Epilogue

After traveling for a while, Yami and the others had to stop because of Kakashi. The Sharingan was draining too much of his already low chakra. If he kept going without resting, he might die.

Fortunately, they were close to the rendezvous point where they were supposed to meet Minato if they failed to destroy the Kannabi Bridge or encountered too many enemies.

"Sensei is late. Do you think something bad happened to him?" Rin asked weakly. Obito's death still weighed heavily on her mind. She felt utterly useless, believing that if she hadn't been kidnapped, Obito and Kakashi wouldn't have fallen into the trap. She had been nothing more than a burden through the whole of this mission. And now, because of her, Obito was dead.

"Unless the enemy somehow trapped him in a barrier, nothing bad could have happened to Minato. We should just wait here; he'll find us himself," Yami replied, sitting on a branch while keeping his soul vision active.

Even though he could technically complete the mission alone using stealth mode, he was done taking risks. He had made a few mistakes on this mission that could have ended very badly for him.

'Man, I really wish I could work alone without a team to slow me down. That way, I could complete missions at my own pace or abandon them if they turned out to be more dangerous than reported, without having to deal with a self-righteous teammate.'

If he had gone on his own, he was sure he could have completed the mission easily using his stealth mode and staying away from Obito. But then again, if he hadn't faced the dangers of this mission, he might not have made progress with his Kekkei Genkai.

'I'll think about it later. Whether to stay in Minato's team or ask Hiruzen to let me work solo is still undecided.'

Just as he was lost in thought, he sensed a presence at the edge of his perception.

Swish.

A kunai embedded itself into a tree, followed by a sudden yellow flash as Minato appeared in front of them.

"Sensei!" Rin exclaimed.

Minato looked at his team, immediately noticing the dark expressions on their faces and the redness in Rin's eyes. But what made his heart sink was the Sharingan on Kakashi

After quickly scanning the area, he asked, "What happened? And where's Obito?"

Rin's eyes filled with tears again as she struggled to find the words. Kakashi looked away, his fists clenched tightly, unable to speak.

Yami, sensing the difficulty they were having, decided to speak up. "Obito didn't make it," he said quietly. "He was crushed under the rubble during the mission. Before he died, he asked Rin to transplant his Sharingan into Kakashi."

Minato's expression darkened, and he closed his eyes briefly, absorbing the news. "I see…," he said, his voice tinged with sorrow. He knew the risks of sending his students on such a dangerous mission, but losing one of them was something he hadn't fully prepared for. He hadn't allowed himself to imagine such a scenario happening to his team, but that didn't make the loss any easier to bear.

After taking a moment to comfort them, Minato asked, "Have you destroyed the bridge?"

"We were just about to go after I restored my chakra," Kakashi replied.

"Then, should we go and complete the mission now?" Rin asked, her voice trembling. She wanted to do it for Obito's sake.

"No," Minato said, surprising them. "You all stay here. I'll go on my own."

Kakashi and Rin tried to protest, but Minato flatly refused, not wanting to risk anything happening to them.

Yami, who had remained silent until now, sensed the turmoil in Minato's emotions despite his attempt to conceal it. He thought to himself, Is he about to commit the massacre? The one that made him one of the most feared shinobi in the world?

Yami recalled that Minato had once single-handedly stopped 1,000 Iwa shinobi, killing hundreds of them before they retreated. He didn't know if this was part of his mission or if it was driven by a desire for revenge for Obito.

As Yami watched them argue, he sighed and spoke up. "Minato, I think it's better to let them come with us."

The three of them turned to look at him, so he continued. "It'll give them a better sense of closure. They're doing this for Obito."

Minato looked at Yami thoughtfully. He could see the determination in Rin and Kakashi's eyes, even though they were still grieving. They needed something to hold onto, something to help them find purpose after what had happened.

Finally, Minato nodded. "Alright," he said softly. "But stay close to me, and don't take any unnecessary risks. We'll do this together, for Obito."

Rin and Kakashi both nodded, their resolve strengthened by Minato's decision.

