Chapter 287: Obito and Rin
After Danzo "defected," Masahiko had vented most of his frustration.
Since he was so willing to secretly protect Konoha, then let him go protect it from outside Konoha, and save him the trouble of causing problems.
Hiruzen could also accept this outcome. At least Danzo kept his life, and he felt that Elder Masahiko's... memory wasn't very good. Maybe Danzo could come back someday, and he'd just give him an "imperial pardon for defection."
Pondering for a moment, Masahiko asked the question he hadn't asked yet: "In this war, Nawaki and the others, as well as my two apprentices, are all okay, right?"
Hiruzen nodded. "Rest assured, Elder Masahiko, they are all fine. The Jonin squad formed by your two apprentices and Kakashi Hatake has caused quite a bit of trouble for the Rock ninjas."
Masahiko breathed a long sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. "They're all Jonin now... That's right, Obito and Rin are almost twenty years old. I wonder if Obito has successfully confessed his feelings."
As if struck by Masahiko's "blessing."
On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, Obito and Rin had fallen into a crisis.
The two stood back-to-back. The three tomoe in Obito's eyes spun wildly, observing the dozen or so Rock ninjas surrounding them, searching for a way to break out.
"Rin, that direction..." Obito secretly pointed south, signaling to break out from there.
Before Rin could move, a few Rock ninjas to the south proactively moved aside, and a fat man walked in through the gap.
"Only caught two?"
"The other one wasn't operating with them today, Lord Kitsuchi!"
Although Obito and his team formed a Jonin squad, they occasionally took missions individually. Today... Kakashi happened to be absent.
"This guy is Kitsuchi from the Hidden Rock Village." Obito's face turned grim. He looked at Rin, gritted his teeth, and prepared to let her escape first.
However, before he could speak, Rin turned her head and gave Obito a smile.
Obito blushed, then his heart sank as he looked at the surrounding Rock ninjas. "Rin, we can win!"
"Mm!"
...
In the Hokage's office, Masahiko had asked about everyone he could think of.
Hiruzen expressed that he had absolutely no idea how Masahiko had connections with so many people in Konoha.
As the Hokage, Hiruzen couldn't possibly remember all the ninjas in Konoha either...
"Who is Mizuki?"
"Mizuki is... well, it doesn't really matter if Mizuki is dead or alive."
Hiruzen: "..."
"Hmm... who else was there, let me think."
Masahiko pondered for a long time, only to realize he had almost forgotten the "minor supporting characters" from his previous life.
"Forget it, I won't think about it. Whether they die or not is out of my control."
Just as Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Masahiko ask again, "Is there a little girl named Sakura Haruno born in Konoha right now? She should be five years old."
Hiruzen: "???"
How the heck am I supposed to know?
Fortunately, Sakumo knocking and entering the room finally bailed Hiruzen out.
"Elder Masahiko, Lord Hokage."
"We just received intelligence that the Cloud Village has already withdrawn from the battlefield."
Hiruzen was overjoyed. This was the best news he had heard in a while.
"Have the ninja troops rest and reorganize on the spot. In five days, I will have Jiraiya go over, take command of the troops, and head to the Land of Rain to provide support!"
Sakumo paused and asked tentatively, "What about Elder Danzo?"
"Danzo, for sabotaging the alliance between Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools, was discovered by Elder Masahiko and has defected!"
To the side, Masahiko nodded slightly.
Sakumo digested this news, then turned to Masahiko. "Elder Masahiko, there is also intelligence regarding the Land of Whirlpools. The Hidden Mist Village announced their surrender yesterday evening..."
"Surrendered?" Masahiko smiled. The 'Double Door' duo (Minato/Nagato) was quite capable.
In general warfare, a country at a disadvantage would choose to "form an alliance." Choosing to surrender meant the Mist Village didn't even have a chance to save face.
"I understand."
Masahiko pondered for a moment. "Then I will head back first. Handle the remaining matters yourself, Hiruzen."
Hiruzen nodded repeatedly. "I understand, Elder Masahiko. And about Minato's situation..."
"Let him decide for himself."
Leaving behind this sentence, Masahiko vanished from the Hokage's office.
...
Land of Rain battlefield.
Obito was already covered in wounds. Although Rin didn't have many cuts on her body, that was because she had learned the Yin Seal from Tsunade.
Fighting until now, her chakra was almost completely depleted.
The two leaned against each other, panting. Obito looked at their opponents; only three remained.
However, among these three, besides two lightly injured Jonin, there was also a completely unharmed Kitsuchi.
The usually honest-looking fat man Kitsuchi didn't have a pleasant expression either. The casualties suffered by the Rock Village were far more than he had anticipated.
Due to excessive blood loss, Obito's consciousness was gradually blurring.
"Rin, I'm afraid I... won't be able to go back today."
While keeping her guard up, Rin used medical ninjutsu to stop Obito's bleeding.
"Rin, don't waste chakra on me. I'll charge over in a moment, and you take advantage of the chaos..."
Before he could finish speaking, Rin tightly grasped his hand.
Obito paused, and as if injected with a stimulant, his spirits lifted.
"Rin... actually I..."
Rin looked straight at him with her usual gentle smile, only her grip gradually tightening.
"Rin?!"
"Run!"
Rin channeled all her strength, outputting the monstrous strength she learned from Tsunade at maximum power, fiercely hurling Obito far into the distance.
The three Rock ninjas were momentarily stunned, not expecting this kind of maneuver. Kitsuchi ordered, "You two go after that Uchiha boy."
"Yes..."
Before they could move, Rin leaped up, her right fist slamming fiercely into the ground.
"Your opponent is me!"
Kitsuchi's face changed slightly. "What a remarkable little girl..."
"Earth Release: Earth Opening Fissure!"
...
Rin threw him quite far. Even though Obito protected himself with chakra, he still took a hard fall, inflicting further trauma on his already severely injured body.
It took a long while for Obito to struggle to his feet and stumble back step by trembling step.
But when he returned to the battlefield, all that remained was cracked earth, jagged rocks, and a familiar corner of clothing belonging to Rin.
Not only Rin, but the three Rock ninjas were nowhere to be seen.
"Rin!"
Obito screamed loudly. His Sharingan "cheat" was successfully renewed, and the Mangekyou Sharingan was credited to his account...
However, his physical strength was also exhausted, and he fainted on the ground.
This small battlefield fell silent. Not far away, a man and a woman were observing the unconscious Obito.
The female ninja carried an unconscious girl on her shoulder—Rin.
"Yahiko, why lure the Rock ninjas away and save her?"
"To end the chaos of war in the Land of Rain, we need comrades."
"What about that boy?"
Yahiko pondered slightly, flashed to Obito's side, and hoisted him up as well.
"Bring him along. With the two of them, we'll have a better chance against Hanzo! Ameyuri."
Ameyuri Ringo's expression was complex. Ever since the original Akatsuki was reduced to just the two of them following Hanzo's ambush, Yahiko's personality had changed quite a bit.
"But that old bastard Hanzo truly deserves to die!"
Ameyuri Ringo touched the corner of her mouth, where there was a three-centimeter long knife scar.
Yahiko glanced at her. "Their injuries are very severe. Let's find a place to treat them first..."
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