Kakashi, his feet planted on the water's surface, froze.
His nose twitched. He raised a hand, a silent signal to Obito and the others behind him. Trouble.
A volley of sharpened bamboo stakes shot toward the four of them.
"Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique!"
A sphere of flame roared from Obito's mouth, intercepting the bamboo mid-air. Kakashi's focus snapped forward, scanning the mist. They didn't notice Ōishi, cloaked and invisible, rising from the water behind them.
Then— CRACK.
Suddenly, the bamboo scattered across the water by Obito's fireball splintered apart.
Kakashi and the other three tensed, weapons ready.
The hidden Gōkaki flickered into view. Kakashi moved.
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
Lightning crackled around his form. He shot forward in a blur of electricity, closing the distance in an instant. His blade flashed, a high-speed slash aimed for Gōkaki's throat.
Many Leaf shinobi knew Thunder Breathing now. Kakashi's version was fast. But Gōkaki was different. An elite jōnin from Iwa, ranked among their best in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. He reacted.
Steel clashed. Sparks flew. Kakashi pressed, strike after strike, but Gōkaki matched him, parrying and countering. Neither gained an inch.
Obito shifted, looking for an opening to support Kakashi.
Two sharp cries cut through the air behind them.
Kakashi's focus fractured for a split second. Gōkaki saw it. His foot snapped out, catching Kakashi square in the chest and sending him crashing into the water.
Kakashi and Obito whirled around.
Rin and Katsuhiko. Unconscious. Held like ragdolls in the grip of the now-visible Ōishi.
Gōkaki landed beside his partner. Ōishi spoke, his voice flat. "We're taking these two."
Kakashi surged forward from the water, but Gōkaki just laughed. "You're that white-haired disciple of the Blood-Eyed Asura, right? If the Asura himself were here, I might feel some pressure. You? You're not even close."
A smoke bomb hit the water. They vanished.
"Damn it!" Obito snarled, ready to charge after them.
"Obito! Don't!" Kakashi's voice was hard, cutting. "We continue the mission."
Obito stared at him, disbelief twisting his features. "…What did you just say?"
"I said we continue the mission. Just the two of us."
"And Rin? And Katsuhiko? What about them?!"
"We rescue them later. The enemy wants our plans. They won't kill them right away. And Rin's a medic-nin. She's lucky—captors treat medics with courtesy. She can bargain, treat their wounded…" Kakashi's tone was cold, analytical. "The real problem is our strategy. If it leaks, they'll fortify the bridge. The mission gets harder."
"What about Katsuhiko? He's not a medic! And all that about Rin being safe—that's just your guess, isn't it?!" Obito's voice rose. "What if they're just mindless thugs? What if they decide to kill them anyway?! The mission can wait! Saving Rin comes first!"
Kakashi's voice dropped, heavy. "A shinobi completes the mission, even at the cost of their comrades. Those are the rules. If this mission fails, the war drags on. More people die. That's not a guess. It's fact."
"You're willing to throw your friends away for that?!"
"It was Rin's mission too."
Obito's fist lashed out.
Kakashi caught it, his grip like iron.
"I hate you!" Obito spat.
"Hate me all you want. I'm the captain. You follow my orders." Kakashi's eyes were flat, devoid of warmth. "To keep a team from falling apart, one person makes the call. The rest follow. That's the rule. You don't have what it takes, Obito. That's why I'm the leader."
"Then why not use that ability to save your teammate?!"
"Letting emotion control you, failing a critical mission… you'll regret it. That's why shinobi have rules to suppress emotion. You should understand that."
Obito's whole body trembled. "Rin… Rin was worried about you. That's why she gave you that med-kit! She put a good-luck charm inside it!"
Kakashi didn't even blink. "Med-kits and medical ninjutsu exist to raise mission success rates. The Leaf's system is excellent. But I told you yesterday. Extra things are just baggage."
"Baggage?"
"A shinobi needs tools that serve the mission. Emotions… are unnecessary."
Obito stared, his voice hollow. "Are you serious? Do you really believe that?"
For a fleeting moment, the ghost of Sakumo flickered behind Kakashi's eyes. He looked away, then back at Obito. "Yes."
Obito's fists clenched, knuckles white. "Fine. We're incompatible. I'm going to save Rin."
"You don't understand anything," Kakashi said, his voice tight. "You don't know what happens to people who break the rules—"
Obito turned his back. "I already know. From Minato-sensei. From Qianyu-sensei. I know about the White Fang. And I still think he was a hero." He took a breath, his voice hardening with conviction. "Sure, in the shinobi world, those who break the rules are called scum. But those who abandon their comrades? They're worse than scum."
He looked over his shoulder, his Sharingan gleaming red in the mist.
"If I'm going to be scum either way, I'll break the rules. And if that's not what a 'proper shinobi' is… then I'll smash the whole idea of a shinobi to pieces!"
Kakashi watched his retreating back, his own mask firmly in place. "Obito. I understand what you're saying. But are you sure they'll thank you? What if the mission fails because of this, and they blame you? Will you regret this choice then?"
He paused, the words tasting like ash. "My father thought those men were his comrades, too. In the end, the entire village condemned him. He broke the rules for his comrades and was hated for it. Now, I choose the rules, and you hate me for it."
His voice was quiet, utterly weary. "So tell me, Obito. What is the right choice? How do you live without being hated?"
Obito was silent for a long time. The mist swirled around them.
"…I don't know," he finally said, his voice softer now, lost. "I don't have the right answer. I just don't understand how the right thing can be wrong, and the wrong thing can be right."
He turned to face Kakashi fully, his eyes wide with a painful, desperate honesty. "But I do know this: if I don't go after Rin… I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Even if everyone says I'm wrong."
Kakashi stared at him. At the sheer, stupid, undeniable conviction on his face. He let out a long, slow breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
A memory. A man with kind eyes and silver hair, smiling sadly. A rulebook thrown aside. A different choice.
"…You're impossible," Kakashi muttered, the rigid line of his shoulders relaxing a fraction. He adjusted his headband. "Fine. Let's go."
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