After using the Ninjutsu: Camouflage Hiding, Taiseki, an Iwagakure Jonin, silently approached Shindai and his group.
This Taiseki had already been mentally controlled by Black Zetsu through mental fusion.
In other words, the real controller of Taiseki now was Black Zetsu.
With Black Zetsu's ability to suppress chakra signatures combined with Taiseki's Camouflage Hiding technique, even if Zetsu stood directly in front of the four of them, Shindai and the others still wouldn't detect a thing.
Kakashi suddenly stopped walking and made a hand signal.
As for Shindai, he noticed someone hiding behind a rock with his Third Eye before anyone else.
[Magnet Release: Iron Sand Spear!]
Shindai compressed the iron sand into a high-density, sharp spear shape and hurled it toward the rock ahead.
Hikaru, hiding there, was startled. He hadn't expected to be discovered.
Hikaru immediately dodged Shindai's iron sand spear and triggered a trap he had set up earlier.
A large number of sharp bamboo poles shot out toward Shindai's group.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]
After gathering chakra in his throat, Obito exhaled a massive fireball from his mouth, burning all the bamboo to ashes.
[Earth Release: Rock Section Cane!]
After forming hand seals, Hikaru used his Ninjutsu. The ground beneath transformed into sharp stakes aimed at Kakashi at the front.
[Earth Release: Earth Wall!]
Kakashi raised an earthen wall in front of himself, blocking those sharp stone spikes.
Hikaru charged straight toward them.
Kakashi, Obito, and Shindai prepared themselves for battle.
Rin Nohara, serving as the Medical Ninja, didn't intend to engage directly in the fight and planned to hide instead.
Shindai felt something was off. Living here for too long had caused some of his memories to become blurred.
Suddenly changing expression, Shindai shouted, "Rin! Don't leave our side!"
Typically, ninja squads sent out by a village consisted of three members.
Assuming this Iwa ninja was working with the one Kakashi had killed with Chidori, then there should be one more person missing.
Based on this thought, Shindai suddenly recalled—the prerequisite for Obito getting trapped under a boulder was Rin being captured by Iwa ninja.
But it was already too late.
Controlled by Black Zetsu's mind, Taiseki had already appeared behind Rin Nohara. With a single chop, he knocked Rin unconscious, grabbed her body, and held a kunai against her neck.
Seeing Taiseki had succeeded, Hikaru decided not to keep fighting and moved to stand beside Taiseki.
Keeping his eyes fixed on Obito, Taiseki spoke, "I'm taking this girl."
Hikaru threw down a smoke bomb. When the smoke cleared, the two Iwa ninja along with Rin were gone.
"Damm it!"
Obito wanted to chase after them, but Kakashi and Shindai both grabbed his shoulders simultaneously.
Kakashi urged, "Obito! Don't act recklessly!"
"But Rin..."
Shindai spoke seriously to Obito, "It's dangerous for you to chase after Rin now. Since they showed no intention of fighting us and only took Rin away, it means they want to extract intelligence from her. If you pursue relentlessly, they might harm Rin."
Shindai was now certain—Taiseki was definitely compromised.
After Taiseki knocked out Rin Nohara, lifted her up, and pointed a kunai at her neck, his gaze never left Obito.
That phrase—"I'm taking this one with me"—was clearly directed at Obito.
Either Taiseki was a loyal follower of Madara Uchiha, or he'd been controlled by Madara's Sharingan.
In that case, if Obito rashly gave chase, both Rin and Obito himself would be in danger.
Gradually calming down, Obito asked, "Then what should we do now?"
Kakashi analyzed, "Rin is a Medical Ninja. According to shinobi rules, even if captured, Medical Ninjas are usually treated respectfully. As Shindai said, they must want information from Rin.
But whether Iwagakure will follow the rules remains uncertain. And if they possess ninjutsu capable of extracting memories, once they get the information from Rin, they might kill her immediately.
Therefore, Rin should be safe—at least temporarily—but we still must rescue her as soon as possible.
However, this mission is extremely important. If we fail to destroy the Kannabi Bridge on time, Konoha will face severe disadvantages, potentially leading to the sacrifice of our comrades at the frontline.
So... I think we'll split into two teams—one will rescue Rin, and the other will head straight to destroy the Kannabi Bridge. Shindai and Obito, you two go after Rin. I'll go alone to destroy the Kannabi Bridge."
Frowning anxiously, Obito argued, "The Kannabi Bridge, critical for transporting supply lines, must be heavily guarded by Rock ninja. It's too dangerous for you to go alone, Kakashi!"
Kakashi replied gravely, "We can't abandon Rin, nor can we neglect destroying the bridge. This is the best arrangement. We don't have time to hesitate further—it's decided."
After a long silence, Shindai finally spoke, "Enough. Both of you listen to my orders. The enemy shouldn't be far yet. We head straight after those two Rock ninja right now. That way, the intelligence won't be leaked, and we can rescue Rin simultaneously.
Besides, Rin had the necklace I gave her. Once she uses it, she'll remain safe temporarily without risk of leaking any intelligence. Therefore, we must proceed cautiously instead of acting rashly—we'll pursue Rin with care and precision now."
...
Inside a cave,
Taiseki, under Black Zetsu's control, was binding Rin Nohara.
Black Zetsu planned to use Rin Nohara as bait to lure Obito into the cave, then manipulate him once he arrived.
Rin Nohara had already woken up while they were tying her up.
Rin Nohara narrowed her eyes as she stole a glance at the two Rock ninjas, her heart pounding with anxiety.
She wasn't a fighter, and escaping from two Jonin-level Rock ninjas was nearly impossible.
If they weren't going to kill her, then what came next was certain to be brutal interrogation to extract intelligence.
What should she do? How could she get out of this?
Rin Nohara looked down at her necklace and remembered what Shindai had told her.
"The moment you run into a crisis you can't handle, activate the device on your necklace—now!"
Before they bound her hands, Rin channeled chakra into them and popped open the locket-like cover on her necklace.
The scroll automatically unfurled, releasing a burst of Iron Sand.
The Iron Sand enveloped Rin, forming the Iron Sand Sphere.
[Iron Sand Sphere]
The sudden turn of events left Black Zetsu and Hikaru stunned.
Hikaru blurted out, "What's going on?"
Black Zetsu frowned. "That necklace must've been a hidden device. When she opened it, a scroll shot out, unleashing a wave of Iron Sand—and then this."
Hikaru hurled a punch at the Iron Sand Sphere. In response, it fired a flurry of spikes, piercing his hand.
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