Team 7's Bond

"You're the Yellow Flash of Konoha!"

Deep in a strange, primeval forest in the Land of Grass, an Iwagakure jōnin spoke with cold sweat running down his face.

"Our higher-ups told us to run the moment we encountered you. Now I finally understand why."

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

In the space of a single breath, the Yellow Flash had pinpointed his real body and appeared behind him, pressing a kunai to his throat.

"Sorry, but we'll have to say goodbye as soon as we've met."

Minato held a kunai, his gaze sharp as lightning. "As enemy shinobi, I hope you'll forgive me for showing no mercy."

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

Thrust!

After dispatching Mahiru without hesitation, Minato reappeared in front of his three students and frowned.

"Kakashi, rules and principles are important, but sometimes we have to adapt to the situation at hand."

"Exactly! You know you were wrong now, don't you?" Obito chimed in, pointing at Kakashi along with Minato.

"And you too, Obito," Minato said, exasperated. "You're always saying you want to become Hokage, so don't just talk. You need to strengthen your resolve, too."

Obito lowered his head dejectedly. "...Okay."

Minato glanced at his students' varied expressions and felt a headache coming on.

"Before we leave, I'll remind you once more: the most important thing for shinobi is teamwork!"

That night, Minato told Obito about Hatake Sakumo, who had abandoned a mission to save his comrades, only to be criticized by them and eventually take his own life.

Obito fell silent.

The next day, after escorting his students to a bamboo grove, Minato spoke gravely.

"All right, this is where I leave you. From here on, you're on your own."

Obito gritted his teeth. "Okay. Let's go, Captain Kakashi!"

Kakashi and Rin looked at Obito in surprise. Minato was taken aback, too, but then gave them a knowing smile.

"Then, disperse!"

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

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin continued deeper into the bamboo grove, heading straight for their destination—Kannabi Bridge.

The three pressed on.

As they passed a small pool surrounded by jagged rocks, they failed to notice the two Iwagakure jōnin watching them coldly from behind a nearby boulder.

"That Mahiru hasn't come back since he went out to scout. Could those brats have taken him out?" the Iwa ninja named Kakkō said with a sneer.

"Hmph. Why not ask them?" The Iwa ninja Taiseki formed Hand Seals, and his body instantly turned transparent, blending into his surroundings.

Kakkō leaped out from behind the rock, raised both arms toward the three, and sent several bamboo blades flying from his sleeves.

"Enemy attack! Watch out!" Kakashi barked.

"I've got this! Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Obito puffed out his cheeks and tilted his head as he blasted flames at the incoming bamboo blades.

"Ahhh!"

Just as both boys focused on the enemy in front of them, Rin suddenly screamed behind them.

"Oh no!"

They hurriedly turned around and saw a fierce-looking, burly man holding Rin under one arm. He spoke coldly.

"Don't move. You two don't want anything to happen to your comrade, do you?"

"That's right. Don't do anything rash."

Kakkō, his hair standing up in a wild tuft, cackled. "We'll take this girl with us for now. Maybe we'll give her back after we're done with her."

Poof!

A cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere, then quickly dissipated. The two Iwa ninja and Rin had vanished along with it.

"Damn it!"

A flash of red lit Obito's eyes. Following the elemental traces—no, the chakra traces the two had left behind, he was about to chase after them!

"Obito, don't go after them."

Kakashi grabbed Obito and ordered, "Forget Rin for now. The two of us need to carry out the mission first!"

"You jerk! Do you even hear yourself?!" Obito shouted, his emotions surging until the Tomoe in his eyes blurred.

"Listen to me. The enemy needs information from Rin, so they won't kill her. Besides, she's a medical ninja. Even as a prisoner, she won't be mistreated."

Kakashi analyzed the situation calmly. "But if the information gets out, they'll reinforce the defenses around Kannabi Bridge, and we'll have a much harder time completing the mission!"

"Some sacrifices are unavoidable if we're going to complete the mission!" Kakashi said firmly.

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

"Obito, do you know what happens to people who break the rules? You don't understand anything!" Kakashi shouted.

"You're the one who doesn't understand! I've always believed the White Fang was a true hero!" Obito turned around and said angrily.

