Chapter 63: First Visit
"…Everyone's really happy."
Kakashi muttered quietly to himself as fireworks burst across the night sky, filling the air with cheers and laughter.
"It's just New Year's… what's so exciting about it?"
From the rooftop of a nearby inn, Jiraiya's boisterous voice echoed as he shouted toward the square, clearly enjoying himself. Kakashi sighed, shaking his head, then blended silently into the crowd below.
Minato and Kushina were, of course, completely unreliable—once those two started acting all lovey-dovey, the rest of the world ceased to exist. The New Year's rituals had already concluded, and though the medicine Kushina had given him earlier kept him from feeling tired, Kakashi still felt strangely detached as he watched the crowd of couples and families laughing together.
He couldn't really understand such feelings at his age, but in the ninja world, everyone matured early. Watching the men and women teasing one another—some childhood friends, others lovers—Kakashi couldn't shake a faint sense of isolation.
Should I just go back? he thought. It feels a bit lonely to go to the shrine for Hatsumode alone.
Just as he turned to leave, his sharp ears twitched—he'd caught a familiar voice cutting through the noise.
"Hey! Kakashi! Over here!"
"...?"
"I said this way!"
"…Obito?"
"Why aren't you waiting at the meeting spot?"
Through the crowd squeezed two small figures. Uchiha Obito, panting heavily, stared at him with exasperation while Nohara Rin trailed behind.
"Didn't we agree to meet at the main gate?" Obito complained. "Why'd you run off to the square alone? Rin and I were searching everywhere! We even missed the New Year's countdown because of you!"
"Eh? When did I agree to that?" Kakashi asked flatly.
"You forgot already? It was last year!"
"…"
Last year? What the hell happened last year…?
Kakashi frowned, trying to recall. Slowly, memories surfaced—his father still alive, his school days normal, though somewhat dull. His relationships with classmates like Obito, Rin, and that watermelon-haired boy weren't exactly warm, but they'd shared the same classroom, the same sky.
At the time, he hadn't yet realized how cruel the world could be.
"Ah, Kakashi~ Long time no see!" Rin greeted brightly.
"Oh, it's you, Rin."
"Why are you being so cold? Rin worked hard to greet you!"
"I am talking to her. Why are you butting in?" Kakashi said, glancing at Obito.
"Damn it! Even if you're stronger, I'll teach you a lesson today!" Obito shouted, clenching his fists.
Kakashi sighed. "Just like Aizen once said, I'm here to teach you a simpler truth."
Before Obito could react, Kakashi vanished, reappearing behind him in a blur. His fingertips brushed lightly against Obito's neck—precise, deliberate.
The acupuncture and meridian techniques refined from the Hyuga clan's Byakugan research were second nature to him now. With one gentle tap, Obito froze, then crumpled to the ground, eyes wide with shock.
Kakashi adjusted his mask, his dull gaze reflecting the fireworks above.
"Admiration," he said softly, "is the furthest distance from understanding. That's what Aizen once taught me… and I'll pass that truth on to you."
"You… hypocrite!" Obito sputtered. "If I could just awaken my eyes—"
"The price of awakening your eyes," Kakashi interrupted quietly, "might be losing someone you love. Do you really want that?"
"…Forget it."
Catching sight of Rin's bright smile, Obito's face flushed red. He stood up quickly, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly too embarrassed to speak.
---
As Konoha's research into the Sharingan deepened, the mysteries of the Uchiha bloodline slowly unraveled. While the final stage of chakra evolution remained unknown, one fact was clear: awakening the eyes required immense emotional upheaval.
The most common catalysts were loss, betrayal, or the death of loved ones.
To some extent, this revelation eased the public's fear of the Uchiha. Aizen had remarked that every awakened Uchiha was someone who had experienced both love and despair—and survived to tell the tale.
With time, as more Uchiha perished on missions and others chose quieter lives, the clan's reputation within Konoha began to recover. Those who had awakened their Sharingan through loss were no longer feared, but pitied—and even treated with kindness.
The Konoha Psychiatric Clinic had even opened its doors to the Uchiha free of charge, offering counseling for grief and trauma. Yet this gesture only embarrassed the proud red-eyed clan further.
As for Obito, he didn't understand the politics behind it all. But after hearing that the price of awakening his eyes might be the death of someone precious, he decided he'd rather stay ordinary forever.
