In the Land of Wind, Kimimaro and the other two waited at the rendezvous point for Pakura and the others to join them. A fierce wind swept across the desert, making even ninjas seem insignificant against such natural power.
Gaara huddled beneath a rock wall, sheltering from the sandstorm, his tattered teddy bear clutched tightly in his arms. His dark-ringed pupils were fixed on Kimimaro and Suigetsu Hozuki, as if fearing they would abandon him and leave alone.
As if unable to bear Gaara's intense gaze, Kimimaro shifted his position, allowing Suigetsu Hozuki to block Gaara's line of sight.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm blocking the wind and sand for you."
Suigetsu Hozuki blinked. Why was this kid Kimimaro suddenly being so nice to him? He knew Suigetsu hated dry, sandy conditions the most. *Ah, next time I'll ask Kimimaro to play at his and his brother's swimming pool for free!*
Before long, several figures emerged from the swirling yellow sand. Pakura, wearing a straw hat, and Obito, clad in an Akatsuki robe, appeared before Kimimaro and the others.
"Is he the One-Tailed Jinchuriki?"
Pakura looked at Gaara with a calm expression, making no move to attack him despite him being Rasa's son. Gaara's experience was no better than hers; having to guard against assassination attempts from his own father every day was something no normal person could endure.
Gaara didn't know what his fate would be, but he didn't hide behind Kimimaro and the other two.
Obito said, "I'll take the Jinchuriki with me."
"No, I'm not going with you!"
Gaara refused. Despite a vague fear he felt towards Obito, Gaara was more unwilling to lose the friends he had just made.
"You said you'd play with me," Gaara whispered to Kimimaro.
Kimimaro's expression shifted slightly. He remained silent, his gaze fixed on Obito. Only this masked man could make the decision here.
"Let Gaara stay here. It's much the same whether it's here or with us," Pakura said, withdrawing her gaze from Gaara and sitting down by the rock wall.
Obito looked at Kimimaro and the other two for a long time, suddenly feeling a sense of kinship. After a moment of silence, he said, "That's acceptable too."
Then, Obito's figure vanished into a swirl. He thought he saw Kakashi lurking outside the Hidden Sand Village and decided to go say hello!
After Obito left, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. The masked Obito had exerted immense pressure on them.
"Phew, I didn't expect this masked man to be so easy to talk to!"
Suigetsu Hozuki patted his chest. He had almost peed himself just now, especially when their eyes met Obito's three-tomoe Sharingan. He felt a heart-pounding sensation, as if he were being sucked into a mysterious space.
Gaara moved his lips but ultimately couldn't say anything to Pakura.
A short while later, the last member, Mangetsu Hozuki, arrived at the rendezvous point on time. However, he had a persistent follower behind him.
"Master! I finally found you!"
"Kurenai?! How are you here?!"
Pakura looked flustered at the girl sobbing in her arms, her eyes filled with guilt and joy. She gently patted Kurenai's back with a tender expression.
"She told me she was your student and insisted on coming with me. I couldn't refuse... but it seems she was telling the truth."
Mangetsu Hozuki spread his hands and then walked over to his brother to check if he was injured.
"Thank you, Mangetsu."
Pakura gently picked up Kurenai, who had fallen asleep, and saw the red mark on her forehead, feeling even more guilt. Kurenai must have suffered greatly to find her!
Where there was happiness, there was also awkwardness...
Gaara saw that the troublesome girl Kurenai had also followed, and apparently she was the disciple of this leader woman. His heart sank. *This is bad!* After all, he hadn't held back back then; he had used a lot of strength! *Won't Kurenai snitch and break us up?* Gaara worried. He had finally found two boyfriends, and he couldn't lose them now!
However, Gaara was clearly overthinking things. Pakura draped her jacket over Kurenai and said to the group, "Let's head back to base. This mission is over."
Time to get paid! The Hozuki brothers high-fived each other. They were one step closer to building a luxurious swimming pool!
Meanwhile, Kakashi saw that the commotion in the Hidden Sand Village had ceased and was about to enter to gather intelligence when a vortex appeared beside him, and Obito leaped out, grabbing Kakashi.
"The Kazekage is dead. If you go in now, you might not come out."
"The Kazekage is dead! You killed him?"
"Something like that."
Kakashi looked shocked. Obito was playing too big of a game. Killing a Kage of one of the Five Great Nations and remaining so calm. It seemed Obito had changed a lot over the years.
Kakashi hesitated for a moment and then said to Obito, "Obito, are you really still the same Obito as before?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
Obito said earnestly to Kakashi, "But Kakashi, I'm still the same towards you, from beginning to end!"
"Cough..."
Kakashi coughed. Where did Obito learn that from? It made him feel rather awkward!
"Obito, seriously, are the things you're doing now really the right thing?"
Seeing Obito hesitate, Kakashi added, "That thing about the Ōtsutsuki that Teacher Lin Yu mentioned, was it made up?"
"Teacher Lin Yu was telling the truth, and we've already clashed. They are extremely powerful!"
Obito looked at Kakashi with a strange expression. "As for what I'm doing, Kakashi, you're still so naive. In the ninja world, there's no such thing as right or wrong, nor is there absolute fairness. There is only weakness and strength. Fairness and rightness are held in the hands of the strong."
Kakashi's expression became solemn. "Obito, you've gone down the wrong path!"
Obito shook his head. "Kakashi, you still don't understand. If we aren't strong, then right and wrong will be in the hands of our enemies. Will you then be talking about whether the path is right or wrong?"
"To put it bluntly, if the Ōtsutsuki Clan members were to face you now, they could crush you with a single finger."
Kakashi could feel that Obito wasn't lying. The Ōtsutsuki Clan was indeed very powerful, but crushing him with a single finger seemed too exaggerated! Kakashi felt that even if he couldn't win, he should at least be able to fight to a draw!
"Obito, do you remember what you said back then?"
"Become Hokage? Or create a... world without war?"
Obito paused, almost saying *create a world with Kakashi in it*. That was a blemish he would never be able to erase in his lifetime!
Kakashi looked at Obito speechlessly. Glancing at his attire, he said, "Do you think you can still become Hokage now? I'm more likely to become Hokage!"
"Tsk, being Hokage doesn't mean you'll be as strong as me!" Obito said sourly. Without the Uchiha Obito, Kakashi had quite a high chance of becoming Hokage.
Kakashi stopped teasing Obito and asked, "Just how strong is the Ōtsutsuki Clan? Are they putting that much pressure on you?"
"It's probably like the gap between you and me right now, so Kakashi, you still need to work hard and improve!"
Kakashi gave Obito a dead-fish-eyed glance and pouted slightly. *Compared to you, Obito, I feel like it's a fifty-fifty situation!*