Chapter 39 — The Sealing Scroll
"Blue lightning… That must be—"
Rin froze mid-sentence. For a split second, disbelief crossed her face. Then recognition dawned, and her expression bloomed with radiant joy.
Before anyone else in the escort squad could fully process what they were seeing, the crackling arcs of lightning ahead began to fade. The currents that had illuminated the forest path slowly dissipated into faint sparks, revealing a tall figure standing calmly at their source.
Obuya.
He lowered his foot from its forward step as if he had simply walked out of a thunderstorm. The air still hummed faintly with residual chakra.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a second figure appeared beside him—as though the very air had folded inward and released him. One moment there was nothing; the next, Uchiha Shisui stood there, composed and smiling faintly.
"You must be the Konoha team assigned to escort the supply convoy this time, correct?"
Obuya's voice was steady and calm, but as he finished speaking, his gaze drifted past the lead Jonin—and stopped.
His eyes widened almost imperceptibly. At the rear of the formation stood three familiar figures.
Kakashi. Rin. And… Obito.
For the briefest moment, Obuya was genuinely stunned.
"That's right! That's us," the lead Jonin responded quickly, his tone respectful—almost deferential.
Although Obuya and Shisui officially held only the rank of Chunin, their battlefield record had already become something close to legend. The fact that they had slain multiple enemy Jonin with their own hands during this war inspired awe among many within Konoha's forces.
"We were ordered by the Hokage to clear any obstacles ahead of your route," Shisui added with an easy smile. "The destination isn't far now. There shouldn't be any more enemy interference. You can consider your mission nearly complete."
"What? So the road was cleared in advance?" one of the escort ninja exclaimed in surprise. "No wonder the journey has been so smooth!"
A murmur of realization passed through the group.
It made sense.
Every mission issued by Konoha's high command—especially during wartime—was strictly classified. Only those directly involved were allowed access to the full details. Inquiry from outsiders was forbidden, and participants were bound by ironclad rules of secrecy.
Information was a weapon.
And yet, ninja were masters of intelligence gathering. No matter how strict the precautions, leaks were inevitable. The squads of Kirigakure and Iwagakure ninja Obuya and Shisui had encountered earlier were living proof of that.
"There's still some distance left," Obuya said after a brief pause. "To prevent any unforeseen complications, we'll accompany you to the destination and ensure the supplies arrive safely."
The proposal was immediately welcomed. Heads nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Only Shisui's gaze lingered on Obuya for a moment longer, a faint trace of curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Originally, they had planned to rendezvous with the escort team here and depart separately. The final stretch ahead lay across open plains beyond the forest—flat, exposed terrain where ambush was nearly impossible. No enemy commander in their right mind would attempt an interception there.
And yet, Obuya had changed the plan without warning.
Still, Shisui said nothing. The mission objectives had been achieved. There was no urgency pressing them.
Obuya drifted toward the rear of the formation. Before he could even say a word, Rin hurried forward, her steps light and unrestrained. Without hesitation, she grasped his arm, her eyes shining.
"Obuya! So the 'important mission' you mentioned was secretly protecting us?" she said, unable to hide her excitement. "What an incredible coincidence!"
Her gaze lingered on his face longer than necessary, her cheeks faintly pink.
Obuya gave a helpless smile. "It truly is a coincidence. I only received the mission parameters. I had no idea who was assigned to this escort team…"
Then he tilted his head slightly, looking past her.
"Obito? What are you doing here?"
The question was sincere.
Over six months ago, during the Chunin Exams, Obito had failed to advance. Without promotion, he should not have been eligible to participate in high-level national warfare missions.
Obito folded his arms and grinned mysteriously, clearly enjoying the suspense.
Rin couldn't help herself and revealed the answer.
"Because of the war, Obito was promoted to Chunin recently. This is his first mission since the promotion."
"I see…"
Obuya's surprise softened into genuine happiness.
A warmth spread through him.
Obito had finally stepped into the next stage. The three of them were no longer separated by rank. They could move forward together now—face the battlefield together.
Obito glanced around cautiously before leaning close to Obuya's ear.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
Whatever he was about to reveal was clearly meant to remain secret.
When Obuya heard the words, his eyes brightened.
Two tomoe. Obito's Sharingan had evolved to the two-tomoe stage.
The power of his dojutsu had grown significantly. Obuya felt a surge of excitement—not merely because of the increased strength, but because this meant Obito was one step closer to something far greater.
No matter how history might twist or change, Obuya firmly believed that a person's latent potential remained constant.
When Obito's Sharingan eventually awakened fully—when it evolved into the Mangekyō—he would gain access to a legendary space-time ninjutsu.
Kamui.
One of the most extraordinary ocular abilities ever recorded. Of course, Obito had no awareness of this destiny. At the moment, he merely shot Kakashi a smug glance, as if this single advancement already placed him leagues ahead.
"Idiot," Kakashi said flatly. "Even with a two-tomoe Sharingan, you're still incompetent. Next time you fight Guy, at least try to make it competitive. Otherwise, you're not worthy of being my teammate."
"Ka–Kakashi! You—!"
Obito's face flushed red in outrage.
"Alright, that's enough," Rin interrupted quickly, stepping between them. "Can you two not start arguing the moment you meet?"
The tension dissolved as quickly as it had formed. Then, as if remembering something important, Obuya reached into his vest and withdrew a scroll.
He extended it toward Rin.
"What's this?"
Rin accepted it instinctively, fingers already moving to unroll it—
"Don't open it."
Obuya's voice sharpened just enough to make her pause.
"This is a sealing scroll," he explained more gently. "Inside, I've sealed a genjutsu."
"A genjutsu? Sealed inside a scroll?" Rin's eyes widened.
"Yes. If you ever encounter danger—open the scroll and break the seal with your blood. The technique will activate immediately."
He held her gaze steadily.
"It may not kill a powerful enemy outright. But it will create an opening—enough for you to escape."
Rin stared at the scroll as though it were something mythical.
"Something like this… really exists?"
Obuya nodded. "I obtained it from an Iwagakure Jonin by chance. It's said to originate from the Land of Whirlpools from long ago."
Before Rin could respond, a familiar voice chimed in behind them.
"Obuya, you're truly heartless."
Shisui approached with exaggerated grievance in his tone.
"That was meant to be a token between us. And now you've given it away without hesitation."
Obuya didn't turn around.
"Objects are tools," he said calmly. "They should be used where they're needed most. Loyalty isn't proven through possessions."
Earlier, after defeating an Iwa squad, the two of them had acquired two rare sealing scrolls.
The scrolls were empty vessels at first—special artifacts capable of storing jutsu within them.
They had agreed that each would seal their strongest technique inside one and exchange them as a symbol of the life-and-death bond forged over the past six months of war.
Obuya had sealed his most destructive Explosion Release technique mixed with lightning—an ultra-high-voltage attack—and given it to Shisui.
In return, Shisui had sealed his most fearsome Sharingan genjutsu, "Twelve Celestial Hunt," within a scroll and handed it to Obuya.
From the beginning, however, Obuya had another purpose in mind. He intended to give that genjutsu scroll to Rin as a hidden safeguard.
A chance to survive when survival seemed impossible.
And now, by sheer coincidence, fate had placed her before him at the perfect moment, so without hesitation, he entrusted it to her.