Ninjas of this era lived by the creed that orders were absolute. Few dared to defy them; those with a rebellious streak usually ended up as rogue ninjas.
"Who is the officer in charge here?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Memura Hyuuga," Kakashi replied.
Memura was the frontline commander of Leaf's defense forces. He had previously been stationed at the border with the Land of Earth but had recently been transferred here. Kiyoshi recalled the man—he was the one who had been beaten into a retreat by the Stone ninjas until Minato Namikaze arrived to save his life.
"I'll go talk to him."
Kiyoshi strode toward the largest tent in the center of the camp.
"Commander Memura, I request permission to take Kakashi out to gather intelligence," Kiyoshi said, lifting the tent flap.
"You are... Kiyoshi Uchiha?" Memura looked at the Uchiha crest on Kiyoshi's clothing and then at his incredibly young face. He immediately connected the dots to the Uchiha genius whose fame had been skyrocketing lately.
"That's me," Kiyoshi nodded.
"Young and promising," Memura sighed. At Kiyoshi's age, he had only been a Chunin. "If it's you, I won't stop you. Take Kakashi along."
Memura glanced at Kakashi, who was standing behind Kiyoshi. He knew Kakashi's teammate was in the medical unit that had been taken, and Kakashi's mental state was currently unstable.
Sending him with the calm, collected Kiyoshi—who possessed flight capabilities—seemed like the best course of action. It would also give them a chance to figure out what the Mist ninjas were actually planning.
"While you're at it, see if you can link up with Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu."
A few dozen minutes ago, Memura had sent Guy's team to scout, but he hadn't received any signals from them. He had since dispatched Might Duy and other veteran ninjas to find them. Kiyoshi's flight ability would be invaluable here.
"Understood," Kiyoshi nodded.
As his strength grew, his words carried more weight. Had he approached Memura a few years ago, he likely wouldn't have even been granted an audience.
"Let's go, Kakashi."
Leaving the tent, Kiyoshi and Kakashi moved rapidly through the forest.
***
"It's no good trying to hide the wound, I can see it clearly," Rin Nohara said gently as she wrapped a bandage around Obito's hand.
Obito stared blankly at her until her figure faded away. Above him was the dim ceiling of the cave, the rough rock walls clearly visible.
"Dreaming of Rin again," Obito muttered, rubbing his hair as a small smile touched his lips. His hair had grown long, reaching down to his waist. He had no idea how much time had passed; in this eternal darkness, one lost all sense of time.
His long hair made him think of Kiyoshi Uchiha, whose hair was similarly styled.
"I need to get a haircut once I'm back in the village," he murmured.
He tried clenching the hand and foot on the right side of his body, feeling a solid sense of strength. It was a far cry from when the White Zetsu limbs were first attached and he couldn't even hold a branch steady.
"They're just so pale... it's a bit creepy," he noted, deciding he'd need to wear gloves or bandages so he wouldn't scare Rin.
"I'm back!" White Zetsu's figure suddenly emerged from the wall, his tone urgent. "The Rin and Kakashi you're always talking about are in trouble!"
"What!?"
Obito bolted upright, his heart hammering.
"They've been surrounded by Mist ninjas!"
"!!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Obito leaped from the bed, channeled chakra into his right arm, and slammed a fist into the wall blocking the exit.
*CRASH!!*
The wall cracked like a spiderweb, but a cry of pain followed. "Waaa!" The Zetsu arm attached to Obito's body snapped under the force, melting away like wax and falling to the ground.
Obito clutched his right shoulder, trembling. He hadn't fully recovered yet; the link between his nervous system and the artificial limbs wasn't perfect. Pushing too hard caused them to shatter.
'What do I do?' Obito's mind raced with panic.
In the back of the cave, Madara Uchiha closed his eyes and tapped the wooden throne. Suddenly, GuruGuru (Swirly Zetsu) leaped from the wall and stood before Obito.
"With that body, you can't break through those rocks."
"I have to save Rin... and Kakashi!" Obito gasped through the pain. The phantom limb was connected to his nerves; the pain felt as real as if his actual arm had been ripped off.
