Chapter 137: Freeze Frame
"Rin, hang in there! We're almost across the border into the Land of Fire!"
Kakashi urged Rin on while shielding her from the enemy, sprinting toward the Fire Country's frontier.
But despite his words, a heavy sense of dread sat deep in Kakashi's heart.
A glance behind revealed twenty to thirty Mist ANBU ninjas in pursuit.
Things couldn't be worse.
After taking down the two Mist ninjas who'd stayed behind to guard her, Kakashi had finally managed to break the genjutsu cast on Rin.
But what he learned after she regained consciousness had horrified him:
Rin had a Tailed Beast sealed inside her.
He had no idea why the Mist would do such a thing. His mind was in chaos—and then, just like that, the rest of the Mist ANBU returned.
Left with no choice, Kakashi grabbed Rin and started fleeing with a single, desperate goal in mind:
Get back to Konoha.
Konoha had the best seal masters—and more importantly, their teacher's wife lived there.
Very few knew that Kushina Uzumaki was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, but as Namikaze Minato's students, they were among those few.
Now running at full speed with Rin, Kakashi suddenly felt something was... off.
Why Rin?
Why would they seal a Tailed Beast inside her?
Why had the breakout been so easy?
Why were the Mist ANBU chasing them with such persistence—yet none of them had truly tried to kill?
Even when Kakashi countered and killed a few, the rest only pressed closer without delivering a fatal blow.
Too many questions swirled in Kakashi's head, but there was no time to reflect—because the Mist-nin were closing in fast.
"Damn it!"
Kakashi cursed under his breath. He drew his blade and slashed at an approaching Mist ninja with a powerful arc.
The enemy reacted swiftly, retreating with a kunai raised—not engaging in a prolonged fight, just stalling, harassing.
Not a single one of them seemed intent on letting Kakashi and Rin escape.
They weren't here to kill. They were here to trap.
---
Rin ran silently ahead of Kakashi, feeling the violent, foreign chakra churning within her.
She was overwhelmed—physically, mentally, emotionally.
She could feel it. The Tailed Beast's power growing stronger inside her.
And she was starting to understand the Mist's plan.
These ANBU didn't want to stop her from reaching the Land of Fire.
They wanted her to reach it.
They wanted her to make it all the way to Konoha.
And the more she thought about it, the more horrifying the realization became.
What would happen if the Three-Tails rampaged inside Konoha?
She didn't want to imagine it.
She couldn't find the words to explain it to Kakashi—and even if she did, what could they possibly do?
"Obito... what would you do if it were you?"
Rin thought to herself, eyes misting as she imagined the boy who always smiled at her like an idiot—
The boy so different from the cold and distant Uchiha Kei.
The boy who was filled with sunlight and warmth.
He'd sacrificed everything to save Kakashi.
Even knowing he would die, he had entrusted his only Sharingan to him.
And now...
Rin felt a quiet voice rising in her heart.
A whisper that grew louder with every step.
A temptation.
A resolve.
Her dazed eyes slowly regained clarity. She looked at the crackling lightning chakra around Kakashi's blade—
And she made a decision.
Far away, in the dense forest—
A shadow was racing toward them at incredible speed.
Uchiha Obito scanned the area with his only remaining right eye, dashing through the forest under the guidance of the Spiral-Face's voice, headed straight for the battlefield where Kakashi and the others were.
"Obito, I suspect a fight is about to break out soon. Before that happens, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
Obito responded quickly, his Sharingan spinning as he sprinted through the woods, his pace undeterred.
"You're not as good a fighter as I am. Right now, I'm using this large body to protect your wounded one. If a battle does break out, it would be best for me to fight in your place."
Obito's hair streamed wildly in the wind.
"No need," he said sharply. "Madara once told me that a Sharingan only shows its true power when both eyes are together. Kakashi has the matching eye—he's on the battlefield. If I team up with him, we'll be stronger than you alone. This time… I'm protecting Rin. With him."
Zetsu fell silent.
He said nothing for a few seconds, and that in itself was rare—silence was torture for someone as talkative as him.
"You've got a point. And now that your body's been implanted with Hashirama's cells… the fusion of Uchiha and Senju bloodlines might awaken a power no one's seen before."
Their silhouette blurred through the woods, time slipping by—three hours passed in what felt like moments.
It was summer, and the sunset seemed to drag on forever, though the sky had already begun to dim.
Then, suddenly—
Raindrops started falling from the sky.
"Rain? What's going on?" Obito muttered, looking up.
The Spiral-Face's voice echoed softly in his ear:
"Obito, we're close."
"Good."
Obito's expression hardened.
As they neared their destination, a strange burning sensation flared in his missing left eye socket.
It was as if the Sharingan was resonating—shattered images and blurred visions flickered across his mind.
"Damn it… what the hell is going on?"
Clutching his face in pain, Obito let out a low growl. A twisted expression contorted his face.
"Stop overthinking it—we're almost there. I'm coming. Just hold on… Kakashi, Rin…"
Obito's anxiety surged, triggering a surge of chakra within him. His speed increased once more, the surrounding trees becoming a blur.
And then—
He burst through a final cluster of bushes, and the forest suddenly opened up.
And there it was—the battlefield laid bare before his eyes.
But…
His Sharingan narrowed, the two tomoe in his right eye contracting in disbelief.
The scene before him was something he could have never imagined—not even in his worst nightmares.
For a second, his thoughts stopped.
The world turned pitch-black.
A coldness seeped into his very bones.
Thunder cracked across the sky like a screeching chorus of birds.
Lightning surged through Kakashi's blade—
And then—
That blade pierced the chest of the girl he loved.
Time froze.
Bang!
Rin's body collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
She would never stand again.
---
"I'm Rin. You're Obito, right?
Nice to meet you."
"Obito… you're late again."
"Obito, you're so cool!
Well… I guess Kakashi's even cooler."
"How many times do I have to tell you—don't act tough when you're hurt.
I've been watching you this whole time.
Now hold out your hand."
"Obito, we're heading out for a mission.
I'm… kind of nervous."
---
Memories crashed through his mind like a dam bursting.
His brain felt like it would explode.
His heart ached with a pain so sharp, it shattered him.
Not even the despair of Kannabi Bridge—when he thought he would die—could compare to this.
"Kakashi, I'm counting on you to protect Rin."
Of all the memories, only that one sentence echoed in his head.
A tear of blood spilled uncontrollably from Obito's right eye.
The tomoe began to spin wildly.
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