"People who break the rules are treated like trash, but in my eyes, people who don't value their comrades are worse than trash!"

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back, leaving Kakashi frozen in place.

"All right, Rin should be in there. Here I go!"

Obito hid in a tree and looked at the cave in the distance, silently psyching himself up.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a gust of wind struck from behind him, followed by a spray of blood!

"What?!"

Obito turned around in shock and saw Kakashi standing in front of him with White Fang in hand, having slashed the attacking Iwa ninja across the chest.

"Kakashi, why did you come after me?!"

Kakashi glanced at Obito, the corner of his mouth lifting beneath his mask.

"How could I leave something as important as saving a comrade in the hands of a little runt like you?"

Ninja Art: Camouflage!

While the two were talking, the Iwa ninja Taiseki formed a Hand Seal with one hand and quietly disappeared from Kakashi's sight.

"Damn it, he's masked his scent, too!" Kakashi's face darkened. "Now we'll have to use air currents and sound to figure out where he is!"

"Uh, we don't have to go to all that trouble," Obito said weakly. "I think I've been able to see him this whole time with my Sharingan."

Kakashi: "..."

Was the Sharingan really that useful? It made him want one, too!

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

"Got it!" Kakashi's short blade traced a strange arc as he thrust it toward the rear left side of his body.

Thrust!

The blade plunged straight into the Iwa ninja Taiseki.

"How could you... see me...?" Taiseki reappeared, his face filled with disbelief.

Kakashi said nothing and stabbed Taiseki again.

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

"Yeah!"

Inside the cave, the Iwa ninja Kakkō let go of Rin and turned to face the two who had rushed in.

"Hmph. Taiseki couldn't stop you? Interesting. I'll have some fun with the two of you myself."

Kakkō charged at Kakashi and Obito. With a flick of his arms, two blades sprang from his sleeves and stabbed viciously toward them.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kakkō was strong. He chased the two boys around, slashing at them and showering them with sparks, leaving them no chance to fight back.

But just as Kakkō was about to win, he suddenly heard the two brats say some strange things about understanding "what friendship means and what it means to be a shinobi."

Kakkō: "???"

The next moment, Obito and Kakashi suddenly unleashed their inner power.

Obito did the splits in midair and kicked the blades from Kakkō's arms in a flash.

Kakashi leaped up behind him and slashed Kakkō viciously with White Fang.

It all happened too suddenly. After taking a slash, Kakkō was kicked to the ground by Kakashi and temporarily lost consciousness.

"Rin!"

Obito and Kakashi hurried to Rin's side, dispelled the genjutsu, and prepared to take her away.

"You really are just brats. You don't even know how important it is to finish off your opponent."

But just then, Kakkō, who had been unconscious, got back to his feet and cackled.

"You're right in the palm of my hand now!"

He had chosen to interrogate them in the cave for one reason: he, Kakkō, was a great Iwa ninja!

"Earth Style: Rock Collapse Path!"

Kakkō formed Hand Seals and slammed his hands into the ground. Then he darted out of the cave.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The entire cave began to shake. Dust billowed as fist-sized rocks tumbled down, and massive boulders began to sway.

The three went pale. Kakashi hurriedly said, "This cave could collapse at any moment! Hurry, get out!"

Thud!

As the three ran, a chunk of rock fell and knocked Kakashi to the ground just after he finished his line.

"Kakashi!" Rin turned around and cried out.

Obito stopped without hesitation, lifted Kakashi from the ground, and hurled him into a safe area.

But Obito himself was left directly beneath a boulder seven or eight meters across, plummeting toward him at high speed!

"No! Obito!" Rin cried out nearby.

All she could do was watch helplessly as the boulder fell toward Obito!

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

Obito's pupils contracted sharply, and countless scenes flashed through his mind.

"I haven't confessed to Rin yet. I haven't earned Kakashi's acknowledgment. I haven't even gotten that meal Genye owes me..."

"Is my life really going to end like this...? I don't want it to..."

Obito closed his eyes in despair, quietly awaiting death.

But just then, a familiar voice rang in his ear, brimming with confidence and an undeniable authority.

"Gentle Fist—Explosion!"