Kakashi and the spy kunoichi walked through the streets of Konoha.
Her name was Hanare.
"Are you an idiot? Taking me, who infiltrated to gather intelligence, straight into the village like this?"
Hearing Hanare's words, Kakashi helplessly replied, "Life in any village is pretty much the same. Besides, staying in such a place for long must be uncomfortable, right?"
Behind Kakashi and Hanare, around a corner in the alley, Shindai and Obito were tailing them quietly.
Shindai, having overheard their conversation, began gossiping, "Something's definitely off—this is seriously strange! A female spy actually complaining about being brought into Konoha? And that 'you idiot' sounded almost flirtatious!"
Obito also excitedly added, "Right? And Kakashi saying 'it must be uncomfortable staying in such a place' sounds like he actually cares a little."
Shindai and Obito were now extremely excited—they had stumbled upon some huge gossip!
Meanwhile, as Kakashi and Hanare walked past Ichiraku Ramen shop, they were spotted by Naruto.
Naruto immediately widened his eyes in shock and disbelief, nearly choking on the broth in his mouth.
Without hesitation, Naruto abandoned his half-eaten bowl of ramen and quietly followed them from behind.
Elsewhere, Ino, watering plants at the flower shop doorstep, had also noticed Kakashi and Hanare walking together. He rushed back into the flower shop to tell Sakura.
Sakura instantly displayed an interesting smile, "Could it be... Kakashi-sensei?" Then she called out, "Ino! I'm leaving first!"
Sasuke, casually strolling down the street with his hands in his pockets, also encountered Kakashi and Hanare. Instantly losing his usual calmness, he hid behind a wooden crate to peek at them.
Naruto approached, whispering, "You're definitely curious too, right? Sasuke!"
"I'm not—" Sasuke began denying, but before he could finish, Sakura also showed up, exclaiming, "It's her! The one we met at Konoha's gates before! Supposedly a spy!"
Naruto excitedly confirmed, "Yeah, that really beautiful girl!"
Sasuke watched their retreating figures, puzzled. "Why is Kakashi-sensei with her?"
Naruto pointed ahead, "Look! Look at those two over there!"
Following Naruto's gesture, Sasuke and Sakura spotted Shindai and Obito crouched low, peeking out with their backsides raised.
The three silently crept closer.
"Shindai! Obito!"
Engrossed in observation, Shindai and Obito both jumped violently from fright.
Seeing it was Naruto and company, Shindai grumbled unhappily and smacked each of them once on the head, "Don't you know someone could actually die from being scared like that!"
Rubbing their heads, Naruto and his companions glared at Shindai with obvious resentment.
Especially Sasuke, who had actually started to develop a slightly better impression of Shindai. After all, Shindai had given him the Cursed Seal and helped him become Orochimaru's apprentice, so Sasuke was thinking about being a bit more polite to him in the future. But now... Forget politeness!
As Sasuke was just about to make a sarcastic remark, Obito suddenly interrupted, "Stop talking! They're getting away!"
Shindai's group quickly rushed forward to follow.
On the streets of Konoha, Hanare was watching with fascination.
A little boy and girl were playing and giggling together.
A couple walked arm-in-arm, whispering affectionately to each other.
A family of three strolled by—father carrying their child on his back while the mother held onto his arm.
Hanare couldn't help but smile. When she spotted Kakashi up ahead, her face suddenly flushed red and she quickly looked down, avoiding his gaze.
Naruto and Sakura watched Kakashi with amused smiles, fully aware of what was happening. While Sasuke, who was usually quick to catch onto Naruto's every move, was completely lost this time, scratching his head over what Kakashi and Hanare were up to. Why is Hanare blushing all of a sudden?
Obito shook Shindai excitedly. "Did you see that? Did you see that?"
Shindai yanked his arm free and rolled his eyes. "I'm not blind, of course I saw it. Seems like this Hanare really has a crush on Kakashi. Interesting, very interesting."
Naruto curiously asked, "Big Brother Shindai, are you saying that kunoichi likes Kakashi-sensei?"
Sakura and Sasuke both leaned in eagerly to listen.
Shindai confidently replied, "Obviously. That girl definitely likes Kakashi."
Obito sighed regretfully, "Too bad though. She's a spy sent to steal intelligence from Konoha—meaning she's our enemy. Just when it seemed Kakashi was finally entering his springtime..."
Shindai gave a knowing smirk. "Not so fast. Let's watch and see. Things might still turn around."
The group continued following Kakashi.
Kakashi stopped beneath a large tree and said to Hanare behind him, "Come over here. I'm not trying to get any information from you—it's just someone asked me to accompany you for the day. Once today is over, I'm done."
Hanare walked up beside him and asked, "Then what will happen to me?"
"Dunno." Kakashi looked up at the sky. His eyes caught sight of two clouds—they looked oddly familiar. "That cloud there kind of looks like Shindai… and the one next to it, is that Obito?"
Shindai and Obito nearly jumped upon hearing Kakashi's words, momentarily fearing he had discovered them.
But then Hanare whispered softly, "To me, they look more like my parents..."
"Even though I've never met them, during hard times and moments of loneliness, I'd always look up at the clouds, staring at their shapes and imagining what my village must have been like... the village where my parents should have lived. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the strength to come this far."
"Never having known my parents, never knowing where my home is... I was born only to serve as a tool for intelligence gathering..."
Kakashi glanced at Hanare without speaking, then turned his gaze back to the sky's drifting clouds.
Naruto grumbled, "Damn it, I can't even make out what she's saying."
Sakura smiled and said, "Still, those two seem to be hitting it off pretty well."
Sasuke let out a quiet "Hn," feigning disinterest while still listening closely.
Shindai and Obito listened intently — it seemed Hanare carried quite a past with her. From what they could gather, she had never truly belonged to Seiken Village but had instead been conscripted into its service.
Hanare continued, "I don't know much about the village. To prevent any secrets from leaking if I were ever captured, I was raised far away from it all. All my life, I've lived on the edge for a homeland I've never once laid eyes on... That's why I desperately need that sense of belonging, and the people who gave me strength."
At that moment, a soft breeze swept through, carrying strands of Hanare's hair like whispers of the wind.
Kakashi asked, puzzled, "Why tell me all this? You've barely spoken a word until now."
"Because... everything I am today, I learned from you."
Kakashi looked at Hanare in surprise.
Smiling gently, Hanare said, "From the moment I saw you, I knew — you were that boy from back then."
Shindai and Obito felt a surge of excitement. At last, they might uncover why Hanare's memories held glimpses of young Kakashi.
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