Clues, Assassination

Konoha, Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the branch that Taiichi had brought over and the Flying Thunder God Kunai that it had twisted, his expression more solemn than ever before.

His hand trembled as he gently placed it on the withered branch, feeling the familiar yet unfamiliar Chakra fluctuations emanating from it.

It's Wood Style! It really is Wood Style! There are actually ninjas in the Ninja World besides Konoha who can use Wood Style.

Moreover, this ninja is an enemy of Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep breath and looked up at Taiichi.

What do you think about this?

"The other party's concealment methods are very clever. They used Ninjutsu to follow Kakashi and the others the whole way. Except for a few times when they revealed their tracks and were detected, there was no trace of them at all."

The other side went to great lengths to track Kakashi and his group, and even managed to cut off their means of communication, but in the end they only took Obito. I think they were probably Mangekyō Sharingan.

As for Wood Style, I don't know much about it, so I can't comment.

Taiichi calmly explained his point of view, and he was pleased to see the solemnity on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"You mean, Obito awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan? Are you sure?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened further. This was truly bad news; the disappearance of a pair of Mangekyo was a disaster for anyone.

Taiichi nodded, affirming, "According to Kakashi's description, it was Obito who ultimately killed all the Rock Ninja. And Obito's level, unless he awakened the Mangekyo and possessed a very powerful Dōjutsu, wouldn't allow him to have that kind of strength."

In Konoha, when it comes to understanding the Mangekyo, it's fair to say that even the Uchiha Clan might not know as much as Taiichi.

While the Mangekyo is powerful, it wouldn't be possible for a Chunin to instantly gain the strength to kill three Jonin without Kamui's bizarre space-time Dōjutsu.

"These are truly turbulent times!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep drag on his pipe, then exhaled a long plume of smoke.

"Hokage-sama, I have a preliminary idea?"

Taiichi looked at the worried Hiruzen Sarutobi and suddenly a sense of inspiration welled up in his heart.

"Oh, tell me about it."

"Obito Mangekyō Sharingan because of Rin's death, which shows Rin's importance in Obito's heart."

Everyone thought Lin was dead, but we've brought her back to life.

If Obito learns of this, it will become even more difficult for the enemy to win Obito.

Therefore, in order to eliminate this hidden danger—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he continued, "You mean, they're sending someone to assassinate Rin?"

"Yes." Taiichi. "Then we just need to lie in wait and catch the enemy red-handed. Then we'll know their true colors."

"Alright, that's settled!" Hiruzen Sarutobi his hands, making the decision. "Taiichi, I'll give you two teams of Anbu. Make sure you capture these guys."

"Mission accomplished!"

Konoha Hospital, Kakashi's Ward.

When Taiichi walked into the place again, it was the third day since Kakashi's arrival.

With the help of a top-tier Medical Ninja like Taiichi, after two days of recovery, when Taiichi saw Kakashi again, he saw him doing one-handed push-ups by the bedside in the ward.

"503----"

504--

","505--

If Taiichi hadn't believed he couldn't be mistaken, he would have thought he was seeing Guy instead of Kakashi.

This scene felt strangely familiar yet jarring.

Taiichi's footsteps as he entered the room startled Kakashi, who was training.

He turned his head, sweat dripping from his forehead to the ground. When he saw that the person who entered the room was Taiichi, an excited smile immediately appeared on his face.

He knelt on one knee, struggled to his feet, and gave an awkward smile, but then rushed forward in a few steps.

"Taiichi, you've finally arrived!"

Kakashi grabbed Taiichi's shoulder and shook him violently, the force causing Taiichi some pain.

"How is Rin? Can I see her? And Obito, have you found him?"

A barrage of questions was fired at him, but he was met with Taiichi's calm eyes.

Kakashi awkwardly released his hands, took a few steps back, and slumped onto the hospital bed.

"Feel sorry----"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Taiichi walked to the bedside, looking at the floor soaked with sweat. "I heard you yelled at the nurses this morning?"

You should apologize to her.

"I have already apologized."

"Oh, that's not too bad." Taiichi's eyebrows relaxed, revealing his first smile since entering the room. He turned to Kakashi, gesturing, "Let's go, I'll take you to see Rin."

"Real!"

Kakashi jumped up, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

He had asked other doctors and nurses, but they all declined to answer Kakashi's questions, citing confidentiality, leaving him unaware of Rin's specific condition for the past two days.

