Chapter 219 The Toad Has Something to Say
As dawn broke, Nohara Rin changed Kakashi Hatake's bandages.
Haruko stood guard beside her, her eyes fixed on her, her brows furrowed.
Kakashi Hatake looked at her for a few seconds, then softened his voice, "It's not like you're the one who got hurt, why do you look so upset?"
"I'm only nervous because Kakashi is injured!" Haruko complained indignantly. "If I were injured, I would have just screamed, why would I be so worried?"
Sensing the deep concern in her complaining tone, Kakashi Hatake coughed awkwardly, "I'll be more careful next time."
"There shouldn't be a next time!"
"Um."
He himself is not someone who is afraid of getting hurt, but unfortunately, there is now someone in his life who is extremely afraid of pain, so he has to take his own body seriously.
Is this a good thing?
Kakashi Hatake, dressed in a suit, glanced at Haruko, who looked nervous, and a strange warmth welled up in his heart.
Perhaps... it's a good thing.
Before leaving, Minato Namikaze gave them a final, worried reminder. After they parted ways, Kakashi Hatake led them quickly to their destination.
Cautiously stepping on the water's surface amidst the bamboo forest, Kakashi Hatake sensed something and gestured for them to stop.
Almost simultaneously, countless sharp-pointed bamboo tubes pierced down from above them. Obito Uchiha reacted swiftly and used the Fireball Jutsu, spewing out raging flames from his mouth to burn the bamboo tubes.
As the ashes fell into the water, one of the bamboo tubes broke open, and the enemy rushed out of the water to attack them.
Haruko launched a white line to try and entangle him, while Kakashi Hatake coordinated by rushing into the air and attacking with kunai, preventing the enemy from dealing with both sides at the same time.
"ah--!"
Suddenly, a scream came from behind them from Nohara Rin. Haruko stopped chasing and hurriedly looked toward the source of the sound.
A second enemy appeared out of nowhere. He made his body transparent and took advantage of their confrontation with the enemy in front to approach from behind, knock him unconscious, and kidnap Nohara Rin.
"We're taking this guy with us." The enemy looked down at them with a fierce expression before disappearing into the smoke.
"Wait!" Kakashi Hatake tried to stop him, but he was too late.
Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth, "Damn it!"
Seeing that he was about to chase after him, Kakashi Hatake shouted to stop him, "Wait, Obito!"
“Let’s continue with the mission first, and then go rescue Rin. The enemy won’t go too far with Rin if they want to know our plan,” Kakashi Hatake calmly analyzed for them. “If our plan is leaked, they will immediately strengthen their defenses on the bridge, which will make the mission more difficult.”
"We should save Rin first, rather than carry out the mission!" Obito Uchiha stubbornly insisted, his words filled with unusual anger.
Kakashi Hatake looked at Haruko, who was also looking worried, and his identity as "captain" made it impossible for him to make the right decision in this dilemma.
The choice is between choosing a mission that determines the outcome of the war and for which countless people have sacrificed themselves, or choosing a teammate who has promised to stand by you and never abandon you.
We must choose a mission; it involves the sacrifice and future of many more people…
But Lin, what if something really happens to Lin...
Damn it! How am I supposed to choose?!
"Kakashi."
Suddenly, Haruko's childish voice rang in his ears, pulling him out of his chaotic thoughts.
Looking at the indignant Obito Uchiha and the determined Haruko, Kakashi Hatake suddenly realized that this was not a problem worth worrying about at all.
How could there be a correct decision? There is no such thing as a correct decision in the world.
The only answer that exists is to believe and persevere.
He sighed and said in a light tone, "I don't trust you two at all, one a crybaby and the other a lazybones. Let's go."
"Kakashi..." Obito Uchiha was immediately filled with enthusiasm. "Alright! Let's go, Captain!"
Unexpectedly hearing that title from him, Kakashi Hatake glanced at Haruko, who was secretly laughing beside him, and somewhat embarrassedly took the lead, gesturing for them to follow.
They ran through the woods, and when they could vaguely see the cave where the enemy had fled and hidden, they silently quickened their pace.
Where are you going?
Suddenly, an enemy figure appeared ahead, blocking their way with his massive body. He was the one who used the ninjutsu to make himself invisible and ambush Nohara Rin.
Kakashi Hatake, who was leading the group, immediately stopped and prepared for battle.
Haruko didn't stop. She made a quick decision and rushed past before the enemy could use the same move. "I'll go save Rin first!"
Obito Uchiha was getting anxious and tried to stop her, "Wait for Haruko!"
Kakashi Hatake reacted quickly by throwing a kunai, interrupting the enemy's attack on her and helping Haruko escape.
Haruko rushed to the cave without stopping, only to find the enemy grabbing Nohara Rin by the hair and interrogating her.
"Take your hands off Lin!" Haruko's soft features were now filled with coldness.
Upon seeing her arrive, the enemy knew that their comrades had failed to stop her, and muttered in displeasure, "They're all useless bastards."
However, he didn't take the frail girl seriously. The enemy took out a kunai and rushed towards her like a whirlwind. Haruko's expression was solemn as she struggled to block his attack.
The enemy's attacks were so frequent and intense that Haruko was struggling to cope and had to retreat continuously.
The enemy continued to mock, "Sending out such a weakling, it seems I've been underestimated."
"Perhaps you underestimate me!"
Seeing that she had lured the enemy out of the cave, Haruko did a backflip to create distance between them, smoothly pulled out a scroll from her backpack, and ripped it open in the air.
"Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique!"
Amidst the swirling smoke and clouds, an orange toad appeared, clad in layers of armor and covered in blue patterns. It seemed not to have realized what was happening and looked around in confusion.
"Where is this? Jiraiya!" the Iron-Armed Toad shouted in a rough voice to the surroundings.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Haruko quickly moved closer to it. "Don't attract more enemies!"
"It's Haruko. Why did you summon me?" The Iron-Armed Toad turned its toad head. "Could it be that you finally reconciled with Jiraiya through the contract of Mount Myōboku?"
Haruko choked, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, "What do you mean by 'understanding'?! Look how old I am now, and then think about how old Jiraiya is!"
Iron-Armed Toad patted his chest nonchalantly, "We toads have a saying: 'Young and old are not a problem.' Don't worry, we will all support you and Jiraiya!"
"...This is a one-time summoning scroll that Jiraiya gave me." Haruko was slightly speechless. "You should take care of the enemy first."
Only after her reminder did the Iron-Armed Toad notice the enemy standing in front of him with a rather unpleasant expression, and waved his hand dismissively.
"Leave it to me, it's a small problem."
Unexpectedly, they were underestimated by a toad. The enemy's already fierce face became even more embarrassed. Before they could react, the enemy charged forward with ruthless ferocity.
"Be careful you don't get shot into the cave!"
Haruko gave them instructions, then stepped back from their vicinity and returned to the cave while Iron-Armed Toad was entangled with the enemy.
Haruko rushed to Nohara Rin's side and carefully examined her. Fortunately, there were no external injuries, but her eyes were lifeless, and she looked like she was under a spell.
Presumably, the enemy intended to use illusion magic to force them to reveal their plans. Haruko suppressed her anger and first dispelled the illusion magic on Nohara Rin.
"untie!"
Rin Nohara awoke from her dazed state, her eyes darting around in a daze. She caught sight of a white corner beside her and murmured to herself.
"Haru...ko?"
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