"The mission isn't over yet!" Kakashi insisted stubbornly. "With your help, we could at least keep a few of them here!"
Jin slowly raised his left hand and removed his mask. "I don't want to fight. At least, not today."
"You?!" There was a rare note of anger in Kakashi's voice. Obito and the others were just as baffled by Jin's actions. They were on an Anbu mission, so why had Jin taken off his mask?
"Heh, from your tone... you think you could beat us whenever you wanted?" Kazama Chijin pointed his blade at Jin. "Our captain said none of you are getting away. I'll start with you!"
Before Jin could answer, Obito charged forward, gripping a kunai in his right hand. "You've gone too far! I'm not running away!"
"You've got guts!"
"Obito!"
Kazama Chijin charged forward with his blade raised. Morichika Makoto, who stood in his path, merely stepped aside. After all, their captain had forbidden them from attacking without an order...
Besides, he wasn't the target.
Jin merely half-closed his eyes, gathering chakra in his left hand. It formed a water whip that pulled the charging Obito back.
At that moment, Asagiri Shizuka, who had remained behind Kumoi Chizuru, began trembling all over... she finally recognized whose chakra that strangely familiar presence belonged to.
Kumoi Chizuru immediately noticed Asagiri Shizuka's strange reaction. When she saw the water whip that had appeared in her dreams countless times, something seemed to come crashing down inside her mind.
It wasn't just Kumoi Chizuru. Even Kazama Chijin froze in the middle of his charge.
"Chizuru, your swordsmanship has improved a lot."
"Chijin, you've learned to use a sword too... Shizuka, you've grown so much. Asamu Cha, Kotetsu, Imika, it's been a long time."
Jin softly called their names, but his