Chapter 61: Crisis, Escape

Everything happened too fast.

When the boulder collapsed, Kakashi and Rin turned around, their faces pale with shock.

"Obito, what's going on?!" Rin cried out.

"Enemies!"

Kakashi quickly drew the sword, scanning the area around them.

It wasn't just them who were caught off guard.

Hidden in the shadows, a shinobi known as Hibikawa watched the scene unfold, his expression changing drastically.

You've got to be kidding me.

In just one exchange, their comrade Daiseki was taken out by a mere kid?

Retreat!

Hibikawa knew he had to relay this information back to their base. Letting these monstrously talented kids run amok behind enemy lines was not an option.

His eyes were locked on them, every muscle tensed. Under the cover of his Earth Release, he began to withdraw cautiously.

But just then, the boy who had taken out Daiseki turned his gaze in Hibikawa's direction.

Those scarlet Sharingan eyes locked onto him like a predator on its prey.

He noticed me!

Hibikawa's heart sank. No longer bothering to hide, he launched an attack with all his might.

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears!"

Behind him, the ground surged upward as jagged stone spears flew toward the trio with deadly precision.

Obito shouted, "Kakashi, cover me!"

Without hesitation, Kakashi leaped in front of him, slamming his palms onto the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A solid earthen wall rose up, blocking the incoming spears.

That brief moment was all Obito needed. His hands flew through a series of seals at lightning speed.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"

Massive stone spikes, each half a meter thick, erupted from the ground in front of the earthen wall, shooting toward Hibikawa.

Hibikawa wasn't quick enough to dodge completely. One spear grazed his side, and he staggered back with a muffled grunt.

"Damn brats!" he spat through gritted teeth.

Stumbling, he reached into his pouch, fumbling for a signal flare.

The earthen wall crumbled as the chakra sustaining it faded. With their view cleared, both Obito and Kakashi saw Hibikawa's desperate movements.

"He's trying to signal his allies! Stop him!" Obito shouted, his voice laced with urgency.

Deep in enemy territory, their survival depended on staying undetected.

Kakashi didn't need the reminder. He was already moving, his blade slicing toward Hibikawa.

At the same time, Obito completed his strongest jutsu.

"Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!"

Glowing molten orbs shot forward, cutting off all possible escape routes.

Hibikawa, injured and cornered, barely managed to evade Kakashi's blade, but not entirely—his shoulder was nicked.

"To think… I, Hibikawa, would be pushed to this point by mere kids…" he muttered bitterly, retreating further.

Kakashi landed a short distance away, watching Hibikawa with predatory focus, ready to strike again at any moment.

The molten orbs closed in, heat waves rippling through the air. Hibikawa could feel their searing intensity.

Faced with no way out, Hibikawa's mind raced. He had two choices.

He could launch the signal flare and die under the onslaught of lava. Or he could dodge the lava, temporarily preserving his life but ultimately dying at the hands of these two.

Either way, the outcome was grim.

With a heavy sigh, Hibikawa made his decision.

He fired the signal flare into the sky.

Boom!

The next moment, molten rock crashed down, burying him beneath its fiery weight.

But even in death, a faint smile of satisfaction lingered on his lips.

Whoosh!

The flare soared high into the air, bursting in a brilliant display of light.

The three young shinobi looked up, their hearts sinking.

"This guy… he'd rather die than let his comrades remain unaware," Obito muttered, staring at Hibikawa's smoldering grave, his expression conflicted.

Their destinies seemed to have swapped places in an instant.

[System Notification: Choice successful! Reward obtained: 0.3 chakra points.]

The reward registered, but Obito felt no joy.

They were about to face a grimmer reality than the original timeline. This time, there might be ten teams—possibly even a hundred—hunting them down.

"Retreat! Abandon the mission!" Kakashi barked.

The three turned and fled back into the forest, retracing their path with desperate speed. Survival was now their only goal.

The wind carried ominous whispers, the sound of pursuit growing louder behind them.

Panic gripped the trio as they picked up their pace.

But before long, rustling noises emerged from the tree ahead of them.

Obito cried out, "We're screwed! Barbecue time!"

With ambushes ahead and pursuers behind, they were trapped in a lethal pincer attack.

Rin gripped her kunai tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Kakashi silently deployed a shadow clone, the real him creeping forward cautiously.

When the figures ahead came into view, both sides froze in surprise.

"You?! What are you doing here?!"

The three stood stunned, their eyes meeting those of unexpected allies—or perhaps, enemies.

[System Update: Incoming crisis detected...]

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