Minato and Kushina were startled by Shi Xiu, too. By then, Shi Xiu had walked over to Rin and slowly crouched down.
Shi Xiu first gently patted Rin's shoulder, which trembled slightly from fear and tension. Then he reached out and handed her the heart, still stained with Obito's blood.
"Rin, now isn't the time to grieve. We have to work against the clock! Stop his bleeding as quickly as possible, remove the curse seal from his heart, and then transplant the heart back intact. That's the only way we have a chance of saving Obito."
At Shi Xiu's words, Rin Nohara, who had been utterly at a loss, suddenly froze.
Rin took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
Though Shi Xiu's sudden offering of the heart had frightened her badly, she knew the situation was critical and there was no time to hesitate.
So Rin gritted her teeth and took the heart, forcing herself to stay calm as she focused on stopping Obito's bleeding.
Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Rin's forehead. Her hands trembled slightly from the strain, but she continued working with intense concentration, carefully removing the strange curse seal from Obito's heart bit by bit.
Every movement Rin made was cautious, as though the slightest mistake would destroy Obito's last chance of survival.
Shi Xiu stood nearby, his eyes fixed on Rin. She was concentrating on using chakra to stop Obito's bleeding while carefully removing the strange curse seal from his heart.
Though Rin was now an Impure World Reincarnation, the chakra she output inevitably dwindled as she faced such an intense procedure.
Minato and Kushina watched Rin with worried expressions, their hearts in their throats.
Minato had just started forward, intending to give Rin some of his chakra to ease the strain, when he saw that Shi Xiu had already acted first.
Shi Xiu quickly went to Rin's side and, without hesitation, gently placed his right hand on her shoulder.
In an instant, Rin felt a powerful, warm chakra flowing from Shi Xiu's palm, surging into her body like a rushing torrent.
The volume and intensity of the chakra left Rin astonished.
If Rin's own chakra reserves were a quiet lake, then the chakra Shi Xiu was providing was an endless ocean!
Rin took a deep breath. Feeling the chakra within her, so abundant it seemed ready to overflow, she felt some of her tension ease.
She gave Shi Xiu a grateful glance, then refocused and devoted herself completely to the difficult task of stopping Obito's bleeding and removing the curse seal from his heart.
In Rin's resolute, focused eyes, Obito's life was being wrested from the hands of the Death God, bit by bit.
With the precise movements of Rin's hands, the strange curse seal was finally removed completely. Only a faint mark remained on Obito's heart, the sole proof that it had ever been there.
Without the slightest hesitation, Rin quickly and carefully placed the heart she had finished treating into the terrible wound in Obito's chest, preparing to begin the final suturing.
But when she reached this stage of the procedure, Rin seemed to hit an insurmountable obstacle. Her face suddenly grew troubled.
Rin looked deeply distressed and murmured, "Oh no, there's no needle and thread for suturing. What do I do now?"
Her voice was filled with anxiety and worry, with even the faintest hint of a sob.
Minato, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation, saw what was happening and immediately stepped forward, making a quick decision.
"Don't worry, Rin. I'll go to the Medical Department and borrow a needle and thread!" He turned to leave.
At that critical moment, however, Shi Xiu, who had been silent all along, slowly raised his right hand.
A mass of blue chakra spun rapidly in Shi Xiu's palm, gathering until it transformed into a long, sharp needle, with a long strand of Chakra Threads trailing from its end.
Rin stared at what was happening before her, dumbstruck. Her beautiful eyes widened until they were round, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Without changing expression, Shi Xiu held out the needle formed from chakra and calmly said to Rin,
"Use this for now. You can also take this opportunity to get a better feel for the Wind Release transformation it contains. As far as I know, you should have Wind Release chakra."
Rin remained utterly stunned. It took her a long while to finally come back to her senses.
Rin extended both hands somewhat dazedly and took the incredible chakra needle from Shi Xiu. The moment her fingertips touched it, a cool, powerful energy flowed through her fingers and spread throughout her body.
Rin gripped the chakra needle tightly, focusing on the energy flowing within it and the subtle changes of its Wind Release nature. A storm surged inside her, and it took a long time for her to settle.
Then Rin hurried to begin the suturing.
This step was crucial. The slightest mistake could mean Obito would never wake up.
Rin's forehead was already beaded with fine sweat, but her gaze was unwavering.
"Come on, Rin!" Minato and Kushina encouraged her softly from the side.
At their words, Rin's hands moved even faster and more precisely. After a long while, she finally completed Obito's heart transplant.
Rin let out a long breath. Seeing Obito's breathing gradually steady, she felt an indescribable joy well up inside her.
The moment Rin completed Obito's heart transplant, the atmosphere in the room seemed to grow much lighter.
Shi Xiu slowly withdrew the hand he had placed on Rin's shoulder. A hint of approval flickered in his eyes.
Looking at Obito's steadily rising and falling chest, Rin was overwhelmed with emotion. At last, the tension that had kept her on edge finally eased.
Then a powerful wave of weakness washed over her, and her legs gave way. She fell backward, but Shi Xiu caught her from behind.
Rin leaned weakly against Shi Xiu's chest and looked up at him, her eyes full of gratitude.
"Thank goodness, Obito... He's alive!" Rin's voice was choked with emotion, but excitement shone through.
Kushina stepped forward, took the exhausted Rin from Shi Xiu's arms, and helped her over to another bed.
"Rin, get some rest," Kushina said gently, patting Rin's hand.
Lying on the bed, Rin felt drowsiness wash over her like a tide. Before long, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Shi Xiu looked at the unconscious Obito and the sleeping Rin, lowering his head in thought as he considered whether to truly bring Rin back to life.
Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of Konoha, Black Zetsu quietly infiltrated Orochimaru's laboratory. A conspiracy was quietly taking shape.