Chapter 356: The Masked Man No Wonder
"Kakashi-sensei, don't go to the Sunagakure Village anymore. We'll help you! right, Sasuke?"
"Yeah."
"Sasuke is Orochimaru's disciple. If he talks to them, he should be able to help you use Impure World Reincarnation to bring that person back."
"Yeah."
"And Shiromo-nii said that over in the Amegakure Village, they've come up with a way to revive people. It's just a pity I lost the match, so I couldn't revive my mom."
"Yeah, wait, what?!"
Sasuke had been nodding along like an emotionless machine, but the moment he heard Naruto mention "revival", his expression changed instantly as he looked over in shock.
"There's really a way to revive people?"
Sasuke asked urgently.
Naruto said he had almost managed to revive his own mother, didn't that mean Sasuke might also have a chance to bring back his family?
"Yeah, though I don't know how it works…"
Naruto replied, scratching his head as he nodded.
Watching the two of them drift further and further off topic, Kakashi felt somewhat speechless.
As for revival, Kakashi didn't find it strange at all.
After all, he already knew about the plan to revive Rin, and had even taken part in a key step, entering a genjutsu world to materialize part of Rin's body.
The purpose of reviving Rin was to bring his former close friend back from the wrong path.
Likewise, what Kakashi needed to do now was increase the chances and leverage for that "return."
"Ahem."
Kakashi coughed lightly, reminding Naruto and Sasuke.
"Oh right, Sasuke, stop asking about that for now. Let's deal with Kakashi-sensei's matter first."
Naruto slapped his forehead as he came back to his senses.
"Kakashi, this Uchiha Obito in the file, he used to be your teammate, right?"
Sasuke nodded and asked.
"To be precise, he was my closest friend. We've known each other since childhood. Our relationship… was like yours and Naruto's. Obito was also reckless, and his goal was to become Hokage."
Kakashi glanced at Naruto, speaking with a hint of nostalgia.
At the same time, the masked man arrived in Konoha.
He had come to find Kakashi.
Ever since he had infused Kakashi with a large amount of Hashirama cells last time, he had been on guard for quite a while. Yet Kakashi hadn't used Kamui to transfer any strange objects into him again.
This made the masked man suspicious.
Had Kakashi died?
Or had Kakashi really been arrested after he, disguised as a helpful civilian, reported him to the Inuzuka, Hyuga, and Aburame squad?
To confirm Kakashi's situation, the masked man returned to Konoha.
And then he saw Kakashi chasing after Sasuke as they left.
After confirming Kakashi was fine, the masked man let out a sigh of relief.
"Maybe it's just because the ninja world is too peaceful right now. Kakashi simply doesn't need to use Kamui."
He came up with an explanation for himself, then, with a "since I'm already here" mindset, decided to follow along and see what Kakashi was up to.
Kakashi was currently telling Naruto and Sasuke about his past with Obito.
"Kakashi-sensei, what do you think about Uchiha Obito's grandmother?"
Naruto couldn't wait any longer and directly interrupted Kakashi's nostalgic storytelling.
"Hm?"
The masked man, who had just arrived nearby, froze upon hearing this.
What do you mean, what do you think about my grandmother?
Also, does "grandmother" here refer to a family title… or a body part?
To be honest, the masked man's first reaction was the latter.
He would rather believe Kakashi had his eye on something inappropriate than think Kakashi had any connection to his grandmother.
His grandmother had just been an ordinary old woman, and she had passed away long ago.
"She…"
Kakashi's face showed hesitation, even pain.
It was hard not to let one's imagination run wild.
In truth, Kakashi's pain came from the fact that he had to say these words himself, effectively nailing himself to a pillar of shame, all just to provide a plausible reason.
In this plan, reviving Rin didn't require justification. With Kakashi involved, it was only natural that he would want to revive her to atone for past mistakes.
Even if Obito found out, it would still make sense.
But reviving, or using Impure World Reincarnation on, Obito's grandmother had no reasonable explanation.
It would be like openly declaring: [We are deliberately reviving your relatives to force you into making a choice.]
If that implication were noticed, it might instead harden the masked man's resolve.
So there had to be a suitable reason for bringing Obito's grandmother back.
And once again, Kakashi took on the responsibility of providing that reason.
"When you were born, I had yet to exist; when I was born, you were already old."
Kakashi closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face as he recited a poem from the "Buff Man" series.
Yes, the "Buff Man" series does include poetry.
And those poems are incredibly impactful, far more widely spread than things like senryu (Japanese form of short poetry).
For example, in the "Buff Man" series, during the first Five Kage Summit, the inherently evil Uchiha Madara slipped an aphrodisiac into the venue, turning it into an indecent scene.
A poem was even used to describe what happened among the Five Kage: "Clinging firmly to the green mountains, roots set deep within broken rock.
Enduring countless blows and strikes, still standing strong against winds from all directions."
----
"I only regret that when she was young, I hadn't been born yet. When I was born, she was already old. And by the time I grew up, she was gone…"
Kakashi knew Naruto and Sasuke lacked the background to understand poetry, so he explained it in simpler terms.
"Just as I thought."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance.
So there really was something between Kakashi-sensei and his best friend's grandmother.
"What is this guy even talking about?"
The masked man's expression beneath the mask was one of utter shock.
His current feeling was like using skincare essence for months only to suddenly realize the label in the middle had been pasted on.
Unaware that anyone else was nearby, Kakashi suppressed his pain and sorrow and continued: "The first time I met her, she came to me, hoping I'd help look after her grandson. She even gave me a grilled fish. When I took the fish, I brushed against her weathered hands, and my heart stirred. That night, I couldn't sleep."
"Later, when she learned that Obito had caused trouble at school, she came to find me again. I personally made grilled fish and treated her."
"…After that, she said she didn't have much time left and wanted to entrust her grandson to me. That night, we… well, you understand. Not long after, she passed away. But I failed her, I didn't protect Obito. Sigh."
Naruto and Sasuke didn't care about the story at all.
Their only goal was to confirm that Kakashi had this kind of connection.
But after hearing this, the masked man was on the verge of exploding.
He quickly transferred himself into the Kamui dimension, if he stayed even a second longer, he feared he wouldn't be able to stop himself from attacking Kakashi.
"No wonder Rin was so cute, yet Kakashi never showed any interest…"
As the masked man reflected on the past, everything suddenly made sense.
(End of this chapter)