Chapter 102: Chapter 102
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Just as Toshiro was making a breakthrough, An Iwa Jounin arrived at the scene of the incident. His expression grew darker as he surveyed the devastation.
In front of him, the ground had collapsed into a massive pit nearly a hundred meters in diameter. The earth and rocks were cracked, and wisps of white smoke rose intermittently. The area at the center was even more striking, with a twenty-meter-high rock shaped like a human.
From the center of this rock, orange-red lava flowed quietly, emitting intense heat. At the edges, orange-red block crystals glistened.
There were no traces of Kitsuchi on the ground, so he dove directly into the earth to search.
Within ten seconds, he emerged from the ground, carrying a figure.
"Master Kitsuchi, Master Kitsuchi!"
He checked Kitsuchi's pulse and body temperature. Without hesitation, he picked up Kitsuchi and headed towards his companions' location, where the medical ninja were stationed.
Meanwhile, Toshiro had already broken through the Iwa Ninja's encirclement. He retrieved a scroll, summoned a bird from the drawing, and began searching for his companions.
"Next, I need to find my comrades. Still a lot to do," he muttered as he flew through the air, scanning for any signs of his friends. Following the Iwa Ninjas tracking Asuka and the others, he hoped to reunite with his team.
Escaping the Iwa Ninjas' pursuit might be manageable for asuka and the others, but breaking through their national border would be a different challenge.
**The Kannabi Bridge**
As Toshiro found his companions and prepared to return to camp in the Country of Grass, near the Kannabi Bridge, two young Konoha ninjas had also found their teammates.
"Rin's chakra is all messed up, not like ours," Obito noted.
"Probably an enemy illusion," Kakashi responded calmly. After dispelling the illusion on Rin, they prepared to leave.
Unexpectedly, the enemy they had just defeated stood up again.
"Good teamwork, but you're still just kids! Now you're in the enemy's hands!"
Facing their afro-haired opponent, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin realized they were in serious trouble.
"Earth Release: Rock Collapse!"
Ignoring the trio's expressions, the Iwa ninja used his ninjutsu, attempting to bury them alive to avenge his comrades.
"Run to the exit!" Kakashi shouted, leading the charge towards safety. As they reached the exit, Kakashi, hampered by an eye injury, was struck by a falling rock and lost his balance.
A larger rock fell towards Kakashi.
"Kakashi!" Rin screamed, seeing her friend in danger.
Without hesitation, Obito rushed forward, saving Kakashi but getting trapped himself.
"Is everyone okay? Rin! Kakashi!" Even in his final moments, Obito was concerned for his friends' safety.
"Obito!"
Seeing half of Obito's body trapped under the boulder, Kakashi, recently changed by Obito's words, felt a deep sense of regret. He staggered to Obito's side, attempting to move the boulder, but to no avail.
"Stop, Kakashi. It's too late. The right side of my body is crushed... I can't feel anything."
A massive boulder pinned him down, numbing his entire body. Watching Kakashi's futile efforts, Obito spoke calmly, accepting his fate.
"No... how could this happen... why?" Rin, unable to bear the sight, turned away, tears streaming down her face.
"Damn it! If I had listened and saved Rin together, this wouldn't have happened! What kind of leader am I... What kind of jounin?"
Kakashi knelt, beating the ground in remorse. During Rin's rescue, he felt guilt-stricken after being struck by the enemy and leaving Obito to fight alone.
The newly activated Sharingan of his had been insufficient to defeat the experienced Iwa Jounin; he lacked real combat experience. Kakashi saved Obito but lost his left eye in the process, leading to this tragedy.
"Wait! I almost forgot... I still owe you your promotion gift."
Unlike Rin's sorrow and Kakashi's remorse, Obito remained calm. Knowing Kakashi might not escape with Rin in his state and wanting Kakashi to protect Rin, Obito decided to give him his left eye.
With a loud noise, Kakashi emerged from the cave ruins.
