Konoha.
Ninja Academy.
Seeing Kakashi-sensei fall in battle, Naruto cried out in alarm.
"Kakashi-sensei!!!"
Kakashi-sensei stood to the side, covering his ears to block out the startled cries.
It was just a screen, not really happening.
Naruto, however, was quite engrossed.
"I'm here, I'm here, Naruto, do you need something?"
Naruto's gaze shifted from the "Kakashi" on the screen to the real Kakashi-sensei.
"Kakashi-sensei, you died!"
Kakashi-sensei rolled his eyes.
"I'm perfectly alive and well, don't curse me to die!"
Naruto: "Oh, that's not what I meant! That Pain is truly despicable! Sakura, don't you agree!?"
Sakura nodded: "He's so cold-blooded, not like a human at all. His expression doesn't change even after killing someone!"
Kakashi-sensei inwardly agreed with Sakura's description.
However...
"Although the 'me' on the screen seemed to die at that moment, I'm actually not dead. I'm sure of that!"
The younger generation around them was stunned.
Naruto: "How is that possible? I saw the iron nail pierce your forehead with my own eyes, and you bled so much!"
Sakura: "You idiot, Naruto! You don't believe what Kakashi-sensei says? Isn't it good that he didn't die? I was wondering how he could possibly die, since he's the future Sixth Generation!"
Sasuke also turned to look.
Kakashi-sensei's strength is actually this great!
What about him?
He couldn't see himself at all, or was it...
He also died!
It was very possible, after all, he carried hatred.
The path of revenge was inherently not a smooth one.
Thinking of this possibility, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a sense of negativity.
Soon, he thought of the shadow of that man.
Sasuke's heart hardened. He had to work harder and become stronger than the version of himself on the screen!
This was the meaning of the screen's appearance!
Shikamaru looked at Kakashi-sensei.
He hadn't really let go of his tension.
This kind of battle, this kind of enemy...
Even if he didn't die once, it was possible to die a second time.
But wasn't he the future Sixth Generation? Could it be that Naruto returned at this time?
But Konoha was destroyed.
Could this level of destruction really be called annihilation?
It was not optimistic.
While everyone else's attention was on Kakashi-sensei, who appeared in the first battle on the screen...
Akimichi Choji stared intently at the figure lying in the corner of the screen.
He was stout and bulky, with fiery red hair.
A thick hemp rope was wrapped around his waist.
That was something his father had to wear when he wore his battle uniform.
So, his father had already died in battle.
Besides Kakashi-sensei, even his own father had lost his life at Pain's hands!
Akimichi Choji clenched his fists tightly.
He stared intently at the screen.
At this moment, he was watching more seriously than anyone else.
[A short while later]
[Akimichi Choji woke up.]
[Looking around, he could only see Kakashi-sensei's breathless upper body, and Akimichi Choza lying on a rock.]
[At this moment, Choji was dazed.]
"To protect me..."
They were killed by Pain to protect him!
His heart felt as if it was being tightly squeezed by a cruel hand.
His ears buzzed, and all he smelled was the smoke of war.
His hand caressed his father's cold body.
Choji was in a trance.
Two streams of tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes.
How could Konoha become like this?
How could his father and Kakashi-sensei... [Suddenly a voice came.]
"If you want to cry, cry later, Choji."
Choji looked up in alarm, his eyes staring blankly at Kakashi-sensei.
As if he had found a direction.
As if he had found a pillar of strength in his heart.
"If you can still move, quickly go and report Pain's abilities to Lady Tsunade. We must formulate a countermeasure immediately."
"Ka, Kakashi-sensei!"
How could he!
His father had already died in battle, but Kakashi-sensei was still alive!
Shouldn't he rescue Kakashi-sensei first?
Choji once again fell into confusion.
Konoha had become like this, and his father's life was uncertain.
He was just a small Chunin.
Did he have the ability to complete this mission?
Kakashi-sensei was so strong.
He was so useless.
[Kakashi-sensei responded weakly.]
