Enough, Kakashi. Stop Blaming Yourself. It's Time to Wake from This Nightmare

Choji finished speaking, the entire Hokage's Office fell into a deathly silence, so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop.

Shikamaru stared wide-eyed at Choji, bewildered. Kakashi, though also stunned, didn't look empty; his gaze wasn't fixed on Choji.

But it was behind the door.

There is always a moment in a person's life when, as if it were predestined, they have a sense of déjà vu about something that is about to happen.

In a sudden moment, it dawned on me that I'd seen this scene somewhere before. It seemed like it had happened before; I was sure I'd seen it.

Reality and illusion were completely indistinguishable, as if I had traveled back from the future with my memories intact. I had an inexplicable, premonition about what was about to happen.

There are many explanations for this phenomenon. Telling someone that it's fake, not something that feels familiar, is simply a normal physiological phenomenon.

Once you grow up, you won't have this problem anymore; this almost magical feeling will disappear.

Kakashi was in this state, somewhat lost in thought, staring intently at the door. He wondered who was standing behind it and who would push the door open and come in at any moment.

I vaguely remember a blurry figure, a woman, exactly like the person in my dream. I couldn't see her face clearly, but she seemed very familiar, standing in warm light.

He wasn't listening to what Choji was saying at all; he was just staring intently at the office door. He had a premonition that something was about to happen.

Like a Pandora's Box, you only know what's inside once you open it. And once you open it, you might regret it, or you might feel a profound sense of loss.

In any case, the moment it was opened, the gears of fate began to turn.

The door opened again, and a nimble figure walked in timidly. There was no knocking, no sound; it was as if someone had pushed her in.

With a bang, Kakashi stood up abruptly from his seat. The force was so great that he instinctively dented the tabletop.

The Hokage's desk isn't the ancestral desk from the White Palace; it's the same desk that's been passed down through generations, no one has moved it. The Hokage's work is very stressful, and the Hokage's Office has become a regular expense.

The Fifth Hokage leader alone smashed seven or eight desks.

Kakashi is usually slow-paced and rarely loses his composure. At this moment, however, his breathing is somewhat rapid, and his eyes are wide open, fixed intently on the person.

Rin Nohara was somewhat bewildered, not yet fully comprehending the concept of twenty years in the future. A blond-haired man told her that she hadn't died, she had just taken a nap.

The village was still the same village, but the Nohara Clan had vanished in the war. The era she knew was long gone, and her relatives, friends, and enemies had all faded into the distant past.

The village's Hokage is no longer the Third Hokage, but the lazy Sixth Hokage, Kakashi.

Rin Nohara was a little confused about the concept of Hokage. She was only a Chunin until her death, and she didn't think too much about it at the time. She just didn't want to implicate the village, so she chose to die.

Kakashi's Lightning Release Ninjutsu was incredibly powerful, and the pain of death only lasted for a dozen seconds. The only thing I remember is Kakashi's terrified and desperate eyes.

The story should have ended there; she never imagined there would be a sequel. Twenty years later, she woke up.

No one could accept waking up to find themselves twenty years in the future; she preferred to believe she had died and come back to life. As for why she came back to life, who cares? Better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.

If Naruto knew what she was thinking, he'd be devastated. If he'd known she didn't care about the consequences, why would he have made up all that nonsense?

Rin Nohara was wearing a Konohagakure Chunin uniform and looked to be in her early twenties, a young girl compared to Kakashi, who was an old veteran.

He had large brown eyes, short brown hair, and an awkward smile on his flawless face. When he looked at Kakashi, a hint of surprise also appeared on his face.

In her memory, Kakashi was always cool and handsome, but who was this decadent and lazy old man in front of her who was dressed similarly to Kakashi?

"Rin?" Kakashi opened his mouth, then froze in place.

He wasn't delirious; he was waiting for the hallucination to pass. He had seen similar hallucinations countless times: his father, who had committed suicide, would one day push open the door and warmly tell him to quickly bring in the clothes outside.

The next second, the house was empty again.

Or perhaps one day, as he was washing his hands, the water suddenly became slippery. Upon closer inspection, the water turned into blood. Rin Nohara sat blankly on the counter, staring at him, blood flowing from a large hole in her abdomen.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment, like an eternity.

"Kakashi," Rin replied.

