"Ah?"
Rin was attacked on the foot, her center of gravity unsteady, and she almost fell to the ground.
Puff!
Naruto picked up the kunai and cut through the vine that tried to wrap around Rin.
But the sound it made was strange—like chopping minced meat.
Rin quickly stepped back twice, shaking off the strange white thing that had wrapped around her body.
Around Naruto and Rin, a group of White Zetsu suddenly emerged from the ground…
Rin had never encountered anything like this before and was visibly nervous.
Naruto, on the other hand, looked around calmly.
Because he knew—whether it was White Zetsu, Black Zetsu, or even Uchiha Madara in his aged state—if they were hiding in the dark, he couldn't pinpoint them.
That part was annoying.
But if they dared to challenge him directly…
Even an elderly Uchiha Madara would have to pay a price.
…
On the other side, After Obito and Kakashi reached an agreement, they began searching for traces of Nohara Rin.
Eventually, they found a cave.
They entered cautiously.
"There are a lot of enemy corpses here."
Obito looked around at the mess on the ground, his stomach churning.
It wasn't like he'd never seen blood before.
But this level… was clearly not something an ordinary person could cause.
These people looked like they had been through a meat grinder—half their bodies torn apart.
But seeing the corpses made Obito think of something more hopeful.
He said to Kakashi, "Maybe Rin has been rescued."
"Don't let your guard down. There may be enemies in the dark," Kakashi warned, moving forward cautiously.
Seeing Kakashi so alert, Obito had no choice but to follow.
In the darkness—
A cold flash streaked past. Kakashi felt a jolt in his heart as he sensed a fatal threat and instantly swung his ninjatō.
Ding~
The collision of blades produced a brief spark in the darkness.
One Iwa shinobi who had managed to survive Naruto's attack hid in the shadows.
When he saw Obito and Kakashi, he immediately chose to ambush them.
And obviously, Kakashi was the greater threat.
So he targeted Kakashi first.
But Kakashi reacted quickly.
The sneak attack failed, and they fell into combat.
On the other side, Obito was also attacked.
The engagement erupted instantly into a fierce battle.
But Kakashi's strength had been underestimated.
He swept through the darkness like a storm—no Iwa shinobi could last more than five moves under his blade.
Realizing this, one of the Iwa shinobi grew desperate.
"Konoha's genius, huh?"
"Hahaha… Sure, Konoha has plenty of geniuses. But geniuses who don't live long are nothing but clouds drifting by."
"Earth Style: Rock House Collapse!"
Boom!
Upon hearing this, Kakashi and Obito instantly felt the cave start to tremble.
"No!" Kakashi was shocked and shouted, "Obito, get out of the cave!"
The two ran as fast as they could.
But the Iwa shinobi's determination was terrifying.
Even if they were crushed to death, they wanted to drag Kakashi and Obito down with them.
Obito and Kakashi were blocked.
At the critical moment, Obito activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.
With the Sharingan, Obito felt his confidence surge.
He shouted, "Kakashi, you go first!"
"What nonsense!?" Kakashi grabbed Obito, ignoring his desire to show off, and pulled him toward the exit.
But the Iwa shinobi surrounded them again.
With the cave about to collapse, Kakashi used all his strength to throw Obito out.
Then Kakashi used Body Flicker in a desperate leap to escape.
But just as Obito was about to get out, he was blocked by a crazed Iwa shinobi…
BOOM!!!
The ground shook violently as smoke and rubble burst outward.
Kakashi stared in horror at the collapsed cave, praying that Obito would emerge.
But…
There was no sign of Obito in the smoke.
"Obito!!!"
Kakashi ran back desperately.
Finally, he found Obito, half-crushed beneath a massive boulder.
"Kakashi…"
Obito was relieved to see Kakashi return to rescue him.
He knew how severe his injuries were.
So he said, "Kakashi… don't waste your strength."
"I've made it this far… I'm satisfied."
"It's just… Rin… I don't know how she is."
"Ahem…"
Kakashi knelt helplessly beside the dying Obito, his pupils trembling.
Obito laughed weakly when he saw Kakashi's expression. "Hahaha… So you do care after all. Kakashi… my Sharingan awakened. There's only one left, but… I hope it can help you."
"Help me… use this eye… to see Rin… safe… see her… alive…"
Obito's voice faded away.
The light in his Sharingan dimmed.
"Obito…"
Kakashi clenched his teeth so hard they almost cracked.
This powerlessness made him fully aware of his weakness.
Damn it…
If only he had been more cautious.
Let a shadow clone go first.
Even if he had gone alone, things wouldn't have turned out like this…
Kakashi knelt on the ground in despair.
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached him.
"Ah… looks like we got delayed too long by those plant people."
"Obito? Kakashi? Obito?!!"
Rin ran over, her companion's death pushing her to the edge mentally.
Naruto stood nearby, silently watching.
Then, as in the original timeline—
Rin helped Kakashi transplant Obito's Sharingan.
The two buried Obito. They had no time to grieve and were forced to leave this place of danger.
Naruto followed Rin and Kakashi, feeling a touch of sadness.
Obito had been a good kid before his first death.
He really was kind.
But he was manipulated by Madara.
Even so, that didn't erase the evil he committed later.
Naruto wasn't about to forgive him.
He suddenly stopped and said to them, "You two go first. I need to handle something."
"Kamisuki?" Kakashi turned to him. "Alright. I don't know who you are, but you're definitely our ally."
Rin was a bit gloomy. She knew Naruto was strong, but she still didn't want him to take risks.
Still, she supported his decision.
She warned softly, "Kamisuki-kun… that area is very dangerous. Please be careful."
"I understand." Naruto nodded calmly. "Thanks for the reminder."
He wanted to go back and finish off Obito completely.
If things went well, he might even follow the trail and kill Madara.
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