Discord resurfaced

The next day, faint light broke through the dawn.

Minato said goodbye to the four youngsters at the edge of the camp.

Amid the swirling morning mist, his golden hair stirred in the weak sunlight. He took one last look at the fledgling squad, then vanished into the depths of the Jungle in an instant.

In just one night, the atmosphere within the squad had undergone a subtle change.

Obito still wore a pout, but the impulsiveness in his eyes had given way to solemn resolve.

As he sorted through his Ninja Tool Pouch, he glanced up at Kakashi, who was studying the Map with his head lowered. After a long silence, he finally forced out a dry, awkward address:

"...Let's go, captain."

That single word, "captain," marked the fractured squad's first step toward cohesion beneath the shadow of bloodshed.

Then the four became blurs and slipped into a deathly silent Dense Forest.

Danger lurked everywhere along the way. They threaded their way through crisscrossing steel wires and concealed Explosive Tags, narrowly skirting the edges of Iwagakure Patrol Squads' fields of vision several times.

After a long stretch of hard running and stealthy movement, the vegetation around them grew sparser, while bamboo groves and rocks became more common.

At last, the four stopped behind a sheltered Rock Ridge.

Ahead, the hazy outline of Kannabi Bridge spanning a natural chasm was beginning to emerge on the horizon.

Only twenty kilometers remained between them and their designated demolition site.

In the shadows behind the Rock Ridge, Kakkō and Taiseki watched the approaching squad coldly, like two jackals lying in wait.

"That guy Mahiru went out to scout, and we haven't heard from him since." Kakkō kept his voice low, a trace of agitation and surprise in his tone. "Don't tell me these brats killed him?"

"If you want to know, let's ask them ourselves." A sinister smile spread across Taiseki's face as his hands rapidly formed hand seals. "Ninja Art: Camouflage Concealment Technique!"

As the technique activated, Taiseki's figure dissolved into the air like a sketch being erased. Even his presence and scent vanished without a trace, leaving only a barely perceptible distortion of his outline.

"Now!"

Kakkō jerked the steel wires. Instantly, the surrounding Jungle erupted with a teeth-grating crack as countless sharpened bamboo stakes shot in from every direction like a dense rain, cutting off all the squad's escape routes.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Obito reacted swiftly. He drew a deep breath and spat out a searing wave of fire, instantly burning the bamboo stakes coming straight at them to charcoal.

Sparks danced through the air, but behind the dazzling flames, Kakkō had already closed in like a wraith.

"The bamboo stakes are just bait! Watch out!" Kakashi shouted. The White Fang Short Blade on his back flashed from its sheath in a streak of cold white light.

Asami Ri's gaze cooled slightly. Rather than rush to reveal his full strength, he pushed lightly off his toes and glided with the airflow like a willow leaf, following close behind Kakashi.

The two short blades strapped to Kakkō's arms sliced through the air with a piercing shriek.

Kakashi's pupils contracted. In an instant, he reversed his grip on the White Fang Short Blade, and the two figures became intersecting blurs among the trees.

Clang, clang, clang, clang! Metal rang against metal in a rapid shower of blows. Kakkō's short blades followed treacherous paths, each swing skimming close to Kakashi's carotid artery. Kakashi parried with superb swordsmanship, narrowly dismantling each lethal strike within the smallest margin of space.

Asami Ri moved around the edge of the fight, controlling several Lightning Balls in support. They flickered around Kakkō, disrupting his attacks.

The fight briefly settled into a deadlock, while amid the chaos, the invisible Taiseki circled toward the rear like a ghost.

Out of the corner of his eye, Asami Ri caught a tiny distortion in an outline.

"Obito!" Asami Ri found a moment in the fierce battle to look back, his voice clear and forceful. "Protect Rin!"

The warning exploded like thunder beside the stunned Obito's ear.

Obito jolted, snapping out of the fear of his first encounter with elite Jonin. He hurriedly drew a kunai and spread his arms in front of Rin.

Unfortunately, before an elite Iwagakure Jonin skilled in assassination, Obito's inexperienced resistance was so flimsy it might as well have been transparent.

