Chapter 208: We've Always Been Protecting You
Uchiha Kei led Kakashi toward Konoha's orphanage.
The orphanage sat in a rather secluded corner of the village. After all, the children it sheltered were war orphans—many of whom weren't even of Konoha's bloodline.
That alone made things complicated. Among these war orphans, there was always the possibility of foreign spies hiding in plain sight.
For the sake of caution, the orphanage could never be placed near Konoha's heart. Instead, it was tucked away, in a zone patrolled heavily by the Police Force.
Though Kei had never personally been here before, he had studied this region when investigating Uchiha Yuu's routes. The layout was not unfamiliar to him.
Looking at the vast stretch of dense forest, Kei remembered once considering it an ideal site for an ambush. Unfortunately, a man of Yuu's stature never wandered this far out, leaving Kei no choice but to abandon that plan.
Who would've thought the place would prove useful now?
It was the perfect location—for Kei to tell Kakashi what needed to be said, or to do what needed to be done.
As they approached the orphanage gates, Kei suddenly stopped.
In a blur, his ninjatō slid free of its sheath. Scarlet eyes ignited with Sharingan light, paired with the crackling blue edge of his blade—an explosive killing intent no ordinary person could withstand.
But Kakashi wasn't ordinary. His time in ANBU had honed his senses razor-sharp. Kei could tell that even when Kakashi seemed at rest, his mind was wound tight like a bowstring. Perhaps it was a side effect of ANBU training—or simply inexperience in balancing vigilance with release.
As expected, Kakashi evaded Kei's strike the very instant it fell.
Almost reflexively, his hand lifted his hitai-ate, revealing the scarlet whirl of his hidden Sharingan.
Kei's eyes narrowed. He pressed the attack.
Of course, he was holding back. Otherwise, Kakashi wouldn't last more than a few breaths.
Even so, the sudden onslaught left Kakashi scrambling. He drew a kunai to parry desperately, though confusion flickered in his gaze.
"Where's your sword, Kakashi?" Kei asked coldly, punctuating the question with a kick that sent him sprawling.
"If you intend to face me in that state… your 'vacation' may last a very long time. You might never return as a shinobi at all."
The words fell like iron. Kei surged forward once more.
Their eyes locked. A fatal mistake.
Kakashi's Sharingan might be of Mangekyō caliber, but he was no Uchiha.
A strange ripple of chakra bled from Kei's pupils. In the next heartbeat, he was at Kakashi's side, his ninjatō sparking with arcs of blue lightning.
Raikiri… Kakashi realized grimly.
A sudden haze clouded his mind—Genjutsu!
By the time he broke free, it was too late. The crackling blade had already traced a line across his throat.
A sharp sting. His body went numb. And then—a strange, quiet sense of release.
---
"Kakashi? …Kakashi?"
A voice called. Familiar. Distant.
Slowly, Kakashi's consciousness stirred. His head throbbed as he touched his temple, memories rushing back—the cold flash of Kei's blade, the azure light of the very weapon Kakashi himself had gifted him.
"So I died…" he muttered. "Died to the sword I gave Kei. Hmph. Not the worst way to go."
There was no anger toward Kei.
In his eyes, Kei had merely chosen a harsh method to help him break free. What Kei likely hadn't expected was how little will Kakashi still held to resist.
Or perhaps this was simply Kei being Kei—the prodigy, the Police Commander, a force no one could easily stand against.
---
"Kakashi! Wait for us!"
The voice came again, clearer. Kakashi blinked, his vision focusing. His breath caught.
Rin—holding Obito's hand—was running toward him.
For a heartbeat, Kakashi's chest tightened. Instinctively, he reached for them.
But then he froze.
Their eyes—filled not with warmth, but fear.
"They're not here for you."
The words came from behind. From a voice identical to his own.
Whirling, Kakashi saw… himself.
A younger version, more unrefined, standing with none other than Minato Namikaze at his side.
