"Konoha… White Fang…?!"
The title slipped out of Obito before he could stop himself—and beside him, Kakashi Hatake's pupils shrank sharply.
Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
His father, who years ago had been condemned by the entire village for breaking the rules—choosing to save his comrades instead of completing the mission. Because of that betrayal in the eyes of the village, he was slandered endlessly… and finally, one night several years ago, he took his own life in despair.
Minato Namikaze had told Obito recently that Konoha's White Fang was Kakashi's father.
Because of that, Obito had awkwardly promised that he would try harder to cooperate with Kakashi, to tolerate him more, and to understand him better.
Thinking of how deeply that title must affect Kakashi, Obito quickly turned and apologized, flustered. "M-maybe I saw wrong. Sorry."
Yet even as he said it, for that brief moment, he truly felt like he had seen his idol—Sakumo-senpai…
Because the figure who escaped the Water Prison thanks to Naruto's strategy—and then blocked the Fūma shuriken with his own hand as the furious enemy moved to strike—had the same silver hair and wore the same Konoha jōnin uniform as Sakumo-senpai.
Minato and Kakashi were too far to see clearly, their eyes catching only occasional movement inside the fog. Only Obito could make out slightly more detail through the haze.
Meanwhile, Sakura, Sasuke, and the others stood within the fog itself. Though their vision was blurred by a layer of white mist, they could still see relatively clearly.
Seeing Naruto rescued, Sakura called out emotionally, "Kakashi-sensei!!"
Her voice stunned the three hiding in the treetops.
They even wondered for a moment whether their hearing had been distorted by the Hiding in Mist Technique—
But no. Hiding in Mist only impaired visual clarity. It wasn't a Genjutsu that altered thoughts or hearing.
Obito: "I didn't mishear that, right? Kakashi… sensei?!!"
"Keep your voice down, idiot!" young Kakashi snapped, irritated and arrogant. "Do you want to drag the enemy over here?!!"
"But that girl called you sensei!"
"She was calling that idiot jōnin leading them!!"
"But no one else in Konoha has such a weird name as Kakashi, right?"
"Hah? You got a problem with my name?! Dead weight!"
"You—!"
Minato's voice carried quiet authority. "Enough. Calm down, both of you."
He sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
He couldn't help thinking how Kakashi was usually a brilliant prodigy, but whenever he ran into Obito, he instantly transformed from genius into a little firecracker. As their jōnin instructor, Minato felt caught between laughter and exhaustion.
However…
Minato was absolutely certain: apart from the Kakashi standing beside him, there was no other jōnin in Konoha named Kakashi.
And when he considered the spacetime fluctuations he'd sensed earlier—
There was only one conclusion he could draw.
The future.
During their mission at Kannabi Bridge, the three of them must have accidentally triggered some forbidden spacetime ninjutsu, and as a result, they were transported into the future world.
That would explain why he hadn't heard about Kirigakure's reforms ten years ago.
And why the name "Demon Zabuza" was completely unfamiliar to him.
Then…
Could the name Naruto Uzumaki possibly be—
A possibility stirred in Minato's heart, sending ripples beneath his calm facade.
"Naruto, that strategy was brilliant!" Kakashi praised his student. "You've all grown so much."
He pried the Fūma shuriken from Zabuza's hand.
Both men leapt backward at nearly the same moment—forming hand seals!
Naruto: "Kakashi-sensei's eye! That's—"
"Sharingan?!" Sasuke's expression tightened. That dōjutsu was difficult even for those born into the Uchiha clan to awaken!
But more than the two of them—
Obito, hidden in the distance, was utterly shocked.
Sharingan?! That meant the jōnin leading the team was from the Uchiha clan?!
Obito narrowed his eyes, forcing all his attention into his vision. Chakra unconsciously began gathering toward his eyes.
He could faintly see two figures—one with a massive sword strapped to his back, the other with messy silver hair wearing clothing similar to Minato's jōnin uniform.
The two were separated by several meters. He couldn't see clearly, but it looked like they were forming hand seals?!
Hare → Monkey → Hare → Rat → Boar
Bird → Ox → Horse → Snake → Rat
…
Forty-four hand seals. When the final one completed, Kakashi and Zabuza shouted at the same time—
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!!"
Two enormous silver-blue water dragons burst out of the lake through the white mist, colliding with explosive crashes across the water's surface! The impact sent waves surging, thickening the already heavy humidity! The roaring tide swept broken wood and debris all the way to where Minato and Obito stood beneath the trees?!
Thank goodness they were above ground—otherwise they'd have been soaked to the core.
"So cool!"
Obito, the only one who could somewhat make out the battlefield, instantly felt a surge of respect for the jōnin leader he had struggled to accept just moments earlier.
Who cared if he had the same name as that stupid Kakashi? In the ninja world, strength was everything!
After barely a dozen exchanged moves, the two shinobi clashing atop the lake leapt back at the same time.
And then, perfectly synchronized again, they both raised their right arms…
"It's the Uchiha Sharingan's copying ability! To mimic techniques with such flawless precision! Even big brother Fugaku never told me we had someone this skilled in the clan!"
Obito was practically vibrating with excitement.
Kakashi, standing beside him, immediately splashed him with cold reality. "The Uchiha clan head is busy. Why would he waste time telling every little detail to a dead-last like you?"
"!!!" Obito choked on rage. "Will you die if you stop being sarcastic for one second?!"
"Yes."
"Stupid Kakashi!!"
Minato covered his face. He truly couldn't imagine how these two would ever get along in the future. At this rate, if he weren't here, they would have put on a full comedy act already.
But…
Minato's gaze drifted toward the figures in the mist, and his face darkened.
The Sharingan… and Kakashi?
Why would a Kekkei Genkai belonging exclusively to the Uchiha Clan appear in Kakashi's possession?