Koharu Utatane and her team moved fast. As they scrambled down to the first floor, the entire safe house shook violently—like an earthquake was tearing through the building. But when they tried to rush the front door, they found it sealed shut by a wall of molten lava.
"It's that girl, Aming! She's using Lava Release!" Koharu snapped, instantly realizing Master Genshi's ruthless plan. With the Three-Tails about to go berserk, just its weight—not to mention its chakra pressure—could flatten the entire "pillbox" safe house.
"What now?" Obito panted, barely holding it together.
Kakashi kept his cool. "We blast the wall with explosive tags."
Luckily, their ninja tool pouches hadn't been confiscated.
"No way," Koharu cut in. "I checked during the fighting—the walls are thick. Even with a cluster of explosive tags, you'd need at least twenty. In a space this small, twenty tags would blow us all to bits."
"Second floor!" Kakashi ordered.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed overhead—the shaking intensified, dust and debris rained from the ceiling. The building felt seconds from collapse.
"Let's do it!" someone shouted.
They pooled their explosive tags—twenty in total—stacked them, and Kakashi started to place them at the wall near the door. Just as he moved, Obito grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi snapped, frustration leaking through.
"At this distance, not even you could outrun the blast. You're stronger than me—you should survive and get Rin out," Obito said, voice trembling but determined.
"You—"
Before Kakashi could argue, Obito snatched the tags from his hand. "Go! Promise me—get Rin out!"
Obito's shout echoed through the chaos. He sprinted for the wall, explosive tags fizzing in his grip—the precursor to detonation.
"Go!" Koharu barked, yanking Kakashi toward the stairs.
Kakashi dove onto the second-floor landing just as a thunderous explosion rocked the building. The blast threw him half a foot into the air, his head spinning, ears ringing so loud he couldn't even hear himself yell Obito's name.
Someone hauled him up by the waist, dragging him back to the first floor. Through the haze, he glimpsed a gaping hole blasted into the wall near the door. Elder Koharu led the survivors charging through it.
They sprinted two hundred meters before the entire "pillbox" collapsed with a deafening roar—crushed under the weight of the rampaging beast. Towering atop the wreckage was the monstrous Three-Tails, a giant turtle roaring at the sky. Its voice was deep, guttural, and wild—so loud it seemed to shake the air itself.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Master Genshi and a squad of Mist ninja watched the beast warily.
"That's the Three-Tails? It's massive!" Aming gasped.
Genshi's eyes narrowed, scanning the group. "Did everyone make it out?"
Tetsuya answered, "We moved fast—everyone's clear."
Genshi nodded. "Listen up. Tetsuya!"
"Here!"
"Leave me thirty men. The rest of you go reinforce Aopeng."
"Yes!"
"Aming, you and thirty ninja—come with me."
"What for?"
"We have to lure the Three-Tails away. If it gets into the village, we're finished."
Genshi swept his gaze over the group, deadly serious. "One more thing: If anyone leaks a word about the Mizukage's defeat—"
He swung his cane, shattering a tree as thick as a bowl.
"You'll end up like this tree!"
After escaping the wreckage, Koharu's team didn't dare slow down. The Three-Tails had terrible eyesight (and that was no exaggeration). Obito's blast had created an exit right in the beast's blind spot. They slipped into the forest, finally collapsing after a long, desperate sprint.
All four lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. The relentless fighting, the brutal brush with death, and the last explosion had left them battered and nearly drained of chakra.
Koharu's hands shook as she fished a small bottle from her pouch, uncorked it, and dropped four pills into her palm. "Chakra boosters… just four. Split them."
Kakashi was still in shock, staring blankly and not reaching for the pill. Koharu slapped him hard across the face, voice low and fierce:
"The mission isn't over. Are you giving up now?! What about Rin? What about Obito—did he die for nothing?!"
The words snapped Kakashi out of it. He snatched a pill and swallowed it.
Koharu studied the Three-Tails, which was still roaring in the distance, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"These symptoms… It's like she took a genjutsu pill. Kakashi, did you give one to Rin?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Didn't get the chance."
He was telling the truth—he hadn't had time.
"That's strange…" Koharu frowned deeper.
"Wait… Kakashi, where's the genjutsu pill I gave you?"
Kakashi blinked, then dug out the transparent bottle from his vest.
Koharu snatched it, held it up to the light, then uncapped it and sniffed. "Kakashi, did this bottle ever leave your side?"
He thought for a moment. "When I took a bath…"
"That's it." Koharu tossed the bottle aside. "The pill was switched. Who knows what's in here—it even smells like strawberries. There's a third force working in the shadows, manipulating everything."
Kakashi's head spun. Didn't I throw that pill away? Could there really be a third party who picked it up and switched it?
He wanted to confess, but Fugaku spoke up first.
"If every move we make is being watched, this power is terrifying—even my Sharingan didn't catch it. Elder Koharu, could it be the Tiger Shark organization, the one Kishaku Kota's in?"
Kakashi fell silent.
Koharu considered for a moment. "Very possible. They might be using the chaos from the Three-Tails rampage and the Kaguya rebellion to wear down Yagura and Master Genshi. Their goal is to seize control of Mist Village. We're just pawns in their game."
She glanced at the battered team. "But if that's true, maybe—just maybe—we actually have a shot at saving Rin."
Kakashi nodded, choosing to hold his tongue.
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