Karin was undoubtedly a clear descendant of the Uzumaki Clan.
Her signature red hair and exceptional sensory abilities gave off a strong sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of Kushina Uzumaki.
Her recovery abilities were also extraordinary. Even after being impaled through the chest by Sasuke, she could completely heal herself.
"Although she'll be heading to Konohagakure next year to participate in the Chūnin Exams, there's no reason I can't take her away earlier, right?"
Kitagawa Minamoto pondered. As long as her identity as an Uzumaki was confirmed, even Konohagakure would find it hard to reject someone like her.
However, Konohagakure sometimes had an overly self-righteous sense of pride, emphasizing a "ninja's professional spirit" too much—similar to Zabuza's situation.
But...
"I'm not your average shinobi."
Even now, he still held a grudge against that scumbag Gato.
What's more, if he didn't want to cause too much of a commotion, he remembered that there was still the Box of Ultimate Bliss in the Land of Grass, rumored to be one of the Six Paths' tools!
"Minamoto, let's get moving."
At this moment, Kakashi suddenly spoke up.
"I'm already happy we came here. I feel much more at peace now."
"Mm."
Minamoto nodded. After a moment of thought, he asked,
"Should we visit another place? It's also..."
"Rin's grave?"
Kakashi paused, then glanced at the flowers on the ground, a faint smile forming on his face.
"Don't tell me you still have flowers left and plan to use them all?"
"Yep, I bought quite a lot this time."
Minamoto nodded, then lowered his voice.
"Besides, didn't that fake Hanzo mention that someone might be targeting us? Are we really just going to ignore it?"
"That's why I said, every time we leave the village, nothing good ever happens."
Kakashi rubbed his chin, beginning to question something.
Was the problem with him... or with Minamoto?
He'd always considered himself unlucky—those dearest to him always seemed to be "taken away" for various reasons.
But ever since meeting Minamoto, everything had changed.
The bad luck persisted, even worsening, as they repeatedly encountered increasingly troublesome enemies.
At the same time, though, the nightmares that had haunted him seemed to dissipate—although he was the one who suffered for it.
For a while, he wondered if his luck had turned around. But now it seemed...
It was more like Minamoto's "good fortune" was influencing him!
"What kind of people do you think we'll run into this time?"
"I'm not sure, but they probably won't be simple. That fake Hanzo gave me a strange feeling."
Minamoto thought for a moment before speaking softly.
"The Chakra in that fake Hanzo's body wasn't much, and he didn't show any signs of aging. So..."
"A fake?"
Kakashi frowned. He trusted Minamoto's judgment completely.
"Or perhaps some kind of substitute?"
"Not sure, but I think we're in trouble."
Just as Minamoto was about to say more, he suddenly sensed something. Kakashi also nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, it seems we can confirm who's coming for us this time, right, Obito?"
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, the space around them began to distort.
The next moment, several figures appeared before them!
"Oh, Hatake Kakashi. What a dangerous guy."
Raiga Kurosuki scoffed as he looked at the figures before him.
"Your sensory abilities are getting sharper, Kakashi."
Obito Uchiha's cold gaze locked onto Kakashi. However, his eyes couldn't help but drift toward the stone pile behind him.
And the bouquet of flowers placed on it.
"Still wallowing in the past, huh? I'm not dead, you know!"
"I mourn for the Obito of the past—the real Obito, the one who inspired my beliefs."
Kakashi's expression grew colder as he slowly lifted his headband, revealing the crimson Sharingan beneath.
"Not the wandering ghost that brings destruction to the entire Shinobi World!"
"Hmph, you don't know anything, yet you dare to judge me?"
Obito's fists clenched, his Chakra already surging.
"Besides, do you really think you can handle that eye, Kakashi?"
The tension between the two reached its peak, as if a battle could erupt at any moment.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
However, just as the two were locked in their standoff, with the six Paths of Pain and Raiga Kurosuki ready to strike, Minamoto made his move!
Buzz—
A high-pressure jet of water shot out in a straight line, as sharp as a blade, instantly rushing toward the Akatsuki members!
Boom—
In an instant, the surrounding trees were all cut down. If Pain and the others hadn't scattered quickly, things could have gotten messy.
"This Water Release..."
Raiga Kurosuki, being from Kirigakure, widened his eyes in shock at the power of the technique.
But with this attack, there was no longer any room for words. Kakashi and Obito clashed instantly, the space around them beginning to warp.
Minamoto, meanwhile, was content to leave the area to them.
He himself led the Six Paths of Pain and Raiga Kurosuki toward the direction of Kusagakure—that was his true destination!
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Just as Minamoto accelerated, a powerful gravitational force suddenly pulled him back. He raised an eyebrow but quickly reacted.
With a flick of his kunai, he teleported back to his original position just as the force dragged him away.
"This time, let's settle the score."
Tendō Pain stared coldly at Minamoto, his other paths spreading out rapidly.
They didn't seem intent on surrounding Minamoto, instead standing in front of Tendō, watching him with icy eyes.
"This time, I'll fight with everything I have!"
"Everything, huh?"
Minamoto looked at the six figures before him, a smile forming on his lips.
"It seems your body is in bad shape. Otherwise, why aren't you fighting with your real body and instead using a bunch of corpses?"
"Real body? Corpses?"
Raiga Kurosuki was utterly confused by the conversation, but he could sense the tension in the air.
"That brat... gives off an extremely dangerous vibe."
"Let me guess," Minamoto continued, ignoring Pain's silence.
"Last time, I found your real body, but you ran away quickly. Clearly, you didn't want me to get close.
"Either your real body is seriously injured, or there's something you absolutely need to do, making it impossible for you to act personally."
"..."
Pain's gaze grew sharper. This kid had deduced so much?
"And I've been wondering about something else."
Feeling the intensifying battle between Kakashi and Obito not far away, Minamoto began to gather his strength.
"If your real body is so severely injured yet still managed to come here, it means someone must be taking care of you, right?"
Suddenly, an invisible force crashed down, shaking the earth violently!
Thick smoke rose into the air as the ground fractured into large pieces.
Raiga Kurosuki was stunned by the sudden outburst, unable to process what had just happened.
"What... what the hell is this?"
Raiga swallowed hard as Minamoto's voice rang out again.
"It seems I was right. And that caretaker of yours must be very important to you."
Turning his gaze back, Minamoto's body was now surrounded by purple lightning, a natural energy radiating from him. His white eyes locked onto the enemies before him.
In the next instant, his figure vanished, his short blade flashing with purple electricity as it sliced through the air.
"Roar!"
A beast-like scream echoed as crimson blood splattered across the sky, raining down and staining the ground.
"An invisible monster? Did you really think I couldn't sense you? By the way, let me ask you something."
Minamoto landed steadily, his gaze fixed on the Six Paths of Pain as he spoke calmly.
"When we went to the Land of Rain, Jiraiya-sama asked us to place flowers for Yahiko. It's clear he still cares about some people. So, I'm curious about one thing..."
Before his words even finished, Minamoto's figure vanished again, purple lightning flashing like a storm in the sky.
His voice, however, echoed in the ears of the Six Paths of Pain and even Nagato, who was controlling them from afar.
"If you all die, do you think Jiraiya would mourn for you?"
(End of Chapter)
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!
Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!
��patreon.com/GoldenLong