Chapter 188: Obito Uchiha's Disappearance
In a cave somewhere in the Land of Grass.
"Obito, hold on! Minato-sensei will be here soon!" Kakashi Hatake's usual composure was gone, replaced by a look of frantic urgency.
"I..." Obito Uchiha started to speak, then erupted into a violent fit of coughing, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't talk! Save your strength!" Kakashi shouted. "With Lady Tsunade here, you will be fine!"
"It's… no use…" Obito's face was deathly pale.
Just a while ago, he had been reckless and greedy for glory, falling into a trap. The three of them were chased all the way to this cave. An Iwagakure Jōnin had used Earth Release: Great Landslide. A giant boulder had slammed down, crushing half of Obito's body, leaving him numb.
Though Tsunade was the best Medical-nin, his injuries were too severe. Even if he survived, he would never be a shinobi again. If that were the case, he'd rather die.
It's all Hoshikawa 's fault! A surge of intense resentment welled up in Obito's heart. It was precisely because Hoshikawa had critically injured the Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi that he had become desperate to achieve merit. Most importantly, he wanted to salvage some dignity in front of Rin Nohara.
But the turn of events had completely exceeded his expectations. He was too inexperienced and had underestimated the Iwagakure ninja.
"Kakashi!" Just then, Might Guy's voice came from outside. "The Iwagakure ninja are here again!"
"Obito, rest well!" Kakashi gritted his teeth and quickly moved outside the cave, where he saw dozens of Iwa-nin surging toward them.
Chidori Stream!
He gripped his short blade, his expression one of grim resolve.
"Eight Gates Release!"
Might Guy immediately opened the first three of the Eight Gates. Green energy surged around him, and layers of pulsating aura spread outwards.
"Guy, don't let them get close to the cave entrance!" Kakashi warned, charging toward the Iwagakure ninja.
Just then, a spiky-haired young ninja blocked his path. Kakashi swung his short blade without hesitation.
Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!
The young ninja neither dodged nor flinched, slamming his fist directly into the short blade.
BOOM!
A white energy wave erupted, centered on the young ninja's fist, creating a terrifying explosion. Kakashi's pupils contracted. Luckily, the Chidori Stream on his body allowed him to retreat at high speed. Even so, he was blasted back, looking utterly disheveled.
"Decent Lightning Release," the young ninja said, his tone calm.
Kakashi looked at him with a heavy expression. From the explosion just now, he could roughly guess the young ninja's identity: Gari of Iwagakure. He possessed the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai; simply put, any ninjutsu attack he made would result in a powerful and terrifying explosion.
Kakashi glanced at Might Guy, who was currently surrounded by multiple enemies and couldn't break free. Though the Eight Gates was powerful, its duration was limited. Guy had only opened the third gate precisely to extend his combat time. Their only hope now was Minato Namikaze arriving in time.
Gari clenched his fist and stepped forward again. Kakashi dared not engage in direct contact, utilizing his short blade to maintain distance. For a time, the two found themselves locked in a tense standoff.
"Am I going to die?" Obito Uchiha felt increasingly exhausted, listening to the escalating noise outside the cave. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, Rin Nohara's smile suddenly flashed in his mind.
No! I can't die! The thought that his death would remove the only obstacle between Hoshikawa and Rin made Obito's body tremble with rage.
Intense emotion surged, and his Sharingan automatically activated, three tomoe quietly appearing in his eyes.
"You've awakened your Sharingan? Your talent is indeed remarkable." A familiar voice suddenly echoed.
"Old man?" Obito Uchiha was startled. "Am I hallucinating before I die?" He remembered that the mysterious old man was supposed to be in Konoha; he couldn't possibly be here in the Land of Grass, thousands of miles away.
"It is me." Madara Uchiha or more accurately, his Shadow Clone slowly walked up to Obito.
"Old man, how are you here?" Obito's face showed a mix of surprise and joy.
"I came to save you," Madara said casually, examining the three-tomoe Sharingan.
"I'm beyond saving, old man. Please leave quickly, so the Iwagakure ninja don't catch you," Obito said, his eyes brightening, but his expression quickly dimmed.
"In front of me, dying isn't that easy," Madara said dismissively.
"Really?" Obito asked, astonished. "Are you a Medical-nin too?"
"I am not." Madara looked up, glancing toward the cave entrance. Minato Namikaze was about to arrive; he couldn't stay here much longer.
"Huh?" Obito looked confused.
