Forgive Me, Kurenai

"Nice work, Pakura!" Firelight laughed. "Grab one of them."

Pakura answered and charged straight at Rin.

Rin had been farther from the explosion, yet the shockwave still made her stagger. The next second, the back of her neck suddenly went numb, and her body instantly went limp.

Pakura lifted Rin one-handed. "Firelight, Oishi, withdraw first. Interrogating her for Konoha intelligence is more important."

With that, she sped off in one direction, with Firelight and Oishi close behind.

"Stop! Put Rin down!"

Obito's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to get up, but he had no strength left. All he could do was lie on the ground and roar.

The scene fell deathly silent, the atmosphere so heavy it was suffocating.

"How did this happen?!" Shinji's heart sank.

"Pakura? Why was she here?"

Pakura of the Iwagakure Demolition Corps possessed the Explosion Release bloodline limit. A touch from her fist could trigger an explosion, and in the future, Hiruko would devour her using the Chimera Technique.

Yet she had appeared here now, completely throwing Shinji's rhythm into disarray.

His original plan had been for Kakashi and himself to hold off Firelight and Oishi, maneuver around the area until Minato arrived, and then destroy Kannabi Bridge together.

But Pakura's sudden appearance had sent everything off course.

Did my arrival trigger the butterfly effect, or was Madara Uchiha secretly pulling the strings from behind the scenes?

Shinji had no way of knowing.

But Rin being taken was something he could never accept.

Even though Rin should have been safe according to the original course of events, the situation had changed now, and no one could guarantee anything.

"Red! Are you all right, Red?!"

Asuma's shout abruptly snapped Shinji back to attention.

His heart tightened, and he immediately rushed over.

Kurenai Yuhi lay on the ground, her face deathly pale, her eyes half-open, her lips tightly pressed together. She had clearly been seriously injured.

Beside her, Asuma paced anxiously. The blast's shockwave had also left him coughing repeatedly. "A Medical Ninja... damn it, Rin was taken!"

He suddenly looked at Shinji, his voice urgent. "Right, you've studied medical ninjutsu too, haven't you?"

Shinji gently lifted Kurenai into his arms, filled with helplessness.

He had only just begun learning medical ninjutsu.

Shinji carefully examined Kurenai's condition. Her body temperature was low, her heartbeat rapid—she had obviously suffered severe internal injuries.

"Her internal organs may be bleeding. She needs treatment immediately."

He silently thanked his luck that he had thrown out his short sword to block the blow earlier. Otherwise, if Kurenai had taken it head-on, she would probably already be dead.

Asuma's face turned pale.

"But we don't have a Medical Ninja right now."

Shinji reassured him.

"It's all right."

Without drawing attention, he slipped a hand into his Ninja Tool Pouch, secretly summoned the system, and took the Amomum villosum from his inventory.

"I still have a sacred healing medicine. Its effects are extremely potent—it can definitely save Kurenai. It was a relic my father happened to obtain during a mission before he died."

He attributed the Amomum villosum to his father to prevent anyone from tracing its origins.

"Really?!" Asuma was both shocked and delighted.

Shinji nodded and immediately brought the medicine to Kurenai's lips, but her teeth were clenched shut, making it impossible for her to swallow it.

Severely injured, her body had instinctively tensed in self-preservation. Her remaining consciousness kept her teeth tightly clenched and her mouth firmly closed.

"This..."

Shinji frowned. Without further hesitation, he put the Amomum villosum into his own mouth and chewed it up.

He gently cradled Kurenai at an angle in his arms, brushed a hand over her pale cheek, and looked at her faintly trembling lashes as he murmured, "Forgive me, Kurenai."

Then he lowered his head, pressed his lips to hers, and pried open her teeth.

The soft sensation against his lips made Shinji's heart flutter slightly.

"Shinji, you!"

Asuma's face instantly flushed red. He raised a trembling hand to point at them, but for a long while, he could not say a word.

