"Rin, I'll come to your rescue soon! I'll let you know I don't lose to this brat Kakashi!!"
Obito's voice echoed through the trees, his eyes burning with conviction. Without waiting another second, he surged forward, feet pounding against the forest floor as he chased after the trail left by the Iwagakure ninja.
But after just tens of meters, Obito abruptly halted.
A memory flickered in his mind—Rin's soft voice as she spoke admiringly of the legendary Konoha White Fang. His hands trembled for a moment, then clenched tightly. Without turning to face him, Obito raised his voice and shouted toward Kakashi, who still stood in the distance:
"Konoha's White Fang… was a real hero"
After yelling, Obito rushed into the woods, his figure quickly vanishing into the dense foliage.
Kakashi stood still, staring in the direction Obito had vanished. His heart, once firm, now trembled slightly. Obito's voice continued to echo in his mind like a hammer beating against his beliefs.
Father… was I wrong from the very beginning?
He raised his head and looked up at the sky, his sharp eyes softening. A flash of tears shimmered, and crystal drops rolled down his cheeks like falling rain. After a long moment, his expression changed.
Kakashi moved.
Without hesitation, he chased after Obito in the same direction.
"It's worth the trip."
In the shadows of a tall tree, hidden by layers of dense leaves, the corners of the shadow doppelganger's mouth curled upward into a faint smile. He had been watching everything from beginning to end.
There was nothing more exciting for a transmigrator than seeing the scenes from the original timeline play out before his own eyes. It felt like watching a classic movie again—not on a computer screen, but in an IMAX theater. You already know the ending, but the immersive experience hits completely different.
Thinking this, the shadow doppelganger looked briefly at the direction Obito and Kakashi had gone, then tilted his head up to the vast, cloud-speckled sky. With a soft sigh, he formed a hand seal and used the Flying Thunder God Technique, disappearing from the branch in a blink, chasing after the two.
As for Rin?
The shadow clone wasn't worried at all.
It wasn't because he didn't value Rin—far from it. It was because he had absolute confidence in himself.
Long before the trio arrived at the frontlines, Minato had already secretly left Flying Thunder God marks on each of them. These marks were placed subtly during training or sparring, so none of the three noticed. They had no idea that their sensei could appear at their side at any moment.
That was why the shadow doppelganger had not intervened when Rin was captured—there was never any danger he couldn't resolve instantly.
But this moment wasn't about saving Rin.
It was about allowing Kakashi and Obito to grow.
If he stepped in too early, their character growth would be stunted. Their bonds wouldn't deepen. The emotions and convictions that define them would remain immature.
He would only appear when both were truly at the brink—when there was no turning back.
Because after all, what is a hero… if not the one who shows up at the last moment?
If the hero appears from the very start, what impact would there be?🙄😈😈😈🥴
"Damn Kakashi! I'll let you know how awesome I am! Even without you, I'll rescue Rin!"
Walking briskly along a narrow forest path, Obito muttered bitterly under his breath. The name "Kakashi" kept surfacing again and again like a thorn in his heart.
He still didn't understand it—why was Kakashi so stubborn? Why would he rather focus on the mission than save a captured comrade? And more than anything, why would Rin—Rin, of all people—admire a guy like that?
Grumbling with resentment and confusion, Obito continued following the trail. Along the way, he picked up on subtle signs deliberately left behind by the Iwagakure ninja—bent twigs, faint chakra traces, and the scent of unfamiliar earth. Before long, he arrived near a small hill overlooking the Kannabi Bridge.
The sun blazed overhead, scorching the land with dry heat. Obito crouched behind a tree, scanning the terrain with sharp, observant eyes.
"Is Rin being held somewhere in this hill…?"
His breath was heavy, his brow furrowed in concentration. But just as he was about to move—
A sudden chill surged behind him.
Enemy attack!
Obito's instincts kicked in instantly. Without turning his head, his body twisted to the side.
BOOM!!
A thunderous crack rang out. The tree Obito had just stood on was split clean in half, the upper section crashing to the ground with a violent thud.
Obito's pupils contracted. His heart raced.
That was close—too close.
If not for the reaction training under Minato-sensei, he might have been cut in half with that tree.
"Well, well… lucky little brat."
A mocking voice echoed from a nearby tree.
Standing on a branch, a lean shinobi held a long katana in his hand. His presence was sharp and dangerous, like a beast watching its prey. His name was Demon Leech, and the gleam in his eyes was full of killing intent.
Obito glared at him, gritting his teeth. "You bastard… where did you take Rin?!"
A mocking voice echoed from a nearby tree.
Standing on a thick branch, a lean figure with a flak vest and stone-patterned forehead protector leaned against the trunk casually, holding a short, curved blade glinting in the sunlight. His dark eyes were calm and calculating, and his body radiated the confidence of a seasoned killer. This was Kagero, one of Iwagakure's elite tracking ninjas—specialized in ambush and assassination.
"Well, well… lucky little brat."
Kagero clicked his tongue and smirked. "Didn't think you'd actually dodge that. Most Genin wouldn't have made it past the first strike."
Obito stared up at him warily, fists clenched, heart pounding from the sudden ambush. "You bastard… where's Rin?! What did you do to her?!"
Kagero twirled the blade in his hand before pointing it lazily toward Obito. "That girl? She's alive… for now. Pretty spirited one too."
He narrowed his eyes, the teasing smirk fading. "But I don't hand out information for free. If you want to know where she is—"
His killing intent suddenly flared like a storm.
"—you'll have to defeat me!"
With a flick of his feet, Kagero launched from the branch like a falling shadow, his curved blade slashing through the air, aimed straight for Obito's head!