Kannabi Bridge (11)

Kakashi stood in place, stunned as the enemy fell dead before him. He hadn't expected a Jonin to die so easily, especially at Obito's hand.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi," Obito panted heavily. "Minato-sensei told me about your father, but I really don't think he was wrong."

Obito's Sharingan deactivated, having drained a significant amount of his chakra.

"Huh," Kakashi was briefly surprised by the revelation but quickly regained his composure. Looking at his injured arm, he pulled out a medical kit and began bandaging his wound while speaking to Obito.

"If you're determined to check on the others before completing the mission, go meet up with Rin and then finish our mission as soon as possible."

"What about you?" Obito asked, noticing Kakashi's poor condition.

"I can't move for now, but don't worry. You defeated the enemy, and I'll be fine on my own."

"No, I've already told you I won't leave you alone," Obito insisted. He recalled how Kakashi had always pushed him away during enemy attacks, even losing an eye because of it. "You say ninjas don't need emotions, but you've been saving me all this time. It's clear you do care."

Kakashi looked conflicted. "My body moved on its own... It has nothing to do with you..."

"Kakashi, you…" Obito was at a loss for words.

"No need to say anything," Kakashi said, shaking his head. Trembling, he stood up after finishing the bandaging. "Go meet Rin and complete the mission. That's an order…"

Before Kakashi could finish, Obito punched him in the gut. Caught off guard, Kakashi couldn't dodge and fell unconscious due to his injuries.

Obito quickly caught him before he hit the ground. "I told you, Kakashi, I'm not leaving you behind," he said softly, adjusting Kakashi so he could carry him more easily. "We'll get through this together," he whispered, more to himself than to his unconscious friend, before heading toward the location he had marked, hoping Rin was okay.

Thankfully, he didn't encounter any enemies along the way and quickly met up with Rin and Yami, who were heading his way.

Seeing them alive brought a huge sigh of relief to Obito, but he nearly dropped Kakashi when he noticed Rin's injury.

After ensuring Rin wasn't in danger, he handed her Kakashi for her to heal him and pulled Yami aside.

"I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have met that Jonin and Kakashi wouldn't have..." Obito's eyes were still a little red from crying on the way here. However, he remembered the rule that ninjas cannot shed tears, so he stopped himself.

"Thank you for keeping your word and taking care of Rin," Obito said sincerely, bowing.

"You don't have to do that; she's my teammate," Yami replied casually, waving off Obito's gratitude. He then asked what had happened, curious about Kakashi's serious injuries while Obito appeared unscathed.

Yami nodded as he listened to Obito's narration, understanding that Kakashi had used his body to protect Obito.

He wasn't surprised by Obito awakening his Sharingan; he knew that would happen and instead wanted to see if things developed the same way as in the series.

"Kakashi...is not in danger of death," Rin said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"His arm was only dislocated, and it's been fixed now, but his eye..." The damage to Kakashi's left eye was too severe, and there was no possibility of regaining sight.

Rin never thought that Kakashi would be injured so seriously. Instead, it was the unreliable Obito who finally exploded and defeated the enemy.

"Kakashi..."

After hearing that Kakashi's eyes could not be restored, Obito looked at Kakashi lying on the grass with a look of self-blame.

"Obito..."

Just when Obito was feeling heartbroken, Kakashi finally raised his eyelids, then used his intact hand to support his body and sat up.

"How long have I slept?" he asked.

"Don't worry, it's only been a few hours," Rin said, handing him a water bottle.

Obito knelt beside Kakashi. "I'm sorry for punching you, Kakashi, but I couldn't leave you behind."

Kakashi shook his head. "It's fine, Obito. We need to finish the mission."

'Apparently, Kakashi couldn't escape the fate of his eye injury,' Yami thought. By saving Rin, he had hoped the mission would deviate from the original plot, but seeing Kakashi injured in the same manner made him realize he hadn't changed much. No, he might have even made things worse.

Without Rin being kidnapped as originally intended, Yami had no idea how the mission would unfold. Anything could happen, so he became more alert and carefully planned their next move using the information extracted from Kita.

"Then it should still be in time now," Kakashi said, ignoring the concerns of Obito and Rin, as he struggled to stand up.

"How far is this place from the Kannabi Bridge?" Kakashi asked.

"Not far. If we walk at a normal speed for about half a day, we will be almost there," Yami replied, having already studied the map while Kakashi was unconscious.

"Then let's go now."

"No more rest?" Obito asked, still a little worried about Kakashi's current health.

"It's okay, my legs and feet are not injured." After trying to move his body, Kakashi found that his eyes were the most seriously injured, and his arms were almost fine.

"All right." Rin checked Kakashi's injuries again, then nodded helplessly to everyone.

Yami approached Kakashi holding up a scroll. "We extracted some crucial information from Kita. The enemy's intelligence and locations."

Kakashi glanced at the scroll in surprise. "Good job," he said, nodding at Yami.

Obito hesitated. "Should we continue with our plan to split and regroup?"

Yami shook his head. "No, we know their locations now. It's better to stay together. We can protect each other more effectively."

Kakashi considered this for a moment. "What do you all think?"

Rin nodded. "I agree with Yami. Staying together is safer."

Obito clenched his fists. "Let's do it. Together."

"Let's scout the area first. Although we successfully defeated the enemy before, there is a base of the Iwa Village here after all. There may be other enemies approaching us," Kakashi said as he jumped onto the top of a large tree.

"Yes," Obito and Rin also dispersed in other directions. In an instant, everyone returned to task mode.

"After losing his eye, he finally became more stable than before..." Yami thought, observing the changes in Kakashi's expression and temperament after he woke up.

With Yami's information, they managed to avoid several patrols and infiltrated deep into enemy territory. They moved cautiously, each step bringing them closer to their goal.

But just as they were only a few miles away from the bridge, Yami suddenly tensed. "Stop," he whispered urgently.

Everyone froze. "What is it?" Kakashi asked.

Yami's eyes narrowed. "There are several presences around us and they're heading our way."

"Huh, how many?" Kakashi quickly asked.

"Ten."

"What."

"Shit, were we heading toward a trap? How could they gather this many and wait for us?"

"I don't know, but I guess the enemy had a sensor with them."

Yami didn't know how they managed to set a trap without him noticing. Narrowing his eyes, he thought, 'Could Zetsu be behind this?'

***

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