"Don't worry about that now, go quickly, run."
Choji looked at Choza's body, his entire face streaming with tears like a child.
His heart was also filled with confusion and fear.
All sorts of negative news piled up on Choji.
He felt a sense of powerlessness.
A great despair.
"But, I, I..."
"Don't let Choza die in vain."
At this moment, Choji was completely unable to hear anything.
This sentence, instead, felt like another pressure on his heart.
His whole body trembled.
His body was stiff and unable to move.
"They are truly troublesome opponents."
The enemy's familiar voice echoed in Kakashi-sensei and Choji's ears.
[They turned to look.]
Pain's Asura Path clone.
Kakashi-sensei looked at the opponent calmly.
This guy who could release various projectiles.
Fingers, wrists, head.
He had been used by Pain to block his Raikiri before.
He didn't expect him to still be alive.
Kakashi-sensei was weak, yet he remained calm.
The more critical the situation, the calmer Kakashi-sensei could be to analyze the battle situation.
This was an instinct he had trained through countless battles.
Even though he currently had almost no combat power to speak of.
[A missile rose twistedly from the Asura Path's back.]
Kakashi-sensei noticed the direction the missile was aimed at.
"Is the target Choji?"
Choji felt the threat, his heart jumping in fear.
But at this very moment, he looked down at his father.
His tear marks also slowly thinned.
Choji gritted his teeth, his body tense.
What was originally an involuntary tremor, he was now actively trembling.
'Father, thank you for everything.'
[Choji looked up.]
"Watch me!"
At this moment, the missile's tail on the Asura Path erupted with flames and black smoke, launching it.
Kakashi-sensei: "Run, Choji!"
Choji let out a loud cry after getting up.
With a burst of energy.
He ran towards the Hokage Building.
He had come to a realization this time.
There was only one thing on his mind.
To deliver Pain's information to the Fifth Generation!!!
Regardless of everything, his bulky body, similar to his father's, also burst forth with infinite power.
He was exerting himself with all his might.
The whooshing sound of the missile behind him also became Choji's power pump.
The closer it got, the harder he pushed!
[Rubble and ruins]
Choji stepped on every piece of rubble that could assist him.
Just as Asuma-sensei, who had passed away, had taught him.
Focus!
Accelerate constantly!
[Watching Choji regain his strength.]
[This moment felt like a long time.]
Kakashi-sensei's mind was exceptionally clear.
Forgetting all the wounds, fatigue, sacrifices, and destruction.
With his current Chakra, he couldn't deal with the entire Asura Path.
And if he used Kamui one more time...
All his stamina and Chakra would be exhausted, and his life would also be exhausted at the same time.
Entrusting this information to a survivor.
This was the best choice he could make to save Konoha.
[One Kamui]
The space where the homing missile was located, near Choji's back, twisted.
The missile was sucked into the core point of the distorted space.
Leaving behind only a puff of white smoke, proving its former existence.
And...
Choji also successfully escaped.
...Konoha.
Ninja Academy.
The scene was silent.
The atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.
Choji's eyes unconsciously welled up.
He was immersed in the screen.
His heart was half-sore, half-aching.
He even felt his own confusion and despair at that time.
When he first woke up, all he saw were ruins and wreckage.
Later, Kakashi-sensei surprisingly survived, but the mission he gave him was to deliver a message to the Fifth Generation.
Not to mention the Choji on the screen, the real Choji felt that rescuing Kakashi-sensei should be the priority.
There was even the Pain of losing a loved one at that time.
Helpless and powerless.
Later, he was threatened by the missile.
It was precisely this extremely dangerous situation...
The Choji on the screen, however, found a way to survive by facing death.
He got up and ran with all his might.
Especially Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan ability at the end!
He successfully escaped!
Kakashi-sensei sacrificed his life to help the Choji on the screen one last time.
This is what a Konoha Ninja is!
The Choji on the screen also finally unleashed his own energy!
He didn't let Kakashi-sensei's efforts go to waste!!
Choji was moved to tears by the content of the screen.