But Minato wasn't looking at him. His gaze lingered on the younger Kakashi, tinged faintly with disappointment.
And Kakashi could sense it—the difference between them.
That younger self radiated life. A vibrant, unyielding spirit, like the rising sun. So unlike the hollow shell Kakashi had become.
"You notice it now?"
The younger Kakashi's eyes, half-hidden behind his mask, glimmered with disdain.
"Look at you. No purpose. No faith. Nothing but a walking corpse. It's pathetic."
"…Is that so?" Kakashi's reply was flat, yet beneath it lingered guilt. And resignation.
Ever since Obito and Rin's deaths, Kakashi had changed. The goals that once gave shape to his life had collapsed, and the defenses he had painstakingly thawed within himself froze shut once again.
Lowering his gaze, he noticed the uniform he wore—the ANBU standard gear.
Even during moments of rest, Kakashi unconsciously kept it on.
It was his way of sealing himself off from the past, of severing all ties to the boy he used to be.
Bang!
Lost in thought, Kakashi didn't react when the younger version of himself suddenly drove a fist into his face. He didn't even try. The blow sent him sprawling across the ground.
Silently rubbing his aching cheek, he grimaced.
The pain was too real. He could no longer tell if he was trapped in Genjutsu or standing in the afterlife itself.
"Look at yourself," the younger Kakashi said flatly.
"Look at what you've become. Is this still you?
Are you still the person Obito and Rin trusted?
Or have you already stopped being human altogether?"
Kakashi turned his head. There was a shallow pool of water beside him.
In its reflection, he saw a man with dead eyes staring back.
Eyes so cold they looked upon the world as if all who lived in it were corpses. Scarlet Sharingan gleamed in that hollow face, making him resemble a specter crawled out from hell itself.
For the first time, Kakashi truly saw himself—this monstrous version, this soulless husk, this hollow shell wandering without direction.
This was not the Kakashi Obito and Rin had known.
"You see it now?" the younger Kakashi sneered.
"You're no longer that person. If Obito and Rin saw you like this, they'd recoil in fear. They wouldn't recognize you. They wouldn't acknowledge you. You're not Hatake Kakashi anymore."
"…I…" Kakashi whispered, lifting his head to stare blankly at his reflection. That familiar-yet-strange face in the water made his chest ache.
"Kakashi?"
The soft voice of Nohara Rin drifted to his ears.
Lifting his eyes, he saw her—hesitant, a trace of fear flickering in her brown eyes. Yet beneath it lay the same warmth and worry he remembered.
"Rin…" He lowered his head, unable to meet her gaze. Shame pressed heavy on his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I… I failed you."
"Kakashi's just facing a difficult time, that's all," Rin said gently. The fear in her eyes melted away, replaced by a tender smile.
"I believe you'll overcome this. I believe you'll find yourself again. You've always been the best, Kakashi. Even though it hurts me that you've carried so much pain alone… I know you'll endure it, and rise again. Isn't that right?"
"Tch. You idiot."
Obito appeared beside her, his voice laced with irritation.
"I gave you my eye so you could see the future for me. So you could protect Rin, protect what we cherished. But the way you are now? You're nothing like the Kakashi I knew. Nothing like the one I believed in!"
"Rin… Obito… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
Something cracked inside Kakashi then. The walls he had built around his heart fractured, and through the pain came clarity. He could feel it—Rin and Obito's will burning within him.
"Kakashi."
This time it was Minato. His teacher stepped forward, resting a hand softly on his shoulder.
"Do you remember what Kei once told you? The essence of a shinobi is to endure. To bear the weight of humiliation and grief.
A true shinobi isn't measured by how powerful he is, but by whether he can carry the will of fallen comrades and still walk forward—alone if he must.
But you're not alone, Kakashi. You still have friends. Kei, Guy, Kurenai… they're all still here.
You're not alone. We've always been protecting you."