Yokota Hotel, a room.
"Although a small accident happened, we still have to continue our bandit suppression mission. You also know that there was quite a lot of noise last night. In order to avoid alerting the bandit group, we must take action tonight." Kakashi sat cross-legged, gazing seriously at Ishikawa and the other two.
"But, teacher, does our brother really have to participate in battle even though his injury hasn't healed yet?" Taro asked worriedly, with Jiro beside him also wearing a questioning look.
Looking at the three of them, Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Of course. If you're injured on the battlefield, the enemy won't wait for you to recover."
The two brothers were about to speak when Kakashi waved his hand to interrupt them. "Don't worry. We're only dealing with ordinary bandits this time. It's nowhere near as dangerous as last night."
Hearing that, the two younger brothers breathed a sigh of relief. Although their big brother Ishikawa was still recovering, he was stronger than both of them combined, so he should be fine.
"Rest now. We'll set off after dark tonight." Seeing the two fall silent and Ishikawa raise no objection, Kakashi made the final decision.
Taro and Jiro exchanged a look and immediately returned to their room to rest.
They had booked two double rooms—Kakashi and Ishikawa shared one, while the two younger brothers took the other.
"Ishikawa, you should rest now. My Sharingan also needs time to recover." After watching the two leave, Kakashi lay back and called out casually.
Although Katsuyu's healing had restored his chakra and physical strength, preventing him from collapsing for several days due to overusing his eye power, the Sharingan's energy couldn't be replenished so easily. 'It seems like I need to nest.'
"Teacher, why do you have an Uchiha's Sharingan?" Seeing the moment was right, Ishikawa lay on his bed and asked curiously. "As far as I know, the Sharingan is a bloodline limit that only the Uchiha clan possesses. And didn't that whole clan get wiped out by Uchiha Itachi?"
The Uchiha massacre had been a major event in the village. Even as an orphan, Ishikawa had heard about it, so he wasn't afraid of being wrong.
He needed reliable intel—he couldn't risk being exposed in front of people like Nohara Rin or even Minato's squad in the future.
After all, Ishikawa had the Double Portal and would definitely travel between the two worlds. Nohara Rin might even pay a visit! Without absolute strength, he couldn't fool sharp minds like them just by talking.
"This was a gift... from a close friend." Kakashi, who had been quietly recovering his pupil power, trembled slightly at the question. He instinctively touched his left eye and sighed.
"Teacher, can I know your story?" Ishikawa seized the opportunity and asked, feigning the curiosity of a baby chick.
"Well..." Kakashi was suddenly speechless, even a little embarrassed.
Although he had come to accept Ishikawa after the last incident, it still felt awkward to reveal his painful past. How could he let his student know that he had once abandoned his comrades for the sake of a mission?
No. He absolutely couldn't say that. Where would his dignity as a teacher go?
"We'll talk about it later, when there's time. Let's rest and recover first." Kakashi dodged the topic with a convenient excuse and closed his eyes, playing dead.
This made Ishikawa, who was just one step from getting his answer, feel like using Thousand Years of Death Jutsu. Just a little more and he would've succeeded!
"Hehe, then you rest. I'm gonna go find Sister Shizune to help with my treatment." With a twinkle in his eye, Ishikawa immediately changed targets and darted out of the room.
If Kakashi hadn't said anything, Shizune wouldn't have either! As Kakashi's classmate and Nohara Rin's friend, it would be a bit unreasonable for Shizune to claim she didn't know.
"Treatment? Shizune won't go against Lady Tsunade's orders." Kakashi turned over as he spoke, clearly not holding out much hope.
"Obito, Rin... if only I had one more chance to choose…" Staring blankly at the ceiling, Kakashi's consciousness gradually sank into those beautiful yet cruel memories.
---
At the same time, in another room—
"What? You want to know about Kakashi's past?" Shizune blurted out, surprised by Ishikawa's sudden request.
Then, as memories surfaced, her cheeks turned a little red, thinking of the young genius Kakashi. Back then, he was their dream man, a super genius with astounding talent!
"Yeah. He said the Sharingan was a gift from a close friend, so I got curious about what happened. But Kakashi-sensei wouldn't say anything, so I came to you—the gentle and beautiful Sister Shizune..."
"Hehe, you little rascal, you really know how to talk." Flattered by the compliment, Shizune couldn't help but chuckle, clearly pleased.
"Kakashi's past isn't a secret. It's just that he might not want to recall those painful memories." After speaking up for Kakashi, Shizune became more serious. "But as his student, knowing this might help you understand him better—and maybe even help him heal his heart one day. So, I'll tell you..."
"Okay!" Ishikawa agreed immediately, listening with rapt attention.
"Kakashi and I were once teammates, so I know a fair bit. He was the student of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. His other teammates were Obito Uchiha of the Uchiha clan and my dear friend, Rin Nohara."
As soon as she spoke, Shizune surprised Ishikawa. She had directly revealed Minato's team composition, and Ishikawa was so thrilled that his breath caught in his throat!
Seeing this, Shizune thought he was just starstruck by the name of the Fourth Hokage. After all, Minato was the hero who sealed the Nine-Tails and saved the village...
"Many years ago, around the 46th year of Konoha, Kakashi was promoted to Jonin at just 12 years old. Their team received a mission that would impact the course of the war: destroy the Kannabi Bridge and cut off Iwagakure's supply line."
"Wait—he became a Jonin at 12?!" Ishikawa interrupted in shock, genuinely surprised as if hearing it for the first time.
"That's right. Kakashi is the youngest Jonin in Konoha's history. It's a pity I wasn't in the village at the time—I was following Lady Tsunade—so I didn't get to prepare a promotion gift for him," Shizune said with pride and a touch of regret. Then her tone grew somber.
"I only learned about it later, but during that mission, Kakashi lost his left eye. Obito awakened his Sharingan and, in order to save Rin and Kakashi, he was crushed by an Earth Style Jutsu from Iwagakure. Before he died, he gave Kakashi his Sharingan."
"From that day forward, the world knew two heroes from the Battle of Kannabi Bridge—Obito Uchiha, who gave his life, and Kakashi Hatake, the famed Copy Ninja of Konoha."
"I see..." Ishikawa lowered his head with a sigh, pretending to take a few steadying breaths before asking softly, "Then... what about Nohara Rin? Why hasn't Sensei ever mentioned her? Don't tell me... she also..."
"Rin..." At the sound of her name, a crystal shimmer appeared in Shizune's eyes. In that moment, the image of a bright, smiling girl floated before her like a fading memory.
--
--
Show your support with Power Stones, guys!
If we make it into the top 20 rankings at the week's end, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
P@atreon/Arvinstorm (25+ Advanced Chapters)