Within the borders of the Land of Fire.
Space rippled, and illusory doorways flickered in and out of existence, continuously opening and closing.
Shinji's figure frantically passed through the doorways, his Chakra draining bit by bit.
Thirty seconds later, he staggered as his form solidified once more.
His Chakra was completely depleted. For the next three days, his strength would plummet to an unprecedented low in his ninja career.
But he couldn't be bothered with that now.
Shinji casually placed the unconscious Kakashi, who had fainted from exhaustion, to the side. He turned to look at Rin, carefully lifting her into his arms, his gaze never leaving her face for a moment.
Nohara Rin's breath was already faint, the flame of life within her like a candle in the wind, slowly extinguishing.
Shinji reached out, gently placing his hand on her lower abdomen, quietly sensing the changes within Rin's body.
The next moment, a surprising scene unfolded.
Nohara Rin's body slowly became illusory and transparent, like a phantom dissolving into the air, before vanishing completely.
Beside Shinji, space warped slightly once more.
A slender figure was sketched back into existence beside him, like a drowning person finally struggling to the surface, gradually solidifying.
"Hah—"
Nohara Rin gasped for air, looking around blankly, her eyes filled with lingering shock.
"Where am I?"
"Rin, how do you feel?"
Shinji quickly supported her, asking with concern.
"Shinji?"
Nohara Rin was startled when she saw his face clearly.
Her memory was still stuck at the moment the white, monstrous man pierced her heart with a Wooden Spike and she slowly collapsed.
She subconsciously clutched her chest but felt no wound at all.
Looking down, her clothes were intact, her skin smooth, without a single trace of blood.
Nohara Rin's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at her own hands.
"What on earth happened? I should have... I should have already..."
She wanted to say that she was already dead, but at this moment, she was standing right in front of Shinji, breathing steadily, with no discomfort in her body whatsoever.
Shinji let out a long sigh of relief and slowly sat down, leaning against a tree trunk.
It seemed that Izanagi had been successfully activated.
He looked up at Rin and explained softly, "Rin, do you remember the life-saving charm I left you before?"
Nohara Rin froze, instantly recalling the hidden base in the Forest of Death.
"Was it that Sharingan?" she murmured, her voice trembling.
She had thought the Sharingan Shinji left her was just a positioning marker.
She had assumed that was how Shinji had managed to find her in time.
She never would have imagined that it was actually a life-saving trump card that could bring her back from the dead.
Suddenly, a strong wave of nausea rose in her throat.
Nohara Rin bent over and began to cough violently.
Gradually, a sturdy Ninja Crow slowly emerged from her mouth.
It flapped its wings, circled once, and finally landed steadily on Shinji's shoulder.
"Rin, are you okay?"
Shinji immediately stood up and supported her again.
"Cough, cough, I'm fine."
Nohara Rin covered her mouth and shook her head, her gaze falling on the Ninja Crow.
The crow's left eye, which should have been a Sharingan, was now completely dim, having lost all its light.
Shinji raised his hand and gently stroked the crow's feathers, sighing softly, "You did well. I'll help you restore this eye later."
The crow affectionately rubbed its head against his cheek, its wings flapping gently.
Only then did Nohara Rin fully understand.
It was Shinji.
He had used some kind of Forbidden Technique, sacrificing a Sharingan to pull her back from the brink of death.
Shinji raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, saying seriously, "Rin, I hope you can keep this a secret for me."
"What I just used is a Forbidden Technique strictly prohibited by our clan. If the clan finds out, I'll be in big trouble."
Nohara Rin's eyes reddened slightly. Looking at Shinji, who had risked everything for her, she couldn't hide the emotion welling up in her heart.
She took a step forward, unable to restrain her feelings any longer, and threw herself into Shinji's arms.
Shinji was already exhausted. Thrown off balance by her impact, his body involuntarily fell backward, but he still subconsciously caught her firmly.
Shinji felt the soft warmth of the person in his arms.
From this moment on, Rin shouldn't fall into any more danger, right?
He gently patted Rin's back, comforting her in a low voice.
Shinji sighed softly, his thoughts inevitably turning to Obito.
What on earth had possessed that guy? Why had he suddenly lost control for no reason?
Just then, a faint groan came from the side.
"Where is this?"
Kakashi propped himself up from the ground and slowly sat up.
Pain shot through his entire body, and his hair was a mess, as if he had been brutally thrown around countless times.
The next second, he abruptly remembered something. His expression changed drastically, and he frantically looked around.
He remembered that just as his Chidori was about to pierce Rin, Shinji had suddenly appeared and forcefully stopped him.
He had no idea what happened after that.
He only prayed that nothing had happened to Rin.
Otherwise, he would never be able to face Obito for the rest of his life!
Kakashi whipped his head around, his gaze freezing on the two people embracing each other. He was momentarily stunned.
"Kakashi, you're finally awake."
Shinji helplessly helped Rin to her feet and looked at him. "You really slept for a long time. You didn't even wake up during that intense battle just now."
Kakashi looked at the two of them nestled together with a complicated expression. His gaze finally landed on Shinji, filled with confusion.
He didn't understand why Shinji had suddenly appeared, nor did he have any idea what had happened while he was unconscious.
He shrugged and asked, "Can you explain what's going on?"
...
Meanwhile, in the enormous cavern underground.
Obito, covered in blood, walked step by step until he stood before Madara Uchiha.
He stared intently at the aging Uchiha elder before him.
"That plan you mentioned before, tell me everything."
"I want to create a world where Rin exists."
Obito had completely recognized the cruelty of this world.
The gentle, smiling Nohara Rin he knew was no longer in this cruel world.
The one from just now was merely an imposter.
He would change the entire Shinobi World with his own hands.
Madara Uchiha slowly raised his head, looking at the Obito who had now completely fallen into darkness, and nodded in satisfaction.
White Zetsu had already informed him of everything that had just happened via a clone.
Although there had been an unexpected deviation in the process, the final result was still developing in the direction he had hoped for.
"Very well. I will tell you my entire plan."
Madara Uchiha looked at Obito, and his Sharingan suddenly spun.
In an instant, a powerful Genjutsu pulled Obito into his mental space.
A long time later, the two returned to reality.
"This is the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan I spoke of."
After hearing Madara's explanation, Obito's face remained impassive.
"Give me everything you have."
He just wanted to push this plan forward as quickly as possible, not wanting to wait another moment.
A faint, mocking smile touched the corner of Madara Uchiha's lips.
"White Zetsu."
"Here, Lord Madara."
White Zetsu responded, walking to stand before Madara.
Madara Uchiha placed his hand on White Zetsu.
A dark, shadowy figure slowly emerged from half of White Zetsu's body.
"He will represent my will and assist you in carrying out the plan."
Obito watched all of this without any reaction.
Madara Uchiha looked at Obito calmly and said, "Obito, I will be waiting for you to revive me."
As his voice fell, he reached for the back of his neck, preparing to pull out the tubes that sustained his life.
But before that, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he gave a cold command:
"Find an opportunity and kill Uchiha Shinji."
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