Grab That Thigh, Quick!

After dealing with the enemies, Tōka quickly moved to Kakashi's side, chakra gathering in his palm...

Mystical Palm Technique!

Yang Release merged into it, and Kakashi immediately felt the burning pain in his eyes disappear.

"Kakashi, how is it?" Obito asked anxiously.

"The injury is not life-threatening, but his eyes..." Tōka moved his hand away. Kakashi's eyes had indeed become dim and lifeless as he said, clearly unable to see.

"How could this happen?" Obito stared blankly at Kakashi.

"Don't overthink it. There might still be a way for his eyes. Our primary objective now is to leave here safely!" Tōka helped Kakashi to his feet.

The Wind Release ninja was a Jonin. By rights, there should be three more Genin hiding nearby.

The other four squads in this area would also have received the news and would be rushing over. Tōka and the others didn't have much time.

Crackle...

A pungent smell of burning filled the air.

Immediately after, kunai with explosive tags attached to their tails shot into the cave, one after another.

"This is bad, they plan to blow this place up!" Obito's eyes narrowed. His Sharingan could clearly see the trajectory of the incoming kunai.

They weren't aimed at the depths of the cave, but at the entrance.

Before the three could react, the rocks suddenly trembled.

Rumble...

Exaggerated explosions rang out.

Tōka and the other two were too busy dodging falling rocks. Although they looked a bit disheveled, they escaped without serious injury.

Just then, a shout erupted.

"Earth Release: Rock Lodging Burst!"

The Iwagakure Earth Release Jonin used his chakra to make the gradually stabilizing rocks collapse again, causing the mountain to cave in through the only remaining sliver of a gap.

Tōka glanced at Obito, whose face was pale, and Kakashi, who was clutching his abdomen.

He gritted his teeth. Whether it worked or not, he decided to try!

"All-Killing Ash Bones: Dragon Bone Barrier!"

Crack, crack, crack...

A section of Tōka's spine grew wildly from his back, bursting out of his body the moment the mountain collapsed. Then, it grew rapidly in the wind, expanding by more than double its size.

A row of sturdy ribs quickly grew from the four sides of the spine.

This formed a small space supporting the collapsing mountain.

"Quick, get in!" Tōka shouted, seeing the surrounding area about to be buried by rocks.

"But that small space can only fit two people at most!" Kakashi said in a deep voice, his feet not moving forward.

Moreover, those two people couldn't include both Obito and Kakashi.

In his haste, Tōka could only create such a small space. It was no wonder his bones hadn't fully matured yet.

Just making his spine grow by double had exhausted him.

The Dragon Bone Barrier was originally a defensive skill Tōka deployed on his skin layer. Now, used to create an absolute space, being able to accommodate one person was already quite good.

As giant rocks fell, Obito's Sharingan made his vision even sharper.

At the critical moment, Obito shoved Kakashi towards Tōka. Tōka couldn't worry about anything else and pulled Kakashi in.

Rumble!!

The mountain completely collapsed. Apart from the small space of the Dragon Bone Barrier, everywhere else was plunged into deathly silence and darkness.

"Obito!" Kakashi's pupils trembled as he stared in shock at the pitch-black world.

At this moment, he felt his protection...

Was actually so pale and powerless.

Although Tōka couldn't see Obito in the darkness, he could feel that Obito's aura was very weak, his life hanging by a thread.

"Bastard!" Tōka cursed inwardly, grinding his teeth. Was that idiot Black Zetsu trying to get him killed by attracting so many Iwagakure ninja?

If Tōka were alone, he could completely ignore this Earth Release ninjutsu with his body's flexibility and bone strength.

However, if he had to protect two people, he truly had no way.

"Kakashi, don't worry, Obito isn't dead yet!" Tōka activated his chakra sensing technique to confirm Obito's location. He pointed to a spot on his left and said, "Can you use Lightning Release to cut through that large rock?"

"That one?" Kakashi's eyes turned cold, the sorrow in his eyes vanishing.

He had to be able to! As long as he could save Obito!

Kakashi's chakra surged wildly within him. He tightly gripped the White Fang short sword, lightning flashing in his palm, injecting madly into his hand.

Buzz!!

A bolt of lightning sliced through the air, and with a rumble, a boulder larger than three Kakashis stacked together was split in two.