Taiseki remained blended into the air, without murderous intent or the sound of footsteps.

Only when the icy promise of death pressed against his back did Obito snap awake to the presence behind him.

"Right here, brat." A mocking chuckle came from empty air.

Obito's eyes widened in horror. He hurriedly swung his kunai to intercept the attack, but to Taiseki, his movements were as slow as a crawl.

Taiseki never even bothered to give the boy a proper look. With a casual sweep of his hand, he sent Obito flying.

Obito rolled several meters across the muddy ground, all the air driven from his lungs in an instant. He lay helpless, able only to watch that vile hand reach for Rin.

The hand rose, then struck.

Rin Nohara did not even have time to cry out before she collapsed limply into Taiseki's arms.

"Target secured."

Still locked in fierce combat with Kakashi, Kakkō gave the low signal.

Using the force of his clash with the White Fang Short Blade, he sprang backward. The short blades on his arms swept through the air in a feinting arc, forcing back Kakashi as he tried to pursue.

The two elite Jonin coordinated flawlessly. As dust and smoke filled the air, they took the unconscious Rin Nohara and became blurs, swiftly disappearing into the depths of the Dense Forest.

Just as Obito struggled to his feet and rushed toward the Dense Forest to search for Rin, a hand clamped down hard on his shoulder.

"Let go of me, Kakashi!" Obito roared, his eyes bloodshot.

Kakashi stood there, his figure looking especially thin in the shadows. His tone was as cold as ice that never thawed. "We have to complete the mission, Obito. The enemy wants to get our battle plans through Rin. They won't kill her before they get that Intelligence. Besides, as a Medical Ninja, Rin is valuable to them. She's safe for now."

"That's just your guess!" Obito retorted furiously. "What if those bastards haven't thought that far ahead?"

"Shinobi are tools for carrying out missions. Emotions only shackle us." Kakashi half-lowered his eyes. His voice trembled slightly, yet he stubbornly maintained his coldness. "If saving one person causes the entire front to collapse, that would be the real tragedy."

A suffocating stalemate hung in the air. Obito looked at his former comrade, the anger in his eyes slowly turning to contempt.

"I think White Fang was a true hero..." Obito's voice dropped, yet every word struck like thunder. "Yes, in the shinobi world, people who break the rules are called trash. But..."

He abruptly raised his head and stared straight into Kakashi's eyes. "People who don't care about their comrades are worse than trash!"

Those words struck like a sledgehammer, shattering the coldness Kakashi had deliberately maintained.

Just as the conflict threatened to erupt completely, Asami Ri, who had been watching dispassionately, stepped out of the shadows.

He knew the moment was ripe. This squad's script was slowly unfolding along its predetermined course.

"All right, Kakashi, Obito." Asami Ri's voice was gentle and calm as he firmly cut in between them.

He looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi, you're right. The Kannabi Bridge mission will affect the course of the war. We can't abandon it. But Obito isn't wrong, either. Rin is our comrade. We can't simply leave her out of our plans."

Then he turned to Obito and proposed a seemingly "foolproof" compromise:

"In that case, we'll split up. Kakashi, I'll go with you to blow up Kannabi Bridge. The two of us will be the most efficient. Obito, you pursue the enemy and find Rin. But remember to leave markers along the way. Once you've confirmed their location, don't act rashly. After we destroy the bridge, we'll come to support you as fast as we can."

It was perfect bait. Asami Ri positioned himself beside Kakashi as the "guarantee of the mission's success," while giving Obito a chance to "play the lone rescuer."

Under Asami Ri's persuasion, their surging emotions slowly settled. Neither looked at the other, and the lingering heat of their argument remained in the air.

"Make the markers clear." Kakashi turned away, his voice barely audible.

"I know that without you telling me." Obito wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and plunged into the Jungle without looking back.

Asami Ri watched the direction in which Obito had disappeared, then glanced at the silent Kakashi beside him. An almost imperceptible curve flickered at the corner of his mouth.

"Let's go, Kakashi," he said softly. "We need to finish this quickly, then rescue Rin."