As Haori hurried along, distracted by his own thoughts, things were not looking good for Kakashi.
Obito's death had dealt him a devastating emotional blow. The strain of using the Sharingan, combined with his repeated use of the Chidori, had also drained his chakra to the brink.
But stopping was the last thing on his mind.
He rapidly formed Hand Seals. Crackling arcs of electricity appeared in his hand once more, accompanied by a sharp hiss.
As he watched the Iwa shinobi rushing toward him from every direction, he had no idea where they had come from.
Perhaps last night's explosion had made Iwagakure more vigilant, but he paid it little heed.
His gaze was utterly resolute. He had already prepared himself to face death.
"Oh-ho, still fighting with such spirit at a time like this. No wonder you had the nerve to sneak into our rear lines."
The Iwa shinobi who had arrived as reinforcements watched the arcs of electricity dancing in Kakashi's hand and listened to the sound echoing through the forest like a thousand birds crying out.
The shinobi leading them sounded a little mocking, but they all looked deadly serious.
There was only Kakashi and one girl, but they knew this team was no pushover.
The jōnin and tokubetsu jōnin had already been taken out, for one thing. The massive explosion earlier alone was enough to leave them shaken.
"Rin, I'll hold them off. Take the chance to get away."
Kakashi gasped as he spoke, taking a specially made kunai in his left hand.
"But—"
Rin stared at Kakashi in disbelief, but he cut her off before she could finish.
"Obito entrusted you to me. So even if I die, I'll protect you."
"Kakashi..."
Rin wanted to say more, but the Iwa shinobi clearly had no intention of letting them continue.
If Sumashi had been there, he might have let them talk for a little longer, giving himself a chance to launch a surprise attack.
But Sumashi had been blown to pieces inside the Iwagakure camp, and these Iwa shinobi were now seething with rage.
All they cared about was taking out these two brats first. If they let them escape again, it would be over!
"Move in! Capture them alive if possible!"
At the command, the Iwa shinobi charged forward.
"Go, Rin!"
Kakashi barked. The next moment, he threw himself at the Iwa shinobi, seemingly with no regard for his own life!
With the Sharingan, his dynamic vision had become terrifyingly sharp, and he had gained much better control over his body.
Most notably, he could now wield the Chidori in his left hand with far greater ease!
"Obito, is this the strength you gave me?"
Kakashi murmured under his breath. In that instant, he moved even faster.
"He's fast!"
"Stop him! Watch out for his Lightning Release!"
Seeing Kakashi burst forward at such speed, the Iwa shinobi immediately changed their attack.
They hurriedly drew their kunai and hurled them at Kakashi from all directions.
"I see them."
Kakashi glanced at them once and immediately gauged their trajectories.
His figure darted and weaved as he charged. With his enhanced dynamic vision, he dodged every kunai!
"How is that possible?"
"Watch his left eye! That looks like a Sharingan!"
Kakashi's movements left the Iwa shinobi stunned, but they quickly realized there was something unusual about him.
But he was moving too fast. With the Chidori crackling in his hand, he had already plunged into their ranks!
As the battle unfolded, a crow circled overhead, watching everything below.
"W-What? It's that bad?"
While Kakashi fought the Iwa shinobi, Haori and the others were hurrying toward the scene.
They were already farther away, and they also had to watch out for Iwa shinobi along the way and gather information about the area. As a result, they had lost quite a bit of time.
But their slower pace had its advantages. Aoba had already learned a great deal about the situation from the crows.
Once he had explained what was happening, Might Guy could barely contain himself.
He had known Kakashi since before they started school, and Kakashi's father had given both him and his own father a great deal of encouragement.
Might Guy had never forgotten that. Now that Kakashi was in such serious trouble, he was naturally worried.
If Haori hadn't given the order yet, he would have rushed ahead at full speed.
"Yeah, it's not looking good."
Yamashiro Aoba nodded, then continued gravely.
"But Haori, I can't seem to find Jōnin Minato."
"That's to be expected," Haori replied casually.
"Minato's greatest strength is the Flying Thunder God, which gives him incredible mobility.
"Iwagakure is on the warpath, and the front line needs him too. He can't stay behind enemy lines all the time.
"So, to make sure the mission goes smoothly, I'm sure he left behind something that can summon him."
"I see. That makes sense."
Aoba nodded in understanding. He couldn't help thinking how comfortable it was to go on missions with Haori.
He could figure out a lot of things himself, but he was still nowhere near as quick as Haori.
Haori was someone he could truly rely on!
"So, what do we do now?"
Seeing Haori and Aoba still talking about other things, Might Guy couldn't help asking anxiously.
"We'll hurry over," Haori decided after a moment.
"Even if we're sure Jōnin Minato will come, no one knows exactly when he'll arrive.
"The front line is quite far from here, and Minato might be on another mission.
"So until he gets here, we'll do everything we can to help Kakashi and the others. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain!"
***
"Argh!"
With a piercing scream, Kakashi impassively pulled his hand out of an Iwa shinobi's chest.
But he didn't attack again. He stood there, panting heavily.
Iwa shinobi corpses were scattered all around him, and his own body was covered in wounds.
He was utterly exhausted. He could feel that he had reached his limit.
Using the Sharingan for the first time had taken an unimaginable toll on him. Repeatedly using the Chidori had only made his condition worse.
"He's almost done for! Attack!"
The Iwa shinobi had been frightened by Kakashi's ferocity, but they could see how weak he was now. They immediately attacked again.
"Is this the end?"
Watching the Iwa shinobi charge at him again, Kakashi sighed inwardly.
But when he thought of his promise to Obito, and of Rin still behind him, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to rally.
"No. It's not over yet!"
He was still alive. He couldn't give up now!
As the Iwa shinobi drew closer, Kakashi forced himself to squeeze out every last drop of chakra and gather it once more.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Just as Kakashi prepared to fight to the death, a green figure suddenly burst out from behind the Iwa shinobi.
Like a whirlwind, he swept past them, sending several Iwa shinobi tumbling to the ground.
"Ninja Art: Sanzen Karasu no Jutsu!"
Then, countless crows burst forth with clouds of smoke, spreading wildly throughout the forest.
"Damn it, what is this?"
The crows blocked the Iwa shinobi's vision and even stalled their advance.
The next moment, a figure suddenly appeared among the flock.
As the crows scattered, the figure crossed their ranks, and a flash of red blossomed in the air!
The strike was clean and decisive!
After finishing, the figure slowly turned around.
With the sun behind him and crows circling all around, Kakashi couldn't make out his face.
But those crimson eyes were etched deep in Kakashi's mind.