He knew Shinji was saving her, but seeing it with his own eyes was still hard to accept.

He had secretly loved Kurenai for a long time and had never confessed. Yet now, he had stumbled upon this scene.

The goddess he had kept hidden in his heart for so long was being kissed by his own friend. Asuma felt both bitter and pained.

Kurenai Yuhi's fingers twitched lightly at her side. Her consciousness had not completely faded; she knew what Shinji was doing.

"I'm kissing Shinji."

The intense stimulation sent her adrenaline surging, barely restoring a little strength. Her throat moved slightly as she swallowed the medicine.

Only after sensing Kurenai swallow did Shinji slowly straighten up and release her.

Amomum villosum could rapidly heal internal injuries, stop bleeding in the organs, and greatly bolster vitality.

A ninja's physique already far surpassed that of an ordinary person. With the medicine nourishing her, Kurenai's condition was visibly improving.

Shinji gently patted Kurenai's cheek, his tone concerned. "Kurenai, do you feel any better?"

A faint flush gradually returned to Kurenai Yuhi's pale face.

About fifteen minutes later, she suddenly coughed. Her voice was weak but clear. "My body hurts so much."

She instinctively tried to prop herself up, but she still had no strength anywhere in her body and could only lean limply against Shinji's chest.

Kurenai hurriedly turned her head aside, lightly rubbing the back of her hand over her lips. Her eyes were full of shyness, and she did not even have the courage to look at Shinji.

"Thank you for saving me, Shinji," she murmured softly, her cheeks reddening further.

"That's great, Kurenai. You're finally alright!"

Asuma hurried forward and cut in, his tone filled with delight, though he grumbled to himself.

He was right here, yet Kurenai had thanked Shinji first and had not even spared him a thought.

Hearing that, Kurenai turned and smiled at Asuma. "Thank you too, Asuma. It was thanks to you worrying about me the whole time."

Asuma's eyes grew slightly hot as he silently made up his mind. Shinji, once we get back to the village, I'll definitely challenge you to a duel!

Seeing Kurenai improve, Shinji slowly let out a breath of relief. His taut nerves finally relaxed.

Just then, a fierce argument broke out not far away.

"What did you say? Kakashi, do you dare say that again?!"

Obito grabbed Kakashi by the collar, his eyes bloodshot and his voice full of fury and confusion. "Are you going to put Rin in danger? Rin is our comrade!"

Kakashi lowered his eyes, his voice carrying an unchallengeable resolve. "A ninja must complete the mission, even if it means sacrificing comrades. That is the rule. Rin is beyond saving."

He paused, and his tone grew even heavier. "If Kannabi Bridge isn't destroyed, more people from Konoha will be killed or wounded afterward. Then it won't just be Rin who is sacrificed."

At that moment, the image of his father, Hatake Sakumo, involuntarily surfaced in Kakashi's mind.

Village or comrades—he had to choose one. This impossible dilemma was so similar to what his father had faced back then.

Back then, his father had violated the village's rules to save his comrades, and in the end, unable to bear the pressure of public opinion, he had taken his own life.

And he had to prioritize completing the mission, even if it meant enduring the pain of losing a comrade.

Bang—

Obito's fist smashed hard into Kakashi's face. His hand clenched tightly, his voice full of grief, indignation, and resolve. "Kakashi, I know about Konoha's White Fang! In my eyes, your father was the true hero!"

"That's right, in the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash!" He suppressed his voice. "But those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash!"

"Even if I'm the only one, even if I have to stake my life on it, I'll save Rin!"

"I'm going too!"

Shinji abruptly stood up, directly cutting off their argument.

Obito froze, almost unable to believe his ears. He looked at Shinji in delighted surprise. "Shinji, you...!"

Shinji met his gaze and gave a firm nod, without the slightest hesitation in his voice. "Rin is an important comrade. I have to save her."