“Shouldn’t a ninja prioritize the mission? Isn’t the mission the most important?” Walking out of the Hokage building, Kakashi reflected on Nagatomo Toda’s expression in the office, feeling puzzled.
He had said that Nagatomo Toda’s completion of the mission made him a competent ninja, but Toda did not seem happy. Instead, his eyes held a hint of anger.
Kakashi felt that Toda might have said something more if they hadn’t been in the Hokage’s office.
But Kakashi couldn’t understand why Toda would be angry with him. It wasn’t Kakashi who killed his teammates; it was the enemy. He was just expressing his view.
“Are teammates’ lives more important than completing the mission?” Kakashi pondered.
If Toda honestly thought that way, Kakashi felt it was better for him not to be a teacher. With such an idea, Toda wasn’t a qualified ninja.
“A competent ninja should complete the mission at all costs, even if it means the death of teammates…” That night, back at his dark house, Kakashi muttered to himself.
There was a time when Kakashi was proud of his father.
His father, Sakumo Hatake, was mighty and significantly contributed during the Second Shinobi War, killing many enemy ninjas. He was revered as the White Fang of the Leaf.
Kakashi idolised his robust and reliable father and strived to follow in his footsteps. At five, he graduated from the Ninja Academy and became a chunin at six, pursuing his father’s example.
However, an event at the age of seven changed Sakumo Hatake’s image in Kakashi’s eyes.
On a critical mission, Sakumo failed because he chose to save his teammates, leading to significant losses for Konoha. The village was condemned, and even the saved teammates criticised Sakumo.
Soon after, Kakashi returned home from training to find a lifeless body in a pool of blood—the same White Fang short blade that had killed countless ninjas had taken its master’s life.
From then on, Sakumo Hatake was no longer the strongest, most qualified ninja in Kakashi’s mind.
Sakumo Hatake was unqualified as a ninja. He let emotions guide him and caused great losses to Konoha. As a father, he left his seven-year-old child behind, also unqualified.
Kakashi no longer took pride in his father nor anyone else.
Kakashi opened the door, first cleaning the house from top to bottom. After being away for over a month, the house had accumulated a lot of dust.
With the convenience of Shadow Clone Jutsu, even one person can quickly clean the whole house. Kakashi soon finished, and the house was as clean as ever.
“Should I train now?” Kakashi thought, having already eaten dinner on his way home, so he didn’t need to cook.
In the end, Kakashi did nothing, lying in the yard, gazing at the moon.
“Kakashi, are you home?”
At that moment, a familiar female voice called from outside.
“Maybe he’s gone out on a mission again. Rin, let’s just go have fun by ourselves,” came a nearby excited male voice.
Kakashi slowly walked out, his face indifferent. “What’s going on?”
“Damn, he’s not on a mission?” Obito muttered, feeling it was a shame.
“If nothing unexpected happens, I won’t be going on missions for a while,” Kakashi said.
He had guessed that no teams were available for him, so he would have to wait until the new graduates graduated.
“After such a long mission, a break is deserved,” Rin said gently.
She knew Kakashi’s break might last four to five months.
“That’s not the reason,” Kakashi shook his head.
“Then what’s the reason? You can’t slack off, Kakashi,” Obito said, hoping Kakashi would take on more missions.
“I don’t have a team anymore. My teammates died, and the captain isn’t continuing as an instructor,” Kakashi said flatly.
“Teammates died… What…” Hearing Kakashi casually mention their deaths, Obito was stunned.
Having seen them about a month ago, Obito still remembered what Kakashi’s teammates looked like. To hear that two living people had died so suddenly brought the harsh reality of being a ninja crashing down on him.
“I’m sorry,” Obito apologised to Kakashi, feeling that he must be in pain.
Rin was also stunned but quickly began to comfort Kakashi.
“Maybe you’ve misunderstood. I’m not too sad. Although my teammates died, they didn’t die in vain. The mission succeeded,” Kakashi said.
“What do you mean? Is it worth sacrificing teammates for a mission?” Obito couldn’t help but ask.
