Inside the carriage.
"Damn it! That guy got away again!" the rich man cursed angrily, slamming his fist against the wall of the carriage. He had just watched Obito disappear into thin air, and frustration was written all over his face.
"Zhao! The next time we meet, we must kill that guy!" he roared.
He simply couldn't comprehend how this was happening. Last time, that man had escaped after taking a bullet to the arm. But this time, the guy had taken at least half a magazine of bullets—how could he still run?
"That's just... insane. Are ninjas really that tough physically?" the rich man muttered, beginning to doubt the entire foundation of his plan. "If that's the case, then my dream of trampling all the ninjas beneath my feet might just collapse before it even starts…"
What he didn't know, however, was that Uchiha Obito had Hashirama cells in his body. His physical resilience was on a completely different level. Had it been any other Jōnin in Obito's place, they would have been obliterated in mere minutes.
---
In the woods.
Uchiha Shisui crouched in a tree, watching the carriage from a distance. His brows furrowed in confusion. "What was that loud noise just now?"
He scanned the area, but saw no sign of Obito. "Senior's been in there for so long. Why hasn't he come out yet?"
A growing sense of unease settled in Shisui's chest. "Could it be... something happened to him?"
He shook his head quickly, trying to dispel the creeping fear. "No way. Senior is so powerful. That caravan boss couldn't possibly hurt him!"
But even as he tried to reassure himself, an alarming thought struck him, and his eyes widened. "Wait a second… Could that sound have been—?! No, no, no! Something really did happen!"
Panic overtaking him, Shisui prepared to charge toward the carriage to check on Obito. But just as he was about to move, he heard a weak voice behind him.
"Ahem… Shisui… I'm here…"
He froze, then whirled around in disbelief. "Senior?!"
Relief washed over him—until he saw Obito's condition.
"Senior! You're…!"
Uchiha Obito was lying on the ground, his entire abdomen soaked in blood. His face was as pale as death, and he was barely able to keep his eyes open as he looked weakly at Shisui.
Shisui's eyes went wide in shock, his breath catching in his throat. Never in his life had he imagined seeing the strong and confident Obito in such a miserable state.
He rushed over, crouching down beside him. "Senior! What happened to you? How did you get hurt so badly?!"
Obito coughed lightly, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were filled with pain—and fear. "The rich merchant… He has a powerful weapon. I've never seen anything like it…"
Shisui was stunned. A weapon strong enough to do this to Obito?
That thought chilled him to the bone.
But now wasn't the time for questions. He leaned in closer and asked quietly, "Senior… are you still alive?"
Looking at the gaping wound in Obito's abdomen, the blood loss, the vacant look in his eyes—Shisui feared the worst. "Is he going to die…?"
"I—I'm sorry, senior… I'm just not strong enough to help you…" Shisui said, his voice thick with guilt and sadness.
Then Obito spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "Stop… Shisui, help me up…"
Shisui quickly and carefully lifted Obito into a sitting position. "Senior, do you have any last words?" he asked sorrowfully, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Despite having only known Obito for a short time, he deeply respected him. Obito had saved his life not long ago. And now, here he was—dying in front of him. It felt cruel. Unjust.
"I'm sorry… I can't do anything…" Shisui muttered bitterly.
To his surprise, Obito gave a weak chuckle and said, "Who said I'm going to die?"
Shisui blinked. "Huh? But… your injuries…"
"Go forward," Obito said, slowly lifting a trembling hand and pointing ahead. "There's a shop up ahead… the owner can save me…"
Shisui's eyes lit up. "Really?! That's great!"
Without hesitation, he carefully lifted Obito onto his back and began sprinting in the direction Obito had indicated. "Hang in there, senior! Don't die on me!"
But as he ran, he realized Obito had gone completely silent.
"Senior?! Senior!" he shouted, shaking him slightly. "Say something!"
No response. Obito had slipped into unconsciousness.
Shisui's heart sank. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to run faster. "I have to hurry! If I'm too late, he's really going to die!"
Minutes later, Shisui finally saw a small shop in the distance. His face lit up with renewed hope.
"There it is, senior! We made it! You're going to be okay!"
Summoning all his strength, Shisui raced toward the building, shouting as he ran. "Help! Somebody help! Boss, please help!"
---
Inside the shop.
Peter was busy organizing shelves when he heard the desperate cry from outside. He immediately rushed to the front of the store and opened the door.
In the distance, he saw a young man dashing toward him with someone bloody slung over his back.
"Come in, come in!" Peter shouted, stepping aside.
Shisui burst through the door and gently laid Obito on the floor. "Boss, please, you've got to save him! He's dying!"
Peter looked over the man's injuries and frowned. "The treatment will cost ten million taels."
Shisui froze, his face turning pale. "Ten... million?"
He lowered his head, guilt-ridden. "I… I'm sorry, senior. I don't have that kind of money… I'm just a poor guy. I guess… I'll find you a nice spot for your grave…"
Peter raised an eyebrow, stunned by the absurdity of the response. "Wait—what?"
He stared at Shisui, baffled. "Is this guy serious right now? Is he really giving up just like that?"
Then Peter asked dryly, "Didn't you say this guy was rich? Why don't you use his money to pay for the treatment?"
Shisui slapped his own forehead, realization dawning. "Oh right! Why didn't I think of that?!"
He quickly began patting down Obito's clothes, searching for any money or valuables. As he did, Peter finally got a good look at the unconscious man.
His eyes widened in shock. "What the—?! That's Obito?!"
Peter dropped to his knees beside him, alarmed. "How the hell did he end up like this?!"
Obito was one of the strongest people Peter knew. The fact that he was in this state… it didn't make any sense.
Peter didn't care about the payment anymore. This was too serious.
Without hesitation, he summoned a high-grade medical treatment capsule from his storeroom, opened the lid, and began carefully placing Obito inside.
He activated the healing system, and the machine began to glow faintly as it worked on stabilizing Obito's condition.
As the device hummed with energy, Peter turned to Shisui, still in disbelief. "Who the hell did this to him? Was it a monster? A Jinchūriki? A Kage?!"
Shisui shook his head slowly. "No… It was just a rich merchant. But he had a terrifying weapon—something I've never seen before. I think it was some kind of modern firearm…"
Peter's brows furrowed. "A rich merchant… with weapons strong enough to almost kill Obito? This is worse than I thought."
He turned back to the capsule, watching Obito's vitals stabilize slightly.
"No matter what happens… I won't let anything happen to you, Obito. You're my biggest client," Peter muttered under his breath.
And deep inside, he vowed that whoever had done this—would pay.
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