Rin finally woke up the next morning. Although her injuries were severe, she had already received treatment and regained her mobility.
Immediately afterward, Kakashi, led by Minato Namikaze, hurried back to Konoha. The news of their victory in the battle needed to reach the village as soon as possible.
They also carried Uchiha Obito's ashes back with them.
As in the original story, Kakashi wore his ninja headband tilted to cover his left eye, concealing the Sharingan and conserving chakra.
Throughout the journey, Kakashi remained silent, diligently trying to access the memories of the original Kakashi.
From those memories, Kakashi learned about the current state of Konoha.
In February of that year, Konoha had secured victory in the Battle of Kikyo Mountain. Following the battle, the Orochimaru incident erupted when his human experimentation was discovered, leading to his defection from Konoha.
Just as Kakashi remembered, Orochimaru had left before Kakashi obtained the Sharingan. This explained why Orochimaru was so surprised in episode 40 of the anime when he saw Kakashi exhausted after merely using a sealing technique on Sasuke, and why he was astonished to discover Kakashi possessed the Sharingan.
If Orochimaru had defected solely due to his failure to become the Fourth Hokage, he would have known the reason Kakashi obtained the Sharingan!
News of Orochimaru's departure from Konoha, following Tsunade's, quickly reached the Rock Ninja.
This immediately triggered a battle with the Rock Ninja.
Now that Kakashi and his team had secured victory at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, severing the Rock Ninja's supply lines, it signaled Konoha's ultimate triumph in the war.
The Third Great Ninja War had officially ended.
"Next year is when the Nine-Tailed Beast will attack. Before then, I must find Tsunade!" Kakashi thought to himself. Only by finding Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, could he gain full control over his Sharingan.
"And I need to familiarize myself with this body as soon as possible. After the Nine-Tailed Beast incident, Konoha will go to war with the Kumo-nin. I'll definitely be sent to the front lines, and I can't afford to die there!"
As the dominant consciousness of his soul gradually shifted, the original Kakashi's soul grew weaker. Kakashi realized that his mastery of his own abilities had become mere memories, rather than instinct.
In other words, Kakashi's strength would weaken—something he hadn't anticipated!
*Fortunately, I can use the Sharingan's Chakra consumption as an excuse! It's not a flaw that will expose me as an imposter!*
*My priority now is to absorb Kakashi's combat experience while his original soul consciousness is still merging. Then I'll figure out the rest!*
*Since possessing Kakashi's body has granted me rebirth, I must at least live up to his former reputation!*
Kakashi quickly set himself a goal.
A day later, Kakashi and Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha.
"Rin, your injuries haven't fully healed. I'll take you to Konoha Hospital for treatment first," Minato said, placing his right hand on Rin's shoulder.
"Kakashi, wait here for me. I'll take you to see the Hokage later."
After turning to address Kakashi, Minato used the Body Flicker Technique to teleport Rin away. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared before Kakashi.
As for Rin, she was already receiving treatment at Konoha Hospital. While she could provide basic medical care, some injuries required hospital treatment.
Kakashi's injuries also needed hospital care, but Minato Namikaze first had to inform the Third Hokage about Kakashi's acquisition of the Sharingan. Therefore, he had to take Kakashi to see the Hokage immediately.
The sooner this matter was addressed, the better.
Minato placed his hand on Kakashi's shoulder and activated his Body Flicker Technique.
In an instant, the scenery blurred, and they were standing before the Hokage Building.
They entered the Hokage Building and quickly arrived at the Hokage's Office, where Kakashi met the legendary Third Hokage. Two elder advisors, Homura and Koharu, were also present.
"Minato, you're back? Was the mission a success?" The Third Hokage's eyes lit up with joy as he greeted Minato. Seeing Minato and Kakashi together, he knew the mission entrusted to them had been accomplished.
This meant victory against the Rock Ninja! How could they not be overjoyed?
Homura and Koharu shared the sentiment, their eyes lighting up with delight at Minato Namikaze's return.
They gazed at him expectantly.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Minato replied promptly, not daring to keep the Third Hokage waiting. "We successfully completed our mission, destroying Kannabi Bridge and cutting off the Rock Ninja's reinforcements!"
"Ha ha! Excellent!" The Third Hokage burst into laughter, rising excitedly from his seat.
"Wonderful! We've triumphed over our enemies once again!"
Homura and Koharu also stood up, their eyes filled with admiration as they watched Minato. Only he could have accomplished such a difficult mission with a mere four-man squad.
"Minato, Kakashi is injured. What about Rin and Uchiha Obito? Are they both safe as well?" the Third Hokage asked urgently. Since Kakashi was present, there was no need to inquire about him.
Seeing Kakashi injured, the Third Hokage immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
"Hokage-sama, Rin is safe, but Obito sacrificed himself for Konoha! It's all my fault for not arriving in time!" Minato Namikaze replied, his face etched with sorrow. Though he was accustomed to the life-and-death struggles of his comrades, the loss of his disciple still weighed heavily on his heart.
Without holding back, Minato recounted his battle plan and the events of the Kannabi Bridge Battle. He also explained how Uchiha Obito had gifted his Sharingan to Kakashi before his death.
"What..."
"Kakashi transplanted Uchiha Obito's Sharingan..."
"This is unacceptable! Uchiha Kagami would never allow it..."
"We must return Uchiha Obito's Sharingan to the Uchiha Clan immediately..."
While the Third Hokage remained silent, Homura and Koharu exclaimed in shock.
** End of Chapter **