This is the reason why he became increasingly agitated.

In the hospital corridor.

"Obito is still missing, but all the clues suggest that he is still alive and was taken away by someone else after he fell into a coma."

Taiichi's voice slowly rang out, recounting his investigation into Obito to Kakashi.

Kakashi truly lives up to his reputation as a top-tier ninja; he extracted key information from Taiichi's simple description.

"Were there third-party ninjas? Were we set up?"

"That should be right. They're a very powerful person with extremely sophisticated concealment techniques. We found virtually no useful traces at the scene. However, we've confirmed that they stole my Flying Thunder God Kunai from Obito."

"Why? What do we have that would make them plot against us like this?"

Kakashi clenched his fists, his steps unwavering, yet he exuded a chilling aura.

"Probably for Obito's sake, he probably awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha."

Kakashi froze, staring at Taiichi with a look of utter shock.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan! Eyes like Yohei's?"

Kakashi, who had been teammates with Yohei, naturally knew what the Mangekyō Sharingan was.

He never imagined that someone like Obito, a "loser," could awaken the eyes that the Uchiha Clan only has one pair of.

Taiichi stopped and turned to look at Kakashi, who was behind him, his face showing a calm indifference, as if he had known all along.

"Surprised? But that's just how Obito's personality is; the enemy probably noticed him a long time ago."

Taiichi turned around and continued walking forward.

Kakashi's facial muscles contorted, and after a moment of hesitation, he caught up with Taiichi's pace.

Lin's hospital room.

Various detection devices were connected to Lin's body, and she was enveloped in a faint green light.

This is the highest-level life-preserving Barrier in Konoha Hospital. Taiichi also used his influence to treat Rin.

Kakashi looked at Rin inside the Barrier; even though the treatment was complete, her face was still completely bloodless.

The instruments next to him showed that all his vital signs were much lower than normal, and he could only be described as barely staying alive.

"Taiichi, what happened? Didn't you say Lin's injuries had been completely healed?"

Kakashi's face was full of anxiety, and his questioning tone unconsciously carried a hint of accusation.

"Physical wounds are easy to heal, but emotional wounds are hard to heal." Taiichi wasn't angry; his eyes were filled with pity as he looked at Lin.

"She had previously suffered severe mental torment, and chose to sacrifice herself to avoid harming others. Now, Lin's mental state is such that she believes she deserves to die."

This is the real reason why her physical condition is so poor. The destructive tendencies of her will have hampered her body's functions. If it weren't for this life-preserving Barrier, her body would have collapsed long ago.

"How could this happen—" Kakashi muttered to himself, as a series of scenes flashed through his mind before Rin was stabbed. It turned out that Rin had already had thoughts of dying back then.

It's hateful that he was so focused on escaping that he didn't notice anything amiss.

"Don't worry too much. Once Lin has fully recovered by tomorrow, come here often and talk to her. Maybe that will awaken her will to live, and then everything will be fine."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi's eyes suddenly lit up with a dazzling light.

"Is this okay? Can I do it now?"

Taiichi smiled knowingly, unmoved by Kakashi's urgency.

"Didn't we say we had to wait for Rin's body to recover? Don't rush it. Besides, if this method doesn't work, then we'll have to find a ninja from the Yamanaka Clan to invade Rin's brain, but that's a last resort."

Taiichi turned around and looked at Kakashi seriously.

"Besides, your own body needs time to recover. If I hear the nurses complaining to me again, then you can forget about seeing Lin again."

Kakashi's lips twitched. He thought the previous matter was over, but he didn't expect to find it here.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something in his defense, but in the end, all he could do was sigh.

"I see!"

"Alright, visiting hours are over for today. You can go back to your room now. I still need to give Lin her follow-up treatment."

Kakashi glanced at Rin Taiichi last time, then at Taichi, before turning and slowly leaving the ward.

Watching Kakashi's figure disappear through the doorway, Taiichi smiled, hoping that this arrangement would make Zetsu realize that Rin was still alive.

Taiichi really wanted to spar with them.

Take a look at your panel.

[Flying Thunder God Lv10 (221/2000)]

I didn't want to waste Skill Points on this, but in order to catch Jue who has the Mayfly Technique, I have to use these Skill Points when necessary.

With a thought, the panel immediately changed.

