Kakashi asked Minato Namikaze if the sentence for Takashi Muroi could be death.
Minato's voice was heavy. "Kakashi… the dead are gone. What Takashi Muroi did is unforgivable, I know. But I want to give him a chance. A chance to atone."
Kakashi laughed. A sudden, sharp sound. "Minato Namikaze, you're really starting to disgust me. You give him a chance? Then who gives Obito a chance? He was your subordinate. Wasn't Obito?"
He turned to Qianyu. "Sensei. I'm still the squad captain, right?"
Qianyu looked at Minato, whose face had tightened, and smiled. "Yes. Your position as captain was decided by both Minato and myself. So revoking it would require both our agreement." His smile turned to ice. "And I do not agree to revoke it."
Chidori shrieked to life in Kakashi's hand. He didn't hesitate, driving it straight for Takashi Muroi's heart.
Minato's hand shot out, gripping Kakashi's wrist. "Kakashi! Don't!"
Takashi Muroi had frozen again, eyes wide with terror.
Shing. Qianyu drew his sword an inch from its sheath. The sound was a cold promise. "Minato Namikaze. Are you obstructing a captain's lawful punishment of a traitor?"
"Why won't you just listen to me for once, Qianyu?" Minato's voice was strained.
"Listen to you?" Qianyu's sneer was a blade. "Why should I? You sicken me. Protecting someone who betrayed his comrades. It didn't happen to you, so you don't feel the pain. Obito Uchiha really drew the short straw, getting a teacher like you. Listen well: what Kakashi is doing is within regulations. You have no right to interfere. If you force the issue… I will treat your assault on Captain Kakashi as an act of treason."
Minato's face paled, then flushed. His grip trembled. Finally, slowly, his fingers uncurled from Kakashi's wrist.
Qianyu was right. He couldn't single-handedly strip Kakashi's rank. And Takashi Muroi had leaked critical intelligence. He had caused Obito Uchiha's death. In wartime, a squad captain held the authority for summary judgment.
The moment Minato's hand fell away, Kakashi struck.
THRUM-CRACK. Blood sprayed across Kakashi's cheek.
His expression was frozen. Hard as stone. No grief, no anger. Just… empty.
Minato turned his face away, unable to watch.
Rin wept silently, tears streaming down her face. The world had shattered in a single day. The pain in her chest was a physical thing.
… Night fell.
Kakashi sat alone on a rock, staring blankly at the sky.
Qianyu settled beside him, following his gaze. "What do you see?"
"Nothing." Kakashi's voice was hollow. "Just darkness. Sensei… I… I'm done with Konoha. Truly."
"Konoha?" Qianyu's tone was flat. "I was done with it the moment I stepped through the gates. You've seen it twice now. You know what it is."
Kakashi's head hung low. His whisper was a list of poisons. "Cold. Hypocritical. Vile. Ugly. Stubborn. Jealous. Rotten…"
Qianyu's lips quirked. "Accurate. Now, Kakashi. Let's talk about that eye."
His expression shifted, turning deadly serious.
Kakashi focused on him, waiting.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Qianyu said. "That Sharingan. Draining your chakra. Every second."
Kakashi nodded. The drain was constant, and heavy.
"Truth is," Qianyu continued, "with your skills and my training, you don't need it. It's a liability. My advice? Remove it."
Kakashi flinched. His heart squeezed tight.
Qianyu sighed. "But I know you won't. So, I'll find a way to fix the problem."
The tension bled from Kakashi's shoulders. "Thank you, sensei."
Qianyu ruffled his hair. "Don't be so formal. You're my student." The simple gesture eased a fraction of the crushing weight in Kakashi's chest.
"Now," Qianyu explained, "the Sharingan grants powerful abilities—perception, replication, hypnosis. Since you can't deactivate it, it's always passively using some of those, like perception. That burns chakra faster. When you don't need it, cover the eye. Conserve your strength. Understood?"
Kakashi nodded. He pulled his forehead protector down, shrouding the crimson eye.
"But the real trouble," Qianyu's voice turned to steel, "isn't the eye. It's the Uchiha clan. You know what they're like. They will not tolerate a Sharingan outside their bloodline. Even a gift from Obito. They'll demand it back. They'll pressure the Hokage. The pressure on you will be immense. Be ready."
Kakashi's hand pressed over his covered eye. His voice was iron. "I won't give it up. Obito gave this to me. No one takes it."
A cold light gleamed in Qianyu's eyes. "Don't worry. I'll handle it. If those Uchiha bastards come for you… let's see how hard their necks are. I don't mind shattering the whole clan's spine."
After a few more quiet words, Qianyu left Kakashi alone. He walked to the site where Obito Uchiha had been buried.
He stood, eyes narrowed at the rubble.
Somewhere nearby was Madara Uchiha's tunnel. By now, the old ghost had surely pulled Obito from the wreckage. Rebuilt his crushed right side with Hashirama's cells. Started pumping that 'Moon's Eye Plan' nonsense into his head. Preparing to break him with despair.
A flicker of regret passed through Qianyu. He'd miss witnessing most of that process. A loss of potential Witness Points.
Though… He smiled thinly. It wasn't a complete loss. Madara Uchiha, right now… was undoubtedly very, very weak.
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