Kakashi finally arrived at the area guarded by Iwa-nin in the latter half of the night. Controlling his breathing and movements with precision, he concealed himself within the dense jungle, carefully observing their patrol patterns.
He knew the gravity of this mission all too well. More than that, he understood the weight of his own decision to take it on.
Death. It was terrifying, yet not so much. Obito had faced it with unwavering resolve—why couldn't he?
Even with Obito's dying wish—to protect Rin—ringing in his ears, and with the guidance of their sensei, Minato Namikaze, Kakashi found himself looking toward the future through Obito's eyes, both figuratively and literally.
But the burden of guilt weighed heavily on him. And the presence of Uchiha Kai had made things even more complicated.
Kai had saved Kakashi and his team before, proving himself more capable than Kakashi had once thought. Before the war, he had seemed like a mediocre classmate—neither at the bottom nor particularly outstanding. But now, he had survived battle after battle. More importantly, he had awakened the Sharingan.
With Rin's safety at stake, Kakashi needed every assurance he could get. Trusting Kai, he even entrusted him with one of Minato-sensei's kunai—an invaluable asset for their mission.
If he could just hold back these Iwa-nin long enough, Rin and the others could complete their objective. She wouldn't be harmed.
"Obito… maybe I'll be joining you soon."
With that thought, Kakashi took a deep breath and created four shadow clones, sending them scattering in different directions. The division of his chakra was immediately taxing, but it was necessary.
The faint flicker of chakra didn't go unnoticed. Iwa-nin were sharp, and their swift reaction confirmed Kakashi's suspicions—there were skilled shinobi among them.
One of them was already performing a summoning jutsu. Calling for reinforcements?
Before Kakashi could react further, a piercing sound tore through the air.
Too fast!
A kunai struck him directly, piercing his side with brutal force.
"It's over, kid." A cold voice sneered behind him. "Don't worry, the others will be joining you soon."
A cruel laugh echoed in the darkness, and the kunai was yanked from Kakashi's body.
But his "body" dispersed into smoke.
"A substitution? When?!" The Iwa-nin's eyes widened in shock.
The moment of hesitation was all Kakashi needed. His counterattack came swiftly—Kunai in hand, he lunged at his opponent from behind.
The Iwa-nin reacted instantly, retreating while blocking with his own weapon. Despite his quick defense, Kakashi's blade still left a deep gash across his chest.
The enemy snarled, gripping the wound. "Damn brat. Sharingan, huh? So that's how you saw through my camouflage jutsu. An unexpected bonus... A Sharingan user."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He recognized this technique.
It was the same one those Iwa-nin had used when they killed Obito.
He gritted his teeth, kunai tightening in his grip. But his mind quickly turned grim—his shadow clones had all been eliminated.
Then, from the shadows, more Iwa-nin emerged. Four in total.
Kakashi was completely surrounded.
"My clones didn't even stall them? How strong are these guys?"
He didn't have time to think. His chakra reserves were running low, thanks to the earlier clone technique. If he was going to survive, he had to act now.
One of the Iwa-nin smirked. "Did you really think we wouldn't see through your little diversion? We were just wondering who you'd send as bait. Didn't expect it to be you, Hatake Kakashi."
Kakashi stayed silent, focusing instead on recovering as much chakra as possible.
His enemy chuckled. "Let me guess—your teammates are breaking through somewhere else? Too bad. We already intercepted them. They've been found."
A sick feeling twisted in Kakashi's stomach. Was my sacrifice meaningless?
No. He couldn't afford to think like that.
The Iwa-nin continued, his tone mocking. "Trying to stall for time? Won't work. Your fate is sealed. And so is theirs."
As soon as the words left his mouth, all four Iwa-nin attacked simultaneously.
Kakashi leaped into the air, barely avoiding the first wave of strikes. But his mind raced—if they truly knew his team's movements, then he had to act fast.
The way they moved suggested they wanted to capture him alive. That gave him a small advantage—they weren't trying to kill him outright.
Even so, Kakashi knew the odds. If he had more chakra, if he wasn't so drained, he might have been able to fight them off.
But in his current state?
"I can only try…"
He steadied his breathing, pushing his body to keep going.
If things became truly hopeless…
If he had no other choice…
Then he would destroy his left eye before they could take it.
Obito's Sharingan must never fall into enemy hands.