Before he could figure out how to escape, a kunai charged with lightning pierced through his knee.
The shuriken from earlier was just a feint; the kunai with the addition of Lightning Attribute Chakra Nature Changes was Kakashi's real attack.
"We are ninjas protecting the village, not wandering ninjas out to plunder." The Akatsuki ninja dodged the Great Fireball and hastily said.
Obito didn't stop his attack because of the Akatsuki ninja's words; who knows if what he said was true.
First, make him lose the ability to fight, then ask the villagers, and naturally, the truth will come out.
However, the Akatsuki ninja's words weren't completely useless; Obito was worried about accidentally killing them, so he didn't use Fire Release and only attacked with Taijutsu.
But even just using Taijutsu, Obito was not weak, and the injured Akatsuki ninja was quickly knocked to the ground by him.
"Konoha ninjas, thank you, but please don't harm them; they are ninjas here to protect our village."
The village chief, seeing Kakashi had dealt with the wandering ninjas, thought Kakashi and his team probably weren't bad guys, so he stepped out and said.
"Huh? So that's really it." Obito scratched his head a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, I thought you were also bandits or robbers." Obito immediately apologized and helped the knocked-down Akatsuki ninja up.
"It's okay, you also saved us." A tall, thin Akatsuki ninja shook his head and said.
If Kakashi and Obito hadn't intervened, they would have soon been killed by the three wandering ninjas' siege.
Another Akatsuki ninja also expressed gratitude.
Knowing the three who besieged them were the robbing wandering ninjas, Kakashi swiftly dispatched them all.
If not killed, they might heal and come back to seek revenge on the villagers.
Seeing the injured Akatsuki ninjas, Nohara Rin stepped forward to heal them using Mystical Palm Jutsu.
A green light full of life enveloped the Akatsuki ninjas' wounds, which then rapidly healed without leaving a scar.
"Amazing, we're really thankful," the tall, thin ninja said with a look of delight.
There were no ninjas specialized in Medical Ninjutsu within the Akatsuki. Without Nohara Rin's treatment, they'd need a lot of time to recover once back.
Obito's gaze subconsciously drifted toward the sky, representing the guilt over some of the injuries he caused.
"We're truly grateful for your help; we are ninjas from the Akatsuki. If you encounter any issues in the Land of Rain, you can seek assistance from our organization," the tall, thin ninja apologized again.
What the tall, thin ninja didn't expect was that this seemingly ordinary apology left Nohara Rin shocked and made Kakashi's eyes turn sharp.
Obito didn't react immediately, but once he understood, he was bewildered—he actually hadn't attacked the wrong people.
"You're an Akatsuki ninja?" Kakashi quietly gathered Chakra and asked, cautiously scanning the surroundings.
He had much trust in Mokgetsu's perception, but the Akatsuki in the future was said to be a formidable ninja organization that could stand against the Five Great Ninja Villages, so he couldn't be careless.
"That's right, you've heard of our organization as well?" the tall, thin ninja asked with some excitement.
Not many ninja organizations could be specifically remembered by ninjas from the Five Great Ninja Villages.
"Indeed, I have," Obito was prepared to enter the Breath of Flame Chakra Mode to launch Orochinagi at any moment.
Nohara Rin condensed Chakra in her palm again, but this time, it was meant for the Chakra Scalpel, not Mystical Palm Jutsu.
Given the intelligence brought by Naruto and Yamato, in their eyes, Akatsuki was indeed the most terrifying ninja organization.
Shisui noticed Kakashi and the others' actions and was a bit puzzled, not understanding why there was anything of note in what the Akatsuki ninja had said.
Although Asuma and Jiraiya would die at the hands of Akatsuki ninjas, the event happened too far in the future, and Obito's concise recounting of the Loulan journey didn't include anything about the Akatsuki.
Shisui still retained his previous impression of the Akatsuki from the Land of Rivers mission against bandits, which almost led to a fight, but Shisui didn't have a negative impression of the Akatsuki.
"If the Land of Rain had more responsible ninja organizations like yours, perhaps the environment would be a little better," a middle-aged client remarked.
Listening to the client's words, Kakashi, Obito, and Nohara Rin exchanged glances, realizing the situation differed from what they thought.
"We'll do our best. It's precisely to change the Land of Rain that we gathered together!" the tall, thin ninja declared with a fist.
Obito scratched his head with bewilderment. Where was the terrifying ninja organization they had heard about? It sounded so positive instead; could it be a coincidence of names?
Kakashi and Nohara Rin dispelled their gathered Chakra, realizing this wasn't an act.
In the end, Kakashi and the others saw the Akatsuki ninjas off, and after a brief rest, continued to escort the client to their destination.
On the way, Shisui voiced his confusion.
Kakashi didn't immediately answer Shisui's question, instead, discreetly glancing at Mokgetsu, then answering Shisui as they moved to the front to scout.
"Obito probably hasn't told you about the Akatsuki yet. According to the intelligence obtained from Loulan, in the future era of peace, the Akatsuki is the world's most powerful ninja organization. Its members are all S-Class traitors from various ninja villages, engaged in activities to capture Tailed Beasts."
Kakashi spoke at a volume that only the nearby Shisui could hear.
Shisui now understood why Kakashi and the others were cautious; such a crazy ninja organization warranted caution.
Shisui could only describe the Akatsuki as crazy. Tailed Beasts were the ultimate weapons of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and capturing them meant making enemies of all five.
"If it's them, they might really have that kind of power in the future," Shisui thought of Mokgetsu's assessment of those Akatsuki ninjas.
They didn't seem very formidable at first glance, but Mokgetsu claimed that among them, there were two he couldn't defeat, and one could even kill him in an instant.
Should such talents mature and then gather a group of powerful ninjas, they could indeed achieve what Kakashi mentioned.
"I once encountered a few Akatsuki ninjas during a mission in the Land of Rivers…" Shisui thought for a moment before recounting his experience on that mission.
Kakashi's expression turned serious; he understood Shisui's abilities well, and it was genuinely hard to imagine anyone could kill Shisui instantly.
Because Shisui not only had the Sharigan, which enhanced his perceptive abilities, but also excelled at Instant Body Jutsu, not even elite Jonin could take him down so easily.
Of course, those elite Jonin didn't include people like Jiraiya or Orochimaru; the Three Sannin were famous powerhouses in the Ninja World, and their abilities couldn't be measured by standard ninja levels.
"Then there should be no mistake; this Akatsuki is indeed the one that aims to capture Tailed Beasts in the future, likely amassing power right now," Kakashi speculated.
Shisui's account made Kakashi increasingly suspect that Namikaze Minato's death was connected to the Akatsuki.
The coincidence of a Tailed Beast rampage, and the Akatsuki's stated goal being the Tailed Beasts, was too much to ignore.
Kakashi believed it was possible that the Akatsuki attempted to act but found the Five Great Ninja Villages too strong, forcing them to retreat and build power.
...
"I didn't expect even Konoha ninjas to have heard of our organization. If this continues, maybe we'll soon change the entire Land of Rain," the tall, thin ninja said happily on the way back.
Another Akatsuki ninja also wore a smile.
Thus, chatting and laughing, they returned to their Akatsuki-occupied village.
However, they failed to notice a brown-haired ninja following them from behind.