Tōka leaped forward, taking the lead.

Kakashi intended to follow, but as he lifted his foot, he felt the world spin. "Damn it, I've used too much Chakra..."

With a plop, Kakashi sat down on the ground, gasping for air.

Tōka didn't have time to tend to Kakashi at this moment because Obito's condition was dire.

"Dong... Tōka... Am I going to die?" Obito asked weakly. He spoke for a long time, uttering fewer than ten words, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth and staining a large patch of the ground.

"You will die! But that will be a hundred years from now!" Tōka gathered his Chakra, Mystical Palm Technique at the ready, and placed his palm on Obito's chest.

The other injuries weren't fatal; it was the boulder that had crushed Obito's right chest that was the problem.

Tōka briefly examined Obito's cheek. Fortunately, perhaps due to the uneven surface of the boulder, Obito's head was unharmed.

Only his right eye and the right half of his face were destroyed.

However, the life-threatening injury was his crushed right chest. Obito's heart was on the left side, and fragments of shattered ribs had pierced his heart.

If they had gone any deeper, he wouldn't have survived until dawn.

Even now, the situation was extremely dangerous. The slightest movement could cause the fragments to pierce his heart completely, making him beyond saving.

Tōka frantically channeled his Chakra, using both hands. The swirling energy illuminated Obito's pale, lifeless face.

"Tōka, Obito he..." Kakashi, having recovered slightly, ran over. Seeing the scene, his heart lurched.

"Don't worry, he won't die," Tōka said with a grim expression, maintaining the Mystical Palm Technique with both hands. "It's just that for the rest of his life..."

Obito's legs had been completely crushed into powder by the rocks. He would never be a ninja again.

Kakashi bit his lip, blood trickling down his chin. He clenched his fists tightly. If it weren't for me, if I weren't so weak...

As if sensing Kakashi's self-blame, Obito's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with a hint of carefree laughter.

"Kakashi, I'm so glad you're alive."

However, his relief was short-lived.

Obito's expression changed drastically. When he laughed, he inadvertently pulled on his chest wound. The rib fragments twisted inside his heart, causing him to gasp in pain.

"Don't move!" Tōka's face also changed. All he could do now was use the Mystical Palm Technique to stop Obito's bleeding and treat his other injuries.

As for his legs and heart, surgery would be necessary.

Besides healing, hemostasis, and Mystical Palm Technique, Tōka had only read about other medical skills in books and had no practical experience.

It was impossible for him to perform surgery on Obito, especially on such a critical area as the heart.

"Tōka, don't waste your energy. You won't be able to escape with me." Obito shifted his gaze to Tōka. Although he found Tōka's arrogant demeanor annoying, he was still very happy to have such a monstrous classmate and teammate.

Even though they hadn't been classmates or teammates for long...

"You, just be quiet. I'm serious, you won't die," Tōka frowned slightly, finally understanding what Obito meant.

Judging by the scale of the Earth Release Ninjutsu earlier, another squad of Stone Ninja reinforcements must have arrived.

In other words, there was at least one Jonin and seven Genin outside.

Furthermore, the other three teams in this area would also arrive as quickly as possible.

"Tōka, I'm serious too." Obito looked up at the sky. He felt his life slipping away. He was so tired, so tired, and he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep.

As long as he could... have a good sleep, nothing else mattered.

"Obito! Do you want to leave Rin behind like this?" Tōka suddenly exclaimed. He didn't want to waste all this Chakra for nothing, to fail to save someone who could have been saved because they gave up the will to live.

As expected, the moment he heard Rin's name, Obito's excitement surged.

His dimming pupils gradually regained their luster, and a crimson hue welled up in his remaining left eye.

Tōka and Kakashi finally noticed that Obito had awakened his Sharingan at some point!

Compared to Kakashi's shock, Tōka was a little more nonchalant.

"Rin?"

Rin's sweet smile flashed in Obito's mind, melting his heart.

"Yes, Rin is waiting for me. I can't just die like this!" Obito struggled to sit up, startling Tōka.

Are you trying to die or not die?

You want to move in this condition?

Tōka stopped him. During this time, he had stabilized Obito's injuries. Apart from his crushed legs and the rib fragments piercing his heart, which he couldn't deal with, all other areas were fine.

