The Bonds of Team 7

"So you are the Yellow Flash of Konoha!"

Within the borders of the Land of Grass, deep inside a strange, primeval forest, an Iwagakure jonin broke into a cold sweat.

"Our superiors in Iwagakure told us that if we ever encountered you, we should flee immediately. Now, I finally understand what they meant."

Just moments ago, the Iwagakure ninja Mahiru had been using shadow clones to deal with two brats.

In the span of a single breath, the Yellow Flash had identified his true body and appeared behind him, pressing a kunai against his throat.

"My apologies, but we must say goodbye as soon as we meet."

Minato held his kunai, his gaze sharp as lightning. "As enemy ninjas, please forgive me for not being able to hold back."

"Understandable. Make it quick," Mahiru said with a bitter smile.

Squelch.

After cleanly and efficiently finishing off Mahiru, Minato reappeared before his three disciples, frowning as he spoke.

"Kakashi, rules and principles are indeed important, but sometimes, we must adapt to the situation on the ground."

"Exactly, exactly! You know you're wrong now, don't you?" Obito chimed in, pointing a finger at Kakashi while following Minato.

"And you, Obito," Minato said, sounding exasperated. "You talk all day about wanting to become Hokage, so stop just paying lip service. You need to strengthen your resolve as well."

Obito hung his head in dejection. "...Oh."

Glancing at his disciples, each wearing a different expression, Minato felt a headache coming on.

"Before I leave, I will remind you one more time: for a ninja, the most important thing is teamwork!"

That night, Minato told Obito about how Sakumo Hatake had "abandoned his mission to save his comrades, only to be blamed by those same comrades and eventually commit suicide."

Obito remained silent.

The next day, after escorting his disciples to a bamboo forest, Minato said with a solemn expression.

"Alright, this is as far as I can take you. The rest of the way, you must rely on yourselves."

Obito gritted his teeth and said, "Right, then let's move out, Captain Kakashi!"

Kakashi and Rin looked at Obito in surprise. Minato was also taken aback for a moment, then broke into a knowing smile.

"Then, disperse!"

After giving the order, Minato turned around first and sped off in the opposite direction.

Obito and the other two continued deeper into the bamboo forest, heading straight for their destination—Kannabi Bridge.

The three of them pressed on.

Passing by a small, rocky pond, they failed to notice that behind the boulders nearby, two Iwagakure jonin were watching them with cold, indifferent eyes.

"That guy Mahiru went out to scout and never came back. Don't tell me he was taken out by those brats," the Iwagakure ninja named Kakkō sneered.

"Hmph, let's just go ask them and find out," the Iwagakure ninja Taiseki said. He raised his hands to weave signs, and his body instantly turned transparent, blending into the surrounding environment.

Kakkō leaped up from behind the rock, raised his arms toward the trio, and fired several bamboo blades from his sleeves.

"Enemy attack, watch out!" Kakashi barked.

"I've got this! Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Obito puffed out his cheeks and, shaking his head, spat a torrent of flames at the incoming bamboo blades.

"Ah—!!"

Just as their attention was drawn to the enemy in front of them, a scream from Rin suddenly erupted behind them.

"Oh no!"

The two turned around in a panic to see a fierce-looking, burly man holding Rin under his arm. He said coldly:

"Don't move. You two wouldn't want your companion to get hurt, would you?"

"That's right, don't do anything reckless."

Kakkō, with his afro, let out a sinister cackle. "We'll be taking this girl with us for now. Maybe we'll return her once we're done with her."

Poof!

A cloud of smoke appeared abruptly and dissipated just as quickly. Along with it, the two Iwagakure ninjas and Rin vanished.

"Damn it!"

A blood-red light flared in Obito's eyes. He traced the chakra trail left behind by the two and prepared to give chase!

"Obito, don't chase after them."

Kakashi grabbed Obito and commanded, "Forget about Rin for now! We two must proceed with the mission!"

"You piece of trash, do you even know what you're saying?!" Obito was overcome with emotion, the tomoe in his eyes blurring.

"Listen to me. The enemy needs to extract information from Rin, so they won't take her life. Besides, Rin is a medical ninja; even as a prisoner, she won't be mistreated."

Kakashi analyzed the situation calmly. "But if the intelligence leaks, the defenses around Kannabi Bridge will be reinforced, and we'll never be able to complete the mission!"

"To complete the mission, some sacrifices are inevitable!" Kakashi said firmly.

"Bullshit! I'm going to save Rin right now!" Obito shoved Kakashi aside and turned to leave.

"Obito, do you even know what happens to those who break the rules? You don't understand anything at all!" Kakashi barked sharply.

