While giving Sasuke some simple treatment, Kabuto answered, "Hiruko brought someone in and invaded. The barrier detected them immediately."
"His appearance has changed, but based on his abilities, we've basically confirmed it's him."
Kabuto paused his movements, then continued, "Makumi and Shisui have already gone to intercept him."
"Everyone in our clan has safely withdrawn. Not a single one was left behind."
"It's just that Naruto couldn't sit still. He dragged Hinata out to rescue people."
"The situation in the inner city is basically under control, but the problem is that a large number of people in the outer city have been poisoned."
"Shukaku suddenly appeared and blew up a large section of the city wall. That area has now become the core zone of intense fighting between both sides."
After hearing this, Rengoku nodded and calmly gave his orders, "Send these three to Orochimaru first. Proceed according to the original plan. I'll go check the situation myself."
After speaking, he turned and prepared to leave.
"Yes!"
Yakushi Kabuto responded, and together with Jugo, lifted the injured person on the ground along with the two corpses, heading quickly toward Orochimaru's laboratory.
Meanwhile, Rengoku closed his eyes and focused, letting his thoughts pass through several of his clones to better grasp the situation in different areas.
Around Ryuri, Kaori and the Karin stationed in the Barrier Division, there were dojutsu clones created by Rengoku.
This way, their safety was ensured.
Just now, while confronting Sasuke, Rengoku had cleverly used Null Horizon to disguise himself as Obito's Kamui technique, allowing him to move through space.
As long as that foolish boy Sasuke was fooled, that was enough.
To be fair, getting Sasuke to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan was not easy. Even killing his father Fugaku in front of him and taking his eyes had not stirred Sasuke's emotions strongly enough.
Rengoku had anticipated this situation long ago, so he had only treated Fugaku as an appetizer.
Next, he had an even more thorough plan. Arranging for Itachi to die miserably in front of Sasuke, and making Sasuke watch as Itachi's eyes were gouged out.
Not only that, even at the very end of his life, Itachi still thought of his younger brother, leaving behind one last gentle touch.
Only after such a series of heavy blows did Sasuke finally awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
If not for Naruto being the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, with strong vitality that made him hard to kill, Rengoku might have already chosen to offer Naruto as a sacrifice for Sasuke.
And to ensure the entire act was convincing enough, this time both Fugaku and Itachi had truly died.
Letting the two of them die once to experience it wasn't a bad thing.
Besides, they were already about to have their eyes replaced and needed time to rest anyway.
This way, it conveniently gave Sasuke more motivation to push forward.
Now that Hiruko had come, Rengoku figured he should take a look at how he had changed over the years.
The Barrier Division was just as important. Rengoku created a dojutsu clone, while his main body used Shadow Transfer to teleport directly there.
———
[Passage No. 17]
This passage was located deep underground beneath Konoha. Originally, it had been an underground shelter.
But as the outer city continued to expand, its function changed, becoming an important underground route.
There were many such passages converted from different facilities. Some were remodeled from old shelters, while others were repaired from former sewage tunnels.
Together, they now formed a tightly connected transportation network between the inner and outer city.
However, the existence and exact routes of these passages were known only to Konoha personnel. To ordinary villagers and outsiders, they were completely unknown secrets.
Previously, each entrance was guarded by Konoha ninjas to ensure both safety and secrecy.
But now, as Konoha was under heavy attack, those stationed guards had been redeployed to other fronts, leaving this place completely unattended.
When Kakashi arrived at the entrance of Passage No. 17 with Rin, he immediately sensed something was off.
He frowned and said to Rin with concern, "Rin, why are we taking this route? It's too dangerous here."
However, it was as if Rin hadn't heard him. She kept her head down and hurried deeper into the passage.
"Rin!"
Seeing her ignore him, Kakashi grew anxious. He quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulder, trying to stop her.
Rin suddenly turned back, her eyes showing a trace of irritation and impatience. She snapped, "Why are you asking so many questions? Don't talk to me. I have a mission I must complete!"
After saying that, she forcefully shook off Kakashi's hand and quickened her pace again, heading deeper inside.
Kakashi's hand froze in midair as he stared at her in disbelief.
She felt so unfamiliar, completely different from before.
"Rin… what's wrong with you?", Kakashi asked, his voice strained.
"I… I'm fine. Haven't you always wanted nothing to do with me?", Hearing this, Rin shot Kakashi a fierce glare, her eyes filled with deep resentment.
She ignored him and continued walking forward, her steps hurried and uneven.
Although her behavior was somewhat deliberate, Kakashi, filled with guilt, mistook it for her being angry at him.
So without hesitation, he stepped forward again, blocking her path and grabbing her wrist tightly.
"Rin, now's not the time to act willfully. Tell me, what exactly is your mission?"
Kakashi stared at her seriously, trying to find an answer in her eyes.
However, Rin only struggled desperately to break free from his grip. As she twisted her wrist, she shouted:
"My mission is to go die. Are you satisfied now?"
Hearing this, Kakashi felt his mind go blank, as if the entire world had stopped turning.
He stared at her wide-eyed, murmuring, "You… what did you say?"
As he spoke, he unconsciously tightened his grip, holding her even more firmly.
"Kakashi, let go of me! You're hurting me!"
Rin cried out in pain, her voice full of grievance and distress.
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