This time... it wasn't close! As Chiba made up his mind, the two rows of unusually tall bamboo that had blurred past his vision seemed to gradually spread apart. Slowly, a broad road appeared before him.
This road quietly matched a scene from the moment fate had unfolded in his memories. He could be certain that, not far ahead, there would be a river dividing this enormous bamboo forest.
That was where Kakashi's team of three would be attacked by Iwa, where Rin would be kidnapped, and where Kakashi and Obito would argue over "rules" and "comrades," leading them to part ways—one continuing the mission, the other going to save Rin. It was also where that classic Hokage quote would be born.
Indeed, in the ninja world, those who failed to follow rules and discipline would be called trash. But those who did not cherish their comrades were worse than trash! After I changed his fate, Kakashi might still carry the burden of White Fang's death and cling to his rules and discipline during missions. He and Obito might continue clashing like this. That famous line, which could be said to run through the early, middle, and even part of the later Hokage story, might never be spoken.
As he thought of this, an irrepressible thought sprang into Chiba's mind.
Still, that did not stop him from quickening his pace, nor from reaching into the Ninja Tool Pouch on his back and taking out the various tools he might need, such as Kunai and Exploding Tags.
Along the way, Chiba had cut down so many Iwagakure Ninja that he had collected quite a few ninja tools and medicines. The medicines were somewhat inferior to Konoha's, but ninja tools such as Kunai, Shuriken, and Exploding Tags were basically standard-issue equipment—the same