Obito, the Little Sun

Ever since Kakashi's outstanding performance in the practical drill revealed strength beyond that of a Genin, he had become increasingly popular.

Even Rin, who had often played with Obito when they were little, stopped clinging to him and instead began following Kakashi around, leaving Obito deeply frustrated.

"Damn it! This is absolutely infuriating! Kakashi, I challenge you!"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Obito stomped onto his chair and shouted as soon as class ended, while Rin gazed at Kakashi with starry-eyed admiration.

Kakashi rolled his Dead Fish Eyes, glanced at Obito, and pointed at the green-clad boy training at the next desk.

"Might Guy beat you with one kick. Are you sure you want to duel me?"

"Waaah! I don't care! I'm dueling you! After school, in the little woods, one-on-one!"

Having his sore spot brought up by Kakashi, Obito gritted his teeth and shouted even louder.

"Um, well... I already asked Kakashi to go to the little woods with me first. Obito, you'll have to wait~"

Hearing Obito make such a bold declaration, Might Guy stood up from the floor and bashfully reminded him.

"What! You already arranged a match with Might Guy? When will it be my turn? No, we have to duel today! It'll be after you fight Might Guy!"

"Hey, did you even ask for my opinion? Fighting Might Guy is exhausting. How about you fight him first?"

Resting his cheek on his hand, Kakashi spoke listlessly.

Feeling that the atmosphere was unfriendly, Rin grew a little worried.

"Obito, maybe don't duel Kakashi~"

"Hmph, I'll definitely beat him! And Might Guy too!"

"Then beat Might Guy first~"

Kakashi waved dismissively, his face full of contempt.

"Kakashi, you bastard! I want to duel you!"

"I said, beat Might Guy first~"

"Damn it, this is so damn infuriating! I want to duel you right now!"

"Beat Might Guy first~"

"Duel!"

"Might Guy~"

The two argued back and forth tirelessly. Though they were rather annoying, there was no real conflict, and Rin relaxed slightly.

Their relationship is still so good. I must have been overthinking it~

Days passed one after another, and Konohagakure operated at high speed like a massive beast of gears. Recently, though, it seemed to be turning even faster.

One sign of that rapid pace was that White Fang Lord, one of the village's famed blades, was leaving the village for missions more and more often, until this day.

It was another day of returning from a mission. White Fang Lord led his team back to Konoha, but unlike usual, every member of his squad wore a sorrowful expression. It was exceedingly strange.

White Fang Lord was Konoha's sharpest blade. As long as he handled a mission, he could complete the vast majority of them brilliantly.

Thus, when passersby saw the White Fang squad's mournful faces and the injuries many of them bore, they all found it strange.

The next day, news leaked from somewhere that White Fang Lord had undertaken an important mission. Faced with the difficult choice between saving his teammates and completing the mission, White Fang Lord had abandoned the mission to save his comrades. The result, however, was that the village suffered tremendous losses.

Like a plague, the rumors spread through every street and alley of Konoha. One person told ten, ten told a hundred, and the stories grew more numerous and increasingly outrageous.

At first, it was merely said that Konoha had suffered tremendous losses. Later, it became that Konoha was on the verge of facing the threat of war.

Naturally, Konoha's residents, who had enjoyed peaceful lives for quite some time, were unwilling to accept this. People began denouncing White Fang Lord, and their numbers grew. They often gathered in organized groups outside his home to curse at him.

"Criminal! You're unworthy of the title Konoha's White Fang!"

"What Konoha's White Fang? How can someone like you bear such responsibility!"

"How could White Fang do this? If war comes, what will happen to my son who just graduated?"

"..."

There were always many people denouncing him, but none dared enter White Fang Lord's residence without permission, because it was now under complete lockdown.

Though guards stood outside the residence, there was no way to block out the voices.

After listening for dozens of days to the curses of villagers who had once deeply admired him, Konoha's White Fang—who had once made the Shinobi World tremble, slain countless enemies, and earned tremendous military merit—was now utterly steeped in despondency.

After sitting blankly for who knew how long, White Fang Lord raised his head and stared vacantly at the White Fang short blade hanging on the wall.

"Creak~"

The front door suddenly opened. At this time, the only person who could enter and leave the house freely was his son, Kakashi.

Seeing Kakashi enter, Hatake Sakumo still revealed a gentle smile. Yet that smile carried a trace of bleakness.

"Kakashi, you're back~"

"Dad, those people are cursing you again. I'll go drive them away."

"Forget it. Father was indeed in the wrong. I caused the village to suffer tremendous losses~"

Hatake Sakumo said this, but his voice was nearly hoarse.

"Dad, my classmates somehow gave me a letter for you. A lot of people wrote it together, and it was started by that idiot desk mate of mine, Obito~"

Have the children started cursing me too?

The bleakness in Hatake Sakumo's heart deepened, but he still accepted the letter.

Like a lifeless puppet, he opened the letter and set it aside.

Naturally, Kakashi could not fail to notice Sakumo's current state. When everyone else was cursing his father, someone had suddenly shown such support for him. Kakashi had merely suppressed the emotion in his heart and maintained his pride.

