The moment she heard that familiar voice, tears burst from Rin's eyes uncontrollably.
She instinctively started to turn around, wanting to see the person she could always rely on.
"Obi—"
"Focus on what's in front of you. Don't forget why you came here." Tobi grabbed her arm and stopped her from turning back.
"I… I know."
The instant Obito saw that scene, he accelerated with all his strength and rushed straight toward Tobi.
"Take your filthy hands off her!"
Bang!
Obito slammed directly into a wooden wall that suddenly erupted before him, and the next instant he was sent flying backward at an even more terrifying speed.
BOOM!!!
Several trees in the forest behind him shattered from the impact.
"Obito?!"
Rin's voice filled with panic.
"Relax. Your little boyfriend's tougher than he looks. Besides, I wasn't trying to kill him."
Tobi casually withdrew the wooden wall he had created.
"You just keep your eyes on the Two-Tails. If something goes wrong on your end, everything's finished."
"…Okay!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, more than a dozen Konoha shinobi—including Kakashi—instinctively stopped advancing.
Because Tobi had deliberately revealed the three Konoha ANBU hostages in his grasp.
"Damn it…" After flipping back onto his feet, Obito once again rushed to the very front of the group.
"I'm warning you all—take one more step and I won't hold back!"
Tobi carefully recalled the villains from the books he'd read before.
Pretty sure this is how they usually talk.
"How shameless!" Obito wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. What he couldn't understand was why Rin was standing beside the same outsider who had invaded Konoha.
"Rin, you can hear me, right?!"
"I'm telling you, kid, stop causing trouble. If Rin gets distracted right now, something really bad could happen."
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Rin!!!"
"I said, can't you understand human language?"
Tobi found the boy far too noisy, so he casually patted Rin's shoulder.
"Tell that brat to shut up already."
"You bastard, don't touch—"
"Obito, quiet!"
Rin's voice wasn't loud.
Yet somehow, the entire battlefield fell silent the moment she spoke.
In the distance, the Two-Tails continued rampaging wildly, while hundreds of Konoha shinobi had already gathered to contain it.
"Obito… just listen to what Tobi has to say. Please trust me…"
Rin never turned around. Her eyes remained fixed on the distant battle.
"And everyone from Konoha as well… please trust me this once."
"I'm begging you."
"Rin…"
Obito still wanted to say something, but Kakashi suddenly stepped forward first and raised a hand to stop him.
"Is there some reason you can't explain?" Kakashi asked calmly.
Rin fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"Is it related to the Two-Tails?"
She nodded again.
Kakashi then turned toward a middle-aged shinobi beside him. "Captain Maeda… maybe we should at least hear what that… Tobi has to say."
Captain Maeda was the shinobi Obito and Kakashi had encountered while rushing toward the explosion site earlier.
One of the ANBU who had escaped after being wounded by Tobi had found Maeda's four squads, which was why they had all arrived here together as reinforcements.
As for why Obito and Kakashi came along—
It was because they had heard one particular word:
Wood Release.
That alone was enough.
It was the enemy both of them wanted to face most.
After a brief moment of thought, Captain Maeda spoke in a low voice.
"…Fine. We'll hear him out first."
"Good. Then listen carefully."
Tobi quickly explained everything he had previously told Rin, repeating the entire story from beginning to end.
"Ridiculous."
The ANBU who had escaped earlier immediately shouted in anger.
Even Kakashi frowned slightly.
At first glance, the explanation sounded logical.
But only at first glance.
Every part of the story relied entirely on the claims of this mysterious shinobi named Tobi. And even the so-called "evidence" could easily have been manipulated by him.
The suspicion surrounding him was simply too great.
Captain Maeda spoke objectively.
"It's true. This is far too unbelievable. Words alone aren't enough to convince anyone."
The cloaked shinobi before them was the same person who had invaded Konoha not long ago.
By every definition, he was Konoha's enemy.
And now he was claiming he had chosen to help them because of "love"?
Did he seriously think Konoha shinobi were idiots?
"Don't forget he invaded Konoha before," the ANBU said coldly.
"Then we secure both of them first."
After careful consideration, Captain Maeda still chose the safest option.
Because what if the Three-Tails was released and also went berserk like the Two-Tails?
What then?
But suddenly, Obito stepped directly in front of everyone, blocking their path.
"I trust Rin."
"Obito Uchiha, correct?," Captain Maeda shouted sternly, "if you do this, you'll harm her, yourself, and Konoha itself!"
"Now step aside!"
Obito met Captain Maeda's gaze directly and firmly shook his head.
"Do you even realize how many ANBU comrades that person behind you killed? Did their blood spill for nothing?!"
"I'm ANBU too. I know exactly what happened that night."
Obito refused to move even a single step.
"And I fought him myself."
"You—!" The ANBU's voice now carried obvious anger. "Then you should understand better than anyone how dangerous he is!"
"He's not backing down." Captain Maeda slowly shook his head before raising a hand, signaling all four squads to prepare for battle simultaneously.
"Then forgive us. Everything we're doing is for Konoha."
The atmosphere instantly tightened.
Battle was about to erupt.
Yet at that moment, Kakashi unexpectedly walked over and stood beside Obito.
"Kakashi… you…"
"Don't misunderstand."
Kakashi faced the dozen Konoha shinobi ahead of him and spoke loudly.
"I simply don't think this situation is that simple."
"If possible, I'd rather not use force against my fellow shinobi."
His visible eye narrowed slightly.
"But what if the Two-Tails situation is real? What if the only thing capable of stopping it truly is the Three-Tails inside Rin?"
Looking at everyone's expressions, however, Kakashi already knew none of them were convinced.
He sighed softly inwardly.
But soon accepted it.
After all, in situations involving this kind of risk, people naturally became cautious.
Because what if Rin couldn't control the Three-Tails?
If she failed, then Konoha would simply face another disaster.
As for the claim that she was a perfect jinchūriki…
Putting aside whether it was true or not, everyone knew one thing for certain:
Rin had only just come into contact with the power of a jinchūriki for the very first time.
"…Looks like words won't convince any of you, senpai."
Kakashi slowly drew the White Light Chakra Sabre.
Though he clearly had no desire to fight.
"I'm sorry."
Crackling blue lightning exploded around him instantly, radiating overwhelming pressure.
"That white-haired brat still thinks he can solve this without violence." Tobi let out a mocking laugh. "With Lightning Release at that level? Not nearly enough."
In Tobi's eyes, Kakashi was simply trying to intimidate the Konoha shinobi into backing down without a fight.
Unfortunately for him—
Things didn't go according to plan.
"…Are they really fighting?"
Rin's voice trembled slightly.
"Relax. I'll keep watch for you. Nothing'll happen."
Tobi spoke with absolute confidence.
At the same time, he quietly observed the two boys standing side by side against the enemy.
The scene differed quite a bit from his original script.
But…
This works well enough too.
The suspicion surrounding him was simply too great…
Captain Maeda spoke in a calm, objective tone.
"It's true. This is all far too unbelievable. Words alone aren't enough to convince anyone."
The cloaked shinobi standing before them was the very same person who had invaded Konoha not long ago. By every reasonable conclusion, he was an enemy of the village.
And now he was claiming that because of "love," he had chosen to stand on Konoha's side?
Did he really think Konoha shinobi were fools?
"Don't forget that he attacked Konoha before," the ANBU shinobi said coldly.
"Then we'll secure both of them first."
After careful consideration, Captain Maeda ultimately chose the safer option.
Because if the Three-Tails was released and rampaged just like the Two-Tails…