"Not a hallucination?" Kakashi suddenly woke up, his eyes gradually regaining their light as he looked at Rin Nohara. For a moment, he was at a loss for what to do.

Shikamaru and Choji, two unsuspecting bystanders, stood to the side, their jaws practically dropping to the floor. Choji was filled with regret; "Damn it, Naruto Uzumaki, you deserve to die!"

They tricked me again!

What kind of wife is this? They know each other perfectly well, it's obvious they're having an affair! Damn it! She even lied to herself and said such embarrassing things, oh my god!

Naruto was pressed against the door, straining to hear what was happening inside the office. He was also a little puzzled; why was their meeting after such a life-or-death separation so uneventful?

Even if we don't say something like "I'd never leave you even if mountains crumble," we should at least get excited, right? Our Yuhi companions have died and come back to life; isn't that something to tremble over?

When the two met, their eyes reddened and their banana leaves turned green. Um... who is the banana leaf?

Why did they just call each other's names and then there was no follow-up? Even if there was no further interaction, shouldn't they at least exchange a few words? What's with this silence?

Driven by curiosity, he almost wanted to peek through the crack in the door.

A moment later, sounds came from the office again, but this time it was their unlucky buddy's voice. Shikamaru and Choji, sensing something was wrong, quickly made a hasty escape to pee.

The two nervously pushed open the door and left, only to turn around and see Naruto pressed against the wall, eavesdropping on the conversation inside. They were speechless.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked.

"Shh!" Naruto turned around and made a shushing gesture to Shikamaru, then pressed his ear close to the wall again.

Seeing this, Choji was speechless, then he followed Naruto's example and pressed himself against the wall. Shikamaru covered his face, and in the end, all three of them leaned against the wall to listen for any sounds.

Shikamaru figured he couldn't drag those two clowns away anyway, so he might as well figure out what had happened first. And what he heard actually made sense to them; Kakashi's voice was somewhat broken, and he sounded quite nervous.

Rin Nohara's voice was also low, and it was only possible to make out the general meaning.

The rustling sounds drifted out from behind the wall. Without thinking, Naruto gave the fat guy next to him a slap and whispered a warning.

"Keep your breathing down!"

Choji: "."

The room seemed empty; no sound came from inside for a long time. Naruto frowned slightly, Choji narrowed his eyes, and Shikamaru's gaze swept towards the shadow beside him.

Thump thump thump!!

Three sharp raps landed on the heads of the three children, who cried out in surprise at the slightest pain. Turning around, they saw the culprit standing right behind them.

Kakashi looked at the three brilliant minds with a helpless expression and sighed.

What are you doing?

"Uh," Naruto took a step back, then looked at Choji with a questioning gaze.

Choji, his face filled with terror, silently mouthed a polite gesture to Naruto. His eyes practically bulged out, wanting to shoot Naruto's skull off.

Shikamaru stood languidly to the side, his eyes languid. He knew this had nothing to do with him; given Kakashi's style, he would surely drag the culprit out.

"Naruto, stop staring at that and come inside to talk." Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and pulled Naruto into the office.

He then poked his head out and spoke to Choji and Shikamaru outside.

"It's getting late, you should go back and rest."

"Yes! Kakashi-sensei!" the two replied in unison, then drifted downstairs in a few scattered words, as if they had lost their souls.

Downstairs, Shikamaru and Choji walked one after the other under the streetlights. Shikamaru, wearing a light blue windbreaker, walked ahead with his hands clasped behind his head, casting a long, melancholy shadow.

Choji fell half a step behind, scratching his head in frustration.

"Shikamaru, who exactly is that person? Judging from Kakashi-sensei's Kakashi-sensei, it seems like they have a special relationship?"

"I don't know, you'll have to ask Naruto. It's probably closely related to him," Shikamaru said casually, his mind preoccupied with unfinished work.

Upon hearing this, Choji stopped asking. Shikamaru's melancholy was clearly visible, but his upward spirit, even with his languid expression, could not be concealed.

When Naruto first said it, he didn't really believe it, but now Choji truly believes that Shikamaru is very likely to become the Seventh Hokage.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, after all, the Hokage's status is supreme. Shikamaru is also his childhood friend, and so outstanding, so naturally he hopes for his success.

For some reason, it seems like the distance between them is growing. They're still friends, but Shikamaru no longer has time to discuss those meaningless things with her.

