At this point in time, the Third Great Shinobi War had just begun.
The spark that ignited the conflict was the disappearance of Sunagakure's Third Kazekage. The blame was hastily shifted onto Konohagakure, and in a flash, war erupted!
This round of the Shinobi World War came without warning. Compared to the previous one, the interval for rest and recovery was remarkably short.
Only a little over three years separated the end of the Second Great Shinobi War and the start of the Third.
All five great shinobi villages were caught off guard—none of them expected war to break out again so soon.
Konoha was hit the hardest.
Their overly optimistic assumptions about peace left them completely unprepared when hostilities resumed. Now forced into combat, many of their missions were hastily arranged—just like the one given to Kakashi, Obito, and Rin: infiltrate the Land of Rain and determine Amegakure's stance on the war.
Konoha's misjudgment about the situation was evident on all fronts. For example, three years ago, when Tsunade left the village after the war, no one tried to stop her. Two years ago, when the White Fang committed suicide, no one saw it coming.
And during the brief three-year window of peace, Konoha's control over the smaller surrounding nations had weakened to a dangerously low point.
As a result, despite successfully keeping all enemies outside its borders during the Second War, this time Konoha was immediately pushed back, with enemy forces penetrating deep into the Land of Fire.
Now, the mission given to Obito, Rin, and Kakashi was, in a way, repayment—atoning for the years of complacency.
From the very first day, Kakashi sensed the difficulty of the assignment.
"The outposts we marked on our maps are all gone. The terrain here in the Land of Rain has changed drastically in just a few years.
Why does the village know so little about this place? We fought here in the last war…"
In the previous Shinobi War, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade fought Hanzo the Salamander here in the Land of Rain, holding him to a stalemate and earning the legendary title of the "Three Sannin."
Though even their combined might couldn't defeat Hanzo, Konoha had maintained the upper hand throughout the campaign—a bitter memory that still lingered in Amegakure's collective mind.
Who would've imagined that just a few years later, the situation would be so out of Konoha's control?
"Outdated maps that are practically useless. Entire villages have shifted locations. And then there's that new group we heard about… an organization called Akatsuki…
We're missing too much intel. We have to pick up the pace!"
The thought gave Kakashi a headache.
He wanted to accelerate the mission—but his teammates were still sulking.
Even without leaving the tree, he could hear Obito's loud grumbling below.
"That jerk Kakashi… The second a mission starts, he gets all dead-eyed and says crap like 'The mission comes before comrades,' and 'Failing a mission makes you trash.'
Rin, don't you think that's messed up?!"
Nohara Rin, who stood beside Obito, could only give a strained smile.
"Obito, take it easy. You know what Kakashi went through two years ago. He's just… still struggling."
"But I can't accept his thinking! How can anyone say that about their own comrades?
In my eyes, anyone who abandons a comrade is worse than trash!"
Obito declared his stance loudly—both as a retort to Kakashi and to impress Rin.
Unfortunately, some people just weren't meant to be cool for more than a second.
The moment the words left his mouth, a blast of wind pressure rushed past, fast and forceful, as something flew by at incredible speed!
Before Obito could even react, he heard a deep voice—
"Well said."
Then, he turned—and was horrified to discover Rin was gone.
His hand instinctively reached for a kunai at his waist—but before he could draw it, searing pain exploded in his gut!
Kiyokawa's ambush had succeeded—a powerful kick sent Obito flying!
In that instant, Kiyokawa couldn't help but wonder:
Does this count as helping Konan-ne avenge herself in advance?
After all, if you want to bully a future big villain, better do it early.
"Right now, your comrade is in my hands."
Obito was furious. But at this point in the timeline, he was still a soft, underpowered genin.
"Damn you! Give Rin back!!"
The only thing worth praising was his cockroach-like tenacity—and his unwavering devotion to Rin.
But Kiyokawa had planned this move for a while. The moment he captured the hostage, he handed Rin off to Konan.
"Konan-ne, restrain the girl!"
Konan didn't hesitate. She immediately activated her Paper Jutsu, weaving chains from layers of white paper to tightly bind the captured Rin.
Ever since their recent mission involving Ando, Konan had developed an unconscious habit of relying on Kiyokawa.
Maybe it was because his theories sounded lofty and incomprehensible—yet deeply convincing. Or maybe it was because he had spent so many days acting calm and reliable that it left a lasting impression.
Whatever the reason, Konan had started instinctively following his orders.
Like this moment—when they stumbled upon a seemingly "random" Konoha squad on the way back, and Kiyokawa suggested an attack. Konan didn't question it. She agreed without hesitation.
Throughout the battle, she obeyed every command.
Even Yahiko had never enjoyed such complete cooperation before.
It seemed Kiyokawa's plan to dismantle the Akatsuki's founding trio was beginning to bear fruit.
Now, back to the current fight.
After confidently entrusting Rin to Konan's restraint, Kiyokawa looked up to meet a lightning-infused blur speeding toward him from the treetop—
Kakashi, burning with anger and regret.
I shouldn't have stayed up in that tree just to avoid Obito's noise!
Now Rin's in danger!
Anger and remorse churned inside him.
But worse—his opponent had read him like a book, weaponizing his guilt with terrifying precision.
Kiyokawa hurled a handmade paper kunai embedded with explosive tags.
He knew full well—Kakashi, who had yet to awaken the Sharingan, couldn't precisely control Chidori yet.
And with anger clouding his mind, the odds were even better.
Sure enough, Kakashi barreled straight into the trap.
BOOM!
A deafening blast!
Kakashi, who had just been wielding lightning like an arc of pure death, was now blasted back in a cloud of smoke, scorched and disheveled.
"Damn it…"
He cursed under his breath.
Known as a prodigy, this might've been the first time he'd suffered such a setback right at the start of a fight.
And worse was still to come.
Seeing Kakashi's initial charge fail, Kiyokawa smirked.
"I overheard some of your conversation earlier.
If the mission really comes first… shouldn't you have abandoned your comrade by now?
Shouldn't you be retreating to preserve the intelligence you've already gathered?"
The moment the words were spoken—right on cue—Obito, who had just staggered to his feet, exploded.
"What?! Kakashi!
If you're thinking of leaving Rin behind—then we're done! I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life!!"
Kakashi's pupils constricted sharply.
Kiyokawa's smile widened with satisfaction.
"So… what will you choose, Kakashi?"