Obito Uchiha stepped on a loose stone, staggered and almost fell.
He steadied himself, cursed, and looked up to find that Kakashi Hatake had already taken several steps.
"Hey, Kakashi Hatake, why are you walking so fast--"
He didn't finish what he said.
There was a sharp sound of breaking wind above the head. The sound was fast and sharp, like something falling at high speed.
Kakashi Hatake's expression changed.
He heard it, it was the sound of heavy objects falling from the sky, and there were more than one.
"Spread out!"
Kakashi Hatake shouted and threw his body to the side.
Obito Uchiha's reaction was half a beat slow, but he saw it - the sky above his head was covered by several huge black shadows, and those black shadows were falling rapidly, getting bigger and closer, with the momentum of smashing through the ground.
It's wood.
Huge, round logs, each as thick as a bucket and more than a foot long, were pushed down from the mountain walls on both sides, rolling and bouncing towards them.
Those pieces of wood carried the sound of wind, dust, and the madness that would crush people into pulp.
Obito Uchiha didn't have time to think too much, he put his hands together, and the chakra in his body rushed to his throat crazily. "Fire Release--"
His fingers were flying, and Hand Seals's speed had never been so fast.
Si-hai-yin-mao.
He completed the four seals in one go, then he took a deep breath, his chest swelled like a bellows, and aimed at the fallen logs, he suddenly spurted out a huge ball of flames.
"--Great Fireball Technique!"
The flame spurted out from his mouth, carrying a scorching wave of air, exploding in the air and turning into a huge fireball with a diameter of more than two meters.
The fireball hit the front piece of wood, and the wood was instantly ignited, crackling in the flames, and burned into a huge torch.
But the burning wood was still smashing down. Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth and added another handful of chakra. The fireball expanded again and swallowed the second and third wood.
The heat wave of the flames hit his face, making Obito Uchiha's face hurt, but he did not take a step back.
The wood burned, cracked, and shattered into countless sparks in the flames, blooming and extinguishing in the air like a rain of fire falling upside down.
Burnt sawdust and ashes fell down, landing on his head, shoulders, and hands, burning out small red spots, but he did not hide.
Obito Uchiha stopped when the last piece of wood was engulfed in flames.
He gasped for air, there was a burning taste in his throat, and his lips were so chapped that they were about to bleed.
His legs were a little weak, but he gritted his teeth and stood without falling.
Kakashi Hatake got up from the ground and glanced at Obito Uchiha.
Obito Uchiha saw that look, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously, but he immediately suppressed them again - now is not the time to be complacent.
There was a burst of applause from the front.
"Not bad, Konoha's kid is quite capable."
A man wearing a Iwagakure uniform walked out of the woods with a joking smile on his face.
He was tall, carrying a huge Shuriken on his shoulders, and walked in a loose posture, as if he was taking a walk.
Behind him was another man, shorter and thinner, with an expression as cold as a piece of iron on his face.
Kakashi Hatake put his hand on the ninja tool bag and leaned forward slightly, like an open bow.
Obito Uchiha stood next to him. Although his legs were still weak, his waist was straight and his eyes were fixed on the two Iwagakure Ninja.
"You are..."
He didn't finish what he said.
Because there was a scream from behind.
The scream was short and high-pitched, as if someone had strangled the throat.
Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha turned their heads at the same time, and then their faces changed at the same time.
Lin is missing.
No, it's not missing.
She is still there, but there is someone standing behind her.
Someone who was completely invisible before.
The man was thin, wearing gray clothes, and his face was covered with a scarf, with only one pair of eyes exposed.
His hand was wrapped around Lin's neck from behind, and his other hand was holding a Kunai, which was pressed against Lin's waist.
Lin's face turned red, her mouth was covered, and she could only make a whining sound.
Her hands were struggling, but the man was so strong that she couldn't break free at all.
"Lin!" Obito Uchiha's voice changed the tone, and his body rushed forward.
"Don't move." The man who came out of the woods stopped smiling, his voice as cold as ice, "If you move any more, there will be a hole in her waist."
Obito Uchiha stopped. His fists clenched loudly, the muscles on his face were twitching, and there was a fire burning in his eyes. But he did not dare to move.
He didn't dare to move because the Kunai was pressed against Lin's waist. As long as the person exerted a little force -
Kakashi Hatake said nothing. His eyes were fixed on the gray figure holding Lin, and his mind was spinning rapidly.
Save her. How?
If you use Kunai.
No, it's too late.
If you use Chidori again--no, it will hurt Lin. If you use Shuriken--
"Don't think about it." The man seemed to have read his mind and shook his head.
"You can't move your hands. Put down your weapons obediently, and I can still ensure that this little girl lives."
Obito Uchiha did not rush towards the person holding Lin, nor did he rush towards the person walking over.
He just took a step forward, then squatted down and put his hands on the ground.
His eyes were as red as red-hot iron, and his lips were bitten and bled.
"Let her go!"
His voice was hoarse like the roar of a wild animal.
The man was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Kid, who do you think you are--"
His words were interrupted by a burst of smoke.
The gray figure holding Lin suddenly exploded into a ball of white smoke.
No, it didn't explode, it just disappeared.
Together with Lin, they disappeared into the white smoke. The smoke filled the air and made Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha choke and unable to open their eyes.
"Not good!" Kakashi Hatake rushed into the smoke, scratching in the air with his hands, but couldn't catch anything.
The smoke cleared.
The front was empty. The two Iwagakure Ninja were gone, and so was Lin. There were only a few burnt wood remains on the ground, still emitting green smoke.
Obito Uchiha was kneeling on the ground, holding his hands on the ground, breathing heavily.
There is something very scary in his eyes.
Let's go." Obito Uchiha suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbed against a stone, "Let's go rescue Lin."
He took a step forward and walked in the direction where the two Iwagakure Ninja disappeared.
His legs were still a little weak. The Great Fireball Technique just used a lot of his chakra, but he didn't care.
There was only one thought in his mind - Lin was taken away, Lin was scared, Lin was waiting for him.
"Stop."
Kakashi Hatake's voice came from behind. It wasn't loud, but it was like a nail nailed into Obito Uchiha's heel.
Obito Uchiha stopped, but did not look back. His shoulders were shaking slightly, and his breathing was getting heavier, like a beast in a cage.