Chapter 57: Philosophy
On the streets of Konoha, Kakashi's eyes were dull and lifeless.
He was dressed in ordinary clothes rather than the standard Konoha flak jacket.
Then, suddenly, his gaze landed on someone.
A boy around his age.
Kakashi immediately sensed that he was dangerous.
However, seeing Obito and Rin nearby, along with the Uchiha crest on the boy's clothes, he realized that this had to be one of Obito's clansmen.
An Uchiha?
It wasn't surprising that he was dangerous.
There were simply too many geniuses among the Uchiha.
As long as they weren't enemies, there was no problem.
"Kakashi, what are you doing here?"
Obito's voice came from a distance.
Kakashi glanced toward the cemetery.
Upon hearing Obito's voice, he had no intention of getting involved with him. He was about to leave and continue his training.
Whoosh!
Unexpectedly, Rin brought Obito directly over to him.
"Kakashi, come have dinner with us! We brought along a new friend. This is Uchiha Gōenji, one of Obito's clansmen. He's also a young jōnin. I'm sure the two of you will have plenty to talk about."
Rin smiled as she introduced them.
That smile made it difficult for Kakashi to refuse.
With no other choice, he followed them to a barbecue restaurant.
"Hello, Uchiha Gōenji. I've heard about you before. You're the son of the White Fang."
Gōenji had ordered a considerable amount of food before taking his seat and looking at Kakashi.
White hair.
A seemingly ordinary eye.
Yet there was no life in his gaze.
Despite being so young, Kakashi's eyes were already hollow, like those of a dead fish. His father's death was most likely the reason.
Still, Gōenji's perception was good enough to sense that Kakashi retained considerable strength.
Kakashi stared deeply at him.
"Hatake Kakashi. Let's skip the 'I've heard so much about you' part. I've heard of you too, Uchiha Gōenji."
"Huh? You know him?"
Obito looked at Kakashi in disbelief.
How did Kakashi know him?
Obito had practically forgotten that he even had a clansman like this.
Rin felt the same surprise.
Uchiha Gōenji?
"The two Uchiha prodigies on the Kirigakure battlefield. One is Uchiha Shisui, and the other is him, Uchiha Gōenji. He's one of Kirigakure's primary targets."
Kakashi paused before adding,
"Unlike a certain dead-last, he's quite impressive."
While passing along the information, Kakashi naturally didn't forget to take a jab at Obito.
Obito's mouth fell open in an O.
He was furious at being compared to Gōenji.
He had already been annoyed about the others turning his dinner with Rin into a group outing. Now Kakashi was rubbing salt in the wound.
"Tch! I just haven't awakened the Sharingan yet! Once I awaken it, I'll definitely be stronger than him!"
He absolutely refused to accept it.
Then he turned toward Gōenji.
"Have you awakened your Sharingan?"
"Of course."
Gōenji's Sharingan appeared for a moment before disappearing again.
He chuckled.
Interesting.
If Gōenji couldn't interfere with Obito's fate and Obito eventually awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan under Madara's guidance, then he would become even stronger than he was now.
The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan really was enviable.
Kamui.
If he encountered an ability like that again in the future, how would he deal with it?
Space-time ninjutsu was incredibly troublesome.
Especially on the battlefield.
After witnessing Minato's Flying Thunder God, Gōenji understood just how dangerous such abilities could be.
Compared with what he had seen in the anime, reality was on an entirely different level.
In reality, things were far more troublesome.
Even something like returning to the harbor after using a space-time technique was entirely possible.
More importantly, the dynamic visual acuity granted by the Mangekyō Sharingan was itself terrifying.
In some ways, it was even more troublesome than Kamui.
Gōenji understood the value of dynamic vision better than anyone.
It could be more threatening than an ordinary ninjutsu.
The anime had never really portrayed this aspect because dynamic visual acuity was difficult to express visually. It lacked the kind of spectacle that made for impressive animation and was mainly used as a tool to advance the plot.
But reality was different.
Dynamic vision was the key.
Even with Kamui, if Obito lacked the visual processing ability to track extremely fast movements, he wouldn't be able to make full use of its potential.
A ninja's neural reaction speed was already extraordinarily fast.
Still, there was no reason for Gōenji to be discouraged simply because he envied that power.
Once he completed the Fire Release Chakra Mode and perfected the various Fire Release techniques he had envisioned, he would become a true powerhouse.
"What? Three-Tomoe Sharingan? Damn it... I knew it! That's why he's so strong!"
Obito's eyes were filled with envy.
Rin, however, didn't seem bothered at all.
"Obito, you'll definitely awaken your Sharingan someday and become one of the team's main combatants. Besides, you're already very strong. Your Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique was a huge help during our last mission."
Seeing the girl's smile, Obito's mood instantly improved.
Of course! Talented people always get noticed!
Wow!
"Gōenji, you're impressive too. I've heard that you developed an incredibly powerful ninjutsu, made a name for yourself on the battlefield, and were even promoted to jōnin by the Hokage. Looks like we're on the same path."
Gōenji also praised Kakashi.
After all, no one could really get angry at a smiling face.
Everyone knew how to offer polite flattery, even though Gōenji knew perfectly well that Kakashi's true thoughts were anything but flattering.
Kakashi's talent really was exceptional.
Gōenji even remembered a scene from the anime.
When Kakashi had tested Naruto and the others, his hand seals had summoned dark clouds across the sky, frightening Sasuke and the others.
Gōenji wasn't sure whether that scene had been something Kishimoto had added specifically for the anime, though.
At that moment, the restaurant server brought over the meat and several plates of lettuce.
"I'll grill it."
Rin smiled and took the meat, carefully placing each piece onto the grill herself.
Sizzle!
As the meat hit the hot surface, the oil crackled loudly.
Gōenji narrowed his eyes.
A formula flashed through his mind.
When grilling meat, the oil spreads evenly across the surface of the food, forming a thermal barrier that slows direct exposure to high temperatures and prevents localized burning...
"Gōenji, what's wrong?"
Obito looked at his absent expression.
Gōenji came back to his senses.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about the teammates who died."
His expression became slightly solemn.
"Why wasn't I strong enough? If I'd been stronger, I could have protected them."
"I didn't even get the chance to have a meal with those two teammates."
His words caused Kakashi's expression to twitch slightly.
He glanced at Gōenji.
An Uchiha...
Then his gaze shifted toward Obito.
It wasn't as though the Uchiha clan had no one who cared about their comrades.
Obito also fell silent after hearing those words.
On the battlefield, he had personally witnessed many Konoha shinobi die.
It weighed heavily on him.
What if my teammates were the ones who...
He looked at Rin.
Then Kakashi.
No.
That won't happen.
They won't die.
They'll live.
And we'll defeat our enemies.
"All right. Let's not talk about such depressing things. It's our time to relax, everyone."
Rin spoke up at that moment.
Yet sadness could still be seen in her eyes.
As a medical ninja, she had witnessed far too many comrades die on the battlefield.
She didn't want Kakashi or Obito to die because her medical skills weren't good enough to save them.
"You're overthinking it. What's the big deal? As long as the mission is completed, that's enough. What else could possibly matter?"
Kakashi said it without the slightest hesitation.
Obito immediately exploded.
"A comrade's life matters! If you don't respect your comrades, what's the difference between you and an animal?!"
Kakashi's philosophy had infuriated him more than once.