Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used in this story.
Obito was gone, crushed beneath a pile of rocks, and his Sharingan passed onto Kakashi. The enemy's reinforcements had caught up and Rin and Kakashi were surrounded.
"Rin… I'll detain them. Take the kunai Minato-sensei gave me. When he shows up he will protect you," Kakashi said, "Go now!"
"But…" Rin protested.
"I promised Obito I would protect you with my life!" Kakashi snapped back, " Obito loved you, he gave his life to protect you. I left you behind, I'm nothing but scum. Rin go!"
The reinforcements from the Rock Village had came and Kakashi was determined to hold them off, at least long enough to allow Rin to escape. While she fled into the surrounding woods, Kakashi stood, armed only with Chidori, facing impossible odds. Despite being a prodigy, he lacked the experience that would make up for the difference in numbers.
Kakashi fought, his only thought being to protect Rin. The shinobi from the Rock village soon learned to fight from a distance after half of their number fell to Kakashi's Chidori in close combat. Even knowing he had a disadvantage, Kakashi fought on, taking out enemy after enemy, with fierce determination.
But determination wasn't enough. Exhausted from his use of chakra, Kakashi fell, an enemy kunai protruding from his back. As he lay there dying, he wondered whether Rin would be able make it to safety, and if Minato would be able to rescue her. But his final thoughts were an apology, to Obito.
I couldn't protect Rin, and I couldn't show you the future.
She was alone. she was running, racing through the forest hoping to evade enemy ninja. On missions, she had always had her teammates by her side, even when they had split up, she knew Kakashi and Obito were watching her back. And Minato-sensei had always been there as back-up, should anything go wrong.
She felt guilty. It was all her fault. She knew, as the support member of their team, she was the weakest in terms of combat ability. If she hadn't been captured, she would have been with Kakashi and Obito, attacking Kannabi Bridge. They would have been together.
She was frightened. She knew enemy ninja could show up at any time, and that she would stand no chance against the combat oriented units deployed in the area.
She heard footsteps. They had found her, and were getting closer with each passing moment.
She fell. A single kunai was pierced her thigh.
She waited for death. She knew it was inevitable. But she was wrong. A man appeared, in the flash of yellow that gave him his title. She was saved.
Rin Nohara was alive.
In the rain, two figures could be seen, standing in front of a large stone, staring at the multitude of names engraved on it. Time seemed to hold no meaning for those two, as they were mourning some of those closest to their hearts.
Minato felt guilty. If he had been there to support his team, rather than foolishly believing that his team could achieve victory in a situation that was so obviously a trap, he could have prevented the deaths of his students. Out of Team 7, the only one remaining was Rin, the glue that had held them together.
Obito, who had believed so strongly in helping others and who had worked so hard just to prove himself, was gone, crushed beneath rocks while trying desperately to protect his teammates. Kakashi, who had worked so hard to follow the rules of the ninja, had sacrificed himself in order to protect Rin. Minato had failed them both, and this was a mistake that could not be fixed.