In the Land of Grass, deep inside a dense forest, the battlefield that had been a whirlwind of violence just minutes earlier had fallen eerily quiet.
Wind whispered through the trees. Grass swayed gently. The world tried to pretend nothing had happened.
But the peace didn't last.
Minato Namikaze's figure appeared suddenly amid the wreckage. The thick stench of blood mixed with dirt and smoke hit him like a physical blow, and his heart dropped straight into his stomach.
He had used Flying Thunder God to lock onto the kunai he had given Kakashi and teleported straight to its location. The scene in front of him was worse than his worst fears.
Kakashi lay sprawled in the grass, covered in blood. His silver hair was matted and sticky with dark red. His breathing was so shallow it was almost invisible. Deep, bone-deep gashes covered his body. His chakra signature was barely there. He was clinging to life by nothing but sheer stubbornness and youth.
Not far away, Rin lay perfectly still on blood-soaked ground. The massive, fatal wound through her chest was impossible to miss. Her once lively, gentle face was now deathly pale. Her eyes were closed. She wasn't breathing. Her limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, silent proof of the torture she had endured.
Minato's eyes darted around, searching desperately. Obito was nowhere to be found. No body. No trace. Just absence.
Scattered across the clearing were the corpses of several Iwa-nin, each killed with brutal efficiency. Mogera and the other two elite jonin were among them, along with a few chunin. Most had died from single, precise strikes to vital areas.
Minato's throat went dry. His heart felt like it was being crushed in an icy fist. The weight of guilt and grief hit him so hard he could barely breathe.
The mission had succeeded. Kannabi Bridge was destroyed. But the price…
Why hadn't they used the special kunai to call for help? What had gone so wrong?
He only allowed himself one heartbeat of shock. Then the cold, professional calm that defined him as a shinobi took over.
Every second mattered.
He moved fast, gathering both bodies with careful chakra control to avoid causing more damage. He checked their conditions as he worked.
Kakashi was in terrible shape—multiple deep lacerations, severe blood loss, near-total chakra depletion, possible internal bruising—but he was still alive. Barely. With immediate treatment, he had a chance.
Rin, though…
Minato's stomach twisted violently. The wound through her chest should have been instantly fatal. Her heart was heavily damaged. Life signs were gone.
But then—faint. So faint it was almost nothing. A single, stubborn spark of life still flickered deep inside her ruined heart.
"She's still alive," Minato whispered, voice cracking with desperate hope.
He couldn't save her here. Not with field medicine. Not with the kind of injuries she had. The chest wound, the heart damage, the broken limbs, and whatever strange sealing technique had been placed on her—this needed the best medical ninja alive.
Taiichi.
He created a shadow clone on the spot.
"Search the area. Look for any trace of Obito. Handle the Iwa-nin bodies. Then find Choza's team and tell them the plan has changed—they need to return to camp on their own."
The clone nodded and got to work immediately.
Minato didn't waste another second. He carefully wrapped both Kakashi and Rin in protective chakra and lifted them. Kakashi on his back, Rin cradled gently against his chest like she was made of glass.
Golden light flared.
He was gone.
---
Wood Leaf Village.
Morning sunlight bathed the streets in gold. Civilians went about their day, peaceful and unaware.
That peace shattered the moment a golden flash appeared in the middle of the street.
Minato reappeared, bloodied and desperate. Without slowing down for even a heartbeat, he launched himself toward the Hokage Tower at full speed, chakra roaring around him.
People turned to stare.
"Is that Lord Minato?"
"What's he carrying? Is that blood?"
"Someone's hurt—badly!"
The commotion spread fast, but the village's security forces quickly moved in to contain it and keep the streets clear.
Minato didn't care about any of it. He crashed straight through the doors of the Hokage's office like a storm.
The heavy doors slammed open with a deafening bang.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been working at his desk, shot to his feet in alarm, pipe nearly flying from his hand.
"Who dares—?!"
His angry words died the second he saw who it was—and what Minato was carrying.
"Minato? What in the—? Kakashi? Rin?!"
Hiruzen's face went pale as he recognized the two blood-soaked students.
At the same time, a ripple of chakra stirred in the corner of the room. Taiichi appeared instantly, mask in place, his presence sharp and cold.
"Taiichi!" Minato's voice was raw, almost breaking. "The front-line medical facilities can't handle this. Kakashi's barely hanging on. Rin still has a heartbeat—but it's fading fast. You're the only one who can save them."
Taiichi's eyes flicked over both bodies in an instant. He didn't ask questions. Dense Yang Release chakra burst from his hands immediately, flooding into both of them to stabilize their failing life signs.
"What the hell happened out there?" Taiichi's voice was low and sharp. "Why didn't they use the kunai I gave them? Where's Obito?"
"No time to explain," Minato said, voice tight with urgency. "Save them. Please."
Taiichi turned to Hiruzen without hesitation.
"Hokage-sama, alert the hospital. Highest-level emergency care. Now."
