Deep within the forest.
Kakashi wandered aimlessly, eyes clouded with confusion.
Yes—he'd said he was going to gather firewood, but really, it was just an excuse.
In truth, he felt suffocated.
Aside from saving Rin, he had no idea what else he was supposed to do.
All his life, he had felt like a tragedy.
When he was very young, his father took his own life.
From that moment on, Kakashi was lost, even harboring a faint resentment toward his father, Hatake Sakumo.
What mattered more—teammates or the mission?
In his heart, Kakashi knew the answer: teammates.
But out of spite, ever since graduating at the age of five, he had stubbornly upheld "the mission comes first."
A petty way of proving his father wrong.
You abandoned everything, even your own life, because of a teammate's death?
Then fine. I'll live the opposite way. Mission above all.
Until Obito and Rin entered his life.
The two classmates he had once found so irritating at the Academy.
Their kindness melted him, opening a crack in the frozen walls around his heart.
And then, he met Uchiha Kai—the least Uchiha-like Uchiha.
It was only then, only that day, that Kakashi truly understood why his father had chosen to die.
It had been for the village.
Yes.
Before his suicide, Sakumo had once been asked by a young Kakashi:
"Why? Why won't you explain yourself?"
Sakumo had only shaken his head.
"No need. Everything I did was for the village. And I swear—I will always protect you."
Back then, Kakashi didn't understand.
But after Kai's words, he finally grasped the true meaning behind his father's choice.
Indeed, Sakumo had arranged everything for him.
Even in death, his father's actions never hindered him.
On the contrary—Kakashi had stepped into the Hokage faction, even becoming the student of Minato Namikaze, the man Kai claimed would one day be Fourth Hokage.
And Minato was a good teacher—Kakashi respected him deeply.
But through Kai's explanation, he realized the weight of being Minato's disciple.
It was a ticket into the Hokage race.
In all of Konoha, when others broke down under pressure, they ended in ruin.
But him?
His breakdown had led him straight into Minato's tutelage.
Once, he thought it was mere fate.
Now, he understood—it was all thanks to the father he had long felt bitter toward.
Sakumo had paved the path to Hokage for him.
Step by step, if he followed it, the seat would be within reach.
His father had been formidable indeed.
Kakashi realized—he had never been truly alone. His sense of isolation was only an illusion.
Sakumo had left him a great inheritance.
Yet Kakashi cared little for it.
He only wished for a quiet life, his family safe and happy.
Still, Kai's words had brought him some measure of peace.
He had resolved to step out of the shadows of his heart and live properly.
But fate mocked him again.
Before he could heal, Obito had died.
And Rin had been captured.
The two friends dearest to him—lost, one after another.
Truthfully, it was a miracle he hadn't gone mad already.
At that moment, he sensed someone approaching.
Without hesitation, he drew his short blade.
Ready to strike, he froze when he saw the figure emerge—Rin Nohara.
"Rin?!" Kakashi was stunned.
But the next instant, Rin ran straight to him, crying out:
"Kakashi, kill me!
The Three-Tails has been sealed inside me. They want me to return to Konoha and release it to destroy the village.
They placed a curse seal on me—I can't take my own life.
For the sake of the village, kill me!"
Kakashi's world collapsed.
He had just been elated to see her alive, and now her words struck like lightning.
Why?
Why was fate playing with him again?
His hand trembled around the blade, teeth clenched.
"No, Rin!
Sensei is nearby—he'll find a way!"
Rin only gave a broken laugh.
"No, Kakashi. It's hopeless. I'm doomed.
Once you become a jinchuriki, you can't survive losing the beast.
The Three-Tails was forcibly shoved into me without any proper sealing. With the curse seal, I can't even kill myself—I can only run toward Konoha.
By the time I reach the village, I'll die regardless, and the damage will be done.
I don't want that pain. I don't want to hurt everyone.
So please—kill me!"
Kakashi froze.
He was blank.
Looking at Rin before him, his mind went empty.
And just then—
A squad of Hidden Mist Anbu suddenly emerged, surrounding them.
Kakashi didn't know what to do.
But one thing was clear—killing Hidden Mist shinobi could never be wrong.
As for Rin… he'd wait for Minato to arrive.
"Lightning Style—Chidori!"
With a cold shout, Kakashi's short blade blazed with pale-blue lightning.
But the next instant—
As he lunged forward, Rin suddenly leapt into his path.
No!!
Kakashi screamed inwardly, desperately trying to pull back—but it was too late.
Why?
What should he do?!
His mind went blank as Chidori's deadly thrust closed in on Rin's chest.
And then—
A pale, black-veined hand seized his blade.
The crackling lightning, the razor-sharp chakra—none of it even scratched him.
Kakashi's eyes flickered.
There he was—left arm cradling Rin, right hand gripping Kakashi's weapon.
Uchiha Kai.
"Kai-kun?!" Kakashi and Rin cried together.
Kai gave a small nod, eyes utterly calm.
Glancing once at the encircling Anbu, his lips curled in mockery.
"Conqueror's Haki—release."
Boom!
A wave of blood-red force erupted, sweeping through the clearing.
The Hidden Mist Anbu didn't even resist—didn't even flee.
They simply collapsed, unconscious in an instant.
If not for Kai's protection, even Kakashi and Rin would have been crushed by that overwhelming will.
In the shadows, Uchiha Obito—and Minato, just arriving—
Both were stunned speechless by what they witnessed.
What in the world was that?!
But before they could react—
Kai's hands flashed through the seals.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
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