The Kirigakure ninja hastily departed.
Obito, who had been crouching in a distant bush, pushed aside the grass and emerged.
He pressed a hand to his chest, his wildly beating heart slowly calming down.
"That was close..."
He had just watched helplessly as Rin was about to die by Kakashi's hand.
Fortunately, Shinji suddenly appeared, instantly intercepting Kakashi, then vanished along with both Kakashi and Rin.
Obito couldn't figure out what method Shinji had used to appear and disappear out of thin air.
But the outcome was good; the most terrifying scene ultimately hadn't occurred.
The palpitations still hadn't faded. He couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse inwardly:
"What on earth is Kakashi doing!"
"Huh?" A-Juan played dumb. "That person called Rin is gone."
A-Juan, attached to Obito's body, squirmed unnaturally.
His mind was far from calm, as if a little person inside was frantically covering its face and screaming.
"Oh no, oh no, this is completely different from what was agreed."
"Lord Madara will definitely be angry. He might never let me poop again!"
Only then did Obito snap back to reality, looking around in confusion.
"Where did Rin go?"
He inwardly berated himself.
Why hadn't he rushed out from the bushes earlier?
If he had moved just a bit faster, perhaps he could have followed Shinji and left with Rin.
"I must regroup with them."
Obito raised his head, his mind already made up.
Since he had already left the underground cavern, as long as he could find Kakashi and the others, they could return to Konohagakure together.
And now, with Shinji here, the four of them working together would surely be able to shake off Kirigakure's pursuit.
At that moment, the ground slightly bulged, and the figure of White Zetsu slowly surfaced.
He grinned, speaking with a strange laugh:
"If you want to find Rin, I know where she is."
"Really?" Obito was both shocked and delighted.
White Zetsu nodded. His clones were already spread throughout this area, and one of them had just spotted Shinji's group and was monitoring them from afar.
"Lord Madara's plan has gone awry. It must be corrected."
White Zetsu extended a hand, lightly touching A-Juan on Obito's body.
He chuckled lowly, and A-Juan's abnormal squirming gradually subsided.
Between the two, it seemed as if some silent communication had occurred, reaching some kind of consensus!
Obito, however, remained completely unaware of all this.
"Please!" Obito grabbed White Zetsu's arm. "Take me there!"
White Zetsu glanced at Obito, then pointed in a direction.
"This way."
With that, he took the lead and started walking.
Obito harbored no suspicion of any conspiracy and immediately followed closely behind.
...
An illusory gate swung open with a boom. Shinji, bringing Kakashi and Rin, abruptly appeared in an open area.
"We're safe for now."
Shinji released the arm he had wrapped around Rin's waist, gently supporting Kakashi with his left arm as he laid the unconscious ninja on the ground.
The next moment, he could no longer hold on, collapsing weakly to his knees.
"Shinji!"
Nohara Rin cried out in alarm, rushing forward to support him.
She helped Shinji sit against a rock, kneeling beside him as she urgently activated the Mystical Palm Technique to heal his injuries.
But Shinji gently caught her hand and shook his head.
His face pale, he reassured her, "It's just excessive Chakra consumption, no injuries. I'll be fine after a little rest."
He raised his hand to gently pat Rin's head, forcing a weak smile.
The three-layered spiral patterns in his eyes slowly faded, receding from the Mangekyō Sharingan back to the Three Tomoe, and finally returning completely to dark pupils.
Shinji inwardly let out a bitter laugh.
He had rushed all the way, but in the end, he was still one step too late.
If he hadn't wasted too much time earlier collecting the corpses of the White Zetsu, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.
Lately, he had been too short on money and couldn't bear to leave the White Zetsu bodies behind.
When he arrived at the battlefield, he saw from a distance Rin charging forward without hesitation, placing herself between Kakashi and the Hidden Mist ninja.
With no other choice, he forcefully activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, using the Space-Time Pupil Technique of his right eye, "Heavenly Stone Gate," to arrive in an instant.
He secretly felt grateful that he had awakened a space-time ability.
Yet he couldn't help but grumble inwardly: Is it that everyone connected to space-time always ends up being one step too late at critical moments?
Like Minato Namikaze.
It was almost like a curse.
Nohara Rin quietly watched his ever-changing Sharingan eyes, asking no questions, only feeling heartache.
She understood that behind such immense power, there must be a heavy price.
And for her sake, he hadn't hesitated for even a moment.
Seeing the traces of blood lingering at the corners of his eyes, Rin quickly took out a handkerchief from her pocket and gently reached out to wipe them away.
Shinji closed his eyes, smiling softly, contentedly enjoying this tenderness.
"Thank you, Shinji!" Rin lowered her head and whispered.
Shinji slowly opened his eyes, looking at her guilt-ridden expression, and his heart softened.
After all, in this matter, Rin was the most innocent one.
He extended his arms, wrapped them around Rin's waist, and with a slight pull, gently drew her into his embrace.
"Ah!"
The familiar warmth and scent instantly enveloped her, and Rin's cheeks flushed bright red.
"Shinji, wh-what are you doing?"
"Of course, exercising my rights," Shinji tightened his arms and chuckled softly. "Rin, you are my girlfriend, after all."
He gently stroked her back and said tenderly:
"This is what you should do, not say thank you."
Rin's body gradually relaxed, no longer resisting. She buried her face deeply in his chest and softly replied, "Mm!"
But there was one more thing she had to say.
Buried in his embrace, Nohara Rin's voice was muffled:
"Shinji, inside my body..."
Before she could finish, Shinji gently interrupted her.
"I know."
Feeling the softness in his arms, the intense pain in his body seemed to fade a little.
"I have a way to fix it."
He had known all along.
The Three-Tails had been forcibly sealed inside Rin's body, making her an unstable Jinchuriki.
The Mangekyō Sharingan could even interfere with the Nine-Tails, so controlling the Three-Tails was naturally within its power.
He could easily pacify the Three-Tails temporarily and later search for a powerful Sealing Technique to thoroughly reinforce the seal within Rin's body.
The only tricky part was how to keep this matter hidden.
If it were exposed, the higher-ups of Konohagakure would likely place Rin under house arrest and surveillance, just as they had done with Kushina.
This was what Shinji least wanted to see.
"Really?"
Rin looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with surprise and joy.
Shinji raised his hand to gently stroke her cheek and said firmly, "Of course."
The shadow weighing on Rin's heart vanished in an instant.
All because of the person before her.
Warmth filled her heart, tenderness nearly overflowing from her eyes.
She mustered all her courage and leaned close to Shinji's face.
Their lips brushed lightly, a fleeting touch before parting.
Rin immediately lowered her head, covering her chest, her blush deepening as she dared not look at him again.
Shinji reached up and touched the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself how satisfying it felt.
But just then.
A commotion arose from deep within the forest.
A figure wearing a spiral-patterned white mask, with branches entwined around his body, burst forth.
Emotionally agitated, he pointed at Shinji, letting out a suppressed, choked sound.
Shinji was slightly taken aback.
Wasn't that Obito?