Chapter 81 – The Enemy's Intentions
Kakashi stood there as if struck by lightning, completely stunned.
But the situation didn't allow him the luxury of deep thought, nor was there time for hesitation.
In the brief moment he was dazed, a large number of enemies surged in from all directions.
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately snapped out of it. Without thinking further, he leapt forward, grabbed Rin Nohara's hand, and began retreating along the path they came.
"Rin, what on earth is going on?"
He asked while pulling her along to accelerate their escape.
As he spoke, two kunai came flying from behind—one aimed at him, the other at Rin.
"They sealed the Three-Tails into my body… Kakashi."
"You should go on without me—don't worry about me!"
Rin, trained as a medical ninja, might not fully understand what it means to have a Tailed Beast sealed within her and to become a Jinchūriki.
But one thing she did know for certain was the destructive power of a Tailed Beast.
If it lost control inside her…
Then not only would she die without question—Kakashi wouldn't survive either.
She couldn't bear the thought of Kakashi dying here.
"Don't say another word, Rin."
"Focus on controlling the chakra inside you—don't use it if you can help it. Leave the rest to me."
After hearing her words, Kakashi's thoughts raced. He quickly calmed down and decided to eliminate their pursuers here before dealing with the issue of the Tailed Beast inside Rin.
He turned to face the enemy, ready for a fierce battle.
But just then, the Anbu from the Hidden Mist Village had already caught up and surrounded them.
In an instant, countless kunai rained down on Kakashi and Rin.
At the same time, thick fog began to roll in from all directions, gradually obscuring the figures of the approaching enemies.
Kakashi fought alone against many, struggling to fend off the barrage of kunai.
He had to protect not just himself, but also Rin.
Before long, the dense fog blanketed the entire forest.
But strangely, after that initial probing attack, the enemy made no further moves, as if they had completely vanished.
Kakashi stayed on guard for a while, sensing that something was off.
"What's going on? It's like they're not actually trying to kill us…"
Suspicion rose in his mind, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.
He turned around, grabbed Rin's hand again, and continued retreating toward the village.
Survival was the top priority.
But the moment his hand touched hers, Kakashi suddenly sensed an astonishing chakra slowly emanating from her palm.
The overwhelming force of it sent a shiver through his entire body.
"Rin, you…?"
"It's trying to take control of me, Kakashi… I can't suppress its power."
"I… I'm about to lose control…"
Rin said through gritted teeth, her face contorted in pain.
Just then, several more kunai flew from the unseen depths of the fog.
Kakashi blocked them, but again, the enemy didn't follow up with a full-scale attack.
This time, he started to get a vague sense of the enemy's true intentions.
"It's like… they're deliberately forcing us to flee all the way back… without actually trying to kill us."
Kakashi said grimly.
"Could it be that… they're planning to…"
Rin glanced down at her own body.
A terrifying thought surged into her mind.
Kakashi realized the same possibility. He frowned deeply and turned to face the enemy again, blade in hand, intending to kill every last one of them.
"Don't let your mind wander, Rin."
"I'll take care of them and get you back to the village. I'm sure there's a way to fix this!"
"Lord Third will definitely have a way to extract the Tailed Beast from your body!"
Kakashi tried to encourage her with firm conviction.
But deep down, even he wasn't sure he believed those words.
Although Rin had never been a Jinchūriki before, she had heard and read about the Tailed Beasts and their hosts.
Hearing what he said, she gave a bitter, pained smile.
"If a Tailed Beast is forcibly extracted from a Jinchūriki… the host dies, right?"
"But if we don't do that… if the Three-Tails loses control when I return to Konoha, the rampage could bring massive destruction—even total devastation—to the village."
"This… is what they're really after, isn't it, Kakashi…"
As Rin voiced the terrible truth, Kakashi froze on the spot, stunned into silence.
Another volley of kunai came flying at them.
And once again, the Hidden Mist ninja deliberately avoided vital points.
Their goal—forcing Kakashi and Rin to flee back to Konoha—was now glaringly obvious.
Kakashi's suspicion was confirmed.
Rin was absolutely right.
The enemy's true objective was to use the Three-Tails sealed inside her as a weapon to attack Konoha.
If they returned now, it would play right into the enemy's hands.
But if they didn't seek help from the village, Kakashi alone couldn't possibly suppress the Three-Tails.
Either way, it looked like Rin's fate was sealed…
Kakashi's expression darkened to its limit, his heart filled with pain and torment.
But the enemy gave him no chance to think or hesitate.
Another barrage of kunai whistled through the air.
This time, the pressure was noticeably greater.
Not only did kunai and shuriken come flying at them, but several ninjutsu attacks also followed.
Two Hidden Mist Anbu even used the fog's cover to sneak close to Kakashi, clearly preparing to deal a fatal blow.
Overwhelmed with grief and confusion, Kakashi had no choice but to fight back with everything he had, locked in a desperate life-or-death battle.
Meanwhile, Rin's condition continued to worsen.
The chakra of the Three-Tails had already begun leaking out, and she was barely holding on with her own chakra.
But given her strength, there was no way she could fully suppress the power of the Three-Tails.
It was clear she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
Kakashi grew more and more anxious.
But the more frantic he became, the less able he was to change the situation. The Hidden Mist Anbu seemed endless, attacking wave after wave.
For every one he defeated, two more would appear.
For every two he killed, three or four more emerged from the fog… His stamina was rapidly depleting, and his chakra was running dangerously low.
It looked like retreating was their only option.
At the same time, underground—
Uchiha Obito had recovered enough during his time resting to move around normally again.
He had been deeply worried about Rin and Kakashi all this time.
So as soon as he was able to move, he requested to return to the surface and check on them.
Coincidentally, White Zetsu had just finished scouting and located Rin's position. Thus, Uchiha Madara reluctantly agreed to Obito's request.
With his heart filled with concern for his comrades, Obito followed the helpful White Zetsu as they rushed toward the battlefield.
Unbeknownst to him, he was about to fall straight into a trap meticulously laid just for him.
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