"You are tired. Rest now." Madara waved his hand, and Obito immediately fell unconscious.
The ground trembled slightly, and a white body floated up. White Zetsu glanced at Madara Uchiha, then turned into a white liquid, completely engulfing Obito.
A series of gasps suddenly arose from outside the cave. A golden flash of light was seen flickering constantly among the Iwagakure ninja. With every flash, a scream rang out.
"We're saved!" Kakashi Hatake sighed in relief.
"Retreat!" Gari turned and fled without a word.
Due to Hoshikawa 's butterfly effect, Minato Namikaze was not as famous as in the original story, but he was still widely known. Many ninja knew that unless they had absolute confidence, they should never engage the Yellow Flash in combat.
Kakashi was about to give chase but suddenly froze. Behind him, a series of rumbling sounds echoed.
"No!" Kakashi turned around, his eyes wide with horror. The entire cave where Obito was situated suddenly collapsed.
"What happened?" Minato Namikaze was momentarily stunned, quickly Body Flickering to Kakashi's side.
"Obi... Obito, he's still inside!" Kakashi said, his eyes bloodshot.
Hoshikawa leaped up, avoiding the earthen spikes that erupted from the ground. While in mid-air, he formed hand seals.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!
Chakra poured from his mouth, forming a water dragon that charged at the Rōshi in front of him. But Hoshikawa already had a suspicion. This was most likely not Rōshi, but an Iwagakure ninja impersonating him.
Earth Release: Earth Wall!
An earthen wall rose in front of Rōshi. But it only lasted two seconds before the water dragon shattered it. Rōshi seized the chance to escape using the Body Flicker Technique. However, when he steadied himself, he realized Hoshikawa had vanished. His expression changed drastically, and he looked around frantically.
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!
Hoshikawa grabbed his feet and pulled him into the earth, leaving only his head above ground. He drew his Lightning Fire Sword and brought the blade down. Blood sprayed, and the impersonating Rōshi died instantly.
The Transformation Jutsu dissipated, and his face changed to that of an unfamiliar Iwagakure ninja. Hoshikawa pondered. The Kikaichū tracked by scent and chakra. This Iwagakure ninja had cloaked himself in Rōshi's chakra, which was enough to fool the Kikaichū.
Hoshikawa sheathed his Lightning Fire Sword and rushed back. Tsunade and Shibi Aburame had also suspected something was wrong with this Rōshi, so Hoshikawa had volunteered to go alone to check.
"It wasn't him!" Hoshikawa used the Body Flicker Technique to travel quickly, catching up to them in no time.
"As expected, Rōshi didn't leave alone," Tsunade shook her head. "No matter, we continue the chase."
Their mission was to stall the Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi, preventing him from reinforcing the Iwagakure main camp. As for capturing or killing him, the difficulty was too great, and they could only leave it to chance. Furthermore, without Minato Namikaze, none of them could deal with a Tailed Beast Ball.
"I wonder how Minato and the others are faring," Shibi Aburame said with some worry.
"Without a Jinchūriki, Iwagakure has no ninja that can stop Minato Namikaze. Victory is only a matter of time," Tsunade said with a faint smile, supremely confident in Minato or rather, in the Flying Thunder God Technique. The Flying Thunder God Technique was absolutely overpowered against weaker opponents. Ordinary Jōnin couldn't even touch Minato, forcing them into a passive defense.
Hoshikawa suddenly remembered how the Yellow Flash code name came about. The battle that made Minato Namikaze famous was when he single-handedly annihilated fifty ninja. Those fifty ninja were precisely the Iwagakure forces led by Dōshisha during the Third Great Ninja War.
Hoshikawa 's expression became strange. Did he just ruin Minato Namikaze's legendary battle? After all, he and Tsunade had just killed Dōshisha.
The group resumed their pursuit.
Half an hour later, they caught up to Rōshi's group again.
"They've split off another ninja. The scent and chakra signature are both Rōshi's," Shibi Aburame noted, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll go," Hoshikawa vanished instantly.
"We'll keep following them and wait for Hoshikawa to return," Tsunade instructed.
"Yes!" Everyone answered in unison, with no one questioning the order. After all, besides Hoshikawa , none of them could suppress the Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi.
Tsunade suddenly felt a sense of disorientation. Was she already starting to rely on this brat? Thinking about it, the feeling was rather subtle. Because of her immense strength, she had always relied on herself, rarely expecting help from others, much less from her own student.
