Outside the Konoha camp, Kakashi paced back and forth with a troubled expression.
"Damn it! What should I do now?"
A squad returning from a patrol passed by, greeting him with smiles.
"Kakashi, why are you hiding out here alone? Why don't you come inside?"
"Isn't Rin with you?"
"Ha! You're not planning to go to the Front Line again, are you?"
Without acknowledging them, Kakashi kept staring at the note in his palm and walked away without responding.
Seeing this, one ninja in the squad complained, "What an arrogant guy! He doesn't even consider us worth talking to!"
His companion was also annoyed, "Even Seiki is more talented than him, yet he never acts like this!"
The third member of the team remained calm, "Forgive him. He hasn't been quite himself ever since Obito died."
The others clearly weren't convinced.
"People die in wars—that's how it goes!"
"He may be a genius, but he doesn't look so tough inside, if you ask me!"
Grumbling all the while, the group headed into the camp.
After walking far away from the camp, Kakashi glanced around cautiously. Only when he confirmed nobody else was nearby did he open the note again.
[As punishment for killing our people, come to the Silent Forest alone at noon today. If you dare inform anyone else, your little crush will die!]
Reading these words, Kakashi felt like rage burned his chest apart.
"Damn it! Is this revenge because I've killed too many enemies recently while fulfilling my tasks for the Uchiha clan? But why threaten Rin? Why not just target me directly?"
Pulling at his hair anxiously, Kakashi's eyes were filled with torment.
"No, I can't go telling Senpai or Sensei about this. The enemy must have secretly delivered this note, which means they could be watching my every move right now. If they find out, Rin will surely die! I can't risk her safety on a gamble!"
"But if I rush there directly, it would mean nothing except getting myself killed, and the enemy probably won't spare Rin anyway! Damn it, what exactly should I do?" He hugged his head tightly. "Think straight—there's gotta be a way out!"
"Think straight, hurry up and stay—" As Kakashi tried forcing himself to stay composed, suddenly he felt a chill against his chest.
"That's right! [The Ice Crystal Tamaki Ring!]" A spark of joy flashed in Kakashi's eyes. During the last mission to capture Shimon Hiruko, he had not used the ring and had kept wearing it all along.
After all, it was a chance to save his life—he naturally wouldn't waste it recklessly.
"I haven't used the Ice Crystal Tamaki Ring yet, which means they don't know what it can do. If I break the ring, Senpai will definitely realize something has gone wrong!"
The more he thought, the more feasible it sounded. However, as he prepared to take action, he hesitated suddenly.
"No, still no good!"
The ice crystal pendant could only let my senior know I'm in trouble, but couldn't explain exactly what happened. If he suddenly appeared before me and I hadn't explained the situation yet, the enemy might instantly realize I had found a way to call for backup."
Kakashi Hatake rested his chin on his right hand, thinking quietly, "I must make my senior understand how serious this situation is before he arrives. That means I have to shatter the pendant once I reach the designated spot. That way, my senior will immediately know Rin has been kidnapped when he rushes over."
"But this also means I must survive until my senior arrives!" Just thinking about it made Kakashi Hatake's chest tighten. This was a trap specifically set for him, indicating he was at an absolute disadvantage.
Surviving long enough for his senior to arrive was going to be no easy task.
"But I've got no choice but to give it my all!" Kakashi Hatake touched his left eye, remembering the words spoken by Obito before his death—"I entrust Rin to you." A steely determination slowly filled his gaze. "No matter for Rin or for Obito, I absolutely cannot fail!"
...
At the same time, a fifty-man squad from Mist was advancing cautiously.
A Jonin glanced at Rin lying unconscious on the stretcher and asked somewhat doubtfully, "Akah, wasn't the Mizukage's original order to secretly send the girl back? Isn't having this many people accompanying her too conspicuous?"
When he said that, a few other Jonin began to mutter their doubts.
"Yeah, Konoha has a chakra barrier, after all! [Chakra Barrier: A defensive energy field unique to Konoha!]"
"What if we're discovered by Konoha shinobi? We'd be done for!"
Akah smiled calmly, "Actually, the Mizukage made some minor adjustments to the plan, but due to time constraints, he didn't hold a second meeting."
"Huh? What changes were made?"
"Konoha still has numerous powerful individuals stationed there, including the Hokage who remains inside the village most of the time. Slipping her back into Konoha without being noticed would be tough, not to mention explaining why she suddenly appeared there. Therefore, after discovering this girl's other identity, the Mizukage temporarily altered the plan."
Everyone turned instinctively toward Rin, one of them whispering, "What identity? Don't tell me she's the Hokage's illegitimate daughter?"
"Ahem, of course not," Akah muttered with a slight twitch of his lips—did these guys really have such wild imaginations?
"You've all no doubt heard of Kakashi Hatake as well. Recently, he's been killing many of our Mist and Cloud shinobi on the battlefield. This girl is his teammate."
Several Jonin nodded angrily.
"I heard that bastard was forced by the Uchiha Clan to prove his worth, slaughtering many of our comrades on the battlefield."
"Damn it! Daring to build his reputation by slaughtering our comrades!"
"But what does this have to do with the Three-Tails Jinchuriki plan?"
Calmly, Akah explained, "Of course there's a connection. The Mizukage plans to use this girl as bait under the pretext of revenge against him. By seriously injuring both of them, we then pretend to be accidentally discovered by their reinforcements and hastily flee, leaving them behind. Thus creating a reasonable explanation for their return to Konoha!"
"Although it felt somewhat unnecessary, everyone still offered their insincere praises:
"'As expected of Mizukage-sama! You've thought so far ahead!"
"Mizukage-sama is truly reliable!"
"Everyone, stay focused later. Don't let that guy spot any flaws!"
Akah let out a quiet chuckle. "Isn't this easy? Just play it straight and beat the crap out of Kakashi when the time comes."
Everyone couldn't help but let out a wicked laugh. Although they couldn't actually kill that guy, which was somewhat disappointing, beating Kakashi until not even his mother would recognize him would count as avenging their brothers.
Seeing their expressions full of wickedness, Akah's lips curved slightly upward while glancing subconsciously at Rin who remained unconscious.
"When Obito sees Kakashi tortured and beaten by them, emotional fluctuations should break through the deliberately laid-out incomplete Seal! With everything prepared here, we just need to wait for each player to take the stage one by one!"
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