Chapter 63: Obito Was Kidnapped!
"Ahhhh! Damn little devil!"
"I want you buried alongside them!"
The furious roar echoed sharply as the rock wall above Kakashi's head began to tremble violently. Huge boulders loosened and crashed down one after another, threatening to crush him in an instant!
The attacker was none other than a Rock Shinobi—one of the enemy ninjas who had just sneaked up behind them, intent on taking them by surprise. With fierce determination, he unleashed an Earth Style jutsu—Yansu Collapse!—causing the cave ceiling to collapse.
Without hesitation, the Rock Shinobi drew his sword, eyes blazing with the resolve to die alongside Kakashi. He charged forward with reckless abandon, ready to sacrifice himself in this desperate battle.
"Oh? Just you?" Kakashi muttered coldly.
"Lin, Obito, get out of the cave, quickly! I'll catch up soon!" Kakashi shouted over his shoulder.
In his right hand, he drew his saber. The enemy was too close to activate his Chidori, so Kakashi had to rely on swift swordsmanship to hold his ground.
Steel clashed against steel in a deadly dance. Kakashi's blade flashed multiple times as he parried and struck. After a few intense exchanges, he found an opening and drove his dagger deep into the enemy's chest, twisting it with brutal force.
Yet the Rock Shinobi's chest was pierced, but he didn't falter. A hideous, cruel smile spread across his face. He threw down his sword and suddenly burst with ferocious strength.
Ignoring the pain, the enemy threw his arms out wide, entangling Kakashi's limbs like a spider trapping its prey.
"I'm not as strong as you... so please, die with me!" he growled through clenched teeth.
Kakashi struggled desperately. The burning will of the enemy before death was overwhelming, and he could not break free easily.
Suddenly, a massive boulder above Kakashi's head shook loose and crashed down toward him!
"Kakashi!" Lin shouted in terror.
Obito, who had just escaped the cave with Lin, spun around without hesitation and charged back, pushing Kakashi out of harm's way with all his strength.
"Don't do anything stupid, idiot!" Obito yelled.
Kakashi steadied himself and responded with a powerful jutsu, "Wind Style: Fierce Wind Palm!"
A gust of cutting wind blew Obito back, safely out of the path of the falling rocks.
Without wasting a moment, Kakashi used the Flying Thunder God Technique on Lin and teleported them both out of the cave.
At last, the avalanche of rock ceased.
Kakashi and Rin were safely outside the collapsed cave, but Obito was still trapped inside.
Between them lay a thick pile of rubble, jagged and heavy.
"Obito! Are you alright?" Kakashi called out loudly, his voice filled with concern.
"Something happened..." Obito's voice came faintly through the stones.
Kakashi's heart tightened at the sound. Could this be the cruel turning of fate that none could escape? Was his friend truly trapped and doomed?
There was a brief pause, then Obito spoke again, his tone faint but steady.
"You hit me hard and I fell down... but I don't have any serious injuries."
Kakashi felt a wave of relief and chuckled softly. "You idiot," he muttered fondly.
Even now, Obito was still joking around. Clearly, there was nothing to worry about.
Kakashi wasn't concerned about Obito's escape. Like Rin, Obito had secretly been imprinted with the mark of the Flying Thunder God—allowing him to teleport over long distances.
Still, Obito's casual tone seemed to say he was in no rush to come out.
"Seems like you're not in a hurry," Kakashi teased. "Why don't Lin and I go on ahead? You stay here, and we'll come back to get you after we finish our mission."
Obito's voice turned anxious.
"Captain... I'm wrong, aren't I? You really are going to leave me here?"
"I'm generous enough to help you get out," Kakashi said with a smile.
Obito was silent for a moment before answering, "I don't want to stay in this dark cave forever... especially with those broken bodies piled underneath."
Kakashi's smile faded as he listened. Obito was right. The cave floor beneath the rubble was littered with corpses—bodies torn apart by the cave-in. The scent of blood seeped out faintly, a chilling reminder of the lives lost.
If Obito stayed too long, the smell would become unbearable.
Kakashi shook his head and chuckled. "You've grown so much, this brat. I don't know who you learned to be so flexible from."
Just then, a rustling sound came from the woods behind them.
Kakashi's expression instantly hardened. He turned sharply toward the noise.
A large group of Rock Shinobi were emerging from the dense forest.
More than a hundred of them, judging by their ranks and formation.
"Captain Kakashi!" Lin's eyes widened in alarm.
The scene was far worse than any of them had imagined.
"Don't worry, Lin," Kakashi said softly, though his eyes betrayed his tension. "With me here, they won't be able to stop us."
Still, something felt off.
In this remote, isolated location, those earlier enemies should have been the only ones guarding the stronghold.
Where had these hundreds of reinforcements come from?
Had the Rock Shinobi sent fresh troops to the front line at just this moment?
Before Kakashi could process the thought, the entire group drew kunai and surged forward with a terrifying war cry.
With so many people, why weren't they using Earth Style ninjutsu to crush them instantly? The combined power of coordinated ninjutsu would be far more effective than a reckless melee charge.
Kakashi felt a growing unease.
But since these fools were seeking death, he had no sympathy.
He stepped in front of Lin protectively and removed the seal from his forehead—the Hundred Healings Mark.
At the same time, he placed his hands together in a hand seal, and the distinctive lines of Madara's Sage Mode appeared on his face.
"Sage Art: Great Fire Extinguishment!"
A colossal sea of fire erupted from Kakashi's hands, roaring and spreading rapidly.
The flames engulfed the entire group of Rock Shinobi—hundreds of them burned simultaneously.
Kakashi had long been obsessed with Madara's Great Fire Extinguishment technique.
After countless experiments and combining Jiraiya's Sage Art Goemon principles with the raw power of Haohuo Extinguishing, Kakashi had finally replicated a technique that exceeded the ordinary.
Though still far weaker than Madara's original, this version of Sage Art was a mighty B-level ninjutsu far beyond what most shinobi could wield.
Sure enough, none of the hundred or so Rock Shinobi survived the inferno.
But something was strange.
Despite the flames, the opponents' cries sounded exaggerated and hollow, devoid of real pain.
If Kakashi listened carefully, the shouts seemed almost comical.
"Ahhhh! I'm going to die... but I still don't understand why I have to poop!"
The absurdity broke through the chaos.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed sharply.
This was no ordinary enemy.
They were not Rock Shinobi at all.
They were White Zetsu clones, disguised with Transformation Jutsu to look like Rock Shinobi!
Their purpose was clear—capture Obito!
Kakashi immediately searched for the mark on Obito's body, trying to pinpoint his position.
To his shock, Obito was already a hundred miles away.
His speed had not slowed one bit.
Kakashi's heart sank.
He thought that after avoiding the rockfall, they could turn the tide.
But Obito was already being taken away by Black Zetsu!
Initially, Kakashi thought Obito was just one of many candidates for Uchiha Madara's successor.
That the choice had been made by chance after Obito was gravely injured.
But now it was clear.
The enemy had been watching Obito for a long time.
Even if he hadn't been wounded, they would have abducted him by force.
Thinking more carefully, Kakashi realized that Obito's injury in the original timeline was likely all part of Madara's plan.
But Kakashi had also been preparing for this day.
Since Madara insisted on pursuing Obito, Kakashi could only start an alternative plan—competing with Madara at his own game of deception.
After all, if Madara was not defeated, Kakashi knew he would never find peace—neither in sleep nor in life.
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