"I can't move my body at all..."
"My consciousness is starting to fade too... Damn it..."
Kakashi's mind raced with alarm, but his body remained paralyzed. Killing the Rock Ninja leader had pushed him to his absolute limit.
"It's over! Teacher hasn't arrived yet!"
Kakashi murmured inwardly, his voice tinged with despair and bitter resentment.
Perhaps it was this burning resentment that rekindled a sliver of his strength, or perhaps it was sheer willpower that forced his body to move. Before the other Rock Ninja could strike, Kakashi shoved the leader's corpse aside, using the momentum to propel himself backward.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade Technique!"
As Kakashi landed back on the tree trunk, a Rock Ninja seized the opportunity and unleashed a Wind Release attack.
Kakashi sensed the attack, but he lacked the strength to evade it.
"Kakashi..."
Seeing the wind blade hurtling toward Kakashi, Rin's eyes widened in terror. With a cry, she threw her slender body in front of him, shielding him from the attack.
"No..."
Kakashi's heart surged with fury and despair. He couldn't bear it—Obito had just died, and now Rin was about to be killed protecting him!
A searing pain shot through Kakashi's left Sharingan eye. Darkness engulfed his vision as he lost consciousness.
Unbeknownst to Kakashi, in the final moment before he collapsed, a third black tomoe had appeared in his left Sharingan eye, transforming it into a three-tomoe Sharingan. But as he fell unconscious, the newly manifested tomoe vanished once more.
***
The moment Kakashi opened his eyes, he knew he wasn't dead. Minato Namikaze must have arrived just in time to save him!
"Teacher! What about Rin?"
Kakashi didn't even glance at the future Fourth Hokage, Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze. He immediately blurted out the question.
His breath hitched. He dreaded hearing bad news. How could such a kind girl lose her life trying to save him?
Kakashi didn't bother asking about the Rock Ninja's fate. He knew Minato Namikaze had already slaughtered them all.
At that moment, the soul dominating Kakashi's consciousness was no longer the original Kakashi's.
Before Kakashi stood Minato Namikaze, a handsome young man with piercing eyes. His expression froze instantly at Kakashi's question.
"Kakashi, Rin... she..."
"What about Rin?" Kakashi pressed urgently.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi. It's all my fault for arriving too late..."
Hearing Minato's words, Kakashi's pupils trembled. He suddenly realized that the moment Rin had shielded him from the attack, he had fallen in love with her.
"...which led to Obito's death and both you and Rin being critically injured!"
"Rin isn't dead? Where is she now?"
Hearing Minato Namikaze's words, Kakashi's expression immediately shifted to surprise and joy. He glanced around and finally noticed Rin lying beside him, something he hadn't realized until now.
In Kakashi's eyes, Rin lay still, her delicate and sweet face pale. A faint trace of pain lingered between her brows, causing Kakashi's heart to tremble slightly.
"Rin was already severely injured when I arrived," Minato explained. "She had shielded your unconscious body with her own. After I eliminated the enemies, she treated her wounds and has been unconscious ever since. She also told me what happened."
"You are both heroes of the village!"
Minato's voice continued, offering words of comfort to Kakashi.
"Yes, Teacher," Kakashi replied, though the words brought him little joy. Whether he was a hero of the village meant little to him at this moment. All he cared about was Rin's safety.
After speaking, Kakashi quietly gazed at the unconscious Rin, his mind racing with thoughts.
Seeing Kakashi's silence, Minato assumed he was still reeling from the shock and didn't press further. He cast a gentle glance at the pair before turning to look toward Konoha, his own thoughts drifting into contemplation.
**End of Chapter**