In Naruto with the Flame-Flame Fruit

They arrived in front of a collapsed cave. Kakashi pointed and said,

"This is the place. Obito was... buried here."

He hung his head in despair. If he had a choice, he would've preferred to spend a lifetime arguing with that idiot than to have him push him away at the end.

The one who should've died… was me. A worthless failure who couldn't even protect his teammates.

Rin silently wept. Minato stood wordless.

Kiyosuke spoke up,

"What are you spacing out for? Start digging! Minato-sensei, please keep watch."

Minato nodded and moved to secure the perimeter. There could still be Iwagakure shinobi in the area—not many, but enough to be a threat.

From his sealing scroll, Kiyosuke pulled out shovels. He always carried one just in case.

Kakashi and Rin didn't even ask where the tools came from—they simply took them and got to work.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Dozens of shadow clones popped into existence.

Kiyosuke gave a single command.

"Start digging!"

The clones worked in teams—some digging, some hauling away dirt, others moving rocks. Any boulders too tough to move, Kiyosuke simply smashed apart with his fists.

It was practically demolition by brute force.

"He should be around here. Somewhere nearby."

The search took most of the day, but finally, the collapsed cave was cleared out.

Kakashi frantically searched for any trace of Obito's remains—he would've accepted even a mutilated corpse—but there was nothing.

"Where is he? Where's Obito?!"

Both Kakashi and Rin scoured the area in a frenzy. But they found nothing. Not a trace of Obito's body.

Given the circumstances of the collapse, it was impossible that Iwagakure shinobi had taken his remains. Even with advanced Earth Release techniques, they wouldn't have done something like that.

Besides, they wouldn't have known they were burying a Uchiha who'd awakened the Sharingan. If they had... well, that would be a different story.

Everyone who witnessed Obito awaken his eye had died during that battle. The rest of the Iwagakure ninja simply buried what they saw. Even if Obito's body had been crushed beyond recognition, something should've remained. It didn't just vanish.

"Kakashi, Rin! Come here! I found two bodies!"

Kiyosuke called out, and they rushed over to find two corpses in Iwagakure uniforms.

They were mangled beyond recognition, barely even human anymore. The sight alone was enough to make someone retch.

But it was clear—these were the two who'd kidnapped Rin.

"It's them. The ones who took Rin," Kakashi said immediately.

"Obito should've been close by… but we still can't find him."

"Maybe we already have found him."

A few shadow clones lifted a heavy boulder. Underneath it, they uncovered a mangled arm and leg. The torn blue fabric on the arm was unmistakably from Obito's clothing.

"Ahhh!"

Rin's face went pale at the sight. Tears streamed down her face.

Kakashi punched a stone in frustration, tears falling down his cheeks as well.

Kiyosuke stood silently for a moment before saying,

"Obito isn't dead."

The two stopped crying and stared at him in disbelief.

"Look here," Kiyosuke pointed to the soil around the severed limbs.

"There's not much blood. That means there wasn't heavy bleeding. But both his arm and leg are missing. Given the extent of the injury, there should've been far more blood."

Kakashi, ever the sharp one, immediately understood.

Rin, as a medical-nin, also grasped the implications.

"You're right," she said. "And Obito's body is gone."

Someone that size, buried under rocks—he couldn't have escaped on his own.

That meant someone took him.

As for who… they still didn't know.

Kiyosuke ran his fingers through the soil.

"The ground here is looser than the surrounding area. Someone used Earth Release. To move a buried person like Obito, they'd have to be highly skilled in it. Rin, go call Minato-sensei. There's a good chance Obito is still alive."

Hope returned to their eyes.

Rin quickly ran off to find Minato.

Kiyosuke looked at the severed limbs in silence.

It must have been Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. Both were masters of Earth Release. For them, moving Obito under such conditions wouldn't have been difficult.

As for the missing arm and leg—those were likely beyond saving. Crushed as they were, even Tsunade couldn't have repaired them. They were simply abandoned.

At the time, the Zetsus hadn't bothered to clean up. After all, who would come looking for a dead Obito?

Even the ever-cautious Black Zetsu hadn't seen the need. He never expected someone with foreknowledge of the script to show up.

And that... was his only mistake.

One that Kiyosuke had caught.

...

Minato arrived shortly after. He saw the severed limbs and a flash of grief crossed his face.Then he turned to Kiyosuke.

"You said Obito's still alive?"

"Yes," Kiyosuke replied, and explained his reasoning in detail.

Minato crouched to inspect the area. After a moment, he said,

"You're right. Someone used Earth Release here. That means Obito was moved. There's no sign of excessive bleeding, and… look here."

He pointed at the severed ends.

"The cuts are clean. That means they were surgically removed after it was determined they couldn't be saved. Someone even performed emergency treatment using medical ninjutsu."

Despite his terrible naming sense, Minato was a genius in every other regard. He quickly picked up on details the others missed.

"It seems Kiyosuke is right. Someone rescued Obito."

A relieved smile spread across Minato's face.

If Obito was alive… that was the best news they could've hoped for.

Kakashi and Rin looked hopeful as well.

If Obito lived, everything might still be okay.

"Kakashi, it's your turn now."

"Right. Summoning Jutsu!"

Understanding what Kiyosuke meant, Kakashi immediately performed a summoning, and eight ninja hounds appeared at his feet.

"Find Obito for me."

The dogs sniffed the severed limbs and scattered in all directions.

Rin carefully stored the arm and leg.

"Minato-sensei, who do you think took Obito?"

Minato shook his head.

"I'm not sure. Worst case, it could've been someone from Iwagakure."

No... there was an even worse possibility.

"If it was someone from Iwagakure," Kakashi said coldly, "then I'll storm the entire village if I have to—whatever it takes to bring Obito back."

Kiyosuke looked at him and said,

"I'll go with you."

With that, he pulled out a soldier pill, bit into it, and swallowed it to begin replenishing his chakra.

If they really did find Obito…

They might have to face Uchiha Madara head-on.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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