"No need." Shine raised his hand to stop him, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable authority. "The Hidden Mist has just undergone a change in leadership, and their border defenses are tight. Blindly sending people to search will only lead to unnecessary casualties."
He paused and added, "I've already ordered Yue to expand the reconnaissance range. Once their traces are found, I'll report it immediately. The most important thing right now is to stabilize the defense line and prevent the Hidden Mist from launching a surprise attack."
Nara Shikaku pondered for a moment, feeling that while Shine's words were cold, they made sense.
The Hidden Mist had been moving frequently lately, and since Yagura had just succeeded the throne, he would surely be eager to establish his prestige. It was indeed not the time to split their forces.
"Fine, let's wait a bit longer then. But Yue must speed up the reconnaissance. Report any news immediately."
"I will give the orders." Shine nodded slightly, then turned and walked toward his tent, leaving Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Fugaku standing there with different expressions.
Fugaku watched Shine's departing back, his heart filled with unease.
He always felt Shine was hiding something, but he couldn't find any evidence. He could only pray in his heart that Kakashi and Rin were safe.
After returning to his tent, Shine immediately closed his eyes and established a connection with Yue through Chakra.
"Kakashi is still unconscious at the altar. Send someone to meet him secretly and bring him back to camp without making a scene," he ordered in a low voice. "Also, keep a close eye on the Hidden Mist Village's movements, especially Yagura's reaction and Uchiha Obito's whereabouts."
"Understood, Lord."
Shine opened his eyes, a hint of calculation flashing within them.
Kakashi had to come back alive—his Mangekyo Sharingan was an important variable. Keeping him around might help restrain Obito in the future.
As for Obito's whereabouts, it concerned Madara's next plan; he had to keep track of it at all times.
Outside the tent, the night grew darker, and the lights in the camp lit up one by one.
The sound of patrolling footsteps and the whispers of Ninjas intertwined. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, undercurrents were surging.
No one knew that a tragedy capable of changing the fate of the Ninja World had already concluded deep within the Hidden Mist.
Even fewer knew that the seemingly cold Uchiha Ninja was standing at the center of the chessboard, manipulating everything.
Shine sat at his desk, took out a route map to the Hidden Rain Village, and lightly traced his finger across the scroll.
Kakashi's return was only a matter of time, and his next move was about to begin. The storm of the Ninja World had only just started.
The next morning, before the morning mist of the Kirigakure Battlefield had fully dissipated, a series of hurried footsteps came from the camp entrance.
"Quick! Find a Medical Ninja! We have a severely wounded person here!"
Several Konoha Ninjas returning from patrol carried a simple stretcher, rushing into the camp with solemn faces. Lying on the stretcher was Kakashi Hatake, who had been missing for the night.
The news spread through the camp like it had wings. Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Fugaku arrived immediately. Shine also stepped slowly out of his tent, his expression still calm, but his gaze landed precisely on Kakashi on the stretcher.
Kakashi lay on the stretcher without any Life Qi. His white combat uniform was soaked in blood and torn in many places, revealing the gruesome wounds underneath.
His left arm was wrapped in thick cloth, but blood continued to seep out, indicating he had been through a brutal battle.
The most striking thing was his left eye. The eyepatch that originally covered it was gone. Beneath his tightly closed eyelid, a faint crimson glow seemed to flash for an instant, making it hard to discern.
His brow was tightly furrowed, his face as pale as paper, and his lips were parched. Even in his coma, a trace of hidden pain and despair remained on his face, as if he were trapped in an endless nightmare from which he could never wake.
"Kakashi!" Fugaku stepped forward quickly and checked his breathing. After feeling a weak breath, he let out a slight sigh of relief. "He's still breathing! Get him to the medical tent, quickly!"
"Where's Rin? Where is Rin?" Nara Shikaku looked around, but seeing no sign of Rin Nohara, the unease in his heart grew stronger. He grabbed a Ninja carrying the stretcher and asked urgently, "When you found Kakashi, did you see Rin Nohara?"
The Ninja's face showed a trace of guilt and sorrow. "Lord Shikaku, we found Lord Kakashi near the altar on the Hidden Mist border. The place was a mess, covered in the corpses of Kirigakure Anbu, but... but there was no sign of Young Miss Rin. We only found this."
He pulled a blood-stained medical scroll from his vest—the very one Rin always carried with her.
The scroll was damaged and stained with dried blood, clearly having been through a fierce struggle.
The moment he saw the scroll, Nara Shikaku's face turned deathly pale.
The Kirigakure Anbu were wiped out, Kakashi was severely wounded and unconscious, and Rin's whereabouts were unknown. What this meant was self-evident.
The Ninjas in the camp also broke into a commotion, whispering among themselves.
"Young Miss Rin couldn't have... right?"
"The area around the altar was full of Anbu corpses, and Lord Kakashi is injured like this. I'm afraid Young Miss Rin..."
"What on earth happened? Why did the Kirigakure Anbu target them?"
Emotions of sadness and anxiety spread through the camp. Even the most optimistic Ninjas had gloom written all over their faces.
Rin's gentleness and kindness were deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts, and Kakashi's reputation as a Genius was known to all. This pair of young boy and girl who fought side by side was the spiritual anchor for many Ninjas in the camp. Seeing them end up like this weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
Itachi also squeezed through the crowd. Looking at the severely wounded Kakashi on the stretcher, his small fists clenched tightly.
He could feel the aura of despair coming from Kakashi and saw the strange fluctuations in his left eye. His desire for power grew even stronger—if he were strong enough, perhaps he could protect those around him and prevent them from suffering such tragedies.
Standing on the periphery of the crowd, Shine watched all this without a ripple in his eyes.
He knew perfectly well that Rin was dead, killed by Kakashi's Chidori, and that the unconscious boy before him had already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan in his left eye, forming a unique pair of pupils with Uchiha Obito, who was far away in the shadows.
He also knew that Obito, in the end, did not strike.
Just like in the original story, even though he hated to the extreme and had completely turned to the dark side, Obito did not kill Kakashi, nor did he take back the Sharingan he had gifted him.
Perhaps it was a lingering bond, perhaps he wanted Kakashi to live forever in pain and self-reproach, or perhaps it was Madara's deliberate arrangement. Whatever the reason, Kakashi survived, and that Sharingan, which carried the memories and tragedy of the three of them, remained in Kakashi's eye socket...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808