The dense canopy of leaves swallowed the sunlight. Unnoticed, the blazing sun had already softened into the glow of dusk.
In the desolate forest, the shinobi of the Koeda Clan and the Konoha shinobi stood on opposite sides, the divide between them stark.
Only Nohara Rin, the lone "hostage," was among the Koeda shinobi. She was pressed tightly between two girls her own age, one to her left, one to her right, leaving her no chance to make even the smallest move.
Directly across from them—
stood Kakashi and Obito.
The two boys stood silently, but their focus diverged. Kakashi's eyes darted restlessly, scanning the Koeda shinobi opposite them, while Obito's gaze never wavered from Rin. That unflinching, affectionate stare was so overwhelming that Rin forgot even to feel guilty for being captured again.
Her cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head, not daring to meet Obito's eyes.
Her chest thumped wildly, like a rabbit hammering at its cage.
Even Koeda Mai and Koeda Aki, the two girls flanking Rin, turned their faces aside, unwilling to meet Obito's gaze.
Of course—
their avoidance wasn't from shyness. True, the blunt, burning stare of the Uchiha boy was enough to make anyone's skin prickle, but the real reason they didn't dare look him in the eye was Kyoichi's warning:
That Uchiha across from them had already awakened the Sharingan.
Never meet the Sharingan's gaze—
that was a rule every shinobi in the world knew.
"Obito, in this situation… if we're fast enough, we should have a good chance to get Rin back."
Kakashi whispered.
"So what?"
"You don't plan to save Rin?"
"Kakashi, are you planning to defy sensei's orders?"
"...No."
"Then why say something so useless?"
Obito never once looked at his comrade. His eyes remained fixed on Rin.
"Sensei has already agreed to cooperate with the Koeda shinobi. As long as the deal with Koeda Kyoichi is fulfilled, Rin will come back unharmed. That's why—I'm not about to gamble her life on a reckless move."
"But that depends on them keeping their word!"
"And why would they break a deal they themselves proposed?" Obito shot back.
"The more Koeda clansmen they rescue, the higher the cost of betrayal. I don't believe they went to all this trouble, risking so much, just to test whether sensei can kill them all in a single breath."
Those words—
left Kakashi silent.
Then Obito landed the finishing blow:
"Besides… we don't have the power to overturn sensei's decision."
That truth left Kakashi speechless.
His authority as "captain" was borrowed, granted to him by Minato. When Minato humored him, that title carried weight. But when Minato was serious? Best not to invite humiliation.
Unconsciously, his eyes slid toward the man standing motionless like a statue—Minato.
And he wasn't the only one watching.
Kyoichi's gaze, too, was fixed on Minato.
Dazen, Seinosuke, and Yūsuke thought Kyoichi was keeping vigilant watch on the Yellow Flash, wary of a sudden strike.
But in truth… Kyoichi was itching to get closer, to study Minato's body as he absorbed natural energy and entered Sage Mode.
Yesterday, when Minato had entered Sage Mode, Kyoichi had been on high alert, still bickering with Kakashi and Obito. By the time he noticed, Minato was already transformed, and all Kyoichi could sense was the vague ripple of energy in the air.
But today—
Kyoichi's focus was absolute.
Once more, the Eye of God revealed its gift: an extraordinary affinity and control over the "earth element." And this "earth element" clearly wasn't some energy within Kyoichi's own body—it was a force that resided in nature itself.
Simply put—
this so-called "earth element" must be a form of natural energy.
This time, with the Eye of God's aid, Kyoichi could see Minato absorbing natural energy, step by step. And because what Minato was drawing in was precisely this "earth element," Kyoichi was reminded of the immense risks of training in Mount Myōboku's Sage Arts: a single mistake, and the practitioner's body would turn into stone.
"An excess accumulation of earth element… is that the cause?"
The thought rose unbidden in Kyoichi's mind.
Come to think of it—
when training in Mount Myōboku failed, the body petrified. Jūgo's Sage Transformation drove him into a frenzied berserk state. Perhaps the difference lay in the type of natural energy absorbed, each leading to vastly different outcomes. Of course, this was only Kyoichi's speculation, without a shred of proof.
Still—
whether his guess was right or wrong mattered little. Witnessing Minato absorb natural energy in full detail left him itching to try it himself. Somehow… Sage Mode didn't look so difficult.
"Minato-senpai, are you ready?"
Kyoichi asked quickly, suppressing his impulse to try.
Unlike the "Camouflage Concealment Technique" he had learned earlier, Sage Mode training carried grave risks. Even if instinct whispered that mastering Sage Mode might not be too hard, now was no time for reckless experiments—nor was this the place.
Better to wait.
Wait for a safer time, a safer place, to attempt this ultimate art.
"I'm ready."
Minato nodded, his face now marked with the shadowed eyes and transformed pupils of Sage Mode.
"If everything is set on your side, we can depart immediately."
"Then let's go."
Kyoichi answered without hesitation.
"I'll come as well," Dazen spoke up just then. Without giving Kyoichi time to object, he added, "Kyoichi, if I go, I can use my authority to quickly persuade the clansmen to cooperate. That's the weight of a patriarch and the trust of the clan's eldest—it's something you, as a young man, cannot command."
"Very well. Then you'll come with me, Patriarch."
Kyoichi agreed decisively.
Then he turned to Minato:
"Minato-senpai, just the patriarch and me."
"Good."
Minato spoke a single word—
and placed his hands on the shoulders of Kyoichi and Dazen.
In the next instant—
the three figures vanished from the dim, foreboding forest, leaving behind only the ten Koeda clansmen, along with Kakashi, Obito, and Rin—thirteen in total.