[Flying Thunder God Lv10 Max Level]

A wealth of experience using the Flying Thunder God Technique surfaced deep within Taiichi's mind.

It was as if he had practiced and studied the Flying Thunder God for many years, integrating various previously unexplored knowledge into the original system.

Here lies the Flying Thunder God Level 2 Taiichi has longed for but has never mastered, a technique that allows him to casually imprint Talisman.

Strangely enough, Taiichi and Minato often exchanged tips on using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Unfortunately, the two seemed to have taken two different paths with their Flying Thunder God techniques. For example, Minato had already mastered the technique of casually placing and placing Talisman, and he had passed it on to Taiichi without reservation.

Taiichi, however, was unable to comprehend it on his own, just as Minato was unable to learn Taiichi's Flying Thunder God Formula, which allowed others to summon him.

Now, by adding points, Taiichi has mastered this skill, completing the final piece of the puzzle for this plan.

The Land of Earth, Madara's secret base.

The dim cave blocked out the sunlight and noise of the outside world, and the huge Demonic Statue of the Outer Path cast a menacing shadow.

In the center of the hall, Madara Uchiha stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the void, as if he were thinking, or perhaps he was emptying his mind of all his complex thoughts.

At one point, Black Zetsu led two White Zetsu out of the cave, their hurried footsteps revealing a hint of impatience.

"Lord Madara, something has happened in Konoha."

Ban's eyelids didn't even twitch; he maintained the demeanor of a master, and his calm words echoed in the cave.

"Explain."

"Lin—" Black Zetsu's voice lowered even further, "That girl named Lin, she's not dead."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze instantly, and Madara's previously dormant Chakra surged suddenly.

A chilling killing intent permeated the air, causing the temperature in the entire hall to drop several degrees.

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Black Zetsu.

"Waste!"

Anger brewed in his chest; if he didn't know that Black Zetsu was his only remaining limbs, Madara would have wanted to kill someone.

"The trigger for Obito's Mangekyo awakening was Rin. Only Rin's death was the key for Obito to hide in the darkness and embrace the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Tell me now, this key is gone!

Ban's voice contained a suppressed thunder.

"Was the arrangement of Kannabi Bridge intended to keep her alive and make her an anchor point for Obito's return to Konoha? Didn't you even bother to check if she was really dead before you left?"

Black Zetsu was under immense pressure, and his body trembled slightly.

This was not only due to Ban's anger, but also a reflection on his own dereliction of duty.

"It was my mistake. I never imagined that someone with a ruptured heart could be saved." Black Zetsu's words were filled with regret, but he continued his report, "White Zetsu, hiding in Konoha, sent word that it was Taichi Matsushita who ultimately saved Rin."

"Taichi Matsushita, it's Taichi Matsushita again."

Ban carefully pondered the name. Despite all his precautions, he never expected that his plan would ultimately fail because of this person.

"Obito's beliefs were like a candle flickering in the wind. Rin's existence was the last light in his heart, threatening to pull him back to that false reality at any moment."

Ban's voice returned to its usual coldness, even colder than before, "She cannot be allowed to live. This glimmer of light must be extinguished completely."

He looked at Black Zetsu, his command leaving no room for argument, "Go. Eliminate this potential threat with your own hands. Konoha's Barrier and guards are meaningless to you. I want you to watch her heart stop beating, to confirm that her soul has completely dissipated. This time, there can be no failure."

"Yes!" Black Zetsu acknowledged the order and hurriedly left the cave hall with the two already impatient White Zetsu.

Konoha Hospital, late at night.

The intensive care unit where Lin was located was brightly lit but unusually quiet.

In the corridor, two teams of Anbu Guard, wearing animal masks, stood silently in the shadows, their aura restrained, like statues.

As arranged by Taiichi, they were always there to watch over Lin in the ward.

A nurse dressed in a white Medical Ninja uniform and wearing a mask pushed a medicine cart and walked steadily Earth Flow Rin's ward.

She was Lin's dedicated nurse during this period, but even with her arrival, the Anbu did not relax their vigilance in the slightest.

Following the procedure, I had to remove my mask, have my face verified, have my ID card checked, and have my password verified. Only after this series of checks was I finally allowed to pass.

The "nurse" pushed open the ward door and entered the area shrouded by the Barrier. The light of the Barrier flowed around him, seemingly unaware of anything amiss. He gently closed the door behind him, cutting off any outside view.