With Minato leading the way, the four of them moved swiftly through the trees, heading towards the Kannabi Bridge. Any enemy they encountered was quickly taken out by Minato before they even had a chance to react. Whether it was Genin, chunin, or even Jonin, Minato handled them all, leaving no room for the rest of the team to act.

Unlike Kakashi and Rin, who seemed frustrated, Yami was actually pleased.

'So this is what it feels like to have a Kage-level Jonin on your team. It's pretty nice not having to do much and just letting someone else handle everything.'

When they finally arrived at the bridge, Minato wasted no time and quickly eliminated all the ninjas guarding it. Meanwhile, Kakashi, Rin, and Yami placed explosive tags at key points along the structure and its supports.

As Minato set the final tag, he turned to the others. "It's done. We need to move back to a safe distance before I detonate the charges."

They quickly retreated, and once they were far enough away, Minato formed a single-hand seal. In an instant, the Kannabi Bridge exploded in a fiery blaze, the sound echoing through the valley.

Rin's eyes filled with tears again, while Kakashi stared silently at the burning remains of the bridge, his new Sharingan reflecting the flames.

Minato stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Kakashi's and Rin's heads. "Obito's sacrifice wasn't in vain," he said softly. "He believed in all of you, and he'd want you to keep moving forward."

Kakashi lowered his head and stayed silent.

Rin wiped her tears and managed a small, determined smile. "We'll make sure his memory lives on."

Yami, not wanting to ruin the moment but feeling the need to ask, finally spoke up. "So, uh, what do we do now?"

The three of them turned to look at him with deadpan expressions.

"What?" Yami asked, confused.

Minato sighed. "I'm afraid I'll need to leave you soon," he said reluctantly.

"Huh? Why?" Rin asked.

"Before I arrived, I received a distress message. A group of Iwa ninjas snuck in from another area and are currently fighting a small force of Konoha ninjas. If I don't rush in, the enemy could invade."

"Then let us go with you, Sensei," Kakashi said, his voice filled with hatred at the mention of Iwa.

"No!" Minato refused firmly. "You'd only slow me down. If I take you, it'll be over by the time we get there."

Kakashi clenched his fists but didn't argue with Minato's reasoning.

"Then, will we separate now?" Rin asked.

"No," Minato shook his head. "I'll escort you to a safe place first, then I'll go."

Without waiting for them, Minato leaped through the trees, leaving them no choice but to follow.

Feeling relaxed, Yami finally took the chance to check his status and see if there were any changes.

****

Name: Yami Asano

Age: 13

Chakra Capacity: 4300/13500 (Chunin - Low)

Spiritual Energy: 5800/18700 (Chunin - Mid)

Strength: 69.9/500

Endurance: 62.5/500

Durability: 57.6/500

Agility: 99.1/500

Taijutsu: 124/500

Ninjutsu: 129/500

Genjutsu: 39/500

Bukijutsu: 59/500

Fuinjutsu: 140/500

Chakra Control: 88%

Spiritual Energy Control: 72%

Chakra Affinities:

Wind (nature transformation): 100%

Fire (nature transformation): 93%

Earth (nature transformation): 17%

Yin Release: 4.5%

Kekkei Genkai: Soru-Soru no Mi

*****

His spiritual energy and chakra had increased slightly, perhaps due to absorbing some from the souls he had connected to.

His physical abilities stayed mostly the same, but he noticed that his Ninjutsu and Genjutsu had improved a bit. Perhaps they were also affected by merging with that soul.

What stood out the most to him was the new Earth affinity he had gained. He didn't expect that just by absorbing a soul, he would gain so much from it.

Not only that, but he also had its memories, including a few earth-style jutsu.

He thought, 'By this logic, shouldn't I be able to master all the elements by absorbing other people's souls? And take their jutsu?'

But he quickly shook his head. Even though the method sounded plausible, he didn't forget the consequences. Absorbing that soul almost made him lose himself, so unless he found a way to cleanse the memories from the soul before absorbing it, he wouldn't do it.

'This needs more test subjects to find the right method.'

Without realizing it, Yami was slowly drifting toward Orochimaru's path.

***

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