Chapter 31: What a Coincidence

Chapter 31: What a Coincidence

Using his exceptional sensory abilities to locate the enemy, Uchiha Dali noticed that they had suddenly stopped moving.

Before long, he arrived at his destination.

Peering through the branches and leaves of the forest, he saw that it was a cave.

On the surface, there was nothing unusual about it.

Inside the cave, there was only one presence—steady breathing, a normal heartbeat—but compared to the several presences hidden outside the cave, this one was noticeably weaker.

Uchiha Dali estimated that the person inside was barely at the level of a Chūnin.

Meanwhile, the presences concealed outside the cave were at least Jōnin-level.

He was curious—what exactly were these enemies plotting here?

At that moment, within his sensory range, two voices suddenly sounded.

"Kakashi, come with me to rescue Rin!"

"She's been captured by the enemy—she's in danger!!"

A young voice, still in the midst of puberty, rang out.

Hearing this, Uchiha Dali's eyes flickered slightly.

Then, another voice followed:

"Our mission is to destroy Kannabi Bridge. That way, we can cut off the enemy's supply line and help our forces gain the upper hand."

"Once the mission is complete, I'll go with you to rescue Rin."

"But if we do that, Rin will be in danger! We might not make it in time—she's our teammate!"

Uchiha Obito was getting anxious.

But from the looks of it, Kakashi remained unmoved.

"Damn it! Are you really going to just stand by and watch Rin get killed by the enemy?"

"If you won't help me save her, then I'll go alone! We'll split up, Kakashi!"

With that, Uchiha Obito turned and rushed in this direction.

Judging by the distance, he was still at least a kilometer away from Uchiha Dali.

These exchanges allowed Uchiha Dali to grasp the situation.

"So, the presence inside the cave is Nohara Rin. No wonder she's so much weaker than the two outside…"

He hadn't expected to stumble upon Nohara Rin being captured by Iwagakure ninjas.

Without hesitation, Uchiha Dali flickered and entered the cave.

—

Outside the cave, two Iwagakure Jōnin—Mahiru and Kakkō—who were hidden among the bushes under the trees, suddenly became alert.

"Did you see that?"

Mahiru asked in suspicion.

"See what?"

"Just now, I think I saw a figure flash into the cave…"

"No, you must be seeing things. There's no way someone could get past us and enter the cave without us noticing."

Taiseki was extremely confident.

Hearing this, Mahiru nodded slightly, feeling it made sense.

After all, they were elite Jōnin of Iwagakure.

If even they failed to detect an enemy's movements, how strong would that enemy have to be?

In the entire ninja world, there were only a handful of such powerful individuals. There was no way they would be unlucky enough to encounter one here.

Even so, Mahiru was still uneasy. "Maybe I should go in and check?"

"No. I already set up Earth Release traps, and I just sensed someone approaching. We'll wait here and let them walk into our trap."

Kakkō rejected Mahiru's suggestion.

Hearing this, Mahiru could only nod in agreement again.

—

Inside the cave, Uchiha Dali had already arrived before the bound Nohara Rin.

She was still unconscious.

Uchiha Dali reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently sending a stream of chakra into her body.

Instantly, she slowly regained consciousness.

Opening her eyes, Nohara Rin was momentarily stunned upon seeing Uchiha Dali. Just as she was about to speak, he gestured for her to remain silent.

She then noticed the Konoha forehead protector on his head, and her eyes brightened slightly.

Blinking a few times, she signaled that she wouldn't speak. In response, Uchiha Dali pulled out a kunai and swiftly cut through the ropes binding her.

"My name is Uchiha Dali. We'll talk after I take care of the two outside."

Just as he finished speaking, the enemy's sinister laughter came from outside.

"Heh, heh! You actually came alone to die?"

—

"Damn it…"

Following the enemy's tracks, Uchiha Obito had arrived, only to realize he had walked right into an ambush.

"Stop wasting time—kill him!"

The enemies swiftly attacked Uchiha Obito, intending to finish him off.

A battle between Jōnin and a Chūnin instantly became a one-sided slaughter. Uchiha Obito was on the verge of being killed.

At the critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared, taking the blow for him.

"Kakashi?!"

"Y-Your eye…"

Uchiha Obito was in shock.

Kakashi had been struck in his left eye, blood streaming down his face—but he had managed to block the enemy's attack.

"Take Rin and go, Obito!"

Kakashi said firmly.

Though he seemed to downplay it, the blood trickling from his left eye and down his cheek told a different story.

That eye was most likely beyond saving.

Hearing this, Taiseki sneered.

"Heh, heh! You think you can rescue her? Neither of you are leaving here alive!"

Uchiha Obito was instantly overwhelmed with grief and rage, an uncontrollable fury surging within him.

"You bastard… you… took Kakashi's eye…"

Because of his carelessness, both he and his teammate had ended up in danger.

And now, Kakashi had lost his left eye because of it.

At that moment, Uchiha Obito's emotions surged uncontrollably, a storm of powerful feelings flooding his mind.

Then, he felt a heat in his eyes—a surge of special chakra welling up.

In the next instant, his Sharingan evolved from a single tomoe to a two-tomoe state.

"You're the one who's going to die!"

Uchiha Obito roared in fury, lunging forward to kill Taiseki and avenge Kakashi.

However, before his kunai could land, a sudden "whoosh" cut through the air.

A black kunai shot out of nowhere—

And pierced Taiseki's throat, killing him instantly.

The abrupt change stunned both Kakashi and Uchiha Obito.

"Minato-sensei? No… it's not him…"

Kakashi stared at the lifeless body of the fallen enemy, his eyes filled with suspicion.

As he pondered, Uchiha Obito suddenly bolted toward the cave.

"Wait! Obito!!"

Kakashi snapped back to reality and tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Just as Uchiha Obito rushed into the cave—

The ground shook violently.

A tremendous tremor rippled through the earth.

And in the next moment, the entire cave collapsed.