato Namikaze's forward gesture and walked alongside Kakashi at the very back of the group.

The somewhat bulky escort team marched for a while, and as the stars began to work in the sky, the area around the team's route became eerily quiet.

Akira Hatake, who was carrying out this mission for the first time, already sensed the impending storm, while Minato Namikaze, who was leading the way, was even more perceptive than Hatake.

Minato Namikaze raised his right arm and made a gesture that only Class 8 could understand.

Before long, Akira Hatake and Kakashi, who were at the back of the group, accelerated and approached Minato Namikaze at the front.

"Listen up, there's a high chance of an ambush ahead. I'll send seven members of the Grass Ninja escort team to cover our retreat, while you'll take my place and continue the escort mission."

"We understand, Minato-sensei."

Akira Hatake was actually a little worried that this was a diversionary tactic, but when Minato Namikaze handed him a Flying Thunder God kunai, Akira instantly understood everything.

Luring the tiger away from the mountain is indeed a very practical tactic, but for Minato Namikaze, it's just a matter of having to use the Flying Thunder God Technique a few more times.

However, Akira Hatake didn't want to miss the chance to get some help, so after thinking about it, he reluctantly bought the cheapest piece of equipment from the equipment shop: the Alchemy Amulet.

As long as Minato Namikaze has the buff effect applied by Akira Hatake when he kills an enemy, Akira Hatake can get an assist.

In addition to the actual skill assistance, the equipment sold in the equipment shop is also included, which greatly increases Akira Hatake's room for maneuver.

"Teacher, this is a small item that can restore chakra. It will be useful for your upcoming battle."

Akira Hatake handed a light blue pendant to Minato Namikaze, who accepted it and put it around his neck.

"Be careful."

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Minato Namikaze's face as he sensed subtle changes occurring within his body.

But since they were on a mission, Minato Namikaze didn't ask any questions or say anything. Instead, he gave a few instructions to Akira Hatake and Kakashi, and then led the seven Grass Ninja forward at a sudden acceleration.

The battle is about to break out!

Chapter 57 The beautiful sound of money jumping.

Akira Hatake's intuition and Minato Namikaze's judgment were absolutely correct; there was indeed a group of ninjas lying in ambush ahead of the planned route.