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Obito slammed his fist into the ground with all his strength. Dirt flew everywhere. His knuckles split open instantly, but he felt no pain.
"It's my fault! I was arrogant! I didn't protect Rin! I let her down!"
His voice cracked with the edge of a breakdown. The tomoe in his eyes spun wildly, and the turbulent ocular power gave off a dangerous, sinister aura that made Kakashi's brows furrow deeply.
The small boost he had gained from advancing to two tomoe was pathetically weak in front of a real jonin.
"Calm down, Obito. Regretting it now won't help!"
Kakashi growled, forcibly yanking Obito back from the brink of collapse.
"Where did they take Rin? How many of them were there?"
While quickly treating the deepest wounds on his own body, Kakashi scanned the surrounding terrain, trying to pick up any remaining traces.
"North! Three chunin! Rin had already passed out when they took her!"
Obito clung to Kakashi's words like a lifeline and pointed in the direction the three had gone.
That was also the same direction the Iwagakure jonin had disappeared in.
"Kakashi, hurry! Let's go save Rin! Kill them all!"
He struggled to get up and charge forward, but Kakashi grabbed his shoulder and forced him back down.
"Obito, listen to me!"
Kakashi's voice was iron-hard, brooking no argument.
"Right now, with our condition, we're probably facing three jonin and three chunin. Charging in head-on gives us zero chance of winning. Going after them now is suicide. We won't save anyone."
"Then what do we do?! Are we just supposed to watch Rin—?"
Obito's eyes were bloodshot. His Sharingan glared at Kakashi as if he were looking at a cold, heartless stranger.
"Kakashi! Rin is our teammate! We can't just abandon her!"
"In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are trash. But those who don't know how to value their comrades… are worse than trash!"
Kakashi's low voice carried his decision. Beneath his silver hair, his half-lidded eyes also burned with anxious fire.
"I never said we wouldn't save her! But throwing our lives away isn't saving anyone. Right now we don't have the strength to rescue her. We have to find the kunai you dropped first. Only by calling Taiichi can we guarantee Rin's safety."
Kakashi's words were like a bucket of cold water. They temporarily extinguished Obito's frenzied impulse, but the bone-deep anxiety and fear continued to burn in his chest.
The two of them stopped talking. With Obito leading, they retraced their path, carefully watching the ground as they searched for the spot where his tool pouch had been cut.
"There."
Obito soon found something. He pointed at a bush where various medicine bottles and first-aid supplies were scattered.
They hurried over. The moment they looked, both of their faces changed drastically.
"It's not here… How can it not be here? Everything else is still here. Why is only Taiichi's Flying Thunder God kunai missing?"
Obito panicked. His Sharingan widened as he searched frantically in every direction, terrified of missing even an inch of ground.
"Could the Iwa-nin have picked it up?"
Kakashi voiced one possibility. Obito would rather he hadn't said anything. That possibility was like pouring salt on an open wound.
It was too painful. Too hard to bear.
"No. Even without Taiichi, I'm still going to save Rin. Kakashi, this mess is my fault. I'll go alone. You hurry and find Minato-sensei. Maybe he can still come save us."
Obito spoke with unusual seriousness. His words were clear and logical, as if he had regained his composure.
But Kakashi knew the truth. Obito was looking for a way to die. If he couldn't save Rin, he planned to die with her—to atone for the mistake he had made.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Do I look like the kind of person who abandons his comrades?"
Kakashi let out a cold laugh and glanced sideways at Obito.
"With you in this state, throwing yourself in there won't save Rin either.
Let's go. Since there's no way back anymore, we'll just have to force our way through!"
With that, he turned and headed back the way they came, following the Iwa-nin's trail.
Behind him, Obito stared at Kakashi's back. It felt like a volcano was blocked up inside his chest—desperate to erupt, yet forced to stay suppressed.
He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and quickly caught up to Kakashi.
The two of them returned to the original spot and, following faint traces, advanced carefully through the forest.
At the same time, inside a hidden cave that served as a temporary Iwagakure base.
Rin slowly opened her heavy eyelids. The sharp pain throughout her body made her groan involuntarily.
Her vision gradually cleared. The flickering light of a dim torch illuminated two Iwagakure shinobi faces.
They were the jonin who had been chasing them—Hikaru and Daishi. They were watching her with the cold indifference of someone looking at a dead person.
"Awake?"
Hikaru's voice was flat and emotionless, carrying a chill that reached deep into the bones.
"Konoha's little girl… Minato Namikaze's student. What an unexpected harvest."
Rin tried to struggle, but found her body tightly bound by tough ropes. Her chakra was also being suppressed by some kind of technique—she couldn't mobilize it at all.
