"Kakashi, who exactly are we looking for?"
Obito's curiosity got the better of him as he rushed toward Kusagakure Village alongside Kakashi. After a bit of investigation, Kakashi had applied to Minato-sensei for permission to search for Uzumaki orphans, claiming to have received a tip about Uzumaki sightings in the area.
Out of complete trust in Kakashi, Minato approved the request—only after verifying that the information source seemed reliable.
As for Minato and Rin, Obito had already sent them back to the Uchiha frontlines using his Kamui space.
That's right—by marking a specific location, Obito could use Kamui's dimension as a transit station to execute instant space jumps!
When they first learned that Kamui had such a broken feature, even Minato-sensei and Kakashi were stunned.
In comparison, Kakashi's current version of the Flying Thunder God could only teleport about 30 kilometers per jump. Minato-sensei could go hundreds of kilometers, but the chakra cost rose dramatically with distance.
Obito's Kamui, however, ignored distance entirely. As long as he had marked the spatial coordinates with his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could instantly warp to them.
Of course, the ability wasn't without limitations—it took a few seconds to activate and couldn't be used as flexibly in close-range combat like the Flying Thunder God.
Still, Kakashi couldn't help but think: if Obito ever got a girlfriend, he could literally mark her house and visit her anytime—no matter where he was. Even during a cross-border mission, he could pop over to enjoy the moonlight with her at night and be back on duty the next morning.
Not to mention the Kamui space could also serve as a private rendezvous spot.
With such absurd mobility, even someone as composed as Kakashi felt a tinge of envy. The Mangekyō Sharingan truly was a cheat-level power.
Thankfully, Obito was a pure-hearted kid. Otherwise, he could've easily become the most proficient "time management master" in shinobi history.
As for Minato-sensei, the moment he understood Kamui's potential, he immediately started formulating all kinds of surprise attack strategies centered around space jumps.
Ironically, Obito—the one wielding Kamui—didn't think much of it. He just thought it was a convenient way to get around faster.
"Oh, I'm looking for a red-haired girl," Kakashi replied, pulling himself back from his thoughts. "She should be around the same age as Sister Kushina."
They weren't far from Kusagakure Village, so it wasn't long before the two arrived just outside its borders.
"Obito, we shouldn't expose our identities here. Put on your disguise and go investigate. Stay hidden."
"Got it. Afei, let's go!"
Obito summoned Afei from Kamui space and let it attach to him like a cloak, disappearing underground.
—
About thirty minutes later, Obito emerged from the earth with a furious expression.
"Kakashi, I found her. That red-haired sister… Damn those guys!"
"Oh? Did she have red hair like Kushina-senpai?" Kakashi asked calmly, though he had a sinking feeling about what Obito had seen.
"No, it's not just that—she's pregnant!" Obito growled. "Kakashi, the Kusagakure ninjas are lining up to drain her chakra! One by one, like parasites!"
So… she was pregnant?
Could it be that Karin hadn't been born yet?
Kakashi had no idea about Karin's exact age. He had assumed she had fled to Kusagakure, but maybe her mother had come here while still pregnant—trying to escape the war.
And her father? What had happened to him?
Regardless, Kakashi had originally planned to act after nightfall, but with this revelation, there was no time to wait.
"Obito, didn't Madara teach you genjutsu?"
"Yeah, lots of it."
"Good. Use it to control the guards when we rescue her. She's pregnant—I might lose control if I see that scene myself. We don't want to scare her."
Obito clenched his fists. "I'll handle it. I'm itching to teach those guys a lesson."
If you could still be considered human after torturing a pregnant woman, what kind of monster would you have to be?
—
Inside a crumbling thatched house, Kana Uzumaki—her red hair dulled by exhaustion—lay silently staring at the broken ceiling. A Kusagakure shinobi hovered over her, sinking his teeth into her flesh and sucking out her warm, sweet chakra.
"Hurry it up, Cao Yi!" another shinobi behind him snapped. "There's a line!"
"What's the rush? Can't you see my arm's broken? I need more chakra to heal it," Cao Yi muttered while keeping his bite locked on Kana's shoulder.
"Ugh, it's just a scratch," another cursed, covering his mouth in anticipation. "I've had a toothache for two days, and I'm next. Let me cool my gums!"
Suddenly, space twisted open in front of them.
Two masked figures appeared in a ripple of distorted air.
"You—!"
Before they could finish their sentence, a pair of scarlet Sharingan eyes flared. The ground spun, the ceiling melted from view, and the Kusagakure shinobi collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
Kana's numb gaze shifted into panic.
"Who… who are you?" she gasped, her body trembling.
"Don't be afraid," Kakashi said softly, kneeling beside her. "We're here to rescue you."
"Rescue me?" Kana's eyes narrowed with suspicion and fear. "We've never met. Why would I trust you?"
"We have a friend from the Uzumaki clan, just like you. Her name is Kushina. That's why we came looking for you," Kakashi explained gently.
"An Uzumaki… still alive?" Kana's voice wavered between disbelief and longing.
"Yes. Uzumaki Kushina lives in Konoha. She's married to one of Konoha's top jōnin. If you come with us, you and your child won't have to suffer anymore," Kakashi reassured her.
"But why should I believe you?" Kana's voice trembled. Though deeply moved, hesitation still weighed heavily on her heart.
Kusagakure had treated her like livestock. She had long resigned herself to a bleak fate—one where even death would be a relief. However, she had struck a deal with Kusagakure's leaders: in exchange for her own life, her unborn child would be spared and accepted into the village.
But what if this was a trick? What if these two strangers were worse?
"Sister, we really do want to help you," Obito said sincerely, his voice filled with compassion. His eyes met hers—not with pity, but with understanding.
That was what changed everything.
Kana's senses—the ones all Uzumaki possessed, keen enough to detect lies and malice—told her that Obito's heart was pure. His emotions weren't a facade.
"Alright… I'll trust you."
She made her decision. For her child, she had to take the risk. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a future for them both.
Kakashi blinked in surprise. Wait, she believed Obito just like that?
He had spoken so sincerely, yet one line from Obito had sealed the deal?
Is it because I'm not handsome enough? Kakashi wondered, his face unreadable.
"Obito, send her into Kamui space. I'll take care of things here," Kakashi said grimly, his tone darkening as he noticed the bite marks all over Kana's arms, legs, and shoulders.
"Understood."
Obito gently helped Kana into Kamui space.
"Kakashi, what are you going to do?"
Without replying, Kakashi hoisted the unconscious shinobi onto his shoulders and used the Mayfly Technique to vanish underground.
Three minutes later, he reappeared, dusting off his hands casually.
"All done. I buried them 500 meters deep. No one's finding them."
Obito flinched slightly. That's just straight-up burying them alive.
Then he nodded with admiration. "Well done."
"Let's head back."
"Right."
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