A light blue chakra enveloped Rin's fist as Uzumaki Raiden, resisting below, felt her strength increasing. He raised an eyebrow and swiftly changed his tactics.
Raiden slightly crouched, turning his fingers into an open palm, quickly grabbing Rin's wrist and effortlessly tossing her aside. Rin, caught off guard by the sudden shift, was thrown before she could react.
"Ah!"
Her body slammed against the trunk of a large tree before she fell into the snow. The force of the impact caused the tree's leaves to tremble, and large chunks of snow cascaded down, burying her beneath.
"Rin!" Uchiha Obito, seeing her thrown so forcefully, ignored the pain in his head and rushed to dig her out from the snow.
"Rin, are you okay?" Obito held her shoulders tightly, his face filled with concern.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Master Raiden held back his strength." Rin brushed off the snow and gently pushed Obito's hands away, shaking her head reassuringly.
"Who taught you your Super Strength?" Uzumaki Raiden asked from a distance, his curiosity piqued.
Rin's previous attack had utilized Super Strength, a technique that gathers chakra to a single point before releasing it in an explosive burst. Even without activating his sensory abilities, Raiden understood that Rin had mastered a specific chakra control method.
"I asked Sister Kushina to teach me, but my talent is average, and I haven't fully mastered it," Rin admitted, standing up slowly while brushing the snow from her clothes.
"Kushina taught you?"
"Your talent may be mediocre, and your Super Strength isn't very refined."
Although Raiden said this aloud, in his heart, he thought differently. He had to use 10% of his strength to counter Rin's attack earlier. While 10% might not sound like much, with his current power, it was already a frightening amount.
In all of Konoha, there were perhaps only three other kunoichi capable of matching that strength—Rin included. Even Kakashi and Obito couldn't achieve it. Rin's claim of "mediocre talent" was, in reality, quite humble.
"Let me take back what I said—you're a medical ninja, but you definitely have combat potential!"
Uzumaki Raiden smiled, but before Rin could respond, he suddenly appeared in front of her and delivered a slow-motion punch aimed at her chest.
Reacting quickly, Rin countered with a punch of her own, her fist enveloped in light blue chakra that burst forth upon impact.
Raiden deliberately maintained a manageable speed in his attack, wanting to test her reaction and strength.
"Boom!"
The ground beneath them cracked rapidly. Obito, standing nearby, was pushed back several meters by the resulting shockwave before regaining his balance.
"Rin!" Obito murmured in shock, staring at her in awe. It was as if he was seeing Rin for the first time.
Rin had never displayed such strength during their previous missions. As the team's designated medical ninja, Kakashi and Obito often kept her away from direct combat.
But now, she stood toe-to-toe with the legendary Fourth Hokage himself. To Obito, it seemed like they were evenly matched.
Despite Raiden using 10% of his strength, Rin was holding her own. To further test her limits, he gradually increased his power.
"Ahhhhh!"
The overwhelming pressure only ignited Rin's fighting spirit. Though she appeared delicate, Rin possessed a deep sense of pride that she rarely showed, unlike Obito, who wore his emotions openly.
But facing Uzumaki Raiden, her hidden determination was fully unleashed.
Rin roared, her brown hair flowing wildly as her chakra surged.
The snow around them had already been blown away, exposing the bare ground beneath. The cracks in the earth grew wider with each passing moment.
Suddenly, a crimson chakra flared around Rin's fist and quickly expanded, enveloping her entire body. A tail-like appendage formed behind her, composed of the same red chakra.
"A Tailed Beast cloak?! How is this possible?!"
Uzumaki Raiden stared in astonishment, his voice laced with disbelief.
He himself had sealed the Three-Tails within Rin using the Phantom Nine Dragons Seal, a highly advanced sealing technique. Although Raiden had left a backdoor to allow Rin to access the Tailed Beast's power gradually, the seal should have completely prevented any chakra leakage.
For Rin to tap into the Three-Tails' chakra without his intervention was simply impossible.
"Oh? It's Isobu's chakra," came the deep voice of Kurama from within Raiden's mind.
"Kurama, what's happening?"
Raiden shifted his stance, releasing his hold on Rin's fist, and gazed at her with a mix of curiosity and concern while communicating internally with the Nine-Tails.
"The seal isn't weakened," Kurama replied with a thoughtful hum.
"It might be due to Tailed Beast resonance."
Rin, feeling the foreign chakra surrounding her, looked down at her hands in shock. Obito, standing nearby, eyed her with worry.
"Tailed Beast resonance... Isobu!"
"Kurama, can you communicate with it?" Raiden asked, directing his gaze toward Rin's abdomen.
"No, Isobu doesn't seem to want to see me. But if you insist, I can make it happen," Kurama replied with a yawn.
Raiden nodded thoughtfully. Kurama's words reassured him—if the Nine-Tails could force communication, it would be easier to control in the future. But for now, Rin needed better chakra control before such steps could be taken.
"Not now, we'll handle it when the time comes," Raiden whispered in his mind, looking at Rin with newfound appreciation.
Among the three, Rin had impressed him the most.
"Master Raiden... what's happening to me?" Rin asked nervously, staring at her own body. She had always known she was a Jinchūriki, but until now, the Three-Tails' power had never surfaced.
"Don't worry, it's a good thing," Raiden reassured her.
"I've seen enough of your abilities. Although you're not bad, you're still far from my expectations."
"I'm planning to leave the village for a while. You three will be coming with me."
"My expectations for you aren't just to become jōnin—I want you to grow into Konoha's future pillars."
Raiden's words were firm and left no room for discussion. As the Fourth Hokage, he didn't need anyone's approval to assign Kakashi, Obito, and Rin to accompany him. Even though their circumstances were unique, his decision was final.
(End of this chapter)