"It wasn't Rōshi." Hoshikawa returned quickly. Among the Iwagakure frontline ninja, no one was his match besides Rōshi. Of course, a Jōnin wouldn't be killed so easily; it would take significantly longer. However, the ninja he encountered this time was just a Chūnin.
"Their numbers are dwindling," Shibi Aburame said with a light chuckle. Rōshi was running with Medical-nin, only eight people in total. Now that they had killed two, only six remained. And most Medical-nin had limited combat ability, only knowing a few Earth Release jutsu at best.
The time moved toward dusk.
"It wasn't him." Hoshikawa returned once more.
"Then the last person must be the real Rōshi," Shibi Aburame said with a sigh. "Rōshi is quite ruthless, letting his own teammates die for him."
"He is the most important Jinchūriki, after all," Tsunade wasn't surprised. In the eyes of many villages, it was worth sacrificing any number of people to protect a Jinchūriki. Konoha included. The strategic importance of a Jinchūriki was simply too great. Losing one would instantly decrease a village's overall strength and remove a powerful deterrent.
"What should we do now?" Shibi Aburame asked, looking at Tsunade. Their mission was to stall Rōshi. As things stood, they had succeeded, having stalled him for most of the day.
"Can we capture him alive?" Hoshikawa asked, a thought suddenly occurring to him.
"Huh?" Shibi Aburame looked utterly stunned at the suggestion. It was as if he were saying, Capture a Jinchūriki? Are you kidding me?
"Now is the best chance," Hoshikawa said firmly.
When Rōshi fought him earlier, he had a hundred Iwagakure ninja at the outpost to assist him. Furthermore, with enough time, the Jōnin from the nearby Iwagakure main camp could have arrived as reinforcement. After all, the commotion from the Tailed Beast Ball was too great to be missed.
But things were different now. The one hundred Iwagakure ninja had died protecting Rōshi along the way. The Iwagakure main camp was under attack by Konoha and couldn't spare anyone to help. In other words, Rōshi was completely isolated and cornered. Unless he knew the Flying Thunder God Technique or Iwagakure achieved a major victory, he was like a turtle in a jar.
"If we can just stall until Senior Minato arrives, we have a chance to capture him alive," Hoshikawa continued.
In the original story, Kisame Hoshigaki defeated and captured Rōshi using Water Release. But he had a Mangekyō Sharingan user as a teammate: Itachi Uchiha. Hoshikawa , at full power, was comparable to Kisame. Minato Namikaze could easily fill Itachi's role. Although Minato couldn't control a Jinchūriki with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could redirect the biggest threat: the Tailed Beast Ball.
"Is this actually possible?" Shibi Aburame couldn't help but ask.
"It is indeed possible!" Tsunade quickly thought it over, her excitement mounting. "There are no Iwa-nin left to help him, and his injuries haven't healed yet!"
Shibi Aburame gaped. In all his years, this was the first time he had been part of such a crazy plan: capturing a Jinchūriki. It's... unbelievable!
The three Jōnin from the Aburame clan behind him looked at each other, equally astonished. Are we really going to capture a Jinchūriki?
Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yūhi exchanged glances, feeling like they were in a dream. With their current strength, it was impossible for them to participate in capturing a Jinchūriki. But even watching from a distance would be an incredible experience.
"Let's try it!" Tsunade decided, her spirit soaring.
Capturing a Jinchūriki was dangerous, but the potential payoff was huge. If they succeeded, it would be a major blow to Iwagakure's morale. Whether Konoha kept the Four-Tails or sold it back to Iwagakure, it would result in a huge profit. Besides, with Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique available, their risk was high, but not immediately fatal.
"This is insane!" Shibi Aburame gasped, but it was quickly followed by excitement. This was undoubtedly a great opportunity to make a name for himself. And it wasn't just about fame; the rewards back in the village would be substantial worth taking the risk.
"We need to keep harassing Rōshi to prevent him from healing," Tsunade said after some thought. "Hoshikawa , that task is yours."
"No problem," Hoshikawa nodded.
"Can your chakra hold up?" Tsunade suddenly asked, remembering something. "You are the key to capturing Rōshi."
"I can manage several more fights," Hoshikawa said with a confident smile.
"It's a good thing I made you learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal," Tsunade replied, reassured.
Hoshikawa leaped away, quickly catching up to Rōshi. His harassment tactic was simple: constantly using Water Release ninjutsu to attack from a distance. The moment Rōshi counterattacked, Hoshikawa would retreat at lightning speed.
(End of Chapter)
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