Kakashi and the others didn't say much, but since Uchiha Feiyu had left Sakumo's soul sealed within the White Fang short blade, he quickly learned the full story through him.
The situation was almost exactly as Feiyu expected.
After patrolling a few rounds, Obito—experiencing a real battlefield for the first time—got overly excited and insisted on going out to search for enemies.
The Kakashi of this timeline was no longer the "mission-first, emotionless shinobi" from canon. against his better judgment, he actually let Obito talk him into it. As for Rin, her gentle personality made her anxious, but she ultimately didn't voice any objections.
To be fair, Obito wasn't being completely reckless. They had only gone slightly farther from the camp. Logically, the chance of running into enemy forces should've been low.
Yet fate—or whatever strange luck surrounded Kakashi and Obito—had other plans.
The moment they strayed just a bit too far, they ran head-on into a four-man Cloud squad.
And this wasn't a weak formation. Any Cloud four-man advance team typically consisted of:
one Special Jōnin
three Chunin
Not the kind of mid-level squad where a single Chunin babysat three Genin.
Kakashi was already strong enough to fight a Special Jōnin head-on. Obito could barely handle a Chunin. But Rin, despite her medical talent, was basically an above-average Genin in combat. The disparity in power was obvious.
Every veteran shinobi understood the rule:
"Kill the weakest first."
Eliminate the healer, snowball the advantage, then crush the rest.
So the moment the fight began, Rin was nearly killed.
At the critical moment, Sakumo possessed Kakashi's body and decapitated the Special Jōnin in one clean strike, turning the tide.
He also reported another important detail to Feiyu—
During Rin's moment of mortal danger, Obito awakened a single-tomoe Sharingan and counter-killed the Chunin attacking her.
This didn't surprise Feiyu at all. Obito might be an idiot in some areas, but when it came to the Sharingan, he was a once-in-a-generation monster.
In the original timeline, Obito awakened…
double tomoe the moment he opened his eyes
then jumped straight to Mangekyō the second time
Progress so fast that other Uchiha could only cry in the bathroom.
If Rin had been more seriously injured this time, and if Obito weren't still young and low on chakra, Feiyu suspected he might've awakened something even stronger.
As for Kakashi's dazed expression?
Of course he was shaken—being possessed by his dead father again would mess with anyone's head.
After learning what happened, Feiyu casually comforted the three and then allowed Sakumo's soul to return to the White Fang blade.
At this point, Sakumo's usefulness to Feiyu was limited. Better to let him stay with his son.
Every possession was the best form of guidance for Kakashi, and with his genius, a few more experiences would let him fully digest White Fang's techniques and become a true successor.
Even now, after one more possession, Kakashi already felt sharper—his aura more refined, faintly carrying the presence of a Jōnin.
After leaving his three rookies, Feiyu went straight to Orochimaru and handed over more than forty Cloud forehead protectors—hard-earned battle spoils.
Orochimaru glanced through them and praised casually:
"Nicely done, Feiyu. You were operating in the southeast, correct? Did you encounter the Third Raikage?"
Feiyu nodded.
"I did. Just like Minato-senpai said—he descended in a flash of light. Looked very similar to a space-time technique."
"Oh? Do you think he actually mastered space-time ninjutsu?"
Feiyu shrugged.
"I doubt it. Haven't you noticed? The Third Raikage has never personally used that technique in front of Leaf shinobi. We only ever see the result of him arriving."
Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.
"Indeed. It's likely a long-range transportation jutsu cast by someone else and applied to the Raikage. In that case, we don't need to worry about him using it in battle or escaping with it."
Feiyu sighed.
"That doesn't make it less troublesome. He can still use it for rapid deployment or sudden reinforcement."
Orochimaru chuckled and moved on.
"Since you saw him, did you fight him? How strong did he feel?"
Feiyu rolled his eyes.
"Teacher, if you want me dead just say it. Do I look insane enough to fight that monster? The moment he landed, I turned invisible and ran for my life!"
The smile on Orochimaru's face froze.
He knew this apprentice's shamelessness ran deep, but every time Feiyu revealed a new layer of it, Orochimaru felt the urge to cover his face.
Being afraid of death was fine—Orochimaru himself wasn't fearless.
But at least maintain some dignity!
He, Orochimaru, even while obsessively chasing immortality, had never once lost his air of superiority. Whether he could win was one thing—whether he looked cool was another.
Meanwhile, this disciple…
Punches weaklings with gusto. Runs like hell from strong enemies. And worst of all—
He feels absolutely no shame about it.
In fact, he seemed proud.
Orochimaru exhaled slowly and regained composure.
"So in other words, you have no assessment of his strength?"
Feiyu shrugged again.
"He's definitely stronger than me. If you fought him head-on, Teacher, you'd probably be in trouble too."
Orochimaru shook his head.
"No need to spare my pride. I'm not much stronger than you. In a direct confrontation, I would absolutely lose."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like we'll have to rely on forbidden techniques and secret methods to stall him. The strongest spear and the strongest shield… the Third Raikage truly lives up to the title of the strongest Raikage."
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