Kakashi was no exception.
He simply could not see through the false mask Menma wore. Instead, during this mission, Kakashi had formed an extremely serious misjudgment of Menma. Whether it was Menma harshly rebuking Naruto and Sakura when they wanted to continue the mission earlier, or Menma venting his emotions at Inari that night, all of it made Kakashi genuinely believe that Menma was indeed, as Iruka had said, someone cold on the outside but warm within, someone who truly cared about his companions.
That could not be called wrong.
It could only be called one-sided.
And outdated.
The Menma of the past had ultimately still carried the temperament and habits of his previous life. Though he said he had fully integrated into this world, there was still a slight sense that he did not belong.
But now, he was already different.
Companions? Of course they should matter, but only companions who shared the same ideals were worth caring about. Those who chose a different path, or even the opposite path—could they still be called companions?
The answer was obviously no.
Those who walked different paths could not make plans together.
That night, Menma truly understood the real meaning of those words. Because of that, his goals and resolve became even firmer.
Yet this was the true reality Kakashi could never see through, at least for now.
The night passed peacefully.
Then came the following morning.
After Menma coldly rebuked the child named Inari, Inari never appeared within Menma's sight again. Perhaps he was frightened himself, or perhaps Tazuna and Tsunami were worried that Menma would truly attack Inari and had Inari avoid him.
But whatever the reason was,
Menma did not care.
Right now, he only wanted to find Gato as quickly as possible. That wealthy merchant had the