The room fell into dead silence.
Minato and Kakashi both let out a small breath of relief.
After all—
No matter what, at least someone was willing to step forward.
Whether it was "true love" or not wasn't something they cared about right now. As long as Rin's life could be protected, that was enough.
Obito, meanwhile, felt both relieved and bitterly suffocated.
Rin… was his white moonlight.
But he had chosen to step back. He couldn't blame Uchiha Kai for taking his place.
So—
Other than sulking in silence, there was nothing he could do.
All he could offer… was his blessing.
The only ones truly surprised were Kushina and Rin herself.
"Ohhh, so that's what's going on!"
"I felt like the atmosphere was strange earlier… so this was it!"
"Hm, I support this."
"Mikoto told me before that Kai-kun is a really good boy."
"Rin, maybe you should think about it?"
Kushina smiled as she spoke.
Part of her was simply relieved to have solved the puzzle in her mind—but more importantly, she was happy for Rin.
She and Uchiha Mikoto were close friends, often chatting when they met. Mikoto was always full of praise for Kai, the pride of the Uchiha clan.
On top of that, Minato also spoke highly of him.
And as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, Kushina occasionally caught bits of information from the fox's mouth as well.
All in all, her impression of Kai was solid.
As for looks—well, the Uchiha were practically synonymous with handsome men across the shinobi world.
Rin was Minato's student, and because of the Three-Tails sealed inside her, the village leadership had already placed her under constant scrutiny.
Her entire household had been dragged into trouble because of it.
So—
If Rin really ended up together with Uchiha Kai, the higher-ups would surely think twice before daring to act recklessly.
That was why Kushina chose to support it.
Rin: "…"
She was stunned.
Yes.
Her knowledge of Uchiha Kai was limited.
She only knew him through brief encounters—a capable person, without a doubt.
Whether it was strength or vision… he seemed to understand everything.
But Rin had never once thought he would look at her this way.
In her eyes, the two of them lived in different worlds.
How could it be possible?
Uchiha Kai was dazzling, someone who—even at their age—could already contend with the village leadership.
And her?
Just a commoner kunoichi.
Her heart skipped wildly, panic rising in her chest.
"This… I…"
"My head's a mess, I don't know what to say."
"But, Kai-kun…"
"Why would you like me?"
"You're so outstanding… I'm not worthy of you!"
Rin waved her hands frantically, flustered, her mind blank.
She had never imagined this before.
Kai seemed too far out of reach.
But now—
As she truly looked at him, her heart began to pound uncontrollably.
Yes.
From any angle, Uchiha Kai was flawless.
But…
Her current predicament, and especially the words Nara Shikaku had whispered to her earlier, came back to mind.
Could she, with her situation, really allow herself to pursue love?
She was nothing but trouble!
She had already dragged her teacher and teammates into her mess—could she really drag Kai down as well?
Gentle and kind as always, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
So even though she felt moved, her instinct was still to refuse.
"Rin, don't overthink it." Kai's voice was calm and steady.
"There's no such thing as 'worthy' or 'unworthy' in love."
"Like is like—it has nothing to do with status."
"And don't belittle yourself. Your kindness and gentleness… any boy would fall for that."
"Can't you give me a chance?"
Kai's gaze was sharp.
Though Rin shook her head in rejection, the fluster in her eyes, the faint blush on her cheeks—those betrayed her true feelings.
He understood clearly.
She wasn't rejecting him at heart. In fact, she was secretly pleased.
She had simply never considered it before.
Their time together had been short—of course she hadn't thought about such things.
But that was enough.
Feelings could grow. And Rin's gentle personality was exactly what he liked.
Not to mention—she was beautiful.
"But, I…" Rin tried to speak, hesitating.
But Kai cut her off firmly.
"You want to bring up the Three-Tails, don't you? To me, that's nothing."
"I know what the higher-ups want. I know what situation you're in. I know what's in your heart."
"But listen—don't waste your thoughts on meaningless things."
"The so-called 'Will of the Village' they preach? Nonsense!"
"Strictly speaking, the Three-Tails was originally a gift from the First Hokage, Hashirama, to Hidden Mist Village ."
"Not just the Three-Tails—every tailed beast in the ninja world was given out by Hashirama."
"All the tailed beasts are, in essence, Konoha's assets."
"Hashirama distributed them for the sake of peace."
"And now? Do we have peace?"
"Since his death, we've already had three ninja wars."
"If giving away tailed beasts couldn't bring peace, then reclaiming them is perfectly justified, isn't it?"
"So in the end—"
"This world is ruled by strength."
"Nothing else matters."
"When Hashirama was alive, who dared to defy him?"
"I'm not as strong as him, so I can't bring world peace."
"But still—"
"Protecting you? That's no burden to me. It's a small thing."
"The 'Will of the Village'?"
"Uchiha, Aburame, Inuzuka, half the Ino-Shika-Cho, part of the civilians…"
"Your teacher Minato, and behind him Jiraiya—and Jiraiya's comrades Tsunade and Orochimaru."
"With such power gathered, and we still can't protect you, Rin?"
"So do you understand now?"
"Don't pressure yourself. The Three-Tails inside you are no trouble at all to me."
"Don't think about it. Just follow your heart."
"And don't give me a rushed answer because of this either."
"Even if you refuse, I'll still protect you—because I promised Brother Minato."
"I'm pursuing you because I like you."
"There's no threat, no bargaining. So don't feel pressured."
"Ask yourself—what does your heart say?"
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