He wasn’t close to Kakashi’s teammates but knew they weren’t bad people.
That day, Kakashi’s teammates could have just called to him and left, but they didn’t. They specifically reminded Kakashi that the mission was challenging and to prepare well.
“It’s easier to accept the sacrifice of teammates than the failure of a mission,” Kakashi replied calmly.
“I really can’t like you at all!” Obito’s anger flared, and he couldn’t help but swing a punch at Kakashi.
“That’s because you’re not a ninja yet. In the ninja world, the mission always comes first,” Kakashi said, catching Obito’s fist.
“A ninja who acts on emotions is an unqualified ninja.”
“Let’s fight. I’ll knock some sense into you,” Obito couldn’t hold back anymore.
Kakashi threw Obito aside and countered, “You’re the one who’s unclear. An academy student lecturing a chunin?”
As Obito’s anger rose, he activated his breathing technique to enhance his physical abilities, aiming to teach Kakashi a lesson.
But Kakashi wasn’t holding back either. He fully engaged, overwhelming Obito with Earth and Lightning Release and relentless taijutsu.
“Damn it!” Obito shouted in frustration as he was knocked to the ground again. He couldn’t accept that he was inferior to someone like Kakashi.
“If you maintain such childish thoughts, you should give up on becoming a ninja,” Kakashi said bluntly.
“Do you feel the gap between you and a real ninja?”
Despite his words, Kakashi was a bit surprised by Obito’s progress. In just over a month, Obito had significantly improved in fire ninjutsu and taijutsu, holding his own longer than expected, even against Kakashi’s full power.
“I especially don’t want to lose to someone like you,” Obito said through gritted teeth, his frustration peaking, anger blazing within him.
“What do you think of your comrades!” With a furious shout, Obito’s breathing became more focused than ever. He felt a surge of power flowing through him.
“Flame Breathing, Full Concentration Breathing!”
In an instant, Obito disappeared from where he stood, reappearing beside Kakashi and delivering a powerful punch to his face.
Caught off guard by Obito’s sudden speed, Kakashi was knocked to the ground.
“Can he get even stronger?” Kakashi needed clarification. He had never encountered a situation where his opponent suddenly became stronger mid-fight.
Fortunately, Kakashi’s rich combat experience helped him regain his footing, preventing further disadvantage.
The battle was now incredibly intense, with bursts of fire and electricity lighting up the field, their attacks creating small craters in the ground.
“Stop fighting, or you’ll get hurt and won’t be able to have fun,” Rin said, worried, as their intense confrontation seemed anything but a friendly spar.
Rin’s words gradually calmed Obito down. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to defeat Kakashi yet.
As Obito stopped, so did Kakashi, whose desire to fight was never high.
“You guys should discuss your differences instead of fighting,” Rin sighed, dusting them off and tidying their clothes.
“He just makes me so mad,” Obito said, still angry at Kakashi’s earlier comments.
“If it makes you mad, it means you’re still immature,” Kakashi said calmly.
“You want to continue?” Obito’s anger flared again.
“If you want a beating, I don’t mind,” Kakashi replied indifferently.
“You two! If this keeps up, I’ll get mad,” Rin said, hands on her hips.
Remembering how Rin once punched a tree in half, Obito fell silent.
With Obito quiet, Kakashi had no intention of starting another fight. He was in no mood for conflict tonight.
However, Obito and Kakashi couldn’t get along tonight after their earlier clash.
If Kakashi bought grilled fish, Obito would say it was unhealthy. If Obito bought tempura, Kakashi would comment on the reused oil.
To them, everything the other did was wrong; even their very existence seemed problematic.
Rin tried to mediate but found no good solution.
“The semester is almost over. Another term is about to end. Time flies,” Rin said, trying to find a neutral topic.
“One more term and we’ll graduate. If someone keeps those childish thoughts, I’m really worried for the village,” Kakashi said, attacking first.
“Whoever ends up as your next teammate is really unlucky,” Obito retorted.
Rin: …
(End of Chapter)
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