"What is it?"
Rin Nohara was puzzled. Was there another sealing formula on her body that hadn't been removed?
"This time... I might actually die here."
Kiyoshi deliberately lowered his voice, speaking with a heavy, solemn tone. The [Art of Language] and other related traits began to take effect. Combined with the observational learning of his Sharingan, Kiyoshi's performance carried an undeniable weight of conviction.
Humans judge emotions through micro-expressions, gestures, and tone of voice; thus, with enough skill, everything can be perfectly faked.
"Die?!"
Rin froze, her eyes widening as she searched Kiyoshi's face, asking him what he meant.
"The Mist deployed the Three-Tails this time. A Tailed Beast's destructive power is enough to kill all of us—including... Kakashi."
Kiyoshi placed a heavy emphasis on Kakashi's name.
"Kiyoshi, don't you know the same technique as Minato-sensei?"
"Yes, I could use that jutsu to teleport you and Kakashi away, but have you considered the chakra cost? Does Minato-sensei usually travel by foot or by the [Flying Thunder God]?"
Kiyoshi explained the greatest flaw of the teleportation technique to her. He wasn't entirely lying; if not for his massive chakra reserves, comparable to the Uzumaki clan, and his ability to ignore the side effects of soldier pills, no ordinary ninja could sustain such a drain.
Even Minato Namikaze, in his Reanimated state during the Fourth War, was momentarily paralyzed after moving a Tailed Beast Bomb to the Hokage Rock.
"Chakra consumption..." Rin realized, her face turning pale. If Kiyoshi couldn't sustain everyone's escape, and they stayed, they would fall to the Tailed Beast. It was a dead end.
Seeing the conflict on Rin's face, Kiyoshi knew she had taken the bait. This was the power of information asymmetry. His traits and physical prowess were the real keys to breaking the situation, but to outsiders, those were hidden variables.
"So... can we discuss the 'depths' of ninjutsu one last time?"
Kiyoshi's fingers brushed through Rin's short hair, the strands tangling around his fingertips. At this proximity, he could catch the unique, faint fragrance of the girl.
This was... Rin's scent.
Rin stared at him, her heart racing. For anyone, a "first time" leaves an indelible mark. The first person leaves a deep impression that, even if there are successors, one instinctively compares them.
The events of that previous night were a heavy burden for Rin. For a month, she had dreamed of it constantly, waking up every morning needing to change her sheets.
What Rin couldn't handle was the mental pressure. Every time she saw Kakashi, she felt a crushing sense of guilt. Every time she saw Kiyoshi, she felt a complex wave of shame. These emotions twisted together in her heart, leaving her—someone whose romantic experience was a blank slate of unrequited pining—utterly conflicted.
"Rin, you aren't refusing, are you?"
Kiyoshi leaned down, his breath hot against her ear, making her earlobe turn a deep crimson. Rin shivered as the memories rushed back with vivid clarity. Was Kiyoshi forcing her? She asked herself.
The answer was no. If she truly didn't want to, she could have fled. But she hadn't. Deep down, she had harbored the thought of utilizing Kiyoshi's strength.
She sighed deeply. This was the sin she had sown, bringing out this side of Kiyoshi. If they had stayed within the bounds of propriety, this day would never have come.
"Afterward, I will send you and Kakashi to safety."
This final sentence shattered the last of Rin's resolve. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her voice trembled: "Kiyoshi, but here...?"
Her face was full of doubt. This was open wilderness, a vast expanse of land. The only cover was a few scattered trees and some dense bushes. To "exchange the mysteries of ninjutsu" here... wasn't there a risk of being seen?
"Don't worry. I've moved us far enough, and my sensory abilities will alert me if anyone approaches."
Kiyoshi stroked her hair, his fingers sliding down her cheek to her chin, tilting her head up. Looking at Rin, whose entire skillset was focused on Medical Ninjutsu, Kiyoshi decided to "teach" her some Uchiha Special Nightly Taijutsu.
"Mmph...!"
