A few minutes earlier.
Inside the medical division of Konoha's rear camp.
Tsunade was stationed at the frontline medical post, directing the med-nin in treating the wounded. Given her current condition, it wasn't suitable for her to head into battle herself. But with Tsunade's mastery of medical ninjutsu, most injuries could be treated through the help of Katsuyu.
"Saki, go check how much stock we have left of camellia extract and amethyst bloom"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
A medic-nin wearing a Konoha vest immediately rushed off after receiving her orders.
The frontline was locked in fierce battle, but the rear was no less busy. Everywhere one looked, the Konoha camp was bustling with activity. Injured shinobi rested and were treated inside tents, while everyone else was caught up in various tasks.
The entire camp overflowed with vitality, every person working tirelessly toward victory. Well—almost everyone.
Because…
"Mitsuki going to the frontlines makes sense, but why the hell is that violent girl allowed to go too? Just because her Sharingan awakened earlier?"
Obito's pent-up frustration burst out, his complaints loud and full of anger, resentment, and unwillingness.
Tsunade had promised Mitsuki that she would keep an eye on his teammates, so she had brought Kakashi, Rin, and Obito with her.
At this moment, Tsunade had gone to inspect the camp's operations, leaving the three of them in her large office within the medical unit.
Kakashi stared at Obito with those dead-fish eyes of his and said mercilessly:
"Didn't Mitsuki say that Ruri already has a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan? You haven't even awakened a single tomoe yet. I honestly don't know how you can talk like that. Idiot."
Obito had his own brand of logic and retorted stubbornly:
"So what if that violent girl has her Sharingan awakened? She still can't beat Mitsuki. And I can't beat Mitsuki either. That means she's about the same as me! So why can she go but I can't?"
Kakashi didn't even bother replying anymore. Talking to Obito felt like talking to a brick wall.
But just because Kakashi went silent didn't mean Obito was done complaining.
"You want to follow the main force to the frontlines too, don't you, Kakashi?"
Kakashi gave him no response.
Then Obito suddenly remembered something, his tone mischievous:
"Ah, right. The other night, I saw you talking to your short sword, muttering something like: 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west…' Mmphh—"
Before Obito could finish, Kakashi quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, panic flashing in his eyes.
Damn it!
He thought no one was around that night, so he picked up the White Fang short blade passed down from his father after his retirement from the shinobi life, and spoke a few words of encouragement to himself. Who would've thought Obito would witness his little chuuni moment?
In this timeline, Sakumo hadn't committed suicide, so Kakashi's mental state was far better than in the original.
The problem, however, was that it was too good. Recently, Kakashi had gotten hooked on shinobi novels.
Not the "Icha Icha" kind of adult shinobi books, but popular novels in the ninja world about grassroots shinobi rising to greatness.
The lines Kakashi had recited to his blade the other night? They came straight from the protagonist of one of those novels.
Kakashi hadn't yet developed the shameless composure he would one day have, reading porn novels in front of his students without batting an eye.
So now, being outed by Obito live, his face heated up beneath his black mask. Thankfully, no one could see.
"Help… Rin… I'm dying here…"
Rin, who had been lost in thoughts of Mitsuki, snapped back when she suddenly heard Obito's desperate cry.
She rushed forward and shouted:
"Kakashi, stop! It looks like something's about to leave Obito's body!"
But Kakashi didn't seem to hear her, his eyes vacant as his hand remained firmly clamped over Obito's nose and mouth.
…
After finishing her inspection, Tsunade returned to her office with Shizune.
The moment she stepped in, she was greeted with a bizarre scene: Obito lying on the floor with his eyes rolled back while Rin desperately used medical ninjutsu to save him, and Kakashi, blank-eyed, holding his short sword while muttering nonsense under his breath.
"You guys…?"
Sometimes Tsunade truly felt this world was bizarre. She had only stepped out for a little while, and already, one brat was lying unconscious and another seemed to have gone insane.
No wonder Mitsuki worried about them. Who wouldn't?
As expected of the little brother I've acknowledged, she thought. Even when his friends are this troublesome, he still cares for them so deeply.
Thanks to Rin and Shizune's joint effort, Obito's soul finally returned to his body. He slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Tsunade standing before him. In a daze, he mumbled:
"A… a demon? Did I end up in hell?"
Tsunade's face darkened. She immediately smacked him on the head."Idiot brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"
That punch instantly woke Obito up. Remembering what just happened, he quickly searched for Kakashi.
The moment he saw him, he shouted:
"You arrogant bastard, Kakashi! Were you trying to kill me? I swear I saw the Sage of Six Paths just now!"
By the time Tsunade had returned, Kakashi had already come to his senses. Hearing Obito's accusations, he was about to reply—
When suddenly, the ground trembled.
Tsunade's brows furrowed. She hurried outside the tent, with Kakashi and the others following closely behind.
Looking up, they saw countless streams of gold sand rising around the Konoha frontline camp, flowing like inverted waterfalls and encircling them completely.
The suddenness of it all made many shinobi stop their work. A patrolling ninja rushed over to Tsunade to report.
"Lady Tsunade! These sand streams just erupted from the ground!"
"Any injuries?"
"None for now."
Tsunade exhaled in relief, though her mind raced.
This golden sand… It had to be the Magnet Release, a kekkei genkai of Suna. Judging from the scale, it looked like they were setting up some kind of barrier.
Tsunade made a quick decision."Combat squads, break down these sand walls! Send word to the guards outside the camp to scout the enemy numbers!"
"L-Lady Tsunade, look… outside!"
Hearing this, Tsunade lifted her gaze once more toward the perimeter.
The golden sand waterfalls suddenly shifted, revealing something horrifyingly familiar to every shinobi present.
Explosive tags.
Countless explosive tags, covering nearly the entire surface of the flowing sand.
And worst of all—every single one of them had already ignited.
Tsunade's pupils contracted. But it was already too late.
"Damn it!"
There was no time to react. A deafening explosion shook the entire Konoha frontline camp.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—
Scarlet flames roared, thick black smoke surged upward, coalescing into a massive, ominous mushroom cloud.