"It's over!"
With a wave of his hand, Rasa sent the golden sand spear hurtling through the air, piercing straight toward the powerless Tsunade.
At that critical moment—
"Finger Gun Rasengan!"
A chakra sphere, no bigger than a coin, shot in from another direction, shattering the sand spear instantly.
Rasa turned toward the source of the attack, only to see—to his surprise—that it was a girl no older than twelve.
"You're the one who destroyed Konoha's camp like this, aren't you?"
Seeing her usually indomitable Tsunade lying there weak and frail, Rin felt a burning rage ignite in her chest.
"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"
Shizune ran to Tsunade's side, her voice trembling with tears. Her hands, however, remained steady as she carefully examined Tsunade's condition.
"Shizune? Rin? Why did you come back? I told you… cough, cough…"
Although Tsunade's chakra was nearly depleted and her condition dire, thanks to the Strength of a Hundred Seal her body hadn't suffered any critical injuries. But seeing Shizune and Rin return made her anxious—there was no way they could stand against this enemy.
"You… cough… you shouldn't have come back."
Tsunade tried to stand, but her body refused to obey.
"Lady Tsunade, your body can't take any more fighting." Shizune quickly supported her, afraid she would collapse.
"Lady Tsunade, we're Konoha shinobi—we will never abandon our comrades to save ourselves! If I ran away now, Mitsuki would definitely be disappointed in me."
Rin didn't turn around to look at Tsunade. Her eyes remained locked on Rasa, fully alert to any movement he made.
Before the explosion, Tsunade had summoned Katsuyu, wrapping Rin, Shizune, Kakashi, and Obito in its protective body. She had even poured extra medical chakra into these clones, letting them move through the chaos and secretly carry the four children to safety outside the camp.
Tsunade had promised Mitsuki to protect his companions. As their elder sister, she could not break that promise. Her intention had been to ensure at least Rin and Shizune's survival.
But they hadn't thought of fleeing at all. Instead, they came back to save her.
"This just got troublesome…" Tsunade sighed inwardly.
Rasa, seeing his attack intercepted, didn't seem worried. They were just children, after all. He commanded the golden sand once again, forming new spears.
Just as he was about to strike—
"Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito, behind him, finished his seals, his chest swelling before spitting a fireball forward.
Rasa responded immediately, raising a wall of gold sand to block it. The flames crashed against the barrier, leaving not a mark.
"Aaah!"
A sound like a thousand chirping birds split the air.
"Chidori!"
From another direction, Kakashi charged forward, hand wreathed in blazing lightning, thrusting straight at Rasa.
But Rasa was faster. Seeing that Chidori's trajectory was linear, he erected another golden sand wall right in Kakashi's path.
At the last instant, Kakashi twisted his body, spinning gracefully past the wall.
He had bypassed Rasa's defense!
A smirk tugged at Kakashi's lips. The Chidori developed and refined by Mitsuki was not so easily countered.
This modified version, crafted with Mitsuki's guidance, required four hand seals instead of the original three—the added seal enhancing the optic nerves. More than the seals, it was Mitsuki's repeated tutoring that had allowed Kakashi to memorize and refine the chakra pathway.
With his vision heightened, Kakashi could maneuver fluidly even while sprinting at full speed with Chidori.
On missions, he had cut down many enemies who underestimated this technique.
But Rasa was no ordinary enemy.
In the fraction of a second that Kakashi spun past the wall, Rasa reacted. Golden sand spikes erupted from the barrier, skewering Kakashi mid-stride.
"Poof!"
The body turned to smoke.
A Shadow Clone.
Rasa instinctively sought the real Kakashi, but before he could locate him—another wave of attacks came flying in.
Under the cover of Obito and Kakashi's clone, Rin had finished her jutsu.
"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
She hurled a shuriken, weaving signs as she exhaled fire onto it. Then her hands blurred through seals again.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The blazing shuriken multiplied into hundreds, a storm of crimson blades raining toward Rasa.
But it was futile. With Magnet Release, Rasa was shielded on all sides. Golden sand swirled around him, blocking every strike.
Moments later, the storm subsided. Rasa was about to drop his defense when he noticed something strange.
The shuriken hadn't vanished. They glowed with red light.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A chain of explosions lit up the golden sand.
"Kakashi! Is it ready yet?" Obito shouted.
"All set!" ×2
Kakashi and his clone, hands extended, connected by a blazing arc of lightning between them.
"Take this—Lightning Transmission!"
This jutsu, devised from Chidori's properties, was performed by Kakashi and his clone simultaneously. The current arced between them, forming a blade of pure lightning.
With Obito and Rin buying time, the plan was finally ready.
Together, Kakashi and his clone rushed past Rasa from both sides, the lightning blade tearing through his sand defenses—cleaving even Rasa's body in two.
Obito's eyes lit up, and he pumped his fist.
"We did it!"
Shizune stood frozen in shock. They had actually succeeded.
"Poof!"
The clone dispersed into smoke, Chidori fading away. Kakashi's real body staggered, chakra exhausted—he was far too young to sustain so many high-level jutsu.
But Tsunade's instincts screamed danger.
"Kakashi, watch out!"
The boy, thinking victory was theirs, froze as he heard her warning.
Too late.
The "Rasa" they had split dissolved into golden sand.
The real Rasa appeared behind Kakashi, kunai in hand, driving it toward the boy's back.
"Sand Body Flicker!"
"Kakashi!"
Obito's horrified scream tore out of him. His eyes blazed red, and within them faintly—two black tomoe began to emerge.