Three Tomoe

Obito's emotions were a mixture of joy and complexity.

Kakashi, his own teammate, had stood by and watched Rin die, yet Shinji had been the one to extend a hand without hesitation.

He looked at Shinji with a serious, resolute gaze. "Shinji, I owe you one for this."

"Fine. I'll wait for you to repay me."

Shinji merely smiled faintly and said no more.

More than anyone, he knew that once Obito left, he might never return. He had not held out any expectations at all.

Before leaving, he took the Kunai Minato had given him from his robes and placed it in Asuma's hand.

"Asuma, take Kurenai and hide. This Kunai will let Lord Minato find you."

Kurenai's heart tightened, and her eyes grew slightly warm with tears. Filled with reluctance, she instinctively wanted to stop him, but in the end, all she managed was a trembling question:

"Do you really have to go?"

She could not explain why herself. She simply did not want Shinji to take such a risk.

There was not the slightest wavering in Shinji's voice.

"If it were you who had been captured, I would save you too."

Asuma and Kurenai were both shaken, deeply moved.

Asuma silently accepted the Kunai.

More than anyone, he understood that Kurenai had lost her ability to fight and needed someone to protect her. At a time like this, he was the only one who could stay behind.

He clenched his fists tightly, his gaze lost yet unwilling, and nearly shouted, "Why?! How did our two squads suddenly end up like this?!"

Just moments ago, the six of them had been fine. In the blink of an eye, they were about to scatter in all directions.

Shinji let out a soft sigh. "That's war. It has never made sense."

He looked at Asuma, his tone carrying an unquestionable seriousness.

"Asuma, make sure you protect Kurenai. Otherwise, I won't let you off."

The moment Kurenai heard that, her heart suddenly warmed, and her cheeks instantly flushed red. She murmured to herself, "Shinji... are you worried about me?"

Asuma's face darkened. Recalling how Shinji had treated Kurenai's wounds and fed her medicine earlier, he said with a hint of jealousy, "You don't need to tell me that."

Kakashi had not left yet. He still stood where he was.

Shinji could see it clearly. Obito's words just now had likely pierced deeply into his heart, leaving him caught in a fierce internal struggle.

So Shinji decided to add fuel to the fire. Looking at Kakashi's back, he spoke calmly.

"Kakashi, don't do something you'll regret."

"If your father were in this situation today, what would he do?"

The fate of Minato Squad had always been full of irony and regret. Namikaze Minato, hailed as the fastest shinobi in the world, was always unable to arrive at the most critical moment; Rin, who devoted herself to healing and saving lives, was the first to wither on the battlefield; Obito, innocent and determined to become Hokage, ultimately fell into endless darkness; and Kakashi, who had been redeemed by his comrades, was left alone in the end.

Kakashi remained silent for a long time.

He raised his eyes, looked at Obito, then at Shinji. In the end, without saying a word, he turned and left.

Obito clenched his fists, fury burning in his chest. "That bastard Kakashi! Is he really just going to abandon Rin?!"

He turned to Shinji, his tone resolute. "Let's go, Shinji."

Shinji nodded lightly, gave Asuma and Kurenai a meaningful glance, then leaped into the dense forest alongside Obito.

The two pursued Pakura's group in the direction they had gone, passing through layer after layer of woodland. About twenty minutes later, they finally discovered a concealed cave.

They hid behind a thick tree trunk and watched the cave entrance from afar.

"Do you have a plan, Shinji?"

Obito quietly pulled his head back, trust evident in his voice. He knew his strength was far inferior to Shinji's, and he was willing to follow Shinji's arrangements completely.

Pakura and Oishi stood guard on either side of the cave entrance.

"Rin must be inside." Shinji made a calm assessment. "I'll try to draw one of the two shinobi at the entrance away. After that, I'll break free as quickly as possible and come back to support you."

He looked at Obito, his expression stern.

"Obito, act according to the situation. Saving Rin is the priority. Do not get drawn into a fight under any circumstances."

Obito nodded heavily. He knew that Shinji was incredibly fast and had even learned Shisui's Body Flicker Technique. He was their most dependable asset right now.