Looking at Obito, whose face was flushed as he kept sneaking glances at Rin, dressed beautifully in a kimono, Kakashi could only sigh.
Seriously… how old are you two? Seven? Eight? And you're already playing this "you like me, I like you" game?
He rubbed his temples. At least wait until you've matured a bit. Why start all this nonsense now?
"But it's really unexpected," Rin said softly, smiling at the two boys. "I didn't think you'd actually come, Kakashi. I thought you'd spend the New Year with that person."
"That person?" Kakashi blinked.
"I heard you've been doing amazing things lately," Rin continued, tilting her head curiously. "Even the teachers talk about you! Shouldn't you be at the Hokage's banquet? They say it's a huge event this year."
"I don't like crowded places," Kakashi replied flatly. "As for Aizen… I have no idea where he went. He didn't celebrate the New Year with us."
"Eh?! You mean Lord Aizen isn't in the village?"
"Lord Aizen?"
"Yes!" Rin's eyes sparkled with admiration. "The kindest, most gentle, most wonderful Lord Aizen!"
"…Ah."
Right, Kakashi thought tiredly. She's one of those Aizen fanatics.
He glanced at Rin, who practically had hearts in her eyes, and at Obito beside her, whose face had turned a dull shade of gray. Kakashi's expression grew increasingly numb.
Honestly, it wasn't surprising. Almost every girl in Konoha idolized Aizen. He often gave lectures at the Academy about the Will of Fire, speaking with grace and warmth. When students asked questions, he listened with patience, offering wisdom and comfort.
If a child's family was struggling, he'd visit their home to encourage them personally. And in a few rare cases, children whose parents had supposedly "died" had their families suddenly reappear—only to scold them for doubting.
In Konoha, Aizen's reputation had become nothing short of saintly.
But for Kakashi, the mere mention of his name sparked neither admiration nor excitement—only a strange sense of distance.
After accompanying Obito and Rin to the shrine, Kakashi performed a brief prayer, pressing his palms together without even knowing what wish to make. As night fell and the lanterns flickered, the three of them parted ways beneath the chilly sky.
For Kakashi, this so-called New Year felt no different from the rest. Life was the same. The solitude was the same. His father was often away on missions, and most days, he lived alone.
Without realizing it, his steps carried him toward Konoha's cemetery.
---
Even on a night of celebration, the cemetery wasn't empty.
Some came to mourn, some to remember, and some simply to talk to those who could no longer answer.
Kakashi moved quietly through the rows of tombstones until he reached the grave he sought. His father's—Hatake Sakumo.
The grave had been repaired. Clean stone, polished offerings, and fresh flowers surrounded it. The man once disgraced for abandoning a mission had been reborn in Konoha's eyes—a hidden hero who had willingly sacrificed his name for the village's future.
The Third Hokage, together with Aizen, had buried the truth and replaced it with honor.
Those who knew the real story remained silent. For the newer generation, this lie had become a comforting truth—a tale easier to accept than betrayal.
Some of those very villagers, now wracked with guilt, had even taken it upon themselves to restore Sakumo's grave as a gesture of repentance.
Kakashi stared at the smooth stone for a long time, a sigh escaping him.
"Father… was Aizen really wrong?" he asked quietly.
The wind offered no reply.
But someone else did.
At the edge of the grave, a man crouched silently—wearing a white haori and a raccoon mask marked with the symbol of eleven.
Kakashi recognized him instantly, yet said nothing. The masked man didn't look up, his gaze fixed on the tombstone.
"If white lies can bring comfort," the man said softly, "then someone must remain in the shadows to protect them."
He paused. "If you believe it's a good thing… then don't speak. Keep the silence."
"…But I don't know what's good or bad anymore," Kakashi murmured.
The man tilted his head slightly. "Aizen told you to think for yourself, didn't he? To make your own choices. That's what he tells all of us."
Kakashi's eyes dimmed. "I still don't understand why he did what he did. But… since it's the New Year, I thought I should come and see you."
The masked man remained silent.
"Now that I've paid my respects," Kakashi said, lowering his head, "I should go."
He turned, giving one last look at the grave, and at the silent figure in white beside it.
"Take care of yourself."
With that, Kakashi turned and walked slowly back toward Aizen's courtyard, his footsteps fading beneath the quiet rustle of falling snow.
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