Hiruzen was already moving, pressing a hidden button on his desk and issuing rapid orders through the communication system.
"Understood. I'm coming with you."
Taiichi carefully took Rin from Minato's arms while the Third Hokage summoned ANBU. Then the three of them—Minato carrying Kakashi, Taiichi with Rin, and Hiruzen right behind—raced toward the hospital at full speed.
---
Wood Leaf Hospital. Top floor.
The entire floor had been cleared and prepared the moment the emergency call went out. The largest operating room was ready, sterile and waiting.
Taiichi carried Rin straight inside without slowing down. Shadow clones appeared around him the second he entered, already moving to assist.
He laid her on the operating table with careful hands.
"Get Kakashi set up in the next room," he ordered Minato. "The regular medical team can stabilize him. Rin is mine."
Minato gently placed Kakashi onto a prepared gurney. A full medical team immediately surrounded him, beginning emergency procedures—stopping the bleeding, cleaning wounds, starting transfusions, and stabilizing his vitals.
Kakashi's injuries were severe, but they were within the realm of what top-tier medical ninjutsu could handle.
Inside the main operating room, Taiichi's main body arrived in another puff of smoke, replacing the clone. His expression was grim but focused.
He didn't waste a single second.
One hand continued pouring stabilizing Yang Release chakra into Rin while the other formed a glowing blue chakra scalpel. He carefully cut away the ruined clothing around her chest, exposing the horrific wound.
"Full life-sign scan," he ordered.
The supporting medical-nin placed their hands on the ground. Chakra spread across Rin's body like a net.
"Penetrating chest wound. Severe tearing to the left ventricle and right atrium. Major blood vessels damaged. Left lung punctured. Pericardial bleeding. Life signs extremely weak."
"Multiple compound fractures in all four limbs. Ligaments torn."
"Several chakra pathways blocked by strong sealing techniques."
"Unknown sealing formula detected at the heart's core. Nature unclear. Currently inactive due to her critical state."
The list of injuries was brutal. Any one of them would have been enough to kill most people.
Taiichi's hands never trembled.
"Set up external circulation and life-support barrier. Maximum dose of cell activation agents," he commanded, voice calm and precise. "We're starting now."
The medical team moved with perfect coordination, pushing their skills to the absolute limit. Advanced medical equipment and rare medicines were brought in immediately. A soft green barrier formed around the operating table, isolating the space and feeding powerful life energy directly into Rin.
Taiichi pulled back his own stabilizing chakra and focused everything on the wound in her chest.
Repairing the heart came first. At the same time, he had to neutralize the dangerous sealing technique that had been placed there.
The seal had only gone dormant because Rin's life force had been so weak. Once she was stabilized, it would become active again—an invisible time bomb.
He worked with meticulous care, using threads of chakra to stitch her damaged heart back together. Mystical Palm Technique combined with dense Yang Release encouraged the torn muscle and vessels to regenerate and reconnect.
This part alone demanded intense concentration and massive amounts of chakra. Sweat soon beaded on Taiichi's forehead, but his hands remained perfectly steady.
At the same time, he split his focus, using his powerful sensory abilities to carefully probe the strange sealing technique buried deep in her heart.
"Rock Village actually has sealing techniques of this level?" Taiichi thought coldly, his expression growing darker.
Once the heart was repaired, he created five Adamantine Sealing Chains from his back. They pierced into Rin's body from five different angles and wrapped tightly around her heart.
Then the chains slowly constricted, pulling the foreign sealing technique out piece by piece.
Golden Sealing Chains combined with a Five Elements Seal.
With precise hand seals from Taiichi, the chains tightened and extracted the dangerous seal completely.
Only then was the heart fully stabilized.
The remaining injuries—while serious—were far easier to handle by comparison. Compound fractures and torn ligaments were time-consuming but manageable when you had the level of Yang Release chakra Taiichi possessed.
Time passed in tense silence inside the operating room. The only sounds were the quiet hum of medical equipment, Taiichi's occasional precise instructions, and the controlled breathing of the medical team.
Outside, Minato leaned against the cold wall, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. He couldn't see inside, but he could feel the powerful, steady pulses of Taiichi's chakra coming from the room.
Every surge made his heart clench.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood silently beside him, his aged face lined with deep worry. Kakashi was the son of Sakumo Hatake. If anything happened to him…
And where in the world was Obito Uchiha?
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the red light above the operating room door switched to green.
The doors opened.
Taiichi stepped out, looking exhausted. His face was pale from the massive chakra expenditure, but his eyes were calm.
Minato and Hiruzen immediately moved toward him.
Taiichi glanced back at the room for a moment, then spoke, voice tired but steady.
"Kakashi will be fine. His injuries were serious, but with proper rest he'll make a full recovery. Nothing permanent."
He paused, then looked directly at Minato. The heaviness from earlier was gone, replaced by quiet confidence.
"As for Rin… she was already in line for the afterlife. But I just pulled her out of the queue. She's alive. For now."