"Alright! Be careful."

Shinji stepped out from behind the tree, then burst forward. His figure turned into a blurred afterimage.

As he rapidly closed in, his scarlet Sharingan suddenly opened. His hands flew through seals, and his chest heaved violently:

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

An orange-red fireball two to three meters in diameter shot forth with a violent wave of heat.

"An enemy! An Uchiha Clan brat!"

Oishi recognized him at a glance and clicked his tongue.

"He can see through my Camouflage Technique. That's a bit troublesome."

Pakura nodded in understanding, clearly aware of the Sharingan's abilities. Facing the incoming Great Fireball without changing expression, she slapped both hands onto the ground:

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

In an instant, a thick stone wall ten meters wide surged from the ground, blocking the two of them.

The fireball slammed into the stone wall with a deafening explosion. Rubble scattered everywhere, and even the air warped from the searing heat.

Pakura grinned viciously. "Oishi, guard the cave entrance. I'll go dig out that brat's eyes. After all, the Sharingan is worth a fortune."

Without waiting for Oishi's reply, she kicked off the ground and charged straight at him.

Shinji frowned slightly. "Only one came after us?"

"Well, there are two jonin on the other side. We're only a few chunin—it's normal for them to look down on us."

With a flick of his wrist, unwilling to engage Pakura in close combat, he flung out more than a dozen shuriken toward her vital points.

"Too naive."

Pakura casually shifted aside, lightly blocking with her kunai and neutralizing the entire attack.

Shinji's expression remained unchanged as he kept up the long-range pressure. Ninjutsu, shuriken, and explosive tags flew out one after another. As they fought, he slowly lured Pakura away from the cave entrance.

Obito, hiding in the rear, had a shifting expression. "He only managed to lure one away?"

"I can't waste the opportunity Shinji fought for."

He patted his cheeks, forcing himself to rally. "Don't be scared, Obito. Rin is still waiting for you."

He looked toward the cave and was just about to step forward when his heart suddenly tightened. His pupils contracted sharply, and his heart sank.

"The other ninja is gone!"

Oishi's figure slowly emerged behind Obito, his voice cold.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Before he finished speaking, his short sword was already slashing toward Obito!

At the critical moment—

"Obito, watch out!"

Kakashi suddenly darted out and forcibly took the blow for Obito.

Blood splattered.

Obito cried out in shock, "Kakashi!"

Meanwhile, Shinji continued leading Pakura away from the cave entrance. Even with the powerful enemy steadily closing in, there wasn't a trace of panic on his face.

He took a deep breath, sank his consciousness into the system, and focused on the Task Bar to the right.

"Side Quest: Keep Up the Good Work has been completed"

"Mission Reward: 200,000 Points, S-Rank Gift Box ×1 automatically credited"

"Note: Completing such a difficult mission within the time limit is truly astounding!"

That was right—Shinji had already completed the task of getting five people to the first stage within fifteen days.

Aside from Minato, Obito, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi had all reached the first stage of favorability.

Not only had each of them provided him with a batch of Points, but the increase in their favorability had also allowed him to directly complete this Side Quest.

Giving Kurenai medicine before and stepping up to save Rin—those actions had greatly increased the others' approval of him, allowing them to reach the first stage in one stroke.

Shinji did not hesitate in the slightest.

Half of the 200,000 Points he had just acquired vanished instantly, all of it invested into upgrading his Sharingan.

The information under the talent section of the System Panel updated at once.

[Congratulations, you have obtained: Sharingan (Three Tomoe)]

[Type: Talent, Upgradeable]

[Description: A Dojutsu awakened when the Uchiha Clan experiences intense mental stimulation, causing the brain to produce special Chakra that stimulates the optic nerves.]

[Effect: Possesses exceptional dynamic vision, allowing the user to clearly capture an opponent's hand seal sequence and Chakra flow; can predict the trajectories of kunai and Taijutsu, copy most ordinary ninjutsu and Taijutsu that are not Kekkei Genkai; can see through and cast mid- to high-level genjutsu.]

[Required for next-stage upgrade: 400,000 Points (Mangekyō Sharingan)]