To what extent can the power of love reach?
In Obito's case, it manifested as this: the massive boulder sealing the cave, which he had spent nearly half a year pounding against without so much as chipping, was sent flying by a single headbutt the moment he heard Rin was nearby and in danger.
Of course, it helped that he was "wearing" Guruguru at the time.
He sprinted with such explosive speed that even the White Zetsu couldn't keep up, though perhaps they were "falling behind" on purpose. Fortunately, Guruguru, being a White Zetsu himself, was attached to Obito to act as a living GPS.
"Kakashi, you promised me! You said you'd protect her even if it cost you your life!"
"Minato-sensei, why... why are you always unable to make it in time when it matters most?"
In truth, much of Obito's resentment and irritation toward Minato stemmed from Minato's "speed." The Yellow Flash had inherited the Second Hokage's title as the "Fastest in the Shinobi World." Yet, back at Kannabi Bridge, he hadn't arrived in time.
Obito hadn't held a grudge then, partly because he was the one who got hurt, and partly because he had been the one to suggest he and Minato split up. But this time, since it concerned Rin, Obito felt a surge of dissatisfaction and hatred toward Minato for the first time.
Even so, it was still just a grievance, the kind close friends or students might feel toward a mentor. That grievance only curdled into true, blackened hatred when he arrived shortly after to witness Kakashi's fist punching a hole straight through Rin.
In that instant, Kakashi and Minato, once his closest friend and teacher, ceased to be his comrades.
Tension, anxiety, and dread weighed heavily on Obito's heart as he traversed the landscape. He couldn't stop the intrusive thoughts, worrying that something had gone wrong, worrying he wouldn't make it.
"It's okay. Kakashi is strong. He'll definitely protect Rin."
"How should I explain it to them when we meet? Hahaha, I'll just say that great misfortune brings great rewards!"
"When I get back, I'm definitely having a bowl of ramen. Then I'll beat Kakashi and strive to become the Hokage!"
Obito kept running, constantly psyching himself up. He focused only on the "good things," a form of self-hypnosis to stave off the panic.
…
On the other side, Kakashi was leading Rin in a desperate flight. A large number of Kirigakure Anbu were relentlessly pursuing them.
"Our intel was definitely leaked. This is the Land of Rain, why are there so many Mist ninja here? Minato-sensei's side was a trap!" Kakashi grit his teeth, his brow furrowed.
Rin felt a sense of despair and agony. Madara had placed a Forbidden Individual Curse Tag on her heart; she couldn't take her own life. She now knew that during her captivity, the Three-Tails, Isobu, had been sealed within her.
Kirigakure's original plan was to let her return to Konoha and then release the Three-Tails, bringing unprecedented chaos and disaster to the village. Kakashi had managed to rescue her before the final stage of the plan... or so he thought.
Soon, the Mist Anbu caught up, surrounding Kakashi and Rin on a rainy plain. The environment of the Land of Rain was perfect for Kirigakure; their mastery of Water Release found a natural home in the wet climate.
"Dammit!!!" Kakashi cursed under his breath, looking at the surrounding Anbu. If they couldn't run, they would have to kill their way out.
A flash of ruthless resolve crossed Kakashi's eyes. A bolt of lightning crackled in his palm.
Chidori!
The chirping roar of the lightning reached the battlefield, snapping Rin out of her daze. She suddenly realized something: Kakashi "rescuing" her was part of the Mist's plan. Kakashi didn't know she was the Three-Tails Jinchūriki yet. If they returned to Konoha together, the Mist's plan would succeed. Both she and Kakashi would become the villains who destroyed their own home.
"Rin, stay safe! I'm going to take them out!" Kakashi shouted. He lunged forward, his Chidori surging with lethal power toward an Anbu member.
But at that moment, a figure appeared in his line of sight that shouldn't have been there. His Sharingan spun wildly. With his skill, he should have been able to stop his momentum.
But it was too sudden—it was Rin. He had no guard up against her; he never imagined she would throw herself in front of him. By the time he realized what was happening, the Chidori was past the point of no return.
Squelch—
The sensation was terrifyingly familiar. Having fought through the Great War, Kakashi had lost count of how many shinobi he had killed with this move. He knew the feeling of his hand piercing a body and shredding a heart.
But this time, there was no surge of victory. Instead, he froze in horror.
"Rin!?" Kakashi stared at the scene in utter disbelief.
His own Chidori... had killed the person he swore to protect?
"Ka... Kakashi..." Rin's eyes filled with tears, her face etched with pain. Simply calling his name drained her of her remaining strength as her life force ebbed away.
Hearing his name, Kakashi's face was instantly drenched in tears. "Why... why...?" he asked himself repeatedly.
