Ever since the intelligence arrived revealing that the Hidden Stone Village was continuing their offensive against Konoha from another direction, the Hidden Leaf ninjas on this battlefield had been coordinating their strategy. Not only would Konoha dispatch reinforcements, but they would also split their elite teams to the front lines for interception.
Simultaneously, they sent out a designated number of teams to sabotage the Hidden Stone Village's logistics and supply lines.
Minato Namikaze was leading his squad to complete a vital mission: the destruction of Kannabi Bridge, a critical route for the Stone ninjas.
Minato's team was formidable. Not only did Minato himself possess Kage level power, but his disciple, Kakashi, was a renowned genius.
Of course, that genius could not even begin to compare to Tianyuan.
In the hearts of the Konoha ninjas, Kakashi couldn't be measured against Tianyuan, but it was clear to everyone that Kakashi possessed the strength of a Jonin. Thus, their squad's overall power was quite significant.
"Kakashi, Rin, Obitoyou have all experienced much during this war," Minato Namikaze said to his three disciples. "This mission is of the utmost importance. At the same time, you must protect yourselves. This will be very dangerous."
"Understood, Minato-sensei," the three replied in unison.
"Good. Move out." Minato nodded and immediately departed.
Many other ninjas gathered in Konoha followed suit, leaving to confront the Stone ninjas and ensure their plans did not come to fruition.
Time passed slowly.
When Minato brought Kakashi and the others to the designated area, they split into two groups. Minato acted as one team, heading off to handle the bulk of the Stone ninjas.
Kakashi's group, with Kakashi as the leader, headed directly toward Kannabi Bridge to sever the Stone ninjas' supply line.
However, Kakashi's team still encountered Stone ninjas. During the skirmish, Rin Nohara was captured and taken as a hostage.
Obito Uchiha naturally wanted to go immediately to rescue Rin, but Kakashi disagreed. He believed the mission took priority.
Ultimately, Obito went alone to rescue Rin. In his heart, a ninja who did not value their comrades was lower than trash.
Kakashi eventually followed to help rescue her.
But...
"Kakashi, you became a Jonin, and I haven't given you a gift yet," Obito Uchiha said, a faint smile touching his lips. "Rin, take my left eye and give it to Kakashi. Let it be my gift to him. Thank you."
"Obito," Rin whispered.
"Don't worry about me. I'm beyond saving; half my body has been crushed," Obito said. "I'm counting on you, Rin."
"I understand." With tears streaming down her face, Rin removed Obito's Sharingan.
Slowly, she transplanted the eye into Kakashi's blinded left eye.
During the attempt to rescue Rin, Kakashi's left eye had been wounded.
Now, Obito Uchiha lay pinned beneath a massive boulder. With half his body crushed, there was no way for him to get out. Even if he could be pulled free, it was likely useless; with half his body destroyed, even Tsunade might not have been able to help him.
A few moments later, the Sharingan was successfully transplanted into Kakashi's left eye.
"Kakashi, Rin... I'm leaving the rest to you," Obito said.
"Rest assured," Kakashi replied.
"You two should go," Obito urged.
"Over here!" At that moment, Stone ninjas discovered Kakashi and the others.
"Goodbye, Obito." Kakashi took Rin and quickly fled the area.
"This is nice..." Obito felt his vitality gradually fading as he slipped into total darkness.
Not long after, a person with a bizarrely shaped body appeared, accompanied by an old man.
"One of the Uchiha Clan?" The old man was none other than Madara Uchiha. In his current state, Madara relied on the Gedo Mazo to sustain his life.
"Perhaps this is the last chance Heaven has given me." Madara looked at Obito Uchiha, pinned beneath the giant rock, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"However, that Tianyuan... why does he possess not only the power of the Mangekyo, but even Hashirama's power?" Madara said in a heavy voice.
Though he rarely ventured outside, he was well aware of the current state of the Shinobi World thanks to the power of White Zetsu. Naturally, Madara knew of the incident where Tianyuan used Wood Release ninjutsu to crush the Stone ninjas.
"If only he could cooperate with me," Madara thought, his mind lingering on Tianyuan.
By his estimation, the current Tianyuan likely already possessed the power they had back in their day. Considering Tianyuan was still so young, there was still immense room for growth. No one could predict what he would become in the future.
If Tianyuan were to cooperate with Madara, the wish for peace in the Shinobi World would be much easier to achieve.
However, his last contact with Tianyuan told Madara that the boy was similar to him in certain aspectsspecifically, in his absolute arrogance regarding his own strength.
"But even without you, I can fulfill the dream of peace for this world." Determination flashed in Madara's eyes as he thought of the stone tablet he had seen in the basement of the Naka Shrine. That tablet was a legacy left behind by the Sage of the Six Paths.
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi..." Madara's gaze turned expectant. "Zetsu, destroy that rock and rescue the boy."
"Yes, Madara." White Zetsu nodded and smashed the massive boulder, pulling Obito Uchiha out.
"This kid's body is halfway trashed, but fortunately, the place I live is very close to here." Madara looked at Obito's condition. Since he wasn't completely dead yet, there was still a possibility of saving him.
"Using Hashirama's cells, it should be possible to bring him back." Madara nodded. "Zetsu, take him back."
"Of course." White Zetsu replied, hoisting Obito onto his back. Soon, the group disappeared from the site.
In this strategic move against the Stone ninjas, Konoha had achieved a certain level of success, but the village had paid for it with many lives.
Among those lost was Obito Uchiha.
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