"Let her go!!" Kakashi struggled frantically, Chakra surging violently within his body as he tried to break free from the Water Binding Technique.
But the Kirigakure Anbu's Ninjutsu was extremely powerful; the more he struggled, the tighter the water's grip became, constricting his chest until he could barely breathe.
Watching Rin's figure grow more distant, about to vanish into the morning mist, a sense of despair welled up in Kakashi's heart.
He couldn't let the Sharingan that Obito had traded his life for fail to protect even Rin in the end!
Suddenly, he remembered something Minato-sensei had left behind—a Kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God formula, which he had hidden inside his forehead protector for emergencies.
"Minato-sensei... please, you must sense this!" A glimmer of hope flashed in Kakashi's eyes. He forcibly stabilized his turbulent Chakra and, using only his fingertips which could still move, quietly touched the Kunai inside his forehead protector, continuously pouring his Chakra into it.
The characteristic of the Flying Thunder God formula was that it allowed the user to sense its location through Chakra resonance.
Minato-sensei was currently far away at the Kumogakure battlefield, but with the speed of the Flying Thunder God, if he sensed the distress signal, he might still make it back!
The moment he injected the Chakra, Kakashi clearly felt the Kunai emit a faint golden glow, a sign that the Flying Thunder God formula had been activated.
He felt a surge of joy and immediately broke free from the Water Binding Technique—his previous struggle had merely been to draw the Anbu's attention and buy time to inject the Chakra.
"Trying to run?" Seeing this, the leading Anbu immediately gave chase.
"Out of my way!" A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Kakashi's eyes. His short sword was unsheathed once more, and combined with the insight of the Sharingan, he forcibly cleaved through the Anbu's attack. At this moment, he had only one thought: catch up to Rin, stall for time, and wait for Minato-sensei to arrive!
He no longer tangled with the Anbu and turned to sprint in the direction Rin had been taken. His white figure sped through the morning mist like a persistent bolt of lightning, with the Kirigakure Anbu in hot pursuit behind him, Kunai and Ninjutsu constantly landing around him, exploding into clouds of dirt and spray.
"Rin, just hold on a little longer! I will definitely save you!" Kakashi gritted his teeth and persevered. The wounds on his arms kept tearing open as he ran, blood staining his sleeves red, but he had no intention of stopping.
Obito's death had made him understand the pain of loss; this time, no matter what, he had to protect his only remaining comrade.
In the nearby mountain forest, a figure was quietly watching everything.
Relying on his superior scouting Ninjutsu, Uchiha Xia Yin witnessed the entire ambush.
He stood on a treetop, his robes fluttering in the wind, his eyes as cold as ice without a hint of warmth.
Chi and Yan stood behind him, awaiting his orders—as long as Shine gave the word, they could immediately rush out, save Rin, and slay all the Kirigakure Anbu.
"My Lord, should we act?" Chi couldn't help but ask.
Once Rin was taken away by the Hidden Mist, the Three-Tails Seal plan would be fully initiated, and by then, the situation would be completely out of the Allied Forces' control.
"No need." Shine shook his head slightly, his fingers stroking the hilt of his tachi, a hint of calculation flashing in his eyes. "This is her destiny, and it is Obito's destiny. We only need to watch and wait for the optimal moment."
He could feel the Chakra fluctuations from the Flying Thunder God Kunai Kakashi had activated and knew there was a high probability Minato would arrive.
But so what?
Even if Minato rushed back, he couldn't change the outcome of Rin becoming the Three-Tails Jinchuriki—the scheme laid by Yagura and Madara was already seamless.
"Let's go, back to report." Shine turned and jumped down from the treetop, his figure vanishing into the forest.
What he needed to do was head to the Hidden Mist's Three-Tails Sealing Site in advance and wait for the tragedy that would cause Obito to completely fall into darkness to unfold.
By the river, Kakashi was still in a frantic pursuit.
His Chakra was depleting rapidly, and the pain from his wounds grew more intense, yet his gaze became increasingly determined.
The light from the Flying Thunder God Kunai grew fainter. He didn't know if Minato-sensei could sense it, nor if he could catch up with the Kirigakure Anbu, but he never once thought of giving up.
The morning mist gradually dispersed, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the blood and persistence on both sides of the river.
Kakashi's figure sprinted across the wilderness, with the Anbu in hot pursuit behind him and unknown danger and the cage of destiny ahead.
And the conclusion of this hunt had already been scripted by the hidden players the moment Yagura took the throne.
Deep within the Hidden Mist Village, the Three-Tails Sealing Altar was shrouded in a heavy barrier, cold seawater surrounding the central stone platform, and the air was thick with the scent of turbulent Chakra.
Rin Nohara was tightly bound to the stone platform with iron chains, Chakra Suppression Tags plastered all over her limbs. Her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were filled with despair—the violent Tailed Beast Chakra of the Three-Tails was being forcibly injected into her body. Her Meridians felt as if they were being torn apart, and her consciousness struggled on the brink of collapse.
"Let me go... you monsters!" Rin's voice was hoarse, tears mixing with sweat as they fell onto the cold stone platform.
She could clearly feel that destructive power devouring her body, causing her to gradually lose control over herself. "Kakashi... save me..."
Just then, a white figure broke through the barrier, lunging toward the altar like an arrow from a bow—it was Kakashi!
He was covered in wounds, his white combat uniform stained red with blood, and the wound on his left arm was still seeping, but his gaze was as sharp as a blade, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly in his eye sockets.
"Rin! I'm here!" Kakashi roared, Lightning Release Chakra once again condensing in his palm, the golden lightning tearing through the darkness of the altar.
He broke through the obstruction of the Kirigakure Ninja all the way, carving his path to the stone platform. His short sword sliced through the iron chains binding Rin, but the moment he touched her body, he was repelled by a surge of violent Chakra.
"Kakashi... don't touch me!" A flash of fear appeared in Rin's eyes. "The Three-Tails' Chakra... it's controlling me! I'll hurt you!"
As soon as she spoke, Rin's pupils suddenly became clouded, and a surge of Water Release Chakra erupted around her—the Three-Tails' power had begun to erode her mind, forcing her to attack Kakashi against her will.
Several Water Dragon Bullets whistled forth, carrying destructive power as they hurtled toward Kakashi.
"Rin! Snap out of it!" Kakashi felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he could only force himself to dodge.
He couldn't hurt Rin, yet he couldn't allow her, controlled by the Three-Tails, to attack at will—once the Three-Tails fully took control of Rin's body, not only would she die, but the entire Hidden Mist and even surrounding nations would face catastrophe.
A Kirigakure Anbu stood in the shadows of the altar, sneering at the scene: "It's useless. She has already become the vessel for the Three-Tails. In a moment, she will completely lose herself and become the weapon of the Hidden Mist."
...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808