"You're the one who doesn't understand! I've always believed that the White Fang was a true hero!" Obito spun around, shouting in anger.

"Those who break the rules are called trash, but in my eyes, those who don't cherish their comrades are even worse than trash!"

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back, leaving Kakashi standing there, stunned.

"Alright, Rin should be inside. Let's do this!"

Obito hid in a tree, watching the cave not far away, and silently pumped himself up.

Swish!

Just then, a fierce gust of wind struck from behind him, followed by a spray of blood!

"Nani?"

Obito turned in shock to see Kakashi standing before him, wielding the White Fang, his blade having slashed through the chest of the ambushing Rock Ninja.

"Kakashi, how did you follow me?!"

Kakashi glanced at Obito, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly beneath his mask.

"How could I possibly leave the task of saving a comrade to a little piece of trash like you?"

Ninja Art: Camouflage!

While the two were talking, the Rock Ninja Taiseki performed a one-handed seal and quietly vanished from Kakashi's field of vision.

"Damn it, he even erased his scent!" Kakashi's expression darkened. "Now, I'm afraid we can only rely on air currents and sound to determine that guy's position!"

"Uh, it doesn't have to be that complicated," Obito said weakly. "My Sharingan... it seems like I've been able to see him the whole time."

Kakashi: "..."

Is the Sharingan really that useful? It almost makes him want one for himself!

"Kakashi, eight o'clock!" Obito suddenly called out.

"Understood!" Kakashi's short blade traced a strange arc, stabbing toward his rear left.

Squelch.

The blade pierced straight into the body of the Rock Ninja Taiseki.

"How could you... see me..." Taiseki reappeared, an expression of disbelief on his face.

Kakashi didn't speak, instead delivering another strike to finish him off.

"I'm not a piece of trash, Kakashi. Let's go save Rin together!"

"Yeah!"

Inside the cave, the Rock Ninja Kakkō released Rin and turned to face the two who had run inside.

"Hmph, so Taiseki couldn't stop you? Interesting. Let me play with you two then."

Kakkō charged toward Kakashi and Obito, flicking his arms to reveal blades that sprang from his sleeves, stabbing fiercely at them.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kakkō was strong, chasing the two of them down, sparks flying as he forced them into a position where they had no room to counterattack.

But just as Kakkō was about to claim victory, he suddenly heard the two brats spouting strange nonsense about "understanding the meaning of friendship and what it means to be a ninja."

Kakkō: "???"

The next moment, Obito and Kakashi suddenly unleashed their hidden potential.

Obito performed a split in mid-air, abruptly kicking the blades from Kakkō's arms.

Kakashi leaped up from behind him, the White Fang slashing heavily across Kakkō's body.

It all happened too suddenly; after taking the hit, Kakkō was kicked to the ground by Kakashi, temporarily losing consciousness.

"Rin!"

Obito and Kakashi rushed to Rin's side, dispelling the genjutsu and preparing to take her away.

"Still just brats, after all. You don't even know the importance of a finishing blow."

However, just then, the previously unconscious Kakkō stood back up, cackling with laughter.

"You are all in the palm of my hand now!"

The reason he chose to conduct the interrogation in a rock cave was precisely because he, Kakkō, was a great Rock Ninja!

"Earth Style: Rock Collapse Path!"

Kakkō performed the seals and slammed his hands onto the ground, then vanished from the cave in a flash.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The entire cave began to tremble. Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, fist-sized rocks rained down, and even larger boulders began to shift and sway.

The expressions of the three changed drastically. Kakashi hurriedly shouted, "This cave could collapse at any moment! Run!"

Bang!

As they were running, no sooner had Kakashi finished his sentence than a falling rock struck him, knocking him straight to the ground.

"Kakashi!" Rin turned around and screamed.

Obito didn't hesitate for a second; he stopped, hoisted Kakashi up from the ground, and threw him with all his might toward a safe area.

As for himself, he found he was positioned directly beneath a massive boulder, seven or eight meters wide, that was plummeting downward at high speed!

"No! Obito!" Rin cried out in agony from the side.

She could only watch helplessly as the boulder descended upon Obito, unable to do a single thing!

Am I... am I going to die here?

Obito's pupils contracted sharply as countless images flashed through his mind in an instant.

I haven't confessed to Rin-chan yet, I haven't earned Kakashi's recognition, and I haven't even had that meal Genye owes me...

Is my life really ending like this? I'm so... so unwilling to let it end...

Obito closed his eyes in despair, silently waiting for death to arrive.

But just then, a familiar voice rang out beside his ear, carrying a deep sense of confidence and unquestionable dominance.

"Gentle Fist—Explosion!"