Dinner

Jiraiya nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the pensive Kakashi.

That mop of white hair always made people want to reach out and pat it...

Feeling the weight descending onto his head, Kakashi looked up and met Jiraiya's eyes.

"As for you, Kakashi, you'll need to take the next assessment!"

"I understand... Lord Jiraiya."

Kakashi did not feel disappointed. He was still thinking about what Kagami Uchiha had said earlier.

The prejudice in people's hearts...

He had seen the pressure his father had been under during this period with his own eyes.

And the Uchiha... had always endured this kind of prejudice.

Even he himself felt that, apart from that idiot Obito, the other Uchiha were all difficult to get along with.

Wasn't that also a form of bullying?

He thought Kagami Uchiha was making an accusation.

But Kagami Uchiha's true thoughts were...

Since you think the Uchiha will bring disaster to Konohagakure... then I'll make your wish come true!

Just then, Namikaze Minato let out a soft murmur from the sickbed, as if he were about to wake up.

Jiraiya hurried out the door and called for Kushina, who had been waiting outside.

Tsunade was not there either. She felt that she had overreacted and was uncomfortable staying there.

Seeing the two people embracing on the sickbed, the three of them tactfully left the ward.

As they walked down the hospital corridor, Kakashi could not help asking Kagami Uchiha in a low voice,

"What exactly was that monster?"

Kagami Uchiha shook his head. "I don't know. You should ask Teacher Jiraiya."

Hearing their conversation, Jiraiya led them to a secluded place before explaining.

"Throughout the war-torn history of the Ninja World, there has been a terrifying existence deeply etched into people's minds alongside disaster. Those beasts, like natural calamities, are called tailed beasts."

"Recognizing the tailed beasts' immense strength and their potential to suppress war, First Hokage captured them and distributed them among the various villages."

These were not things one could tell ordinary children, but neither Kagami Uchiha nor Kakashi was an ordinary child.

Jiraiya understood Kakashi. Although the boy was not like Minato and Kagami, he was also extraordinarily talented. Once Jiraiya tested him a little, he would take him as a student.

"Our village possesses the strongest of the tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails. It was the one we saw..."

"The person who seals a tailed beast is called a Jinchuriki."

As he spoke, Jiraiya's expression turned solemn.

"Remember, you absolutely must not mention the Nine-Tails to anyone. The identity of the Jinchuriki is a top secret of the village!"

If the two of them were not going to become his students, Anbu would have been sent to deal with their memories by now.

As the sun sank in the west,

"All right, it's getting late. You two should go home and rest."

"Meet at Training Ground 4 at six tomorrow morning!"

"Dismissed!"

Now that Minato was fine, Jiraiya was eager to go gather material.

The two walked a long way from the hospital.

Kagami Uchiha turned to look at Kakashi, who was following him. "Why are you following me? Your house is in the other direction."

"Ah..." Kakashi came to his senses and realized this was not the way home.

But...

There was no one at home anymore...

Kagami Uchiha had once had no family either, so he could somewhat understand Kakashi's current state.

After all, Kakashi was only seven or eight years old. Although Hatake Sakumo had not taken his own life, Kakashi had still become a child left at home alone.

"Come back with me for a meal. Remember, just this once."

"Kagami, thank you."

"Thank you... for keeping my father alive."

After a moment of silence, Kagami Uchiha said indifferently, "It has nothing to do with me. You don't need to feel that you owe me anything."

"Let me make this clear first."

"My actions benefited you. You don't need to be grateful to me. If my actions caused you pain, you can hate me as much as you like."

"Kakashi, I don't care about your feelings at all."

Then why did you invite me to your house for dinner...

Kakashi was beginning to understand how to deal with normal Uchiha.

Don't listen to what an Uchiha said. Look at what he did.

Faced with such a terrifying tailed beast, Kagami had acted without hesitation to protect his fellow villagers.

--

Kagami Uchiha's home stood at the edge of the clan compound and occupied quite a large area.

It had a full range of facilities, including a courtyard, making him one of the wealthy members of the Uchiha Clan.

His grandfather's compensation had been substantial, and the clan also provided subsidies. At least Kagami Uchiha's family had never worried about money.

Once Kagami Uchiha became a shinobi, part of what he earned from missions would also be handed over to the clan for distribution to families that lacked the ability to support themselves.

The Uchiha were nothing like the Hyuga, who divided their clansmen into slaves and slave owners.

Even the clan head had no power to decide whether ordinary clansmen lived or died.

Kagami Uchiha had also wondered why Itachi could do such a thing.

In the end, he came up with a reasonable guess.

Because Itachi had never truly interacted with ordinary Uchiha clansmen.

Itachi had been a prodigy from childhood. He had experienced the battlefield at four and begun contemplating the village and the clan at seven.

Fugaku's method of educating him had been wrong.

When dealing with a genius, that kind of education would make him think too much and fall into a self-destructive trap.

Because... even a genius could not change the world or change people's hearts.

Excessive wisdom brought harm.

People who believed themselves to be supremely clever often ended up covered in scars and meeting tragic ends.

Then would normal education have worked on Itachi Uchiha?

It might have changed him, but Kagami Uchiha had neither the time nor the energy to reform him.

Itachi Uchiha did not love the Uchiha. He only loved Sasuke Uchiha.

Rather than reforming him, destroying him would be less trouble.

"Has Shisui started refining Chakra?"

Seeing little Shisui sitting cross-legged in the courtyard with practiced form, Kakashi asked.

"He's no longer a one-year-old. He should start learning."

As he spoke, Kagami Uchiha noticed his grandmother cleaning vegetables and hurriedly took off his shoes before running over.

"Grandmother, didn't I say I'd come back to cook? You need to get plenty of rest!"

His grandmother had also been a shinobi when she was young. She had retired after suffering severe injuries.

Although she was not very old yet, some lingering injuries had caused many problems with her health.

It was not only her physical condition. Her husband's death had also dealt her a heavy blow. These wounds could not be healed by time; they would only grow worse.

His grandmother watched Kagami Uchiha busily with a benevolent expression, then turned and saw Kakashi.

"I remember you... You're Mr. Sakumo's child, aren't you? This is the first time Kagami has brought a friend home!"

Kakashi nodded awkwardly. After greeting her politely, he felt uncomfortable and wanted to find something to do.

Noticing the river fish in the basket, he took them out and cleaned them with practiced ease.

"I cooked for myself whenever my father wasn't home."

"I didn't ask."

Kagami Uchiha busied himself preparing the ingredients. He and Kakashi each used one stove and began cooking.

Kakashi had always been accustomed to silence, but when he encountered someone even quieter than himself in Kagami Uchiha, he could not help speaking.

"Is Obito's house nearby?"

"Obviously. He's an Uchiha too." Kagami Uchiha stir-fried the greens. "Go left three hundred meters from the entrance. That's his house."

"You seem to hate Obito."

"Not 'seem.'"

"Is it because a Dead Last like him has disgraced the Uchiha Clan's reputation?"

Kagami Uchiha fell silent for a while. The only sound was the sizzling of fish frying in Kakashi's pot.

"Something like that."

"You fried the fish too long."

"It isn't overcooked. It's Kakashi-style dry-fried river fish."

"Your greens are way too mushy."

"Grandmother's teeth aren't very good. She likes soft greens."

"Kagami, you're a very warm person."

The confusion in Kakashi's eyes gradually faded, and he could sense the smile beneath his mask.

Kagami Uchiha gave him a cold look and warned, "My orientation is perfectly normal. Don't try that with me. It's disgusting."