"Don't move around. Although you won't die, you're still not out of danger!" Tōka said sternly.

"Tōka, you can't heal him either?" Kakashi's heart sank. He asked with a solemn expression.

"His legs bore the direct pressure of the boulder, crushing the bones completely. Even Lady Tsunade couldn't fix that," Tōka said, not afraid to discourage Obito. Perhaps it was a good thing for Obito to not be able to be a ninja for the rest of his life.

"As for me saying he's not out of danger, it's because Obito's heart was pierced by rib fragments. The wound is shallow, but surgery is needed to remove them."

As soon as they heard "surgery," Kakashi and Obito's faces changed.

Putting aside the question of when the Stone Ninjas outside would attack, even if they gave Tōka enough time and didn't attack, this place wasn't suitable for surgery!

"Most importantly, the heart is a vital part of the body, and I'm not very confident," Tōka said, not wanting the two to worry too much.

He wasn't just not confident; he had never done it before!

For other non-fatal areas, like attaching limbs or mending ribs, Tōka could rely on the power of the Mystical Palm Technique.

When it came to the heart, Tōka felt it was best left to professionals.

"Then how long can Obito hold on?" Kakashi asked again.

"As long as he doesn't move, ten or eight years is no problem," Tōka replied without thinking. However, how could a mentally sound person stay still for ten or eight years?

The fragments embedded in Obito's heart were like a bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

Besides, Obito couldn't just not eat, drink, or use the restroom while staying still, so their time was running out.

"Since that's the case, I'll go take care of those guys outside and bring Obito..." back...

Kakashi trailed off, lacking the confidence to finish his sentence. Whether they could defeat the Stone Ninjas was one thing, but bringing Obito back was impossible.

Tōka's words echoed: Obito couldn't move!

"Heh heh... It seems even fate isn't on my side."

In the silence, Obito suddenly laughed. He then painfully turned his head, staring straight at Kakashi. "Kakashi, do me a favor."

"What?" Kakashi, lost in sorrow, was startled, then looked at Obito seriously. Forget one favor, he would do ten or a hundred!

"I've always dreamed of becoming Hokage one day and bringing happiness to everyone, but I can't..." Obito paused slightly, then continued, "Become Hokage, Kakashi!"

"Use my eye. I want to see the happy smiles on the villagers' faces when they look at the Hokage. I believe you can do it!"

Outside the ruined cave, nearly five standard squads of Stone Ninjas had completely surrounded the area. They hid in the shadows, waiting for Tōka and Kakashi to appear before annihilating them with overwhelming force.

Suddenly!

A Chakra fluctuation occurred, and the rocks blocking the exit were sliced in two by a flash of lightning.

Above the collapsing cave, a silver-haired youth stood amidst the ruins, holding a short White Fang blade.

"Go!" a burly man roared, and instantly, two Jonin and six Genin charged at Kakashi.

However, the Stone Ninjas' attention was drawn to Kakashi, and they failed to notice a "smaller" figure ghosting out.

"Genjutsu: Nirvana Temple Technique."

As a clear, cold voice rang out, countless feathers drifted down through the air.

"Not good, it's Genjutsu!"

"Intelligence was wrong! There's another one!"

The four Jonin among the Stone Ninjas were slightly taken aback, then reacted immediately.

They quickly formed hand seals and shouted, "Release!"

The feathers continued to fall, and Tōka, hidden in the shadows, sneered. The Nirvana Temple Technique wasn't a Genjutsu designed for Jonin.

His target...

was merely the fifteen Genin among the Stone Ninjas!

Just as Tōka was about to act, a golden shadow flashed through the trees.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!!!

It sounded like countless Kunai slicing through throats, or perhaps just one...

Nineteen Stone Ninjas, including those who attacked Kakashi and those hiding in the shadows, were all mercilessly killed in an instant.

The golden shadow landed, and its wielder opened his habitually narrowed eyes. A murderous aura emanated from his sunny face.

"Sorry, I'm late, Kakashi," Minato Namikaze said in a deep voice.

"Teacher Minato..." Kakashi stared blankly at the newcomer, his throat tight, unable to speak. He hadn't protected his comrade...

"Obito he..." (To be continued)