"Shion, can you tell when this will happen?"
Shion shook her head, a little embarrassed.
"I only know it'll happen soon, but I don't know the exact time. It'll be during the day."
Shion had only seen Rin being killed by Obito, but when it would happen, and how Obito would appear in Konoha and find Rin, were both unknown.
Rin looked a bit down, "I'm sorry, sensei… I've caused trouble for the village again."
As a medical ninja, she was someone who valued peace the most.
Hearing that Konoha would be attacked again, and that many people might die, filled her with guilt.
Minato showed a warm smile.
"Silly child, what are you thinking? The one committing violence is Obito. It has nothing to do with you. You're just a victim."
Rin nodded a little stiffly, clearly still in a bad mood.
Rengoku thought for a moment before speaking, "Rin, how about you act as bait?"
"I'll have Kakashi stay by your side to protect you."
"If Obito shows up, Minato can immediately come save you."
Back then, Rin had even been willing to kill herself to prevent the Three-Tails from going out of control and harming the villagers. Faced with this suggestion now, she agreed without hesitation.
"No problem, Lord Rengoku."
"Sensei, I'm willing to be the bait!"
Rengoku glanced at Karin beside him, thinking of what she had just said. His eyes shifted slightly as an idea formed.
He leaned closer to Minato's ear and whispered a few words.
Minato looked at Rin, his expression changing for a moment, then he nodded.
"I understand, Rengoku. We'll do it your way."
Seeing Minato agree to his idea, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Rengoku's mouth.
"Alright, go make the arrangements first."
Minato, Orochimaru, and the others quickly left. Some went to arrange personnel for vigilance, while others went to prepare possible antidotes.
Rin didn't know what Rengoku had said to her teacher, but she felt something was off about his expression.
After Rengoku quietly told Karin his plan, Karin's eyes lit up with interest. She immediately pulled Rin aside to whisper to her.
"Shion, you and Miroku should strengthen Konoha's defensive barrier and detection barrier as well."
Shion didn't know how large Obito's attack would be this time, so she felt a bit nervous.
"I understand, Clan Leader. Our barrier team will cooperate fully."
This matter couldn't be completely disclosed. Konoha was too large. If they immediately started drills for evacuation and such, Obito might change the timing of his attack, or alter his method.
At least now they knew Obito would attack during the day.
That meant everyone wouldn't have to stay on edge at night.
Konoha had many strong fighters. With preparation, the losses wouldn't be too great.
With the danger reduced, Rengoku's first instinct was to kill Obito. This time, he had to be completely destroyed.
His second thought was to use Obito's attack as an opportunity to get something done.
After forming a rough plan in his mind, Rengoku felt much more at ease.
Karin had also finished talking with Rin. Rin's expression was a bit strange, but the sense of crisis made her agree right away.
"I know what to do, Karin."
Karin grinned and patted Rin's shoulder, "Since this happened, we might as well make full use of it."
Seeing Karin had finished explaining things, Rengoku smiled and reminded her, "Karin, you won't be able to slack off these days."
Karin snorted, her expression a bit proud.
"My Kagura Mind's Eye has a huge range now. As long as he dares to come, I'll spot him right away."
Rengoku himself knew the Kagura Mind's Eye, so he was well aware of its range.
But it required active activation to sense, and the larger the sensing range, the chakra consumption increased drastically.
Still, using it to lock onto a person wasn't a problem.
"Alright. You'll need to work harder during the daytime."
Karin was already part of the barrier team, and there would be proper arrangements for her, so Rengoku didn't interfere further.
Karin grabbed Rengoku's arm and shook it, "Master, I'll show you how much I've improved over the years."
Rengoku gently rubbed Karin's hair, "Alright, I'll be watching."
At that moment, Minato appeared with Kakashi using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Minato had been gone for quite a while, clearly having already explained things to Kakashi.
After bringing Kakashi over, Minato nodded to Rengoku and disappeared again with the Flying Thunder God.
Rengoku couldn't help but sigh. The Flying Thunder God was really convenient.
Kakashi's expression was serious. He hadn't expected Obito to still be alive.
He stepped forward and bowed slightly, "Lord Rengoku."
Rengoku pointed at Rin, "Your mission is to stay by Rin's side and protect her. Understood?"
Kakashi responded, "Understood. Leave it to me, Lord Rengoku."
He turned to look at Nohara Rin. His expression was complicated, though mostly resolute.
"Rin, don't worry. I won't let Obito hurt you."
What Kakashi didn't expect was that Rin kept a distant attitude.
She spoke politely, almost coldly, "I'll be troubling you, Kakashi."
Rengoku and Karin exchanged a glance, a hint of curiosity in their eyes.
Rin was clearly following the script they had given her. Whether things would go as planned remained to be seen.
The two of them didn't say anything more and left space for the pair.
"You two talk. We'll head out first."
Rengoku gave Karin a look. Karin winked at Rin, then stood up and left with Rengoku.
As Rengoku passed by Kakashi and Rin, he glanced back at them, then casually wrapped his right arm around Karin's waist.
Kakashi was a bit startled when he saw that. Karin had already grown up, and the gesture felt a bit intimate.
But before he could ask anything, Rengoku and Karin had already left.
Only Rin and Kakashi remained in the room.
Rin suddenly asked, "Did you see that just now?"
Kakashi didn't react immediately, "W-what?"
"Lord Rengoku and Karin."
Kakashi nodded honestly, "Yeah, I saw."
Rin let out a soft huff, "Karin is now Lord Rengoku's fiancéee."
Kakashi sucked in a breath, his eyes full of disbelief.
Then he understood what Rin meant.
"Rin… I…"
Rin ignored him, stood up, and walked toward the door, "We'll talk about that after this is over. I'm tired."
Seeing how different her attitude was from before, Kakashi felt a sudden drop in his chest.
It felt like something was slipping away from him.
———
At the entrance of Tenten's house—
A young couple who had already become physically intimate were saying goodbye.
Neji reached out and gently touched Tenten's cheek, his face full of tenderness.
"Tenten, go home first. I'll have my father come over soon to discuss the wedding."
Even though Tenten had been willing, Neji, as her childhood sweetheart, wanted to make their relationship official as soon as possible. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to her.
Tenten had recovered a little by now. At least she could move around without issue.
Her face slightly flushed as she said, "Lord Hizashi has just been revived. There must be a lot going on in your clan. There's no need to rush these one or two days."
Neji shook his head, looking straight at her with seriousness, "No. I want you to become my wife as soon as possible."
The impact of those words was too strong. Tenten looked back at Neji, her eyes full of affection.
Neji held her and gently kissed her forehead, "Wait for me to come back."
"Mm…"
[T/N: I have started a new fanfic guys: "Demon Slayer: This Time, I Won't Follow the Plot". Enjoy it and leave a review. Thank you~]
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