The shock shattered Kakashi's psyche. He was a complex person, once obsessed with whether his father's "failure" was right or wrong until Obito's words woke him up. Since then, he cherished his comrades above all else. Especially Rin, both because they were close and because he had promised Obito. He also carried a secret guilt for having once considered abandoning her for the sake of the mission.
And now, he had personally pierced her heart.
Kakashi despairingly withdrew his arm from Rin's chest; the glow of the Chidori faded. He reached out to catch her, but his strength failed him. At that moment, his two-tomoe Sharingan bled and transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Perhaps it was the mental collapse, or the immense strain of the awakening, but he couldn't hold on. Rin, the girl who was always smiling, the girl Obito entrusted to him, fell backward like a broken doll. Blood stained the ground and the world around them crimson.
"Rin..." Kakashi whispered in agony before his consciousness gave out and he collapsed into a coma.
The surrounding Mist Anbu were stunned for a moment. Their relentless pursuit had been a tactic to pressure the pair back toward Konoha. This "encirclement" had actually been quite loose; they would have let Kakashi fight his way out.
But... how did this happen? The core of the plan, the girl holding the Three-Tails, was dead?
This tragic scene was witnessed not only by them but also by Obito, who had just reached the edge of the woods.
Kakashi...
Obito had seen it. He had seen Rin throw herself into Kakashi's lightning. But in this moment, he couldn't accept reality. His comrade, the friend he had entrusted with his most precious person, had killed the girl he loved with his own hand.
"RIN!!!" Obito let out a soul-shattering roar.
The White Zetsu structure within him went berserk. Jagged wooden spikes erupted violently from his body!
His howl snapped the Mist Anbu out of their confusion. They turned toward the forest.
"Who's there?"
"I don't know. The plan failed, but we have to take these two back!"
Obito didn't waste words. He charged.
Wood Release. Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Mist Anbu were no match for him. Despite having just awakened the Mangekyō, the power of Kamui felt as natural to him as breathing. He utilized it with a terrifying, intuitive mastery.
The awakening of an Uchiha's Mangekyō is often tied to their specific emotions at the time. Perhaps because Obito refused to accept reality, refused to acknowledge this cruel world and wanted to hide where no one could find him, he awakened the specific spatial-temporal power of Kamui.
It was in this situation that a slaughter began.
…
Not far away, two figures watched the carnage. One was Orochimaru, the other Diarmuid.
Orochimaru's eyes were wide with shock. "Wood Release... and a Sharingan!? What is that? The Mangekyō?"
"Yes, the Mangekyō," Diarmuid confirmed.
Seeing blades pass through Obito's body without leaving a scratch, Orochimaru became even more intrigued. "A Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
"Seems like it," Diarmuid replied. He then added, "Interesting. You once said the First Hokage's cells were incredibly aggressive and would consume anything they touched. Yet this Uchiha boy can endure them? Why?"
"There must be a power in him that allows for the Yin-Yang harmonization of the Wood Release cells. That power..." Orochimaru paused, then suddenly looked at Diarmuid. "The Sharingan!?"
"The answer is obvious, isn't it?" Diarmuid said softly.
Orochimaru recalled the story Diarmuid had told, that the Senju and Uchiha were originally from the same house. If that were the case, then Wood Release and the Sharingan, or rather, the Sage's Body and the Sharingan, were inherently compatible.
At this moment, even though Orochimaru hadn't yet met Itachi, his obsession with the Sharingan had been fully ignited. "Fascinating..." he whispered.
He then turned to Diarmuid. "The girl killed by Kakashi... is she the one you wanted to save?"
"Yes. Do you think there's any hope?" Diarmuid asked.
Orochimaru shook his head. "In the short term, I can preserve her soul and prevent it from departing to the Pure Land. But a pulverized heart... I have no solution for that. Perhaps Kakuzu could help."
"Kakuzu did mention there was a possibility," Diarmuid noted. After a pause, he continued, "So, if you protect her soul for now and we take the body back, maybe Kakuzu can do something? Meaning, she's still 'savable'?"
The Shinobi World was strange like that. Life and death were supposed to be absolute, yet they were often treated like a joke. Too many people, like Orochimaru, Madara, even Chiyo of the Sand, could subvert the boundary.
"There's a way to work with it. Reversing death... a fascinating research topic," Orochimaru said with a thin smile.
"Then I'll handle the Three-Tails. You handle the girl," Diarmuid decided.
With Rin dead, the Three-Tails, Isobu, was technically "gone," but its massive Chakra and lifeforce remained. It wouldn't dissipate instantly; even if it died, it would reform in a few years. But Diarmuid had no intention of waiting. To change the status quo, he would seal it before it could vanish.
There was still a chance.