Instantaneous Movement

"Obito is not dead."

Karot's words were shocking, startling Kakashi, who was still in tears.

"That's impossible. Obito was clearly buried by the boulders; there's no way he could still be alive."

As Kakashi recalled the scene of his best friend's death, he couldn't stop the tears from flowing again.

Hatake Sakumo knew his son wouldn't speak without reason.

"Do you have any proof, Karot?"

At this moment, Kakashi also snapped out of his daze, staring intently at Karot, hoping for the good news he spoke of.

"He is still alive. His energy is still there."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Karot gave Kakashi a definitive answer. Kakashi was overjoyed and immediately rushed to inform his teacher, Minato Namikaze, the fastest man in the ninja world, who arrived at the Hatake residence in an instant.

Kakashi relayed Karot's words to Minato, and Minato Namikaze was also instantly overjoyed.

"Is it true, Karot? It's not that I don't believe you, but it's just too unbelievable."

Minato Namikaze asked in disbelief. Minato had personally visited the site where Obito was buried, and there was absolutely no possibility of survival.

"Everyone has a type of energy on them. If you don't understand it, you can think of it as Chakra. As long as someone is alive, this energy will not dissipate."

Karot explained to them the reason why he knew Obito had not died.

"You mean that Obito's energy hasn't dissipated, right?"

Minato Namikaze asked.

"Correct, that is exactly what I mean."

"Doesn't that mean Obito is still under the rocks in Kusagakure?"

Minato Namikaze was shocked. He stood up quickly, ready to go and rescue him.

"He's not there anymore."

"What? Then where is he?"

This made Minato as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, completely losing his usual composure. He was nearly pacing around the living room, which showed just how deep the bond between Minato and Obito was. Although Obito had always played the role of the comic relief in the team, it was precisely that lack of guile that made him so easy to accept.

"The Land of Fire."

"How did he get out? And after getting out, why didn't he return to Konoha when he came back to the Land of Fire?"

Minato Namikaze calmed down and began to analyze the situation one by one. This level of insight was truly worthy of a man who could become Hokage. Even after death, his legend lived on in the ninja world. Kakashi was far worse; he had been wearing a dazed expression from start to finish. Perhaps he still hadn't recovered from the news that Obito was alive. After all, if you discover that someone you thought was dead is actually still alive, you are bound to be shocked.

"You've guessed it, haven't you, Minato-senpai?"

Karot looked at Minato and asked.

"To be able to rescue Obito from beneath a pile of rubble and make us mistakenly believe he was dead, there must be a great secret behind this. So much time has passed, and Obito still hasn't returned; it's possible he lacks his freedom."

"Then what does Obito have that the other party would covet? The Sharingan."

Minato Namikaze said, shocked.

"Damn it, to imprison my student just for the Sharingan."

Minato had deduced the other party's intentions from the moment he learned Obito was in the Land of Fire. It could only be said that a miss is as good as a mile. Because Karot possessed a god's-eye view, he saw things with unusual simplicity.

"I will go report this to the Hokage right now and have him dispatch ninjas to investigate. We must find Obito's trail."

Minato finished speaking and prepared to leave to find the Hokage.

"No need for so much trouble, Minato-senpai."

"Hm? What do you mean, Karot?"

"I'll go bring Obito back right now."

Karot said with absolute certainty.

"You know where he is?"

"Why do you think I knew he was in the Land of Fire?"

Minato was flustered by his own concern. Since the Karot before him knew news of Obito, he naturally knew Obito's exact location.

"Then I'll go with you." X2

Minato and Karot said in unison.

"You guys are too slow."

Karot said with a straight face.

Minato Namikaze couldn't stand this. You could call him weak, but you couldn't call him slow. Ever since he learned the Flying Thunder Shadow, this was the first time someone had told him he was slow.

"Minato-senpai, your Flying Thunder Shadow is naturally impossible to guard against when used in combat, but when it comes to traveling, it is indeed too slow."

"I have a technique called Instantaneous Movement. As long as I can locate the other person's ki, I can arrive at their side in an instant, no matter the distance."

In the past, Karot had never used Instantaneous Movement because his physical constitution could not withstand the strain.

"Don't believe me?"

Karot immediately pressed two fingers to his forehead. His entire body vanished in an instant, only to return less than a second later. It was as if he had never left his seat, save for the fact that a copy of Tales of a Gutsy Ninja had appeared in his hand.

"Minato-senpai, take a look and see if this book is yours."

Minato Namikaze took it and flipped through the pages, his eyes landing on Jiraiya's signature.

"That's right, it's mine."

Minato was deeply shocked. His home was at least a kilometer away, yet Karot had managed to go there and back in the blink of an eye. Even his own Flying Thunder God could not achieve such a feat.

Back at Minato's home, Kushina rubbed her eyes.

"Did I see things? It felt like someone was here just a moment ago."

She didn't dwell on it, continuing her work in the kitchen. Minato had recently lost a beloved student and was in poor spirits; she intended to use her cooking to comfort him.

Hearing Minato's confirmation, Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi were both stunned.

After his initial surprise, Hatake Sakumo's face filled with gratification; his son was becoming more and more outstanding. As for Kakashi, his surprise quickly turned to shock. His older brother was growing stronger by the day—stronger even than his own teacher. How am I supposed to catch up to him?

"Then, goodbye."

Kakashi waved with his left hand while pressing two fingers of his right hand to his forehead. He vanished into thin air.

In the Land of Fire, at the Graveyard of Mountains, Madara Uchiha was teaching Obito how to use the Sharingan. An uninvited guest arrived without warning.

"Hi, long time no see, Obito."

The sudden turn of events terrified Uchiha Obito. He tumbled to the ground, pointing a trembling finger at the suddenly appearing Karot.

"Karot, how did you get here?"

Obito was very familiar with Karot, the older brother of his rival, Kakashi. It was Karot who had given him a harsh "lesson in society" during his first week of school, leaving a deep impression on Obito. He had always wanted to get revenge, but his strength simply wouldn't allow it.

"I came here, of course, to take you back home."

Karot spoke with an air of complete justification, seemingly oblivious to the situation before him.

"Young man, you have quite a big mouth. Did you ask for the permission of this master before deciding to take him away?"

A hunched, frail old man stepped out from the darkness, leaning on a cane with tubes connected to his back. He looked like a hero in the twilight of his life. It was hard to imagine that this was the Madara Uchiha who once made the world dance.