"He's tough, but just a kid. There's no crying in this profession," the jounin taunted as he saw the tears in Kakashi's eyes.
Kakashi, using Obito's eye, observed the Iwa ninja and drew the sword from his back.
With a clash, Kakashi, fueled by rage, used chidori in full power in conjunction with his sword.
Back in the ruins, Obito continued to think about his life, regretting that he never confessed his love to Rin.
"Madara! The target has been brought back, but he's in terrible shape. His body is almost rotting!"
A large mass of unknown white tissue tightly encased a broken body. From within this mass, a football-sized round object opened its mouth and spoke, revealing itself to be the head of a humanoid creature—White Zetsu, who had brought back the remains of Obito.
After Kakashi and Rin had left, White Zetsu had possessed Obito, using his abundant life energy to keep him alive. Without this intervention, Obito wouldn't have lasted long, especially given the arduous journey to Madara's location.
"Is he finally here?" Madara murmured, rising shakily to his feet. He moved to Obito's side and looked down at the boy lying on the stone platform. "Such a miserable state, missing even a Sharingan, but no matter."
Madara began working to save Obito's life and make some crucial modifications to his body. This was no small feat for the elderly man, but he persevered. After considerable effort and with the help of White Zetsu's body, he managed to piece Obito back together and move him to a nearby bed.
"Black Zetsu! Prepare everything! Let's see if this boy can fulfill his potential," Madara commanded. Madara couldn't leave the side of the Gedo Statue, so, many tasks fell to Black Zetsu.
White Zetsu, less capable of delicate tasks, could only handle minor chores and spout useless chatter.
"Should we use the hidden line over there?" Black Zetsu asked cautiously.
"Yes, the hidden line in the Land of Water," Madara confirmed. He had set up numerous contingencies, but recent wars had depleted many of them. The intact ones were primarily in Kirigakure.
Unaware of these developments, Toshiro and his companions were flying high, preparing to evacuate the Land of Earth. Little did he know, this seemingly ordinary day would change the course of Uchiha and the entire ninja world.
On the front lines of the grass country, Yellow Flash slaughtered dozens of Iwa Jonin, instilling fear in the Iwa ranks. A small figure witnessed the brutal combat, contemplating the meaning of life as dawn approached. Meanwhile, Obito's life trajectory, along with those of many others, remained unaltered despite Toshiro's presence as a transmigrator.
Half a month later, under a hazy sky, a large crowd gathered beside the memorial stone, placing flowers in tribute. Under the leadership of the Third Hokage, all prominent Konoha figures attended the service, honoring their fallen comrades, relatives, and friends.
The atmosphere was somber. Years of ninja wars had taken a heavy toll on Konoha. The Uchiha, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Kurama, and Aburame clans had all seen their heads fall in battle, severely depleting Konoha's core power.
Inside the Uchiha Shrine, clan members, having attended the memorial service, engaged in heated discussion.
"I heard the Third Hokage plans to abdicate. Could our clan leader be next?" one member speculated.
"Hatake Kakashi isn't even from our clan. He doesn't deserve to possess our Sharingan!" another retorted.
Toshiro, a three-tomoe Uchiha, attended the gathering but disapproved of the constant bickering. He just wanted to go home and rest.
"Toshiro! As the youngest Jonin in the clan, what's your take on this?" Uchiha Fugaku asked, hoping to gain support from his uncle's disciple.
Caught off guard, Toshiro, who had been waiting for the meeting to end, now had to speak.
"I think there's no need for us to push for the Fourth Hokage," he began, but was interrupted.
"What did you say? Toshiro, don't you realize that the Hokage seat has always been our Uchiha's ambition? With the Third Hokage abdicating and someone nominating Fugaku, how can we miss this opportunity?" Uchiha Tekka exclaimed.
"Ahem! Tekka, let Toshiro finish!" Fugaku intervened, silencing the interruption.
