Chapter 1: Kakashi
Konoha Year 48, October 20th.
Rain fell in a persistent drizzle, plastering the fallen leaves to the ground.
Inside the hospital room, which reeked of disinfectant, a single dark eye stared through the window, silently observing a patch of muddy, withered-yellow leaves on the ground outside.
Hatake Kakashi.
He was dead.
He died during the Nine-Tails attack.
A Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Bomb) had been fired at the Konoha civilian shelter.
The original owner of this body, in an attempt to protect the villagers, had tried to block that Bijūdama with a Doryūheki (Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall).
Obviously... he failed.
The future Rokudaime Hokage had died an early death.
The one standing here now was merely a Wanderer from an unknown place.
Is this world something like a parallel universe timeline...?
The Wanderer...
No, Kakashi subconsciously reached up and gently touched the gauze covering his left eye.
The Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan.
One of the most powerful Mangekyō Sharingan in the shinobi world.
It had been pierced by a steel rebar jutting from some collapsed wall.
The damage was so severe that even the medical jutsu of shinobi could not restore it.
"Kakashi-kun, you have some visitors."
The gentle voice of a nurse called from outside the partially open door.
"Ah, please come in."
Kakashi's expression didn't change as he replied.
The words had barely left his mouth when a green whirlwind burst into the room.
"KAKASHI!"
Along with a roar fit for a wild beast, Kakashi hadn't even had time to react before the person threw their arms around the white-haired boy, wailing with tears and snot.
[Emotional Fluctuation from Might Guy +1]
[Chakra +1%]
[Current Chakra: 101%]
"Waaaaah!"
"Kakashi, it's so great that you're okay!"
Staring at the bowl-cut-wearing boy hugging him, Kakashi's mouth twitched.
"Guy, I'm fine."
"But if you don't let go, I probably won't be."
Faced with Might Guy's passion, the single black eye Kakashi had exposed revealed a trace of helplessness.
He had a feeling he would have a major headache dealing with this "eternal rival" in the future.
"Waaaaah!"
"Kakashi, I'll be waiting for you to recover so we can have our 157th duel!"
Hearing this, Might Guy immediately stopped crying and let go of Kakashi. He carefully patted Kakashi's shoulder as if he were a precious, fragile object. After confirming his best friend was alright, he began to cry again.
Kakashi's visible eyebrow twitched in resignation.
"Guy, don't be like that."
"Kakashi, he..."
A clear, crisp voice came from behind Might Guy.
Besides Guy, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi had also come to visit their genius classmate.
They had also been in the shelter when the Bijūdama struck. If Kakashi hadn't desperately resisted and altered the trajectory of the blast, they would have also died that night.
It was just...
Kurenai's words caught in her throat.
Her pair of warm, crimson eyes stared, slightly dazed, at the white-haired boy sitting on the bed.
[Emotional Fluctuation from Kurenai Yuhi +1]
[Chakra +1%]
[Current Chakra: 102%]
"...Kurenai."
Seeing the girl in a daze, Kakashi spoke her name softly to get her attention.
"!"
"..."
"Guy, don't do that! What if you make Kakashi's injuries worse...?"
Kurenai blinked. As the seconds ticked by, a deep blush crept onto her cheeks.
The dark-haired girl shyly and frantically tore her gaze away, turning to scold Might Guy, who was still confused.
Her words started in a fluster, then grew indignant, before trailing off.
By the end, it was barely a whisper.
"I didn't mean it like that!"
Realizing her outburst, the girl quickly waved her hands at Might Guy.
"Kurenai-san is just worried about her comrade, she was just anxious for a moment," Kakashi interjected, offering a kind explanation to Guy, who clearly didn't understand what had just happened.
Kakashi understood Kurenai's reaction.
After all, this face was truly...
Overly handsome.
For women, a face like this was practically a violation of the rules.
It was in no way inferior to the future Uchiha Sasuke.
[Emotional Fluctuation from Kurenai Yuhi +1]
[Chakra +1%]
[Current Chakra: 103%]
"W-well, Kakashi."
"You... you just rest and take care of yourself."
"I have something to do, I'll come see you again in a couple of days..."
Kurenai's face was beet-red. Ignoring the slightly strange look on Asuma Sarutobi's face, she fled the hospital room as if escaping.
"Uh, Kakashi."
"I'm going to take off too. When you're discharged, I'll help you with your rehabilitation training."
The mature-looking, dark-haired shinobi looked at the calm Kakashi on the bed, a sour edge to his tone.
Originally, Asuma had a lot he wanted to talk to Kakashi about, but Kurenai's reaction made him swallow all his words.
"Ah, right! Kakashi needs to rest!"
"Kakashi!"
"I'll be waiting for our 157th duel!"
Might Guy shot Kakashi a thumbs-up and flashed his signature, sparkling-white-teeth smile, which earned him Kakashi's signature "dead fish" eye in return.
As the once-lively hospital room fell silent again, the white-haired boy's brow furrowed slightly.
Emotional... fluctuation?
Ever since Guy and the others had entered the room, three notifications had appeared in his mind.
Kakashi suppressed the shock in his heart, his face remaining impassive.
Only now did he begin to carefully analyze it.
But no matter how hard Kakashi tried to study it, the notification wouldnT appear again.
Or perhaps... I need to do something to others to trigger the so-called prompt?
And a 1% increase in chakra?
Kakashi tried to sense his chakra.
The increase was so small that it took him a long time to confirm that his chakra had, in fact, increased.
After all, the difference between one hundred grains of rice and one hundred and three grains was almost non-existent.
You couldn't get full off an extra three grains of rice.
"Kakashi?"
"Have Asuma and the others left?"
Just then, a clear and pleasant voice sounded.
A short-haired girl with a gentle face, wearing a white jacket and holding what looked like a file, walked in.
"Is that... Shizune-san?"
Kakashi said, pulling the name from his memories, a little uncertain.
"Ah, you still remember me, Kakashi."
"That makes me very happy."
Shizune walked up to Kakashi, holding the file, and spoke with a warm smile.
Two years ago, after the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had taken office, she and Tsunade-sama had left Konoha. When they heard the Nine-Tails' seal had been broken, Tsunade-sama had dragged her back to the village in a hurry.
"Kakashi, your Sharingan was lost in the chaos..."
Shizune looked at Kakashi with some hesitation as she handed him the file.
"If we don't transplant a new eye for you, it will have a serious impact on your daily life and your strength..."
"Of course," she added, "it definitely won't be as good as the Sharingan..."