Oishi moved to ambush Obito Uchiha.
But Obito suddenly spun around, a kunai gripped in both hands, driving it forward.
"H-how? Impossible! You shouldn't have seen me!" Oishi cried out.
Kakashi stared, shocked. "Obito, you…"
The ninja, Oishi, shimmered into visibility. Obito's kunai was buried deep in his heart.
Obito's eyes were no longer ordinary. They were Sharingan. And for his first awakening, it was the double-tomoe. In both eyes.
"Y-your eyes…" Oishi gasped, staring at the crimson gaze. Then his last breath left him. He collapsed, dead.
Obito's expression was iron. "Here, I protect my comrades!"
Kakashi gaped at his friend's eyes. "You awakened it?"
"Yeah," Obito said, looking at his own hands. "Seems so. This is the Sharingan. I can see the flow of chakra. Every movement."
A sharp pain lanced through Kakashi's left eye. He clutched it again.
"You okay, Kakashi?" Obito asked, worried.
"I'm fine. My left eye's useless now. I have the med-kit from Rin. I'll patch it up fast. We need to save Rin and your other teammate."
After a hasty bandage, they moved.
Inside the cave, Hikari allowed himself a smirk.
He'd already gotten the intel from Takei Katsuhiko.
He glanced at Rin Nohara, tied up nearby. "Hah. Didn't expect a medic-nin to be so stubborn."
Kakashi and Obito entered the cavern.
Seeing them, Hikari knew. Oishi had failed. Was dead.
"Useless, all of them."
Obito's Sharingan scanned Rin and Katsuhiko. "Their chakra flow… it's chaotic. Different from ours."
"Probably under a genjutsu," Kakashi deduced. "They were in a hurry for intel. And… your teammate must have already talked."
Takei Katsuhiko stared blankly, mumbling. "I told them everything… don't kill me… please…"
Hikari chuckled coldly. "Not just any brats, are you?"
"I've fought him," Kakashi warned Obito. "He's fast. Be careful!"
Twin blades slid from Hikari's sleeves. He shot forward.
Thunder Breathing, Third Form: Swarming Mosquito Thunder!
Kakashi became a blue blur, circling Hikari at blinding speed. A trail of blue lightning crackled in his wake.
His strikes came rapid-fire. Hikari parried every one.
His hands formed a seal. Earth Style: Earthen Pillar Explosion!
Spikes of earth erupted from the ground, homing in on Kakashi's path, forcing him to break his form and dodge.
Another seal. Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!
The ground beneath Obito's feet erupted.
Obito flipped backward, the earthen spike grazing air.
Hikari closed in. Compared to Kakashi, this Uchiha was weak.
Blades swung in a deadly arc.
Obito bent backward at the waist, the steel passing over him.
And through the Sharingan, he saw it—a gap in Hikari's guard.
One hand braced on the ground. Both feet drove upward, hammering into Hikari's gut.
Distracted by Kakashi, Hikari took the full impact. Air whooshed from his lungs.
And Kakashi's blade flashed down at his neck.
Hikari fell.
They rushed to Rin.
Release!
Kakashi disrupted her chakra. Rin's eyes fluttered open. "Kakashi? Obito?"
Seeing her safe, Obito sighed in relief. "We're here, Rin! It's over!"
"Good. Now release your teammate and let's get out of here."
Just as Kakashi broke the genjutsu on Katsuhiko, the 'dead' Hikari stood up.
"I see. Nice teamwork. But you're still just kids."
Kakashi's eyes widened. His strike hadn't hit the neck. It had cut deep into the shoulder.
Hikari sneered, blood dripping. "That hurt. If I weren't so experienced, I'd be dead. But now… you're in the palm of my hand!"
His hands flew through seals. Earth Style: Rock Lodging Collapse!
The entire cave shuddered. Rocks rained from the ceiling. Dust choked the air.
Kakashi's heart seized. "Damn it! Run for the exit!"
"Wait! We haven't untied Katsuhiko!" Obito yelled, already turning back.
Katsuhiko thrashed in panic. "Save me! Get me out! I don't want to die!"
"No time! Leave him! Go!" Kakashi roared.
"No! I won't abandon a comrade! Kakashi, you and Rin go first! We'll catch up!"
Obito sliced the ropes with his kunai.
But as soon as he was free, Katsuhiko shoved Obito hard. He scrambled on all fours toward the exit.
Obito hit the ground. "You bastard!"
Kakashi was there, hauling him up. "Move!"
They hadn't gone three steps. A chunk of falling rock clipped Kakashi's head. He crumpled, unconscious.
Rin tried to run to them. "STAY BACK!" Obito bellowed.
He lifted Kakashi. Gathered every ounce of strength. Hurled him toward Rin.
Hikari watched from a pocket of stable ground, a cruel smile on his lips. "Got the intel. I'll rest a bit before leaving."
Later.
Kakashi and Rin stirred. A voice was calling them.
"You okay… Rin… Kakashi…"
They looked. Their blood ran cold.
Obito lay pinned. The right half of his body was crushed under a massive slab of stone.
"OBITO!"
Kakashi scrambled over, hands slamming against the rock. He pushed. He strained. It didn't budge.
"Stop… it's enough, Kakashi. I'm… done for. My right side… it's pulp. I can't even feel it…"
Kakashi pounded the stone, fury and despair twisting his face. "Why? Why didn't you listen? Why did you have to go back for him? You could have made it! He pushed you down! WHY?"
Obito's voice was a weak thread. "Kakashi… I don't regret saving him. Because… he was a comrade…"
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