Snorting, Tekka reluctantly turned away. Toshiro wasn't surprised. He knew his clan well—unless you defeated them head-on and showed superhuman strength, you couldn't win them over.
"The reason I think this way is that Konoha's current leaders are mostly disciples of the Second Hokage. They've inherited his views on Uchiha. They won't let us become Hokage. With Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Minato around, we Uchiha don't stand a chance."
There was another reason Toshiro didn't fully explain: the Uchiha clan had missed its best chance to claim the Hokage position. Initially, had Madara not acted rashly, the Uchiha still had a glimmer of hope for securing the title of Second Hokage. Even if they had missed the second Hokage position, vying for the third Hokage might not have been out of reach.
However, Madara, deceived by the stone tablet left by Black Zetsu, turned against Konoha, attacking it and ruining their chances. Now, with the rise of numerous civilian ninjas, their combined power was sufficient to influence the future Fourth Hokage selection. During the First Ninja War, clan ninjas led the way, but by the Second Ninja War, power was more evenly divided between clan and civilian ninjas. Now, civilian ninjas dominate, making it increasingly difficult for a hokage to emerge from a major clan without overwhelming power.
"This makes sense, but with our clan's bloodline power, these shouldn't be issues..." Uchiha Tekka's voice trailed off, acknowledging the power dynamics.
"Even so, with Chief Fugaku's strength..."
"Our focus shouldn't be on this," Toshiro interrupted. "We should be more concerned about Kakashi holding the clan's Sharingan!"
Uchiha Fugaku, who had been relieved by Toshiro's calm demeanor, now found himself anxious again. "Toshiro! This was Obito's wish. We must respect the decision of the deceased!"
Fugaku hadn't expected the conversation to take this turn. He had hoped Toshiro would not be as forceful as Tekka.
"Fugaku-senpai, a pair of Sharingan means little to the clan! That's not the issue here."
"What do you mean?" Fugaku asked, perplexed.
"The real issue is that a genin medical ninja successfully transplanted the Sharingan on the battlefield, and Kakashi, without Uchiha blood, adapted to it perfectly. This is significant."
Toshiro's words brought silence to the shrine. During the Warring States era, no ninja clan dared to transplant Uchiha's Sharingan due to fear of relentless Uchiha retaliation. Only the Senju could withstand Uchiha's wrath. Moreover, medical ninjutsu wasn't advanced enough for such surgeries. However, in the era of ninja villages, Uchiha's power waned, and medical ninjutsu improved. A 12-year-old girl had performed such a surgery, raising concerns.
After a long silence, someone finally spoke up. "How about we... take this Sharingan back?"
"Yes! The Sharingan doesn't belong with outsiders!"
"We should recover it for Kakashi's own good. Without Uchiha blood, it will only burden him."
In Toshiro's view, this sentiment contributed significantly to the Uchiha clan's eventual massacre. Although it was uncertain whether the "masked man" had transplanted Sharingan at the time, it was clear that collecting the clan's Sharingan was a major reason for the massacre. Kakashi's possession of a Sharingan could have influenced this outcome, and preparing for such scenarios could alter the clan's future.
"Toshiro, you raised this issue. Do you have a solution?" Fugaku asked, seeking a better approach.
"Since Obito gifted the Sharingan to Kakashi for his promotion to Jounin, we can't be too forceful. Let's offer a replacement gift. I heard Kakashi's Chakra sword was damaged during the mission. We could give him another chakra weapon or even offer S-Rank ninjutsu or secret techniques."
"Additionally, to prevent future issues, we should prepare in advance. Implementing a sealing technique, like the Hyuga's 'Caged Bird,' could make the Sharingan useless upon the user's death, preventing its misuse."
Fugaku nodded, satisfied with this mild solution. "I hope this works," he said, considering Toshiro's plan, which offered a balanced resolution for the clan, the village, and Kakashi, along with preventative measures to secure their clan's future.
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