She forced herself to stay calm and swept her gaze across the entire cave.
Only two jonin were inside, but she could faintly hear movement outside the cave entrance. There were definitely shinobi standing guard—probably the three chunin.
"What are you trying to do?"
Rin's voice carried a barely noticeable tremble, but her eyes were unusually steady.
"Nothing much. We just need you to do us a small favor."
Daishi stepped forward and grabbed Rin's chin with his rough fingers, forcing her to look up.
"Minato Namikaze's student… You're quite valuable. Don't worry, we won't kill you right away. That would be too wasteful."
Hikaru took out a scroll from his chest and slowly unrolled it. Extremely complex and profound sealing runes were drawn on it.
"I heard Konoha has a sealing technique called the Reverse Four Symbols Seal? That's a very clever triggered-type sealing jutsu.
The key point is that it can also be implanted into a human body!"
Rin's pupils contracted sharply. She was a medical-nin, but she had also learned a bit about sealing techniques from Taiichi.
Taiichi had once explained the Reverse Four Symbols Seal to her as a point of knowledge.
It was an extremely sinister sealing technique. Once the trigger condition was met, it would instantly open a sealing space and drag everything inside it into the Yellow Springs along with the target.
"Oh? From the look on your face, it seems you know this sealing technique."
Hikaru shook the scroll in his hand, watching Rin's terrified expression with great interest.
"You—"
Rin instantly understood their intention.
They wanted to turn her into a living bomb—a human weapon that could be detonated at a critical moment to deal massive damage to Konoha, especially to her teacher Minato.
Fear coiled around her heart like a cold venomous snake.
"It looks like you understand."
A cruel smile curved Hikaru's lips. He seemed to particularly enjoy toying with other people's emotions.
"But don't worry. This isn't Konoha's Reverse Four Symbols Seal."
Rin let out a long breath of relief. Thank goodness…
But before she could finish exhaling, that demonic whisper sounded in her ear again.
"This is Iwagakure's own 'Sixfold Death Domain.' Its effect might be a little weaker than your Konoha's Reverse Four Symbols Seal… but only just a little."
As he spoke, he pinched his thumb and forefinger together, showing a gap no wider than a single hair.
Watching Rin's face go from relief back to deathly pale, Hikaru couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. His malicious personality was on full display.
"Alright, let's move quickly. We don't want any complications."
Daishi walked over at that moment. His left arm hung limply at his side, wrapped in thick bandages. It seemed Kakashi's attack had left him with no small injury.
Hikaru wiped the smile from his face and stepped forward to lift Rin up.
"You're very smart. To prevent you from doing anything irrational—" He didn't finish speaking before quickly forming hand seals.
Rin immediately felt as if an invisible hand had clamped around her throat.
Then a cold, sinister force invaded her mind. A powerful sense of suggestion and restraint enveloped her.
She could feel it—she could no longer actively reveal information about the seal, nor could she attempt to take her own life.
Next, the joints in her limbs were cruelly crushed. Even movement was now restricted.
The sealing ritual began.
Hikaru and Daishi worked together. Complex sealing runes unfolded from the scroll and condensed in the air, glowing with a dark light as they slowly pressed toward Rin's heart.
The intense sense of rejection and soul-deep pain made Rin's body convulse violently. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She bit down hard on her lower lip until blood seeped out.
She could only let out heart-wrenching screams. Her eyes were filled with pain, humiliation, and towering hatred.
In the forest shadows not far from the cave entrance, Kakashi and Obito crouched like hunting leopards, holding their breath.
"Found it! That cave! Three chunin are guarding the entrance!"
Obito, relying on his Sharingan's superior perception, was the first to confirm the target.
He could already hear Rin's screams coming from inside the cave. His emotions instantly surged. He was about to rush out and save her.
But Kakashi grabbed him and held him down firmly.
"Stay calm. Acting on impulse won't save Rin."
"Kakashi, Rin is screaming! What are they doing to her?!"
Obito's teeth ground together audibly. Every word was forced out between clenched teeth.
Kakashi didn't answer. His eyes weren't as direct as Obito's, but his sensory ninjutsu could roughly perceive the situation inside the cave.
"Hikaru and Daishi are inside. That strongest one, Mogera, isn't here. The three chunin at the entrance are both an obstacle and cover. Listen, Obito—this is our only chance!"
Kakashi's voice was extremely low and fast.
"I'll use Earth Release to sneak over. You create a distraction later to draw their attention and give me an opening for a one-hit kill. After that, we—"
"Got it. Understood!"
Obito nodded heavily. Only cold determination remained in his crimson Sharingan. He knew this was the most reasonable tactic—and the only hope of saving Rin.
Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish.
Kakashi's figure slowly sank into the ground and moved toward the three Iwa-nin from behind. Rin's miserable screams from inside the cave were so piercing that they masked the sound of his approach.
On this side, Obito judged that enough time had passed and immediately made noise in the forest.
The abnormal sound instantly drew the three Iwa-nin's attention. At that moment, Kakashi suddenly burst out of the ground. His short blade drew a brilliant arc and flashed across the three chunin's throats in one stroke.
This slash contained everything Kakashi had ever learned. It was the most perfect strike he had ever made.
After the single cut, Kakashi didn't even look back. He turned and charged straight into the cave.
Inside the cave.
The sealing technique had already been completed. All the dark runes had sunk into Rin's chest. Hikaru and Daishi both wore triumphant, vicious smiles.
Suddenly—
"Rin!"
A low shout accompanied by the sharp sound of rushing wind came from behind!
Kakashi's figure appeared behind Hikaru as if he had teleported. His short blade, carrying a chilling light, thrust straight toward Hikaru's back.
Hikaru was, after all, a battle-hardened jonin. At the critical moment, a strong sense of danger made him instinctively roll forward.
Shhhk!
The blade grazed Hikaru's arm, drawing a spray of blood. It failed to land a fatal blow. But killing Hikaru had never been Kakashi's goal.
His left hand had already reached out at the same time. The sharp edge of a kunai precisely sliced through the ropes binding Rin. In one smooth motion, he pulled her into his arms.
"Rin, let's go!"
Kakashi gave a low shout, held Rin tightly, and turned to sprint toward the cave entrance without hesitation.
"Damn it! Stop them!"
Hikaru clutched his bleeding arm and roared in shock and fury.
Daishi reacted just as quickly and formed hand seals, though the injury to his left arm affected his performance.
Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears.
Several sharp stone spikes shot up from the ground!
Kakashi was already near the cave entrance. His footwork twisted in a strange pattern and he narrowly avoided the lethal spikes.
At that moment, Obito also appeared at the cave entrance and spat a Fire Release technique into the cave.
Kakashi tossed Rin to Obito and shouted, "Go first!"
He turned around and quickly formed hand seals.
Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction.
The entire cave began to shake. Chunks of rock started falling from the ceiling. Just as the cave was about to collapse, Kakashi used Body Flicker to escape.
The moment he exited, the cave completely caved in behind him.
"Why aren't you moving?!"
Seeing the two of them still standing outside, Kakashi was furious. Was this really the time to hesitate?
"Kakashi, Rin—Rin's limbs are broken!"
Obito was somewhat panicked. He completely failed to notice the flash of extreme pain and struggle in Rin's eyes.
She opened her mouth as if trying desperately to scream something, but the seal in her throat prevented any sound from coming out.
"Idiot, carry her! We'll treat her after we get back."
Kakashi flashed over to Rin's side and hoisted her onto his back before breaking into a run.
Outside the cave, Kakashi and the others had already escaped.
Inside the collapsed cave, beneath the rubble, Firelight and Daishi were safe inside a hemispherical defensive wall created by Earth Release.
But at this moment, both of them stood with blank expressions behind a strange black shadow.
That shadow was Black Zetsu.
"It's time to wrap this up. You both know what to do next, right?"
The sinister voice rang out. The originally dazed pair gradually regained their senses. They acted as if they hadn't seen Black Zetsu at all and walked past him toward the stone wall.
Daishi pressed his right hand against the stone wall and activated Earth Release. The wall in front of him changed. A stone tunnel slowly formed, leading to the outside.
When Daishi and Hikaru emerged from the cave, they had completely returned to normal.
Looking at the three dead Iwa chunin on the ground, both of their faces showed anger.
Hikaru took a signal flare from his chest and pulled the ring without hesitation. A bright yellow flare shot into the sky with a sharp whistle. Even in daylight, it was clearly visible.
Their current plan was to gather more people and surround and kill the Konoha shinobi.
Up ahead, as Kakashi fled, he also heard the sound of the signal flare behind them. He and Obito exchanged a glance and unconsciously quickened their pace.
At this moment, Rin's heart was filled with complicated emotions. The dangerous seal buried inside her constantly threatened everyone.
If she wasn't mistaken, Iwagakure intended to use her to kill her teacher, Minato Namikaze. If they succeeded, the entire Konoha front line would suffer a heavy blow.
The western front might even collapse because of it.
Unfortunately, she couldn't say any of this. Her limbs were also immobile. The enormous sense of helplessness gnawed at her heart like countless ants, causing her unbearable pain.
Gradually, a thought began to take shape in her mind.