Naruto: The Clanless Prince

Kakashi, who was walking on the water's surface, suddenly stopped.

His nose twitched as he raised his right hand, signaling to Obito and the others that danger was approaching.

Suddenly, a barrage of sharp bamboo spears shot toward the four-person team.

"Fire Style! Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Obito exhaled a massive fireball that blocked all the incoming bamboo projectiles.

While Kakashi and the others focused their attention forward, they failed to notice the large enemy ninja hiding behind them.

In an instant, the bamboo spears that had fallen into the water after being blocked by Obito's Great Fireball shattered into pieces.

Kakashi and Obito immediately prepared for battle.

The concealed Iwagakure ninja, Huoguang, suddenly appeared, and Kakashi attacked without hesitation.

"Thunder Breath, Shape of Four, Distant Thunder!"

Lightning erupted from Kakashi's body as he struck with blinding speed. Upon reaching Huoguang, he swung his blade in rapid, precise slashes.

Many Konoha shinobi now knew Thunder Breath techniques. Even though Kakashi's Thunder Breath was impressively fast, Iwagakure's ninja were skilled in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. As an Elite Jōnin from Iwagakure, Huoguang was still able to counter Kakashi's attacks.

Kakashi and Huoguang exchanged several blows in quick succession, neither gaining the upper hand.

Just as Obito was about to find an opening to assist Kakashi, two screams pierced the air.

The distraction gave Huoguang an opportunity, and he kicked Kakashi into the water.

Kakashi and Obito looked behind them simultaneously to find that Nohara Rin and Takei Katsuhiko had been knocked unconscious by the hidden Iwagakure ninja, Dashi, who now held both captive.

Huoguang landed beside Dashi and said to Kakashi and Obito, "I'm taking these two with me."

Kakashi attempted to rush forward to stop them, but Huoguang mocked him. "You must be the white-haired disciple of the Blood-eyed Shura, right? If the Blood-eyed Shura were here, I might feel a little threatened. But you? You're still far too weak!"

Huoguang threw down smoke bombs, and both Iwagakure ninja disappeared with their captives.

"Damn it!" Obito cursed.

He was about to give chase when Kakashi stopped him. "Obito! Don't follow them! We need to continue the mission!"

Obito looked at Kakashi in disbelief. "What did you just say? Do you even hear yourself?"

Kakashi repeated firmly, "Yes, I know what I said. The two of us will continue the mission as planned."

"What about Rin and Katsuhiko?" Obito demanded. "What's going to happen to them?"

Kakashi replied calmly, "We can rescue Rin and your other companion later. The enemy wants information about our plans and won't kill them immediately. Moreover, Rin is fortunate to be a medical ninja. Even as a prisoner, she'll be treated with some respect, as they'll want her to treat their wounded in exchange for her safety.

"The real problem is that the enemy will learn our combat strategy. If our plan is leaked, they'll immediately strengthen security at the bridge. In that case, completing our mission will become much more difficult."

"What about Katsuhiko?" Obito asked heatedly. "He's not a medical ninja, and what you said about Rin being safe is just speculation, isn't it?! If they're in danger, how can you prioritize the mission over their lives? We should focus on saving Rin now rather than the mission!"

Kakashi said solemnly, "As a ninja... you must carry out the mission even if it means sacrificing your friends. That's the rule. If this mission fails, the war will be prolonged, and even more lives may be lost."

"That's just a guess!" Obito challenged. "Can you really abandon your comrades so easily based on mere speculation?"

"This is Lin's mission too," Kakashi stated coldly.

Without warning, Obito threw a punch at Kakashi.

Kakashi caught Obito's fist effortlessly.

"I really hate you!" Obito shouted.

Kakashi remained rational. "You can hate me all you want, but I'm the captain, and you must follow my instructions. No matter the situation, to prevent the team from falling apart, one person must make the decisions, and team members must follow the captain's orders. These are the regulations! Obito, you lack the necessary skills, which is why I'm the captain."

Obito roared, "Then why won't you save Rin? You have the ability to save your comrades, don't you?"

"If you let emotions control you and fail an important mission, you'll regret it later," Kakashi explained calmly. "That's why ninjas have rules to suppress emotions. You should understand this."

Obito trembled with anger. "Rin... Rin was worried about your safety, so she gave you a medical kit as a gift and even put a good luck charm in it!"

Kakashi's expression remained unchanged. "Medical kits and medical ninjutsu exist to improve mission success rates. Konoha's medical system is excellent, but as I told you yesterday, unnecessary items are just burdens."

"Unnecessary items?" Obito repeated in disbelief.

Kakashi nodded. "Ninjas need tools that contribute to their missions. Things like feelings are unnecessary."

Obito stared at Kakashi. "Are you serious? Do you really believe that?"

Kakashi turned his head slightly, thoughts of Hatake Sakumo briefly crossing his mind, then looked back at Obito. "Yes."

Obito clenched his fists. "Fine then. You and I are incompatible. I'm going to save Rin!"

Kakashi paused and said, "You don't understand anything. You don't know what happens to people who break the rules..."

Obito turned his back to Kakashi. "I've learned about Master Sakumo from both Teacher Minato and Teacher Sora. I truly believe the White Fang was a hero. Yes, in the ninja world, those who break the rules are called scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum! Since both choices make me scum anyway, I choose to break the rules. If that's not the right path for a ninja, then I'll break the entire concept of what it means to be a ninja!"

Kakashi stared at Obito's back and said solemnly, "Obito, I understand everything you're saying, but are you certain they'll thank you if you save them? If they blame you because the mission failed, will you regret your decision? My father also thought those people were his comrades, but what happened in the end? He was condemned by everyone in Konoha. My father was blamed for breaking rules to save his comrades, and now I'm being blamed by you for choosing to follow the rules. So what do you think you should do to avoid criticism?"

After a long silence, Obito finally spoke. "I don't know, but I do know that if I don't save Rin, I'll definitely regret it! I really don't understand why something obviously right became wrong, and something obviously wrong became right. I don't want to live with regret! Even if everyone says I'm wrong!"

Kakashi took a deep breath and said, "There's really no convincing you. Let's go."

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