"Nice work, Shou!" Kōkō laughed. "Grab one of them."
Shou complied, charging straight toward Rin.
Rin was farther from the explosion but was still staggered by the shockwave. In the next moment, a sudden numbness struck the back of her neck, and her body went limp instantly.
Shou lifted Rin with one hand. "Kōkō, Ōishi, let's retreat first. Interrogating Konohagakure's intel is urgent."
With that, he sped off in one direction, followed closely by Kōkō and Ōishi.
"Stop! Put Rin down!"
Obito's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to stand, but he couldn't muster the strength and could only roar from the ground.
The scene fell into dead silence, the atmosphere heavy and suffocating.
"How could this happen?!" Shinji's heart sank.
"Shou, why is he here?"
Shou of Iwagakure's Explosion Corps possessed the Explosion Release Bloodline Limit, capable of triggering explosions with a mere touch of his fist. In the future, he would be devoured by Hiruko using the Ghost Absorption Technique.
Yet now he appeared here, completely disrupting Shinji's rhythm.
Originally, his plan was for him and Kakashi to restrain Kōkō and Ōishi, then keep maneuvering nearby until Minato arrived, after which they would destroy Kannabi Bridge together.
But Shou's sudden appearance had thrown everything off course.
Was it the butterfly effect caused by my arrival, or was Madara Uchiha secretly manipulating things from behind?
Shinji had no way of knowing.
But Rin being captured was absolutely unacceptable to him.
Even if, according to the original trajectory, Rin should have been fine, the situation had now changed, and no one could guarantee anything.
"Kurenai! Are you okay, Kurenai!"
Asuma's shout abruptly pulled Shinji's attention back.
His heart tightened, and he immediately rushed over.
Kurenai Yuhi lay on the ground, her face pale, eyes half-open and half-closed, lips tightly pressed together—clearly severely injured.
Asuma beside her was frantic, also coughing twice from the shockwave of the explosion. "A Medical Ninja, damn it, Rin was taken!"
He suddenly looked at Shinji, his tone urgent. "Right, didn't you also learn Medical Ninjutsu?"
Shinji gently picked up Kurenai, feeling helpless inside.
His Medical Ninjutsu had only just begun not long ago.
Shinji carefully examined Kurenai's condition: low body temperature, rapid heartbeat—clear signs of severe internal injuries.
"Internal organs might be bleeding. She must be treated immediately."
He secretly felt relieved that he had thrown the short sword to block the attack earlier; otherwise, if Kurenai had been hit directly, she might already be dead.
Asuma's face turned pale.
"But we don't have a Medical Ninja right now."
Shinji reassured him:
"It's fine."
He subtly reached into his ninja tool pouch, secretly summoned the System, and retrieved the Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom from the item inventory.
"I still have one Sacred Healing Medicine, extremely potent. It will definitely save Kurenai. This is a relic my father obtained by chance during a mission before his death."
He attributed the origin of the Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom to his father to prevent anyone from investigating.
"Really?!" Asuma was both shocked and overjoyed.
Shinji nodded and immediately brought the medicine to Kurenai's mouth, but her teeth were clenched tight, making it impossible to swallow.
In her severely injured state, her body instinctively tensed for self-preservation, and her remaining consciousness kept her teeth gritted and mouth firmly shut.
"This—"
Shinji frowned, hesitated no longer, and placed the Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom into his own mouth, chewing it to pieces.
He gently cradled Kurenai in his arms, his hand brushing over her pale cheek as he gazed at her trembling eyelashes and whispered softly:
"Forgive me, Kurenai."
After speaking, he leaned down and kissed her lips, parting her teeth.
The soft sensation against his lips sent a slight flutter through Shinji's heart.
"Shinji, you!"
Asuma's face instantly flushed red as he raised a trembling hand to point at the two, unable to speak for a long moment.
He knew in his heart that Shinji was saving her, but witnessing this scene firsthand was still hard to accept.
He had harbored feelings for Kurenai for a long time, never confessing, and now he had stumbled upon such a scene.
The goddess he had kept hidden in his heart was now being kissed by his own friend, filling Asuma with a bitter ache.
Kurenai Yuhi's fingers, hanging at her side, twitched slightly. Her consciousness had not completely faded, and she understood what Shinji was doing.
"I'm kissing Shinji right now."
The intense stimulation caused her adrenaline to surge, barely restoring some of her strength. Her throat moved slightly as she swallowed the medicine.
Feeling Kurenai's swallowing motion, Shinji slowly straightened up and released her.
The Heavenly Fragrant Cardamom could rapidly repair internal injuries, stop internal bleeding, and powerfully enhance vitality.
A ninja's physique far surpassed that of ordinary people, and with the nourishing effects of the medicine, Kurenai's body was visibly improving.
Shinji gently patted Kurenai's cheek, his tone concerned: "Kurenai, are you feeling better?"
A faint hint of color gradually returned to Kurenai Yuhi's pale face.
After about a quarter of an hour, she suddenly coughed, her voice weak but clear: "My body hurts so much."
She instinctively tried to push herself up, but her body still lacked strength, leaving her to lean weakly against Shinji's chest.
Kurenai quickly turned her head away, lightly rubbing her lips with the back of her hand, her eyes filled with shyness, not even daring to look at Shinji.
"Thank you for saving me, Shinji," she murmured softly, her cheeks flushing even more.
"That's great, Kurenai, you're finally okay!"
Asuma quickly stepped forward to interject, his tone full of joy, though he muttered to himself inwardly.
He was still right there, yet Kurenai had thanked Shinji first, completely ignoring him.
Hearing this, Kurenai Yuhi turned to Asuma with a smile: "Thank you too, Asuma, for worrying about me just now."
Asuma's eyes grew slightly warm, and he silently resolved in his heart: Shinji, once we return to the village, I will definitely challenge you to a duel!
Seeing Kurenai's improved condition, Shinji also slowly let out a sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
Just then, a heated argument erupted from not far away.
"What did you say? Kakashi, dare you say that again?!"
Obito grabbed Kakashi by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, his voice filled with anger and confusion. "Are you really going to put Rin in danger? Rin is our comrade!"
Kakashi lowered his gaze, his tone resolute and unyielding: "A ninja must complete the mission even if it means sacrificing comrades. That's the rule. Rin... is already beyond saving."
He paused, his voice growing even heavier: "If we don't blow up Kannabi Bridge, more people in Konohagakure will be injured or killed later. By then, it won't just be Rin who's sacrificed."
At this moment, Kakashi couldn't help but recall the image of his father, Hatake Sakumo.
Having to choose between the village and a comrade—this impossible dilemma was all too similar to what his father had faced back then.
Back then, his father had violated the village's rules to save his comrades, ultimately driven to suicide by the overwhelming pressure of public opinion.
Yet he had to prioritize completing the mission, even if it meant enduring the pain of losing his comrades.
Bang—
Obito's fist slammed hard into Kakashi's face, his hand clenched tightly, his voice filled with grief and determination: "Kakashi, I know about Konoha's White Fang! In my eyes, your father is the true hero!"
"That's right, in the world of shinobi, those who break the rules are trash!" he suppressed his voice, "But those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash!"
"Even if I'm alone, even if I have to risk my life, I will save Rin!"
"I'll go too!"
Shinji abruptly stood up, cutting straight through their argument.
Obito froze in shock, almost unable to believe his ears, looking at Shinji with surprise and joy: "Shinji, you—!"
Meeting his gaze, Shinji gave a firm nod, his tone unwavering: "Rin is an important comrade. I must go save her."