Ninja mission rewards were limited. If you didn't do a little moonlighting on the side, how were you supposed to pad your own pockets?
As for honest labor, Kiyohara felt that was impossible. Working a proper side job? Never in this life. Some poorer ninja would take on extra tasks to earn more money, even doing work meant for ordinary civilians.
Kiyohara had no interest in wasting time on that.
Not long after the Third Shinobi World War ended, the Nine-Tails' rampage would begin. Whether Obito still fell to darkness or not, Kiyohara suspected Madara Uchiha would simply put forward someone else to carry out the plan.
A disaster was coming sooner or later.
"That actually makes sense," Genma Shiranui admitted with a nod.
He honestly had no idea when Kiyohara had become so sharp. While Kurenai Yuhi and Genma were still processing what had happened, Kiyohara had already packed most of the spoils into his sealing scroll.
"Some of this is still new. It should sell for a decent price," Kiyohara thought.
"What do we do now?" Genma asked. As he spoke, he took two shuriken off a corpse and stuffed them into his own ninja pouch.
"We rest for a bit, then hit the next outpost," Kiyohara said.
If they repeated this a few more times, they would definitely draw the attention of an Iwagakure jonin. At that point, he and the others could run. For a tiny squad made up of one genin and two chunin, being important enough to attract a jonin's attention was already a respectable achievement.
"A short break sounds good," Kurenai said, nodding.
After taking whatever they could carry, the group abandoned the outpost. There was no point staying in an Iwagakure base when the enemy could counterattack at any moment.
They moved through the vast bamboo forest and found a relatively secluded place to rest.
"I wonder how Kakashi and the others are doing," Kiyohara murmured, rubbing his chin.
He didn't believe Madara Uchiha had pinned everything on Obito alone. After all, if that boulder had landed even a little off, it could have crushed Obito's skull outright. Kiyohara refused to believe Madara would gamble on something so sloppy.
At most, Obito had survived by chance, and that survival had made him the chosen piece.
Madara Uchiha was probably observing the battle through White Zetsu even now.
"I remember Obito and Kakashi are about to split up," Kiyohara thought.
Kakashi believed a ninja had to complete the mission even if comrades had to be sacrificed along the way. That was "the rule." If the mission failed, the war would drag on, and even more people might die in the future.
Obito, on the other hand, did not care about any of that. In his heart, there was only Rin.
"I just want to get back alive as soon as possible," Kiyohara thought.
This mission was already more than halfway done. Once Kannabi Bridge was destroyed, it would be over.
Over the next day or two, Kiyohara led Kurenai Yuhi and Genma Shiranui in a steady campaign of guerrilla harassment.
When the enemy retreated, they advanced.When the enemy advanced, they retreated.When the enemy grew weary, they harassed them again.
The sequence was smooth enough to make the Hidden Stone shinobi feel helpless.
"Damn it. Their squad definitely has an excellent sensor ninja," the Iwagakure shinobi Suma Shi snarled.
This Konoha team had appeared out of nowhere and treated them like fools.
"But Captain, we don't have enough manpower," one of his subordinates said.
If they had enough men, they would have formed a proper encirclement around the Konoha squad long ago.
"The fighting on the front line is too intense. There's nothing we can do about that," Suma Shi replied with a slight frown.
"Whatever happens, reinforce the bridge's defenses. I suspect this squad might just be a decoy."
"Yes, Captain."
His subordinates quickly acknowledged the order and withdrew to carry it out.
***
Elsewhere, Kakashi's team was currently engaged with Iwagakure ninja.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito spat out a huge fireball that surged forward with a scorching wave of heat.
"It missed..." Obito's expression darkened.
The enemy could use stealth techniques.
Sssh!
A shuriken cut through the air.
Kakashi raised his short sword and knocked it aside in one clean motion, deflecting the rest with it.
"We're taking this girl with us for now."
The invisible Suma Shi struck Rin Nohara unconscious and prepared to carry her off.
He exchanged a glance with Hikari, an Iwagakure jonin, then vanished into the bamboo forest.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Rin captured, Obito's face changed instantly, and he lunged forward.
"Wait! Don't chase them, Obito!" Kakashi shouted after him.
"Kiyohara and the others should still be drawing enemy attention. We keep moving and finish the mission. Just the two of us."
"What about Rin?"
Obito turned and stared at Kakashi as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"The enemy wants information. They won't kill her right away," Kakashi said through clenched teeth. "And once our information leaks, they'll reinforce the bridge immediately. We have to destroy it before that happens."
"Compared to the mission, saving Rin comes first!" Obito snapped back. "You saying she'll be fine is nothing but wishful thinking."
At that moment, the conflict between them finally erupted.
"When you and I got hurt, it was Rin who treated us!" Obito shouted, trying one last time to make Kakashi understand.
"That was Rin's duty."
Kakashi thought of his father.
Hatake Sakumo - the White Fang of Konoha - had once been famed even beyond the Legendary Sannin. A man who might have become the Fourth Hokage had still been driven to suicide. The fact that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had never stepped in to stop the slander showed just how serious the consequences of Sakumo's failed mission had been in the eyes of Konoha's leadership.
"You really piss me off!"
At that moment, in Obito's heart, Kakashi had become even more hateful than Kiyohara.
"A person who doesn't value his comrades is worse than trash."
Obito refused to argue any longer. He spun around and sprinted after the Iwagakure ninja.
Only Kakashi remained behind, his face twisted with conflict.
***
In a dark underground cavern, White Zetsu slowly emerged halfway from the wall.
"Madara-sama, the plan is proceeding. Obito is almost at the designated location."
The voice echoed through the cave.
An old man covered in wrinkles slowly opened his eyes. Unlike his withered face, those scarlet eyes had not gone cloudy with age. They were still sharp enough to cut.
"Mm."
Madara Uchiha gave a small nod.
"Madara-sama, should we spare a little more attention for the others as well?" White Zetsu asked, then described the recent events in detail.
"Only a little. Not too much," Madara said slowly.
Caution for the sake of the plan was one thing. But in truth, he cared very little about the others.
Minato Namikaze was just a brat who happened to be fast.Kakashi was just a child who knew how to use a blade.Kiyohara was only a commoner with somewhat sharper perception than usual.
As for the rest, they were even less worth mentioning.
If any of them had been Uchiha, he might have considered them as spare candidates. But they were not.
For now, all that mattered was Obito.
"Understood, Madara-sama."
White Zetsu slowly sank back into the wall.