Everything unfolded just as Manji had expected.
More time passed.
The aftermath of the Third Shinobi World War had yet to fade, but friction between Konoha and Kirigakure showed no sign of stopping.
Kakashi Hatake and Nohara Rin were assigned to infiltrate the Kirigakure border and conduct reconnaissance.
Their team was small, and the mission demanded stealth.
Kakashi had grown used to the Sharingan in his left eye, and his fighting style was calmer than before.
As always, Rin handled medical support.
The situation suddenly deteriorated in the latter half of the mission.
For some reason, Kirigakure's Anbu pinpointed their location.
The encirclement closed in fast and tight.
It was almost as if someone in the sky were feeding Kirigakure their position.
Kakashi immediately pulled back, trying to track the enemy's movements with his Sharingan while covering Rin's retreat.
But the Kirigakure Ninja had clearly come prepared.
Several Water Style techniques sealed off their escape routes from the sides, and Rin was forcibly separated from him in the chaos.
Kakashi tried to fight his way back, but two Anbu kept him pinned down.
"Rin—!"
Kakashi shouted in alarm. His Sharingan spun, but all he could see were water mist and the enemies' afterimages.
By the time he managed to tear open a gap, Rin's Chakra signature had vanished into the deeper mist.
Elsewhere.
The Kirigakure Anbu moved quickly.
They did not kill Rin. Instead, they subdued her and took her to a hidden outpost that night.
Deep inside the outpost, a sealing array had been prepared in advance.
"Finally found her..."
A Kirigakure sealing ninja smiled.
Part of the Three-Tails' Chakra was forcibly extracted and pressed into Rin's body through a complex jutsu.
The agony nearly made her lose consciousness.
She did not resist.
The system had long since fallen