***
*Rumble!*
Distant, earth-shaking explosions continued to ring out. Every blast made the ground tremble and sent towering waves into the lake. Obito's heart sank further with every sound.
*Drip...*
The massive sprays of water created a mist in the sky, falling back down like a cold, drizzling rain. The moisture soaked into Obito's cloak, bringing a biting chill.
"My brothers have news," Tobi spoke, relaying Kiyoshi's latest estimated coordinates.
Kiyoshi was cunning; he had used [Flying Thunder God] to jump several times to random, nonsensical locations. At this point, they could only track a general direction and send Zetsu clones to scout. The only certainty was that Kiyoshi was currently to the Southeast, far from the Leaf camp.
"Where is he?" Obito paused on a branch, gasping for breath.
"Over there." Tobi pointed out a location. Obito squeezed every drop of stamina from his body, sprinting across the treetops.
***
"I've lost Guy and the others."
Kakashi blurred through the forest, hearing the Three-Tails' roars and the terrifying impact of [Tailed Beast Bombs]. He knew Might Duy was drawing the beast's fire. Honestly, Kakashi was stunned.
Might Duy, a perennial Genin who had to bow and scrape for missions, possessed such hidden power. He finally understood why his father told him never to underestimate Guy.
"Kiyoshi, I hope you're protecting Rin."
Kakashi scanned his surroundings for any sign of the Mist. Suddenly, a figure in a black robe wearing a white spiral mask appeared before him.
"Who are you?" The unfamiliar chakra made Kakashi instantly wary. He raised a kunai, eyes sharp.
"Kakashi, I'm—" Obito started to say, but Tobi interrupted through their mental link:
'In what capacity are you going to face him?'
Obito froze. He was currently wearing Tobi's body to move. His half-recovered right arm had shattered just from hitting a rock earlier. Half of his body was now a biological monster that didn't need food or water to survive. Was he even still human? Would the village still accept him?
As Obito hesitated, Kakashi channeled Lightning chakra into his kunai—a trick he'd been refining after seeing Kiyoshi's chakra flow techniques. The blade hummed with electricity, becoming sharp enough to shatter boulders.
*Whoosh!*
Kakashi threw it.
*Chidori Kunai!*
The speed of the Chidori propelled the kunai toward the hesitant Obito. Tobi took control, jerking the body aside. The kunai grazed the spiral mask, carving a deep groove and exposing the white "flesh" beneath—just inches from Obito's actual skin.
"Aaah!" Obito, acting on instinct alongside Tobi, threw a punch.
Wood Style: Cutting Technique!
Long, jagged wooden spikes erupted from his arm, twisting through the air toward Kakashi. Kakashi used his Sharingan to dodge most of them, but a few grazed his legs, and one pierced through his thigh.
*Thud!*
The force slammed Kakashi against a tree. He spat blood, the red liquid soaking into his black mask and dripping onto the soil.
"To use the [Cutting Technique] instantly... Obito, I see now why Madara chose you," Tobi remarked. He only wanted to knock Kakashi away, but Obito's subconscious had manifested the Wood Style. His compatibility with Hashirama's cells was frighteningly high.
"No blood?" Kakashi stared in shock at the man. He was bleeding profusely, but the enemy's "wound" revealed only a squirming, self-healing pale white mass. What kind of monster was this? And how did he know so much about him?
"I'm..." Obito started to apologize, but Tobi cut him off.
"Obito, the Mist is closing in on Rin."
The reminder made Obito's heart cold again. It felt as though destiny was refusing to let him and Kakashi reconcile. Silent, Obito turned and vanished into the trees.
Time was of the essence; he had confirmed Kakashi wasn't in mortal danger. If he wasted time explaining, something terrible might happen to Rin.
'Kakashi really is keeping the promise... he's protecting her.'
"Damn it." Kakashi pulled the wooden spikes from his legs. They had started to branch out inside his muscles, nearly piercing through to the other side. By the time he removed them, his legs were riddled with bloody holes. Obito's chakra was gone; he could no longer sense him.