It's as if a thick, pathetic barrier separates us, and there's no need to share many things anymore. Although we're still good brothers, we might have to call each other "Lord Hokage" when we meet again in the future.

In the office, Naruto acted as if he had nothing to lose, knowing nothing about the situation.

"I don't know. The person I happened to meet was using some kind of evil magic to resurrect someone. I'm such a helpful person, I can't stand any nonsense, so naturally I had to carry out the justice."

"Then... she came back to life. It has nothing to do with me. She said she knew you, Kakashi-sensei, so I brought her back to the village."

"Yeah, she didn't report her identity or anything. I'm guessing her relationship with you must be quite close, um... her identity has probably been cancelled."

Kakashi was getting a headache listening to this. Looking at Naruto's stubborn and foolish act, he couldn't help but feel both angry and amused.

"Stop talking nonsense."

He asked a few more questions, and after confirming that he couldn't get any information out of Naruto, Kakashi gave up. Rin Nohara was a little nervous, sitting in her chair, pursing her lips and looking around.

Seeing this, Kakashi didn't want to continue arguing with Naruto. So he sighed, turned to Naruto, and asked one last question.

"Was that person dealt with? Can you confirm their background?"

He was asking about the person who had kidnapped Ino and Hinata, namely the deceased Obito Uchiha.

However, Kakashi was unaware of the man's identity at the time, let alone that he was Obito Uchiha. But since Obito had put the village on a level-two alert, the matter of his identity could not be ignored and left unresolved.

"Dead. Someone I didn't know." Naruto shook his head, his expression natural.

Where is the body?

"He's gone. I burned him to death with fire, and he turned into ashes." Naruto smiled. "That guy was quite capable; he didn't seem like an ordinary person."

"Hmm, she might be a rogue ninja. I'll have someone investigate other ninja villages another day." Kakashi nodded. He still had to deal with Rin Nohara's problem and didn't have time to think about it further.

The so-called investigation is actually the Anbu infiltrating other ninja villages to obtain intelligence.

"That's all for now, as long as everything's alright."

"Shall I head back now?" Naruto asked tentatively.

"Wait." Kakashi naturally wouldn't let Naruto leave. His mind was still a bit muddled, and he didn't know how to approach Rin Nohara.

He needs some time to calm down before he brings Naruto in for questioning. He hasn't calmed down yet, so how could he possibly let him go?

Naruto turned to look at Rin Nohara, then at the speechless Kakashi, and pretended not to hear before leaving.

Hey! You!

Silence fell over the office again. Kakashi stood with his back to Rin Nohara, unsure of what to say. Rin Nohara was also a little nervous, sitting there with her head down.

"Rin, do you have any other memories from when you woke up?" Kakashi turned around and asked.

"No." She shook her head.

"Hmm." Kakashi had nothing to say again and fell silent once more.

Rin Nohara stood up, looked at Kakashi, pursed her lips, and said with some hesitation.

"Kakashi, have I caused you any trouble?"

"No! No!" Kakashi hurriedly waved his hands, his voice trembling with fear, afraid that Rin Nohara would misunderstand. "It's no trouble at all, it's definitely not a trouble at all."

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

"It's getting late now. I'll have someone prepare some information for you first thing tomorrow morning. Lin, you might need to go to Konoha Hospital for a full checkup."

"I didn't mean anything by it, really, it's so good to know you're still alive!"

Kakashi's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. Rin Nohara smiled understandingly, standing on the edge of the chair, probably remembering something.

She took two steps forward, getting closer to Kakashi, a warm smile on her face. The two were only an arm's length apart. She took a small step forward and gave Kakashi a light hug.

Her voice was soft, as if she were comforting him.

"Kakashi, I didn't die, I just took a nap. You don't need to blame yourself too much. It was my own choice at that time, and it's also the duty of every Konoha Ninja."

"I have never regretted doing that. It was all for the village, my friends, and my family. I have never resented you, Kakashi. You have always been a comrade I have always trusted."

"Neither I nor Obito have ever blamed you. Being in the same team as you is the luckiest thing. All these years have been enough."

She placed her hand on Kakashi's shoulder and gently comforted him.

"That's enough. There's no need to endure the self-blame anymore. Just treat it as a nightmare. Kakashi."