Chapter 41: Supporting Kakashi
"After receiving the information you sent, headquarters immediately convened an emergency meeting."
Rin raised her hand to smooth down her long, wind-tossed hair. Her fingertips unconsciously brushed over the frayed ends as a flash of unbearable exhaustion crossed her eyes.
"Kannabi Bridge isn't just a supply point for Iwagakure. It's their only lifeline on the front lines. Food, ninja tools, medical supplies—everything Iwagakure needs depends on that bridge to be transported continuously from their rear lines."
"If we can cut it off, the Iwagakure forces at the front will fall into complete desperation without logistics, and we can use that chance to turn the entire tide of the war."
Her voice paused for a moment.
"At the time, the number of personnel in the camp was severely insufficient, so only an elite team could be dispatched to handle the mission." Rin's voice softened. "Kakashi had just been promoted to Jōnin, which meant Team Minato now had two Jōnin. That's why the mission was entrusted to our team."
She recalled the deployment from back then, her gaze growing complicated, difficult to read.
"Minato-sensei split the team in two. He went alone to Iwagakure's main front-line camp to draw away most of the enemy's attention. Kakashi led the team, bringing me and Obito to carry out the bridge destruction mission."
"At first, our progress was extremely smooth. But when we passed through a dense forest area, we were suddenly attacked by a strange ninjutsu—"
"A strange ninjutsu?" Izumo interrupted.
"Yes. The user of that technique could perfectly merge with the surrounding environment, approaching the target as if he didn't exist at all. His concealment level was terrifying." Rin nodded firmly.
"My neck was suddenly grabbed with brutal force, and my mouth was stuffed with cloth so tightly that I couldn't even make a sound to call for help."
Her fists clenched until her knuckles turned white, her nails nearly digging into her palms.
"After I was brought to this cave, I was constantly interrogated with genjutsu. They probably went on to continue the mission…"
Her voice gradually lowered.
Izumo tried to recall the original flow of the story. The plot had clearly shifted—Rin had been captured alone, while Kakashi and Obito hadn't immediately followed. It seemed his presence had truly caused a domino effect.
"Don't worry. We'll head to the forest where you were attacked right now." Izumo stood up and placed a steady hand on Rin's shoulder, his voice calm and firm.
"Kakashi just became a Jōnin. His strength isn't weak. Obito, even if he's impulsive, isn't the type to give up easily. There's a high chance they're still nearby, looking for you."
Hope instantly lit up in Rin's eyes. She nodded quickly, her voice sounding a little lighter.
"Okay! I remember the general direction. It's in the Black Pine Forest to the east!"
Half an hour later, the towering silhouette of the Black Pine Forest finally appeared before them.
The moment Izumo stepped into the forested area, his sharp perception caught the fierce clash of chakra coming from ahead, mixed with several familiar chakra fluctuations belonging to Iwagakure.
"Stay alert. There's a battle up ahead." Izumo lowered his voice, quickly pulling Rin behind the thick trunk of an old tree and peering through the gaps in the leaves.
In the clearing, Kakashi was surrounded by three Iwagakure Chūnin and five Genin.
His short white hair was soaked with sweat and disheveled. The corner of his black mask was stained a deep, dark red with blood. His left sleeve was completely drenched, blood still flowing from a wound that refused to stop.
Yet his gaze was as cold as ice.
The short sword in his hand swung without a single opening. Its cold glint moved like a silver serpent, each precise slash perfectly deflecting the enemy's attacks.
What drew the most attention was his left eye.
The original black pupil was gone, replaced by a deep, blood-red Sharingan. Two tomoe spun rapidly within it, like two miniature blood moons, predicting every incoming attack with terrifying accuracy.
"Sharingan… so that still happened," Izumo thought.
"Rin, stay here and protect yourself. I'll go help him!"
Before his words had even finished, Izumo's figure had already turned into a tearing afterimage.
Chakra exploded from his Body Flicker Technique at a master level, creating a small vortex of wind as he instantly appeared behind an Iwagakure Chūnin. A kunai faintly glowing with blue lightning pierced straight into the man's back.
Along with a sharp, humming vibration of chakra, the blade went clean through his heart.
"Enemy attack!" The remaining Iwagakure ninja shouted in shock and fury.
Shuriken were hastily flung from their ninja pouches as they wildly twisted around, launching fierce counterattacks toward their rear.
Kakashi immediately sensed the familiar chakra fluctuation.
The Sharingan in his socket spun rapidly, dramatically increasing his prediction speed.
A flash of light from his short sword cut cleanly across the wrist of a Genin holding a kunai. Blood sprayed into the air as he called out in a loud voice, "Izumo Kamizuki? Why are you here?!"
"Clearing out the leftovers is more important!"
Before the sentence even finished, Izumo's hands had already formed seals at blinding speed.
"Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!"
A stream of pale blue, sticky water suddenly surged up from the ground, writhing like a living creature as it wrapped around the ankles of two Iwagakure Chūnin. In an instant, it hardened into an incredibly tenacious, water-based adhesive.
Just as they began channeling chakra to break free, Izumo's figure once again became a blur and appeared in front of them.
A fist carrying the destructive force of master-level Taijutsu slammed hard into one enemy's face.
A dull, bone-cracking sound echoed as the man collapsed on the spot.
The other enemy's pupils shrank in shock.
In that same moment, a kunai drew a cold, precise line across his throat. Warm blood splattered onto Izumo's forehead protector.
Rin seized the opening and threw a fan-shaped spread of shuriken. The blades streaked past the fingers of the remaining Iwagakure ninja, disrupting the rhythm of their hand seals.
Kakashi caught that fleeting gap.
His short sword thrust forward in rapid succession, cleanly finishing off the last two enemies.
As the battle ended, Kakashi staggered back a step.
His back slammed heavily against a tree trunk. Breathing hard, his left hand clutched tightly over his left eye.
"Kakashi, where's Obito?" Rin ran over unsteadily, grabbing his blood-soaked arm.
Kakashi's body stiffened instantly, as if all his remaining strength had been drained away.
The sharpness in his gaze faded into a lifeless, ashen gray.
His throat worked with difficulty before a hoarse voice, like sandpaper scraping against stone, finally came out.
"Obito… he… is dead."
Rin's body trembled violently, as if the ground beneath her had vanished.
Tears fell without warning onto Kakashi's arm. Her mouth opened, but only a broken, shaky breath escaped.
"How… how could that be…"
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