Hakushi said to Obito.
"I haven't even had a good chat with Kakashi yet, why are you leaving so soon?"
"We live in the same village; we can meet anytime, can't we? Besides, Lin is about to ask me for guidance on Medical Ninjutsu. Be careful, I might take advantage, after all, she's such a cute girl."
Hakushi walked ahead, smiling mischievously.
Obito was indeed provoked, and immediately got ruffled.
"You despicable guy, how many times have I told you not to make a move on Lin!"
Then he turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, I'll come to find you in a few days, and stop eating those unhealthy takeouts all the time. I'm off."
Having said that, Obito quickly ran out to catch up with Hakushi.
Kakashi ignored the farce between Hakushi and Obito and instead watched as Hakushi's figure slowly disappeared into the distance, murmuring to himself:
"Is that guy really just a Medical Ninja..."
With that kind of power, he could easily become a Jonin of the village, so why is he hiding his strength?
And the answer he spoke about... what exactly does it mean?
Kakashi's eyes flickered, his mind pondering something.
◎
Three days passed quickly.
At noon, at the entrance of Konoha Village, Kakashi, having separated from his teammates, headed home.
The leading Jonin noticed Kakashi's absent-mindedness but didn't say anything, only thinking that Kakashi seemed unusual this time.
He had already decided to 'invite' Kakashi out of the team.
If things continued this way, other members of the team would have significant grievances, eventually leading to a rift within the team's relationships.
As for any arrangements from the Hokage, they were beyond his knowledge.
Dragging his weary body, Kakashi returned home, having no room for thought, he fell asleep defenselessly as soon as he hit the bed.
When he awoke, the outside was already pitch-black.
Using the bright moonlight from outside, he could see the alarm clock at the bedside, showing exactly nine o'clock.
"Three hours left?"
Three days ago, Hakushi told him that he would reveal the so-called 'answer' at midnight tonight.
Kakashi had been hesitating whether to follow Hakushi's orders and go to the meeting as agreed.
But...
"Is that guy, who intentionally hides his strength, truly trustworthy?"
In the end, he didn't even know the reason why Hakushi was hiding his strength. If he rashly went to the meeting, something unfavorable might happen to him.
Kakashi felt he needed to be more cautious about this matter.
Feeling ravenous, Kakashi went to the kitchen to see if he could find something to eat.
He only found a few pieces of dry, hard bread, but didn't mind, and after boiling hot water, poured himself a cup and ate the bread as a solution for dinner.
Watching the time on the clock tick away, Kakashi suddenly realized in a daze that it was already 11:30.
Half an hour left until the scheduled time.
Kakashi took out a card from his pocket, which only had a location written on it—
Kage Rock.
Kakashi exhaled.
He had three choices lying before him.
First, go to the meeting as Hakushi arranged.
Second, pretend nothing happened, firmly follow his own chosen path, and sever ties with Hakushi. Whatever motives the other party has, they have nothing to do with him.
Third, report to the Hokage and let the Anbu intervene to investigate Hakushi.
There were issues as well, such as how easily Hakushi exposed such a secret to him. Does he really have no defenses or backups?
Or could it be that, without knowing it, Kakashi was already under the other party's surveillance?
Aside from the second option, the first and third both contained certain risks.
Which to choose, became the most difficult problem Kakashi faced now.
——Konoha Kage Rock.
Right around midnight, a person wearing a white hooded cloak stood with hands leisurely in the sleeves on the statue of the First Hokage, appearing relaxed and unguarded.
From this vantage point, one could overlook the entire panorama of Konoha.
Only the streetlights and a few sporadic household lights were on; most areas were shrouded in darkness.
With the moonlight, one could make out the outlines of buildings consumed by darkness.
"Dressed so sneakily, are you planning to tell me about some shady dealings of yours?"
Footsteps sounded from behind, and Kakashi stood there, addressing the white-cloaked back.
"It's just the air tonight is too cold, and I expect there will be some light snow later tonight."
Pushing back the hood to reveal his true face, Hakushi turned to explain to Kakashi.
"Is that so?"
Kakashi took a few steps forward, joining Hakushi in overlooking the entire village of Konoha.
"How do you feel?"
Hakushi posed the question.
"It's completely different from viewing it during the day; it's too peaceful."
When visiting Kage Rock before, it had always been during the day. Kakashi was seeing the view of Konoha from here at night for the first time.
"The more tranquil the water's surface, the more terrifying its depth."
"Can I take this as dissatisfaction with the village?"
Kakashi squinted his eyes, tilting his head, glancing at Hakushi from the corner of his eye.
"No, not at all. How this village changes has nothing to do with me. If it gets destroyed someday, it's merely history's choice."