Timely Arrival

While Uchiha Kei was lost in thought and preparing for battle, Kakashi felt an overwhelming fatigue.

The consumption from his Sharingan, coupled with the use of Chidori, had nearly depleted Kakashi's Chakra.

But at this moment, Kakashi had no opportunity to rest, nor did he even intend to.

A profound sense of guilt plunged Kakashi's heart into darkness, and his desire to die amplified infinitely.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten his promise. To protect Nohara Rin and the 'deceased' Uchiha Obito, he resolved to fight to the death.

Chakra gathered in his right hand, an ear-piercing screech spreading across the battlefield. His left hand gripped the Kunai given to him by his teacher, Namikaze Minato, a small amount of Chakra flowing into it.

As his Chakra reached its peak, the Iwa Ninja launched their attack. Kakashi, completely disregarding his own life, charged forward.

And at that very moment, Uchiha Kei and his group arrived at the edge of the battlefield.

"This is truly brutal," Uchiha Kei couldn't help but twitch his lips as he watched Kakashi fighting with the mindset of an all-out exchange.

He had to admit, Kakashi was incredibly fierce, and Lady Luck seemed to favor him. Although Kakashi was hit by the Iwa Ninja, the damage wasn't fatal.

Furthermore, Uchiha Kei noticed that these Iwa Ninja didn't seem intent on killing him; they were more focused on capturing Kakashi alive.

After all, Kakashi was a genius. Few people on the battlefield likely didn't know his name, and capturing him alive would undoubtedly yield a lot of Intelligence.

"What do we do now?" Hyuga Aya asked softly, frowning as she watched Kakashi kill an Iwa Ninja only to be surrounded again. "There are too many enemies, and their strength is considerable. If they didn't want to capture Kakashi alive, this guy would have died long ago. Besides, I don't think their patience will last long."

"How about we cover Rin-kun's retreat?" Imai Kenta also couldn't help but ask. "Rin-kun's current position is very dangerous."

"You two go protect Nohara Rin," Uchiha Kei said after a moment's thought. "Don't let the enemy get close. I'll cover Kakashi."

"Are you that confident that Minato Jonin will arrive in time?" Hyuga Aya interjected, but seeing Uchiha Kei's resolve, she knew her question was pointless.

Indeed, it was pointless. Uchiha Kei didn't give them a chance to speak and immediately took action.

Seeing this, Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta could only follow helplessly. They could only pray that Namikaze Minato would truly arrive on the battlefield, or they would be in serious trouble.

Kakashi used his Kunai to force an Iwa Ninja back against a large tree. He completely ignored the attacks from behind, and the Chidori in his right hand let out a piercing shriek as it lunged towards the Iwa Ninja's chest.

Suddenly, a fierce look flashed across the enemy's face. He drew a Kunai in a desperate move, thrusting it along Kakashi's Advance Route.

He intended to perform an ultimate exchange with Kakashi!

But Kakashi faced this with extreme calmness, or rather, he didn't take it seriously at all.

With the help of Obito's Sharingan, his dynamic vision was terrifying, and his control had reached a new peak.

In the midst of his rapid movement, Kakashi suddenly changed direction, dodging the Kunai. The Chidori, carrying powerful Chakra, pierced directly through the enemy's chest under his astonished and fearful gaze. Blood and flesh fragments scattered outwards – a fatal blow!

However, Kakashi was now surrounded. The Iwa Ninja behind him were closing in. It was clear these individuals still intended to capture Kakashi alive.

Kakashi's biggest problem was that his Chakra was running low.

"Is it over?"

Kakashi sighed inwardly. He was truly exhausted, to the point of death. He really wanted to stop.

But thinking of Obito, and thinking of Rin still behind him, Kakashi could only force himself to stay alert. He knew his fight wasn't over yet, because he wasn't dead!

Forcibly pulling the right hand stuck in the enemy's chest, Kakashi turned around. To his astonishment, he saw a figure suddenly appear behind the enemy!

The figure was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, a Kunai in its hand slit a guy's throat. The movement was clean, simple, and highly effective.

After finishing this, the figure threw the Kunai again, instantly pinning another Iwa Ninja who was approaching Kakashi.

Soon, the figure landed in front of Kakashi. Looking at the insignia on the guy's clothes, Kakashi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, while his guilt intensified.

"Are you alright?" Uchiha Kei looked back at Kakashi. "Where is Minato Jonin?"

"He went to support the frontline battlefield," Kakashi sighed. "You guys should leave quickly. I'll hold them off and get Rin, get Rin out safely."

"Then what about your mission?" Uchiha Kei frowned. "Alright, my teammates have already gone to support Rin. You should rest well. We'll break out after recovering our strength. We can't stay here any longer."

After saying this, Uchiha Kei didn't say any more to Kakashi. In truth, he wanted to say more but didn't have the chance.

After a brief moment of shock, the Iwa Ninja quickly regrouped and launched another attack.

Uchiha Kei took a deep breath. He had no idea how long he could hold out. To be precise, he wasn't sure how long Kakashi had held out in the original story, waiting for Namikaze Minato's rescue.

But in a situation behind enemy lines, seeking a safe haven was worth taking a risk!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

With that thought, Uchiha Kei unhesitatingly formed hand seals and used a Fire Style Ninjutsu.

The enemy numbers were indeed very large, but he had to fight even if he couldn't win. Whether he could win or not was a matter of strength; whether to fight or not was a matter of attitude.

Although Uchiha Kei always had issues with his attitude, he was very serious at this moment.

However, after making his move, Uchiha Kei regretted it. The fact was, in ninja combat, the one who attacks first is usually at a significant disadvantage.

The Iwa Ninja hit by the Great Fireball Technique dissolved into a puff of smoke and disappeared.

Was it a clone, or a Shadow Clone?

Uchiha Kei hadn't activated his Sharingan, but that didn't mean he had no other options.

At this moment, Uchiha Kei seemed to sense that the situation was dire and was about to use the Substitution Technique, but a Kunai had already pierced his back. Immediately, Uchiha Kei turned into a pile of dust.

As a 'battle survival expert', Uchiha Kei knew quite a few Ninjutsu, especially life-saving ones!

The next moment, Uchiha Kei's True Body appeared behind him, plunging the Kunai fiercely into his own back, almost identical to his previous action.

However, the Kunai piercing the Iwa Ninja's body felt wrong to Uchiha Kei, and the other Iwa Ninja were also attacking.

Facing this situation, Uchiha Kei immediately used the Substitution Technique.