Arc Length: Chapter 239-244 (6 Chapters)
Short Summary
This arc begins many years before the main events of the series. During the Third Great Ninja War, Kakashi Hatake was on a team with Minato Namikaze (the Yellow Flash of Konoha), Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara. During a mission to destroy a bridge in the Land of Grass, Rin is kidnapped. Obito wants to save her, but Kakashi says that the mission is more important than Rin's life. Obito hits him and leaves to save Rin. Kakashi heads off to complete the mission, but changes his mind and goes back to help Obito, losing an eye in the process. They save Rin, but Obito is trapped under a boulder. Before he dies, he has Rin transplant his Sharingan into Kakashi. Minato shows up and saves Kakashi and Rin, but it is too late for Obito. The arc ends by saying that two heroes were born that day, each with his own Sharingan; Obito's name was inscribed on the memorial stone, while Kakashi would go on to become a legend in the ninja world.
Full Summary
This arc contains examples of:
- Always Save the Girl: Obito tries to convince Kakashi that saving Rin is more important than completing a mission that is crucial to the war.
- Big Damn Heroes: Minato saves Kakashi and Rin at the end of the arc.
- Breather Episode: The Kakashi Chronicles serves as a break in between the major shockers of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc and the Kazekage Rescue Arc.
- Damsel in Distress: Rin is kidnapped roughly halfway through the arc. Kakashi and Obito need to save her.
- Day in the Limelight: Subverted. Originally, from a series-wide standpoint, it seemed to just be an arc to give Kakashi some background. Several reveals later, and it becomes obvious that it was really an arc to establish the character of Obito Uchiha, who would become incredibly important to the plot later on.
- The Dreaded: All the bad guys freak out when Minato shows up. They were ordered to flee on sight if they saw him
- Posthumous Character: Rin and Minato are all long-dead by the time the main story of Naruto starts, but they all get development along with Kakashi and Obito here.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Kakashi starts the arc as a rule obsessed prick, and it's explained how he grew to care for his comrades.
- Whole Arc Flashback: The entire arc is a flashback taking place before the main events of Naruto.
