The ambush battle against the Rock ninjas was finally over.
All the enemy ninja had been eliminated. Shindai dropped onto the ground and fell flat on his back, panting heavily.
He had used too much strength at once, nearly exhausting all his chakra.
And even though he had managed to cushion Tokujuku's punch twice to reduce the damage as much as possible, Shindai still ended up injured.
During the fight, adrenaline had kept the pain at bay, but once the battle ended and he relaxed, the pain surged through his entire body.
"Agh! Rin, hurry up and heal me! I think I'm about to die!"
Shindai cried out in agony, calling for Rin Nohara.
Rin, who had been hiding nearby, quickly ran over to examine Shindai.
Obito and Kakashi also rushed to his side.
Obito anxiously asked Rin, "Rin, is Shindai going to be okay?"
Rin carefully examined Shindai's body. "His back has widespread bruising, his shoulder blade is fractured, and he has multiple contusions. His chakra is severely depleted, showing signs of physical exhaustion. Other than that… nothing serious."
Hearing this, both Obito and Kakashi let out a sigh of relief.
Looking at Shindai writhing and screaming in pain, Obito said, "Well, it doesn't sound nearly as bad as when he got beaten up by Lady Tsunade last time."
Despite being clearly injured, Shindai shouted energetically, "You're wrong! You and Kakashi are fine, but everything landed on me this time! I'm in so much pain right now!"
Kakashi crouched beside Shindai and sighed. "Alright, Shindai, stop whining and save your strength. We owe you our lives. If you hadn't blocked that Jonin-level Rock ninja, all three of us—me, Obito, and Rin—would've been in real danger."
Obito stared at Shindai with deep sincerity. "Shindai… thank you!"
Shindai frowned as he looked into Obito's eyes. Obito still had his Sharingan active.
Just thinking about how Obito had awakened his Sharingan because of him made Shindai feel oddly uneasy.
"Hey Obito, can you turn off your pretty eye? It gives me the creeps."
"Huh? Oh."
Obito deactivated his Sharingan. Seeing Obito's normal black eyes again made Shindai feel much more comfortable.
But deep down, Shindai felt anxious.
Originally, Obito awakened the Sharingan because of Kakashi. Now, though, he activated it early because of him—Shindai. This meant things could change.
In the future, would Obito cry not just for Rin Nohara, but possibly for him too?
No way! If Obito ever cried over him, he'd never hear the end of it.
After Rin finished healing and bandaging Shindai's wounds, she treated Obito and Kakashi as well.
Although both Kakashi and Obito had sustained minor injuries during the fight, their conditions were nowhere near as severe as Shindai's.
After Rin finished treating everyone, a moment of calm finally settled over the group.
Obito found Kannazuki and brought him back to Shindai.
Shindai sighed as he looked at Kannazuki's ruined legs.
Because Obito had nearly been impaled by earth spikes launched by Tokujuku, when Shindai manipulated Kannazuki to rescue Obito, Kannazuki's legs were damaged by the spikes.
Seeing Shindai sigh, Obito apologized guiltily, "Sorry Shindai, it's all my fault. You not only got hurt, but your Kannazuki got damaged too…"
Shindai waved his hand dismissively. "It's not your fault. If it got damaged that easily, the material just wasn't sturdy enough—I'll need to replace it."
Once the war ended and he had time, Shindai planned to research metals to upgrade Kannazuki's body.
Besides, studying metals would also benefit his Magnet Release ninjutsu.
His kekkei genkai was Magnet Release, not the Iron Sand Body technique.
As long as a metal contained magnetism, Shindai could control it.
A little later,
Riding on Obito's back, Shindai joined Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara in examining Tokujuku's corpse.
Obito looked at Tokujuku's stiff face and asked in confusion, "This Jonin-level Rock ninja… why does it feel like he wasn't killed by your Iron Sand?"
Resting his chin on Obito's shoulder, Shindai carefully observed Tokujuku's corpse on the ground. "Not just you—even I feel the same way. It looks like he suffocated. He probably died from suffocation while trapped in my Iron Sand."
Looking at Tokujuku with slightly open mouth, Medical Ninja Rin analyzed, "He did suffocate, but not from regular suffocation—he choked on his own vomit and his airway was blocked."
Shindai, Obito, and Kakashi's expressions instantly turned very strange. Dying from choking on your own puke—that's one-of-a-kind way to go.
After taking a light breath, Kakashi said, "Okay, no more analyzing how he died. Our mission isn't completed yet—we still have supplies to deliver. Obito, carry Shindai. I'll take three supply scrolls, and Rin, you take two. Let's move out."
Kakashi and Rin picked up the scrolls containing supplies, and the four continued heading toward their destination.
Time flew quickly.
The four of them had already spent five months at the Supply Station.
During these five months, they had delivered countless batches of supplies.
They had also faced countless battles, both big and small.
The four of them grew quickly together, and their teamwork and coordination improved significantly.
At the start of each battle, Rin, the Medical Ninja, would immediately hide herself.
Then Shindai, Obito, and Kakashi would fight together in perfect harmony—sometimes, all it took was a single glance to know exactly what the others were thinking.
Obito, who had activated the Sharingan, progressed at an unprecedented rate, mastering several advanced Fire Release techniques of the Uchiha clan and gaining remarkable confidence in battle.
After activating the Sharingan, Obito seemed like a completely different person.
However, this transformation only applied to his strength—Obito remained just as kind-hearted and sincere in daily life.
In these past five months, the ninja world also experienced tremendous changes.
Kumogakure, starting from initial surprise attacks, now deployed multiple ninja units along the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Waterfalls, frequently raiding Rock ninjas inside the Land of Earth, effectively declaring war on Iwagakure.
Kiri also launched operations two months ago, moving inland from the coast of the Land of Fire, officially waging war against Konoha.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure's ninja continued their sporadic skirmishes with Konoha ninja in the Land of Rivers, showing little real intensity. As a result, Orochimaru left the Land of Rivers and returned to the Land of Fire to command the battle against the Mist ninja.
Since both Iwagakure and Konoha had to divide their forces to counter the Cloud and Mist ninjas, they remained evenly matched. Their battles continued in the Grass Country.
However, compared to the beginning, the conflict between Iwagakure and Konoha had cooled down significantly.
From the very start, Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya had been dispatched to harass the Rock ninja behind enemy lines in the Grass Country, causing significant disruption.
Because of Minato's mobility, he and Jiraiya became unpredictable and extremely difficult to track.
Rock ninja supply convoys were repeatedly intercepted by Minato and Jiraiya.
Moreover, on several occasions, Minato and Jiraiya intercepted the Rock forces' marching routes, analyzed their next moves, and alerted Konoha in time—inflicting heavy losses on the Rock ninja.
The Rock ninja stationed in the Grass Country had finally reached their limit when it came to Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya.
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