Mission or Companion

Year 43 of Konohagakure.

A matter had spread like wildfire; what should have been a top-secret mission was now known to everyone.

Hatake Sakumo had abandoned his mission in order to save his comrades.

Ninja Academy.

Kakashi had been training extremely hard over the past two years, yet he had never managed to defeat that person.

He even felt that the gap between them had not narrowed with time, but was instead growing wider.

Sometimes he couldn't understand why Kagami Uchiha didn't choose to graduate early, even though his strength was far superior to that of the teachers at the Ninja Academy.

But right now, he had no heart to challenge Kagami Uchiha...

Father...

Kakashi had never seen his father so decadent; there wasn't a shred of vitality to be seen.

For some reason, he walked under a large tree and stopped in front of Kagami Uchiha, who was eating his bento.

"Kagami..."

"Between comrades and missions, which one is truly more important?"

Kagami Uchiha swallowed a chicken leg and looked up at the bewildered Kakashi.

He had also heard about the incident involving Hatake Sakumo, and he was, of course, happy to see such internal strife.

Let them stir things up.

Stir it until only a few old leeks remained, and it would be easier for him to pull them out later.

"The mission is obviously more important; we are ninjas, after all."

Kakashi's face showed signs of struggle; this was the answer most people gave, and even he himself had thought the same.

"Then... if one has to abandon a comrade for the sake of a mission, what should be done..."

Setting down his lunch box, Kagami Uchiha said indifferently, "That depends on the importance of the mission and the rank of the comrade."

"If you are talking about your father's situation, then I think he was wrong."

Kakashi lowered his head in dejection: "You think so too..."

"Of course."

"As a powerful ninja, to actually let a group of weaklings judge him as they please."

"If he had just killed a few of the villagers who were shouting the loudest, there wouldn't be any public opinion storm."

"Father would never raise his blade against weak villagers!"

"No, he will do exactly that very soon."

After two years of growth and the support of medicinal baths, Kagami Uchiha was slightly taller than Kakashi.

He stood up and grabbed Kakashi by the hair, forcing him to look him in the eye.

"Your father is a weakling because he let himself fall into depravity just because his ideals were shattered. If he had any courage, he should have raised his blade against the ones pulling the strings."

"Instead of picking the weakest target to take it out on."

"What... do you mean..."

The corners of Kagami Uchiha's mouth curled up slightly, thinking that Hatake Sakumo might be a combat force worth winning over.

To him, an outsider, the cause of Hatake Sakumo's death was definitely not the insults of the villagers; he wasn't fragile to that extent.

What led Hatake Sakumo to commit suicide was that the Will of Fire, which he had firmly believed in his entire life, had been denied.

The Higher-ups of Konohagakure, who emphasized time and again that comrades were the most important, had allowed him to be insulted, which already made their stance clear.

The Hatake clan was originally a samurai family from the Warring States Period; Hatake Sakumo was more like a samurai than a ninja.

The reason he took his own life was that he realized he had pledged his loyalty to the wrong people.

His faith had collapsed.

Lacking the courage to raise his blade against the Third Hokage and the others, he could only choose to end his own life.

"Let me be clearer." Kagami Uchiha grabbed Kakashi's hair and shook it; only at times like this would Kakashi not bristle with rage.

Patting his head, the texture was quite nice.

"Your father is planning to commit suicide. Instead of asking around here and there, you'd be better off going to see your dad."

!!

Kakashi's pupils dilated; he had never even considered this possibility.

The situation was indeed serious, but he never imagined his father would commit suicide over it!

He broke free abruptly, and without even having time to say goodbye to Kagami Uchiha, he rushed out of the academy gates.

Watching the back of Kakashi as he disappeared, Kagami Uchiha narrowed his eyes.

He would not expend great effort to save Hatake Sakumo; if Kakashi could not persuade him, then let him die.

If he were to survive, he would surely no longer be of one mind with the Third and his cohorts.

Obito and Rin, who had been concerned about Kakashi, stepped closer.

Although he really did not want to speak with Kagami Uchiha, for the sake of Kakashi, Obito spoke up:

"Kagami... what did you say to Kakashi?"

"Kagami-kun, Kakashi, he..."

Glancing at the two of them, Kagami Uchiha countered with a question for Obito: "Goggles, if you had to sacrifice a clan member for the sake of a mission, what would you choose?"

"That goes without saying! Of course, you can't sacrifice a clan member!"

"I would definitely complete the mission while ensuring no clan members are harmed!"

It must be said that time and experience change a person.

Obito was the kindest Uchiha, and it was precisely because Uchiha Madara saw this that he chose him.

An Uchiha possessing such rich emotions, once fallen into darkness, would indeed be terrifying.

"Rin, what about you?" Kagami Uchiha turned to Nohara Rin.

After thinking for a moment, Rin smiled and said: "If a sacrifice is necessary to complete a mission, I hope that I am the one who is sacrificed."

Truly... a quite pure Will of Fire.

"Rin! I will definitely protect you!"

The Will of Fire has no right or wrong; it only depends on the actions of those who practice it.

Sacrificing oneself for the peace of the next generation is worthy of praise.

It is just that many in positions of power have forgotten this original intention, even Hashirama Senju.

The village was clearly established to protect children, yet later on... in order to protect the village, he could even kill his close friend and his own children.

Things in this world cannot be perfect; Uchiha Madara saw this, which is why he chose to leave.

Victory without sacrifice is impossible; it will inevitably breed hatred.

"Then Kagami, what about you?" Obito gathered his courage to ask.

"Between the mission and your clan members, what is your choice?"

"If one side must be sacrificed, I would kill the person who issued the mission," Kagami Uchiha answered bluntly.

"...That really sounds like something Kagami would do."

"Wait, no, weren't we asking you about Kakashi!"

Kagami Uchiha shook his head: "There is no need to know. In this kind of situation, choosing either side is wrong, and yet neither is wrong."

"That's so hard to understand..."

"After all, you are an idiot Goggles; it's normal that you don't understand."

"Goggles is fine, but why add 'idiot' to it! Can't you just call me by my name properly!"

"At least possess eyes like mine before you come to say such things to me."

A pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated, and a powerful Dojutsu Power directly struck Obito, knocking him unconscious.

"A-again with this..." Before losing consciousness, Obito instinctively let out a moan.

Every few days, Kagami Uchiha would hit him with a burst of Dojutsu Power.

Is the Sharingan so great!

Is it necessary to show off like this!

Kagami Uchiha did like to show off, but using his Sharingan on Obito Uchiha so frequently was not for the sake of showing off.

Obito Uchiha was the key to connecting with Uchiha Madara and those White Zetsu.

By using the Transcription Seal to inject a bit of Dojutsu Power each time, one day...

He would be able to meet that legendary ninja.

Obito, you are merely a mouthpiece.