In an instant, Obito felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar. How had the enemy detected him?
He had held his breath through the entire process, yet the stench of death now completely enveloped him.still.
I'm going to die...
"Run!!" Kakashi's shout snapped him back to reality.
At the same time, the sharp whistle of a kunai cutting through the air came straight at him. Startled, Obito panicked and rolled clumsily, scrambling like a dog as he tumbled off the tree.
"…You actually dodged that?" The middle-aged shinobi from Sunagakure sounded genuinely surprised.
Before he could follow up on Obito, a flash of white light was already upon him—it was Kakashi's White Light Chakra Sabre! T
he lethal white arc grazed his neck, missing by a hair's breadth.
"This is—?!"
Shock surged through the Suna ninja. That absurd thought flashing through his mind made his movements falter for just a fraction of a second.
An opening! Kakashi had originally rushed in just to force the enemy back.
But now—
He chose to kill.
Any experienced shinobi would seize an opportunity like this.
A second flash of white cut forward.
"AHH!!"
A scream rang out.
At that moment, Obito had just scrambled to his feet from the bushes below—only to be splattered across the face by a spray of blood from above.
Whose blood is that?
Was that Kakashi just now?!
Panic surged through him.
"KAKASHI!"
"Protect Rin… the enemy… is tricky…"
Obito turned sharply.
Kakashi stood there, breathing heavily, a savage gash torn across his chest. Blood soaked through his clothes, dripping down.
For a moment, Obito couldn't process it.
The fight had just begun.
How had Kakashi already been wounded like this?
"Kakashi, are you okay?!" His voice trembled, fear creeping in. He couldn't bear the thought of Kakashi collapsing here.
"I can still fight…" Kakashi replied, quickly assessing the wound. It wasn't fatal—but it would definitely affect his combat ability.
"H-how did this happen…" Obito muttered, shaken.
"What a shame," the Suna ANBU said calmly. "I thought I could finish you in that exchange."
He glanced at his own injured left arm, then added with a hint of admiration,
"And you even managed to counterattack. Impressive."
"For just a kid… you've already reached jonin-level strength."
"Still, caution never hurts," he continued. "If I had chosen you as the initial target instead… I might be the one in worse shape right now."
His tone carried a trace of satisfaction.
The moment he discovered the three members of Minato's team hiding nearby, he had already decided—he would kill one of them first.
And his target had been obvious:
Kakashi—the strongest among them.
To ensure a clean kill, he had deliberately feigned an attack on Obito, forcing Kakashi to rush in.
Then he pretended to hesitate—creating a false opening.
And at the exact moment Kakashi closed the distance…
He unleashed a pre-prepared Wind Blade meant to kill in a single strike.
The only thing he hadn't expected—
Was just how fast Kakashi's reaction would be.
"You bastard… I'll kill you!"
"Obito, calm down! He's not alone!" Rin rushed to their side, not forgetting the squad of Sunagakure ANBU that had just passed through earlier.
"R-right…" The moment he remembered there could be four more enemies nearby, Obito's momentum faltered.
"There's only one," Kakashi said in a low voice. "But be careful—he's probably a jonin."
"What?!" Both Obito and Rin were stunned.
Then what about that squad from earlier?
"That was just a distraction—shadow clones," Kakashi explained quickly. "They were meant to draw our attention away."
"I was his real target. He pretended to attack Obito to bait me into overcommitting…"
"He played us all."
"A jonin, and he still fights like that? Sneaking around and ambushing kids?!" Obito blurted out, unable to accept it.
He couldn't understand why someone at that level would go to such lengths against the three of them.
"Heh… so it's a team of one jonin leading two genin?" the Suna ninja said, voicing his judgment.
"Hey, are you blind? I'm a chunin! And Kakashi is obviously—"
"He's coming!" Kakashi cut him off.
The enemy vanished from sight in an instant.
That was the speed of a jonin.
Kakashi reacted immediately, slashing backward in a streak of white. A harsh metallic clash rang out as his blade met the enemy's attack.
Forcing the opponent back, Kakashi pressed forward again without hesitation.
Obito was safe—for now.
But Kakashi knew the enemy's next target would likely be Rin.
She wouldn't survive even a single direct strike.
Blade flashes erupted like a storm, forcing the Suna ninja to retreat step by step under the relentless assault.
He's not at full strength…
I injured him too. That's why he was stalling earlier—buying time to recover.
If that was the case—
Kakashi poured everything he had into the attack, pushing forward with everything left in him.
At last, he drove the enemy back against a tree.
No room left to retreat.
For just a split second, the obstruction slowed him down.
"Obito!" Kakashi shouted.
On the other side, Obito—who had been watching the battle closely—moved in perfect sync, his hand seals already complete.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Kakashi shifted aside just in time as a massive fireball roared past him and slammed into the enemy.
BOOM!
The explosion shattered the tree into splinters.
"Did we get him?" Obito asked, hope flickering in his voice.
"Not good—Rin!" Kakashi had pushed himself too hard while injured; he was now physically drained and couldn't move to help in time.
The two could only watch in horror as the Suna Jonin, looking battered and scorched, charged toward Rin with a kunai at high speed.
And Rin... she was still technically a Genin, a Medical-nin whose primary role was healing. How could she possibly block a direct assault from a Jonin?
Rin was right next to Obito... but with his current vision and reflexes, how could he possibly keep up with such a high-speed strike?
Rin… is going to die…
She's the one I love…
If only… I could see his movements clearly…
In that instant—
The world seemed to slow to a crawl.
Obito could clearly see the fear and helplessness on Rin's face.
He could see the hatred and savagery twisting the enemy's expression.
Everything…
Had slowed down.
The enemy closed in—
And Obito moved.
With a precise strike, he angled his kunai perfectly, concentrating all his force on the opponent's wrist—
The enemy's weapon flew out of his hand.
"What—?!" The Suna ninja froze for a split second.
Obito followed up with a powerful kick.
BAM!
"Kakashi!"
A flash of white streaked forward once more—
"Aaargh!!"
This time, it was the enemy who screamed.
"Rin! I've got you!" Obito offered a smile of pure relief.
Kakashi and Rin finally saw it clearly—
Kakashi and Rin finally saw it—the blood-red eyes, the pride of the Uchiha clan.
The Sharingan!