"Then you should..."
*Slither...*
The spiral patterns on Zetsu's head and body began to unfold, revealing a hollow, pale interior. "Then you should wear my body."
Spiral zetsu's flesh tore open like a suit of armor, wrapping around Obito like tentacles before sealing shut with a seamless spiral.
"Aren't you... Madara's subordinates? Is it okay to help me like this?" Obito asked, surprised that the entity who usually claimed to be his jailer was helping him escape.
Another White Zetsu smiled nearby. "You can trust him."
Obito felt a surge of power as he inhabited the Zetsu suit.
"Don't you want to save the Rin Nohara and Kakashi you think about day and night?" Tobi's voice echoed from within the flesh.
Obito didn't answer. He tried raising his right arm and found that zetsu's limb moved exactly as he willed it. "Thank you."
Obito was genuinely moved. Though this place was eerie—a "crack between hell and reality"—the old man and these white creatures had been kind to him. Without them, he would have died in the cold earth.
"Yosh!"
Obito clenched his fist. He could feel chakra seeping into his system from the tubes connected to the Gedo Statue, augmenting his own. This was the sensation of becoming strong.
*BOOM!*
Obito threw a punch, and the cracks in the stone wall expanded instantly. With a roar of falling rubble, the giant boulder collapsed.
"By linking to the roots like that, he can borrow the power of the Statue. Not bad..." another Zetsu noted.
The spiral mask over Obito's head retracted, revealing his face. His eyes lit up with joy. He was leaving! He was finally leaving this sunless hole!
"Are you going out?" Madara's voice rasped in the darkness.
*Pluck.*
Obito pulled the connection tubes from Tobi's back. "Thank you for helping me, but I have to go! I have to be there!"
"You're too impulsive. It may be too early for thanks. This isn't necessarily a good thing," Madara said, watching him. If Kiyoshi Uchiha were here, he wouldn't be so reckless.
"I probably won't be coming back here. All I can do is say thank you. My teammates are waiting for me," Obito declared.
Lately, whenever he dreamed, he saw Rin and Kiyoshi together. At first, he was confused by the strange visions, but now he understood—it was a warning from heaven! If he didn't go back, Kiyoshi would surely keep harassing Rin every day.
"You..." Madara's voice trailed off. Obito was inferior to Kiyoshi in almost every way. But Kiyoshi's mind was too deep; he wasn't a good pawn.
After Madara's death, only his will—Black Zetsu—could correct the plan. If the plan veered off course and Madara couldn't return as the savior, then everything would be meaningless.
"...You *will* return here. And that is when you will truly pay your debt," Madara said, his gaze fixed on Obito.
Obito had no time for the old man's riddles. He turned to the Zetsu clones. "Where are Rin and Kakashi? Tell me now, you white guys!"
"The clone you're wearing can sync with the others like a radio. There are clones underground all over the area gathering info... we can guide you."
White tendrils wrapped around Obito's head, leaving only his face exposed. "That voice... it's Swirly! Please, lead the way!"
Obito bolted past the ruins of the stone wall. On the far side, he saw a rack of legendary weapons: giant shuriken, the Uchiha war fan, scythes, and chains.
He was momentarily stunned—the old man really was someone special. But there was no time. To avoid scaring his friends with his current appearance, he grabbed a black cloak and vanished into the night.
***
Near the border of the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire.
"The chakra fluctuations are coming from that direction," Kiyoshi said. Having entered [Sage Mode], he could easily sense the aura of a Tailed Beast.
"Understood!" Kakashi picked up the pace, staying right on Kiyoshi's heels.
'Rin, please be safe.' For the first time in his life, the godless Kakashi began to pray.
***
Dozens of miles away.
"Guy, what do we do?" Genma Shiranui's face was grim.
Standing before them were the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
"Rin is our comrade. We can't abandon her. If something happens to her, Kakashi will..." Might Guy gritted his teeth. After Obito died, Kakashi had lost his spirit. If Rin died too, the blow would be unimaginable.