The scorching heat filled the air.
Raikage A stood with a blank expression, arms crossed over his chest. He stepped on the ground, which had been crystallized by the Tailed Beast Bomb, and smirked coldly. "Uchiha Fugaku, you sure know how to escape quickly."
Killer B, who had partially transformed into his Tailed Beast form, sat beside him, panting. Guilt was written all over his face. "I'm sorry, big brother. I let someone escape again."
The Tailed Beast Bomb had destroyed the Konoha camp and killed many of their ninjas in one strike. But Uchiha Fugaku, the cunning leader of the Uchiha clan, used the chaos to his advantage, leading his people to escape right under the Cloud Ninjas' noses.
This wasn't the first time Killer B had felt deep regret.
"It's okay, B. They won't get far!" Raikage's lips curled into a smirk as he stared into the darkness with cold eyes. "Keep chasing them. We'll crush Konoha in one go!"
The recent battle had brought great success to the Cloud Ninjas, and now was the time to push further.
After tidying up and cleaning the battlefield, the Cloud Ninjas moved towards Konoha once more.
Meanwhile, under the cover of night, dozens of people were fleeing in panic. They looked disheveled, like refugees. It was hard to believe that this group was actually the Uchiha clan, Konoha's most powerful clan.
After running for hours, Fugaku finally felt a bit of relief when they reached Kannabi Bridge. The enemy shouldn't be able to catch up from this distance. He glanced back at the exhausted group and waved his hand. "Rest for five minutes. Replenish your energy and chakra quickly, then we'll move again."
The ninjas, grateful for the brief rest, immediately began restoring their strength.
Fugaku counted the survivors—only thirty-seven remained. His heart sank with sorrow. Over a hundred had followed him, but now, most were gone. Many of those who had fallen were young Uchiha ninjas.
It was as if an entire generation had been wiped out!
With such heavy losses, even if the Uchiha clan managed to win the war, it would be nearly impossible for them to make any progress in the next ten years.
And all of this—every single bit of it—was because of one... complete idiot!
Fugaku was furious. His veins bulged, and he gritted his teeth, looking like he wanted to tear someone apart. He glared at the boy with murderous intent. "Uchiha Obito! If it weren't for you—yes, you!—this fool who exposed our base's location to the Raikage, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Obito, hearing his name called, trembled like a leaf. He stepped back in fear, stuttering, "I-I-I didn't mean to..."
"What? It was you?!"
"So, it was this guy who gave away our position!"
"You deserve to die!"
The survivors, those who had narrowly escaped death, immediately turned their hatred toward him.
Under the gaze of so many angry and murderous eyes, Obito felt a chill run through his body. His mind went blank.
Why had it come to this? He couldn't understand.
"You bastard!"
The next moment, a fist crashed into Obito's face.
It was like a switch had been flipped. The crowd, no longer able to hold back their rage, rushed forward, punching and kicking him.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Obito was overwhelmed, beaten on all sides. He screamed, curling up and shielding his head.
But over a hundred lives had been lost because of him. Fugaku just watched, cold and unfeeling, with no intention of stopping the assault.
When Obito was beaten to the point of being barely recognizable, hanging onto life by a thread, Fugaku finally spoke. His voice was icy as he addressed the crowd.
"You betrayed your comrades and led the enemy right to our base. Uchiha Obito, you are not worthy of being a ninja, and even less worthy of being an Uchiha. I will pass judgment on you when we return!"
"I didn't mean to. I really didn't mean to."
Obito's head was bruised and swollen, and his eyes were lifeless. He kept repeating the same words over and over.
When Rin finally woke up, she understood everything. It was all because of Obito. Her eyes filled with deep disappointment and disgust as she spoke, "Obito, you shouldn't have done this. Brother Sogetsu was so kind to you, and yet you betrayed him just to save me?"
Obito's heart clenched painfully, as if something invisible was squeezing it. He barely managed to open his swollen eyelids and looked at her. The disgust in her eyes pierced him deeply. His voice trembled as he spoke, "No, Rin, I just wanted to save you. I…"
Fugaku, observing the scene, threw a kunai toward Rin. "You know what you have to do, Genin Nohara Rin."
Slowly, under the cold, judging eyes of everyone around her, Rin bent down to pick up the kunai. "The first rule of being a ninja is that you don't betray the village or your comrades."
"That's correct," Fugaku nodded slightly.
Obito's heart sank, fear filling his eyes.
Rin brought the kunai to her neck, her gaze filled with disgust as she looked at Obito. "I don't need you to save me. I don't need you to betray the village and your comrades for my sake."
"No, stop! Please, don't do this, Rin!" Obito's eyes widened in horror as he shouted.
"Obito, you've disappointed me so much," Rin said sadly, closing her eyes. A sorrowful smile spread across her face. "In the next life, I don't want to be your teammate anymore."
She knew that even if she managed to return to the village alive, she wouldn't be able to handle the crushing weight of public opinion.
Wasn't it true that even someone as strong as Konoha's White Fang took his own life because of it?
She could already imagine how the villagers would look at her—a ninja who survived the war by betraying her comrades. It would be unbearable. It would be better to die with some dignity.
"No, don't do it, Rin!"
Obito screamed in fear, desperately pleading with those around him. "Please, stop her! Clan Head Fugaku, please!"
But Fugaku only looked at him coldly. "At least, she's braver than you."
"Thank you, Lord Fugaku," Rin said, taking a deep breath before pushing the kunai into her neck.
Blood gushed out, bright red.
Even in death, Nohara Rin refused to return to the village with a life tainted by betraying her comrades.
"No—!!!"
Obito, who had witnessed the entire scene, roared like a wild beast.
He could only watch as the girl he cared about took her own life in front of him. That look of pure disgust in her eyes hit him like a hammer to the heart.
The immense pain, regret, and resentment tore at his fragile mind.
"Why!"
"Why didn't anyone stop her!"
"Why did Rin have to die!"
"Why!"
Obito's voice was filled with madness as he struggled to stand and reach out for Rin.
But Fugaku swiftly dodged and knocked him down with a powerful punch. "Nohara Rin died as a Konoha ninja. You betrayed your comrades, leading to our defeat. Over a hundred people died because of you. A beast like you doesn't deserve to touch her."
Obito crashed against a tree, his eyes empty. "No, I'm not. I didn't."
********
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