Obito lay on the ground, gagging and vomiting, while the Mist-nin he had stabbed bled out in a pool of crimson.
Not far away, Rin couldn't hold back her nausea either. She bent over, retching, tears welling up in her eyes.
Kakashi remained silent for a moment, but eventually he gagged a little himself before muttering in irritation,
"Obito… couldn't you have finished him off quickly instead of struggling for ten minutes first?"
Ryoma sighed inwardly. Obito was still painfully green, but at least he managed to complete the kill. Perhaps this bloody baptism would force them to harden up. Still… was it too much to expect from kids their age?
But then Obito raised his head. His eyes, blood-red, now bore two tomoe spinning in his pupils.
The Sharingan!
"...What the hell?" Ryoma blinked in surprise.
So Obito's shock had been enough to awaken it?
Kakashi, who had been ready to complain more, froze when he saw Obito's eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Did Sensei Ryoma… arrange this on purpose? The image of their teacher instantly grew larger in Kakashi's mind.
Rin hurried over, her voice full of concern.
"Obito, are you alright?"
"What do you mean 'alright'?" Obito muttered, still dazed. He didn't even realize what had happened until he caught a glimpse of his reflection.
"No way… I can actually see the flow of chakra. This is the Sharingan!"
Kakashi frowned, a twinge of envy crossing his face.
"I heard the Sharingan can cast genjutsu. Can you use it?"
Obito puffed out his chest and smirked.
"Of course I can."
"Then prove it," Kakashi pressed.
"Hmph. If I do, you'll probably faint. Better not."
Ryoma rolled his eyes. This kid… already bragging after barely awakening it. Truly the so-called child of destiny—only someone like him could unlock it this way.
The three continued bickering all the way until they reached the Fire Country's border.
Before them lay a bay with a long bridge stretching across to the opposite shore—the Land of Water. A cluster of islands lay off the continent's eastern side, linked by three or four such bridges.
This one, however, was cloaked in heavy fog. The mist was tinged faintly red, thick enough that even a hand in front of one's face would vanish.
The dreaded Bloody Mist.
No wonder they said Kirigakure was perpetually shrouded in blood.
"Sensei, the bridge ahead is completely covered in fog," Rin said nervously. "Should we really go in?"
Ryoma nodded.
"Unless you feel like swimming, we don't have a choice."
Kakashi frowned.
"There might be enemies waiting."
Ryoma's tone was calm, almost dismissive.
"So what? Enemy or not, we still have to cross."
Obito squinted through the haze, but his new eyes made his head swim.
"There's someone up there…"
Rin's eyes widened with hope.
"Obito, you can see them?"
"Sort of. I can faintly make out chakra flows. Looks like the Mist-nin from earlier."
But as he shifted his stance, Obito nearly tripped over his own feet.
"Obito, what's wrong?" Rin asked quickly.
"It's fine…" Obito muttered.
Ryoma cut in dryly.
"Don't overuse the Sharingan. Push it too hard, and you'll go blind."
"W-what? Sensei, don't scare me like that!" Obito turned pale.
"I'm not scaring you. Spend more time training your ninjutsu and taijutsu. That'll do you more good."
The boy's brief pride deflated instantly. Blindness? That can't be true… I've never heard of that. Sensei must be lying, probably jealous I awakened the Sharingan!
In truth, Ryoma couldn't recall the finer details, but he was fairly certain it was accurate. Still, Obito's Sharingan would be useful—as a lookout, if nothing else. Kamui? That was a long way off.
"Where exactly is the enemy?" Ryoma asked.
"There. Right above the bridge."
Ryoma groaned.
"Then just say it. Don't stand there pointing dramatically—you'll scare them off."
Kakashi snorted.
"Idiot."
"Ugh!"
Obito nearly collapsed. He had just awakened the Sharingan—only to be mocked for it.
"Sensei Ryoma, you're the devil…" he muttered pitifully.
As he spoke, the thick fog over the bridge began to thin, revealing the path ahead.
Ryoma shrugged.
"See? Told you—you scared them off."
Unconvinced, Obito puffed out his chest.
"Sensei, that's called victory without fighting! Ever heard of the Book of Soldiers?"
Ryoma gave him a flat look.
"You're lecturing me on military strategy? Have you even read The Art of War? Or Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"
Obito blinked blankly.
"…What's that?"
Ryoma sighed.
"Exactly what I thought. Don't act like you know what you're talking about."
With a chuckle, he flicked Obito's forehead, leaving a red mark on the boy's skin.
"Let's go."
Just as they started across the bridge, the ground suddenly rippled—and three strange humanoid figures rose out of the earth.
"Wha—Teacher!" Rin gasped in shock.
Before their eyes, the three pale bodies merged, twisting together into a single monstrous white figure covered in spikes.
Even Obito, newly awakened Sharingan spinning in his eyes, looked ready to cry.
Ryoma's lips twitched. You just killed a man, and now you're terrified of this?
But as he studied the creature, his expression hardened. This was no ordinary enemy.
That white…
Ever since leaving Konoha, Ryoma had felt something missing—something watching.
And now he understood. The creature before them was none other than White Zetsu.
So when he fused Hashirama's character card, he had drawn attention. Uchiha Madara's shadow hadn't ignored him after all… it had been silently observing all along.
...
TN:
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