“Never thought I’d run into Konoha ninjas!
This haul’s gonna make me rich!”
A sinister voice drifted from the mist.
Only then did Obito and Rin truly feel the danger closing in around them.
The chilling tone made their hearts race; even with their teacher standing guard, they could not help but grow distracted and uneasy.
“Let’s see… who should I kill first?
The boy in goggles… or the little girl whose kunai is shaking in her hand?”
Obito and Rin turned pale with fright.
Who was this man?
How could he see them so clearly through the fog?
And why target them specifically?
Terrified though he was, Obito stepped firmly in front of Rin.
The gesture took Rin by surprise; Kakashi frowned.
This was no way for a proper genin to behave.
A qualified genin’s first duty was always to protect the client, the mission objective, and the caravan’s cargo — not to rush to a comrade’s defense.
“Cute,” the Kirigakure jonin sneered.
“Konoha’s brats know how to play the gentleman, do they?
But do you really think you can keep her safe?”
Before the words even faded, he appeared right between Minato, Obito, and Rin.
The voice had come from a shadow clone.
His true form had slipped silently behind them.
“Boy — this world is cruel.”
Obito looked up, and for the first time felt the cold breath of true death.
The man’s eyes, cold and mocking, locked directly onto him.
This was Sōrō, one of the Seven Swordsmen’s candidates — and he delighted in the terror written across Obito’s face.
Every time he saw that look, he felt satisfied.
But as he drank in the boy’s fear, he caught a flicker of scorn on the short‑sword‑wielding youth’s face.
Years of missions instantly set him on edge.
Before Sōrō could act further, two ordinary‑looking caravan guards suddenly lunged forward — Ōshima and Ono — driving two kunai deep into the jonin’s side.
“The great Sōrō, one of the Seven Swordsmen’s candidates… to end up like this,” Ōshima murmured, narrowing his eyes.
“Truly a pity.”
“Is it?” Sōrō laughed.
“You said it yourself — I’m a Seven Swordsmen candidate.
So take this little gift.”
“Trap — fall back!”
Swish.
It was nothing but a water clone.
And taped to its back was a kunai with a detonating tag.
“Move!” Minato snatched Obito and Rin; Kakashi bolted right behind them, putting distance between themselves and the blast.
BOOM.
Even after the explosion, Obito and Rin stood staring, still confused about exactly what had happened in those few seconds.
“Idiot!” Kakashi snapped at Obito’s blank expression.
“Excuse me?” Obito snapped back, stung by the insult.
“I said — you idiot.
You didn’t notice someone was watching us this whole time?”
Obito and Rin still looked utterly lost.
“A white‑tailed rabbit has no business being out in this weather,” Minato explained gently.
“That was a distraction — someone hiding in the grass, too hurried to make it look convincing.
Do you understand now?”
“So both you and Kakashi spotted it?” Obito asked.
“Truly worthy of being Jiraiya‑sama’s student,” Ōshima said, bowing slightly.
“Your powers of observation are exceptional.
Impressive.”
“Hardly,” Minato replied.
“You two slipped into disguise and joined the caravan without a sound — you were the ones waiting for him to make his move, weren’t you?”
“Exactly,” Ōshima confirmed.
“Our three‑man team’s target is this rogue.
We knew he’d come for your supplies, so we joined early this morning to blend in and wait for our chance.
We never imagined it would be Sōrō himself — one of the Seven Swordsmen’s candidates.”
Obito finally understood — then his eyes widened in horror.
“So… my brother used us as bait?
What if something had happened to me?”
Ōshima and Ono exchanged a bewildered look.
Are these two really brothers?
They could not be more different.
“Uchiha Yuu would have been covering the outer perimeter,” Minato said calmly.
“If things had gone wrong here, he would have intercepted the target and taken over from there.”
Ōshima and Ono nodded in agreement, then vanished — hurrying to catch up to Yuu and corner Sōrō together.
Drawing on the future fragments he had already seen, he had easily positioned himself directly in the fugitive’s retreat route.
His Uchiha clan robes alone gave Sōrō pause, buying just enough time for the others to arrive — only for Yuu to make an outrageous demand:
“Fight him alone.
No interference.”
Ōshima and Ono traded looks and shook their heads.
“Nothing special about this Uchiha kid after all.
So young, and already infected with that arrogant Uchiha pride.”
“Does he really think his opponent’s a pushover?
Well — fine.
Let this Kirigakure traitor teach him a lesson.”
“Right.
And while the Uchiha draws all his attention, we might just find the perfect opening to finish him in one strike.”
After whispering their agreement, the two stepped back.
“Heh, heh — Uchiha brat,” Sōrō jeered.
“You don’t even have your Sharingan open, and you dare challenge me one‑on‑one?
What’s giving you that confidence — the fact that I’m missing an arm?”
He had been cautious at first — but his taunts had drawn no sign of the dōjutsu awakening.
The boy clearly hadn’t even unlocked it.
What was there to fear?
Yuu narrowed his eyes, hiding the fact that his three tomoe were already spinning furiously.
He needed this fight to test the new sense he had gained — that sixth sense, that extrasensory perception.
Only by feeling it in battle could he truly understand how Izuna Uchiha, the Flawless Shinobi, had wielded it so perfectly.
> [Record: Target — Kirigakure deserter, missing one arm.
Preparing to engage in close combat.]
> [Ding!
Record saved.
Four‑dimensional spatial power detected in recording.
Refine prediction?
13 entries remaining today.]
“Refine.”
> [Ding!
Refined prediction generated.]
After reviewing the scenario playing in his mind, Yuu let his Sharingan fade — using it to peer through four‑dimensional space consumed far too much ocular power — and charged forward.
From their vantage point, Ōshima and Ono stared in utter disbelief.