"Dad, I think you should read it. If this letter cursed you, I absolutely wouldn't have brought it to you. And a lot of people in the class wrote something. It may be a little pointless, but they put a lot of thought into it~"

"Is that so? Then I'll take a look~"

Hatake Sakumo had not thought much of the letter, so he unfolded it very slowly. Yet when he saw the densely packed exclamation marks and names on the paper, he was completely taken aback.

The one that left the deepest impression on him was Obito's showy words of encouragement.

The handwriting was large and somewhat crooked, but it brimmed with energy. Even through the letter, Hatake Sakumo could feel the other boy shouting encouragement for him at the top of his lungs, and his heart gradually warmed.

The encouragement written on the second line was unexpectedly from the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Asuma. Besides being surprised, Hatake Sakumo's unfocused gaze became a little more intent.

Asuma's words were fair, but they were quite supportive of White Fang Lord's actions. After all, abandoning teammates just to complete a mission was an incredibly coldhearted act that no one could accept.

Once he began taking it seriously, Hatake Sakumo became even more interested in reading the letter.

Many of the encouraging messages written after Asuma's had exceptionally neat handwriting, and seemed to carry the innocent affection of young girls. Hatake Sakumo glanced sideways at Kakashi, who was sitting quietly beside him, then quickly drew his gaze back.

These must be girls who have crushes on my son. There seem to be quite a few of them too~

After reading many more messages, a long and familiar name entered his sight.

Was this that young man from that day?

These words... didn't seem like something a child could say, did they?

This message of encouragement came from Shiranui Genma. To give himself some protection, Shiranui Genma had even invoked the Will of Fire as a shield.

It read: Personally, I believe White Fang Lord's actions are deeply inspiring. Ever since First Hokage Lord founded Konoha, he has always taught everyone to understand and help one another. By the time of Third Hokage, this had become the faith of all children—the Will of Fire.

As for whether war will break out, I personally do not believe it is something that can be decided by one or two missions. More than ten years passed between the First and Second Great Ninja Wars. If the Third Great Ninja War is to erupt, it should be soon.

Moreover, even if war breaks out early, Konoha has absolutely nothing to fear from any other ninja village!

All the ninja villages have experienced war. As the strongest and best-equipped village, Konoha should naturally recover more quickly than the others, so there is no need to worry that an early outbreak will bring severe consequences.

If a war truly begins, the other villages will likely be the ones to suffer. Besides, with you in Konoha, enemy villages will have to think carefully before going to war.

That was all it said. It was not that Shiranui Genma wanted to say no more, but Kakashi's little fangirls would not allow it.

Still, the general meaning had gotten across, and it should be able to serve some purpose. As the mastermind behind the joint letter, Genma did not want to stand out too much.

Yet these few brief words made Genma stand out among the many messages of encouragement. After all, their class did not have a wise member of the Nara clan, something even Genma had not expected.

And White Fang Lord had always possessed a sharp eye!

After reading through many more encouraging messages, Hatake Sakumo's mood improved considerably. He rubbed the head of Kakashi, who was sitting obediently beside him, and smiled with relief. "Kakashi, help me thank your classmates. I'll go make dinner first~"

The curses outside continued without end, but the strength the letter gave Sakumo allowed him to shut them out on his own.

Seeing that his father was so exhausted that he was unsteady even when standing, Kakashi suddenly rose and hugged his thigh. "Dad, I'll go with you. You've been very tired these days."

Those Dead Fish Eyes that were usually unmoved by anything had now become completely lively, growing increasingly bright and expressive.

Kakashi was crying. Hatake Sakumo saw it clearly.

Ever since the day Kakashi's mother died, Kakashi had gradually learned to be strong. He had never once been seen crying over anything.

A deep sense of guilt enveloped Hatake Sakumo's heart. Unable to endure it any longer, he crouched down, wrapped Kakashi in his arms, and slowly stood.

"Then let's make dinner together. Dad is looking forward to tasting the food you make with your own hands too~"

"Mhm, mhm~"

Seeing his father's warm, heartfelt smile again, Kakashi wiped away his tears and nodded like a pecking chick.

But suddenly, the tears would not stop. So he would not embarrass himself in front of his father, he immediately turned his little head away and gently leaned against Sakumo's broad shoulder.

"If you want to cry, then cry. These days, Dad has dragged you into this."

Hatake Sakumo gently stroked Kakashi's back as he walked lightly toward the kitchen.

Before long, rich aromas drifted from the kitchen. Kakashi, now smeared like a little dirty cat, set down the last dish and obediently took his seat.

Once Sakumo sat down as well, the two began eating.

"By the way, Kakashi, was Obito the one who started your classmates writing this letter? The one with crooked handwriting that looked so lively?"

"Yeah, it was that guy. He's usually so silly. I never expected him to do something like this."

"Then he must be a very warmhearted child. You should properly thank him~"

"Mhm, mhm, I understand, Dad. I'll thank him properly~"

Obito's flamboyant, foolish smile surfaced in Kakashi's mind, and the gloom that had accumulated in his heart over the past few days gradually dispersed.

Why does that guy suddenly feel a little like a little sun? So strange~