Kakashi in Pursuit
In the Land of Waves, unfamiliar shinobi had begun appearing with unsettling frequency.
Villagers whispered among themselves. Every outsider who arrived carried the same question:
"Do you know a way into the Land of Water?"
Ordinary people feared shinobi. They dared not lie.
And so the rumors spread.
"How about this," Kakashi said calmly. "Just take me close to the Land of Water. You don't need to dock."
To track the movements of Uchiha Obito, Kakashi Hatake had taken a covert mission. His objective: investigate Kirigakure in the Land of Water without alerting the Five Great Nations.
But no boatman wanted the job.
So he compromised.
"In that case…"
"Fine! I'll take you!" the dark-skinned ferryman blurted out.
"But it'll cost extra!"
Greed triumphed over fear.
After all, he only needed to drop the ninja far from the mainland. No need to get entangled in shinobi affairs.
Deal struck.
No witnesses.
No questions.
After a winding journey through fog-choked waters and hidden inlets, Kakashi finally stepped onto the northern coast of the Land of Water.
But he underestimated one thing.
His own reputation.
And Kirigakure's paranoia.
Before long, his presence was exposed.
A patrol of Hidden Mist shinobi intercepted him.
Steel flashed.
Mist thickened.
A terrible opening.
Kakashi frowned behind his mask.
He had come alone to avoid exposing Obito's truth. If Konoha knew… if the world knew…
The consequences would ripple far beyond a single mission.
But now
He stood isolated.
No allies.
No intel.
And no certainty about Kirigakure's current state.
Surrender?
Impossible.
If he allowed himself to be detained, the trail would end here.
And Kakashi Hatake never abandoned a lead.
"Take him down!"
The Kirigakure shinobi struck without hesitation. Even as they attacked, one ninja formed hand seals and sent a water-based messenger jutsu racing back toward the village.
They knew exactly who they faced.
The Copy Ninja.
The man who wielded a Sharingan that wasn't his own.
Carelessness meant death.
Deep within the Land of Water
Inside the Mizukage's tower
A masked man watched the situation unfold with cold amusement.
Obito.
The true puppeteer behind the blood-soaked history of Kirigakure.
Yet even he felt a rare flicker of irritation.
Kakashi's arrival was… inconvenient.
For now, Obito had no intention of confronting him.
Not yet.
Whatever Kakashi's purpose, it could only threaten the fragile control Obito had built over the Bloody Mist.
Years of manipulation.
Years of shadows.
Years of lies.
All at risk.
He needed leverage.
A chain strong enough to bind even Kakashi.
"Zetsu," Obito said softly, as though speaking into empty air. "Any ideas?"
From the wall itself, a figure peeled free like living tar.
Black and white.
Two voices.
One will.
Zetsu.
"If you want to restrain Kakashi," Zetsu rasped, "use the girl connected to him."
Obito's single visible eye narrowed.
"…Explain."
"There is a woman," Zetsu continued. "A sensor-type kunoichi with exceptional chakra perception. Red hair. Strong life force."
Recognition dawned slowly.
"…Karin."
In this rewritten canon, Karin was no foreign spy nor singer, but a wandering Uzumaki survivor someone whose past had briefly intersected with Kakashi during a classified mission years ago.
A life saved.
A bond formed.
Unspoken, but real.
And bonds… were weaknesses.
"Where is she now?" Obito asked.
"Konoha."
A pause.
Then space twisted.
Kamui activated.
Reality folded inward.
And in less than ten minutes
A vortex spiraled open inside the tower.
A woman collapsed onto the cold floor, gasping as the space distortion faded.
Red hair spilled like blood across the stone.
Karin.
Kidnapped directly from the heart of the Leaf.
Zetsu tilted its head.
"You moved fast. What now?"
Obito's eye curved into a faint smile beneath the mask.
"You'll see."
Mystery lingered in his tone.
If handled correctly, Kakashi would be trapped without a single chain touching him.
Kakashi Hatake.
Konoha's elite.
Hero of the Third Shinobi War.
A man admired across nations.
If Kirigakure captured him…
The political shockwaves alone would reshape alliances.
But reality was less cooperative.
The first Mist squad failed.
Kakashi broke through.
Vanished into the fog like a ghost.
"Squad One, sweep the eastern sector!"
"Second Unit, secure the forest perimeter!"
"Seal all waterways!"
Orders echoed through the mist.
Tension thickened.
"Do not underestimate him!"
A captain barked sharply.
"And avoid eye contact with his left eye! If you're caught in his Sharingan genjutsu, you're already dead!"
The Mist shinobi tightened their formation.
They knew the legends.
And legends were written in blood.
Meanwhile
Far from the command center
A lone figure wandered the outskirts of the search zone.
Collecting chakra fragments like drifting embers.
A silent observer.
A shadow between shadows.
Uchiha Yi.
He hadn't expected things to escalate this quickly.
Disguising himself as Obito and deliberately leaking traces of the truth had been meant to stir chaos
Not summon Kakashi himself.
Yet here he was.
Drawn like iron to a magnet.
"So fast…" Yi murmured.
To trace Obito all the way to the Land of Water…
Their bond truly was something twisted.
Tragic.
Unbreakable.
Almost poetic.
He chuckled softly.
"Maybe Rin really was the third wheel."
Dark humor lingered in his voice.
But beneath it
Anticipation.
Because what came next would be far more interesting.
What expression would Obito wear when Kakashi finally learned the truth?
Shock?
Rage?
Despair?
This stage was about to become unforgettable.
"Kakashi's position confirmed!"
A sudden shout shattered his thoughts.
"Encircle this sector immediately!"
Mist churned violently.
Shadows flickered across treetops.
Dozens of shinobi closed in.
Only then did Uchiha Yi realize
He had wandered straight into the net.
A tightening circle.
Silent killers.
And somewhere within it
The Copy Ninja himself.
And perhaps…
Something even more dangerous was about to awaken.