A large anger mark popped up over young Kakashi's head.
He sped up on purpose, coming to walk beside Naruto, clearly enjoying the height advantage he had over him.
"Before you call someone a brat, try checking your own height first! Shorty!!"
"Who are you calling short?!!" First Uncle Tazuna had mocked his height and unreliability, and now even the younger Kakashi-sensei was calling him a shorty. Naruto had reached his limit! He jumped in front of young Kakashi and popped a Shadow Clone to scare him.
What he didn't know was that Kakashi had already graduated from the Academy at five and could use the Shadow Clone Jutsu back then.
Young Kakashi, who had somehow formed seals without anyone noticing, countered with his own Shadow Clone and caught Naruto completely off guard.
"All that chakra, and you can't even use it properly," young Kakashi said arrogantly. "Don't tell me you're a dead-last like that idiot Obito?"
Whether it was because someone other than himself had called Naruto a dead-last, or because the other person being insulted was from the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke clearly wasn't happy. He gave a cold snort but stayed silent.
Naruto stomped his feet in fury.
Sakura smiled politely, but inside she was fuming. So the delinquent jonin Kakashi-sensei had been this insufferable when he was little?!
One boy was his future son, the other his current student. Minato Namikaze sighed and stepped in before they actually started fighting.
Adult Kakashi finally snapped out of his memories. With young Obito still on his back, he turned around, looking apologetically at his sensei—who was younger than him now—and at his own three students.
"Sorry. I know I was awful as a kid, but if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, I might never have realized just how awful~"
"What?! Who are you calling awful?!" young Kakashi shot back immediately.
Adult Kakashi gave a slight smile. "I was talking about myself. Do you have a problem with that?"
A sharp inhale rippled through everyone.
No mistake about it! These two really were the same person!
Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Minato all thought the exact same thing at the same time.
Saying the harshest things with the gentlest tone—while smiling apologetically! That was absolutely Kakashi-sensei… or Kakashi.
Minato quickly placed himself between the two Kakashi and turned to the client. "Tazuna-san, you're the bridge builder of the Land of Waves. Why are Missing-nin from Kirigakure after you?"
Tazuna hesitated, then pointed toward the half-finished bridge in the distance. "Because of that bridge."
Young Kakashi lifted his eyelids. "A bridge?"
Come to think of it, they had ended up in this strange future world because of the Kannabi Bridge mission as well.
Tazuna nodded. "We'll just head home today. We'll continue construction on the bridge when we go into town tomorrow."
"But why would building a bridge attract Missing-nin?" young Kakashi asked.
Kakashi answered, "Because Mr. Tazuna's project threatens Gatō's interests."
"Gatō?"
"He's a wealthy merchant in our time. On the surface he acts as the president of a shipping company, but in truth he hires criminal groups and rogue ninja to smuggle drugs and contraband. He's a complete villain. Using his money and his hired muscle, he's taken full control of Land of Waves' maritime transport. That means the nation's wealth, politics, and even its people have to follow his rules."
Kakashi looked at Tazuna. "But if Tazuna-san completes the bridge, the people of this land won't rely solely on sea routes anymore. Gatō's power and profits would take a massive hit."
"So that's how it is."
They were less than a hundred meters from Tazuna's two-story house by the sea when a tan-skinned woman with long hair waved at them from afar, calling them over.
Tazuna said, "This is my daughter, Tsunami."
After they stepped inside, Tazuna called to his daughter.
"These people saved my life! You must treat them with utmost care!"
Tsunami thanked Kakashi, Minato, and the others politely, then turned to her father.
"Earlier today, a girl dressed like them—a ninja, I think—suddenly collapsed at our doorstep. I carried her inside."
"A girl dressed like a ninja?" Sakura asked curiously.
Tsunami nodded. "About your age, but she's still unconscious. Could you possibly have these ninja-sama take a look? Even asleep, she doesn't look well."
The group followed Tsunami upstairs to a room on the second floor.
The window was open, the blue ocean stretching out beyond it. Seagulls occasionally glided past, giving the room a peaceful, relaxing feel.
But only Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had the mood to appreciate the view outside even for a moment.
Because the instant the two Kakashi and Minato Namikaze saw the unconscious girl, they rushed forward—
"Rin?!!!"