Feebas swam away and then, seizing the moment when Nohara Rin wasn't paying attention, swam back near her. To avoid being noticed, it swam behind Nohara Rin and submerged into a deeper position.
"Why did little Rin summon it? Doesn't it have no combat power?" Kakashi, seeing this, thought Nohara Rin had some hidden trump card and actually stopped in his tracks.
If he truly lost to Nohara Rin, Obito would laugh at him for a lifetime.
If he lost with such a big difference in raw strength, even if Obito said nothing, Kakashi would feel bad himself.
Nohara Rin, although not understanding what Kakashi was plotting, took the opportunity to heal herself with Medical Ninjutsu, then created a Water Clone to launch an attack on Kakashi.
Katsuyu spat acid at Kakashi, while the Water Clone distracted him with Taijutsu, as Nohara Rin herself invoked a Ninjutsu with her hand seals.
"Water Release: Torrential Flow!"
Torrential Flow, developed by Mokgetsu, is a B-level Water Release and currently the most destructive Water Release Nohara Rin has mastered.
But with the mastery of the Transparent World, Kakashi dodged easily, as if foreseeing the future, evading the Water Spear Nohara Rin painstakingly conjured, and, in passing, dealt with her Water Clone.
"Is this the gap between me and them?" Nohara Rin seemed to see an insurmountable chasm.
Even with the advantageous terrain, she exerted all her efforts, her body wounded and Chakra largely depleted, yet she couldn't even touch Kakashi's clothes.
"Leaf Hand Blade!"
Kakashi, using his old trick, swung a transparent Qi Force at Nohara Rin once again, ready to end the battle.
In her current state, Nohara Rin had no way to resist such an attack.
Bang!
A yellow figure was sent flying, droplets of fresh blood scattering in the air.
Feebas behind Nohara Rin, with its incredible speed, swam to her front at the last moment to block the attack for her.
"Hmm?" Kakashi looked somewhat puzzled at the Feebas that was sent flying.
He still didn't know why Nohara Rin summoned it out.
"Little Mei, are you okay?" Nohara Rin didn't have time to blame Feebas for not retreating to a safe distance as instructed; she hurriedly turned to check on its condition.
The blade Kakashi was about to swing showed a hint of hesitation, as if an unexpected situation had arisen.
If it were a stranger, Kakashi would definitely choose to place the blade at the other's neck to end the battle, but Nohara Rin was a friend and teammate, so Kakashi walked forward to ask what was going on.
Feebas fell onto the water surface and then sank down; in its dazed eyes were the reflections of Nohara Rin and Kakashi, as Kakashi with his blade gradually approached Nohara Rin.
"Must... protect little Rin..."
Feebas continuously recalled every bit of the time spent living with Nohara Rin since birth.
Even though it had no combat ability, Nohara Rin never despised it, always taking care of it meticulously every day.
Nohara Rin even considered its mental health, often visiting to chat, sharing her affairs, even though Feebas couldn't respond.
The pain from the wounds stimulated Feebas's nerves; it desired strength, wanting to help Nohara Rin like Katsuyu, wanting to fight alongside its contractor like Rockruff and them.
"I can do it! I can still shield little Rin from attacks."
Recalling Nohara Rin's previous encouragement, Feebas charged again towards Nohara Rin and Kakashi despite the pain.
Though all its effort could only cause some splashes, it could still use its sturdy body to shield Nohara Rin from incoming threats.
Meanwhile, a dazzling white light exploded underwater, both Nohara Rin and Kakashi froze and then looked downward towards the water.
Having seen Charmander's evolution scene before, they could easily guess what was happening.
Splish!
"Roar!"
With a clear and resonant cry, a milky-white figure broke through the water surface, charging directly at Kakashi.
Kakashi burst with Chakra and instantly dodged, curiously examining the evolved form of Feebas.
At this moment, Kakashi only had the word "unbelievable" in his mind.
Looking at Milotic, he couldn't at all imagine that the elegant and beautiful serpentine creature before him was once the lumpy yellow fish.
"Little Mei..." Not just Kakashi, even Nohara Rin was stunned.
Milotic's appearance couldn't be said to resemble Feebas at all; there was absolutely no relation.
Milotic's body completely lost the traits of Feebas; it was creamy white, and its red eyes shone as brilliantly as rubies.
Milotic's head was relatively long, and atop it, much like Charmeleon, was a protrusion, though differently shaped and longer than Charmeleon's.
Its eyebrow fins extended from its body, with the parts connected to its eyelids being the same creamy white as its body, and the rest predominantly red, looking somewhat like an unfinished heart, adding a touch of cuteness to Milotic; it also had red fin-like hair on either side of its head, resembling twin ponytails.
Lastly, Milotic's tail appeared extremely splendid, not only featuring blue and pink scales but also decorated with black stripes and red patterns.
Inside the resting room, Milotic's appearance caused a huge stir.
"What's going on, where did this fellow come from?" Due to the angle, Obito didn't see Feebas' evolving burst of light, and seeing Milotic suddenly appear, he was momentarily at a loss for what had happened.
"So beautiful!" Terumi Mei's eyes widened; it was the first time she had seen such a stunning Ninja Beast.
In Terumi Mei's impression, Ninja Beasts were just talking larger ordinary animals; she had never seen a Ninja Beast as beautiful as Milotic.
PS: This chapter is 5k words, a small attempt at a tens of thousands of words-a-day pace, asking for monthly votes.
The double monthly tickets end after the seventh.