Naruto: Extreme Bloodline Limit

Neither the Uchiha nor the Uzumaki Clan could be compared to the Hatake when it came to chakra reserves.

"Have some water."

Handing over the canteen, Ronglin sat beside Kakashi. Looking at the targets struck by kunai, he smiled. "Not bad. It wouldn't be easy for me to do that."

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi did not believe Ronglin at all. He had secretly watched Ronglin train before. Exhausted to the point of nearly collapsing, Kakashi gulped down all the water in the canteen. Looking at the canteen used for missions, his gaze darkened.

"Are you getting ready to go out on a mission?"

"Yeah." Ronglin nodded, took back the canteen, capped it, and set it on the ground.

"It's a shame that Uncle White Fang's matter caused it to be suspended. Teacher Tsunade can't get away, so they might assign us a temporary teacher instead."

"Sorry..."

Kakashi clenched his fists and apologized quietly. Though it had not been his doing, it was still inseparable from him.

"Hahaha..."

To his surprise, Ronglin burst into laughter, making Kakashi frown in irritation. He turned to glare at Ronglin as if demanding to know what was so funny.

"Kakashi, no matter what, it's already happened, hasn't it? No one can undo the mission's failure now. The village's losses must be considerable, but can't they just be made up for?"

Chapter 25: The Little Butterfly Appears

To be honest, Ronglin could not understand why Uncle White Fang had felt guilty enough to commit suicide. How fragile did someone's mental defenses have to be to do something so irresponsible?

"I don't know how great the losses are, but I do know that Uncle White Fang is one of Konoha's top experts. Even if the mission failed because of him and caused the village major losses, don't focus only on the bad side. Think carefully—over the years, including during the Second Shinobi World War, how much has Uncle White Fang contributed to the village?"

Raising a hand to rub his chin, Ronglin thought for a moment before continuing.

"So what if the losses are great? With Uncle White Fang's strength, it's not like he can't make up for them. As for the criticism, it'll fade away after some time."

A glimmer appeared in Kakashi's eyes, as though he had seen hope, but it quickly gave way to dejection. "If..."

"If your teammates were in danger during a mission, would you abandon the mission to save them?"

Kakashi was not stupid, so he naturally understood the crux of the matter. He simply could not bear the criticism and accusations. He was only six years old—a child. Even though he was already a Chunin, it did not change the fact that he was still a child.

"I would!"

Ronglin lay back on the ground, his hands tucked beneath his head as he looked at the clear blue sky without a single cloud. He answered firmly.

"If that really happened, I would abandon the mission. Giving up a mission would certainly cause the village considerable losses, but I've always believed that only the living can bring greater value to the village."

"Likewise, I'm not exactly a good person. If anyone dared gossip about me because a mission failed, I'd beat them up for every word they said. Uncle White Fang was a little too weak in that regard.

"Those teammates of his were not qualified to carry out missions with him in the first place, yet they still dared to criticize him. If it were me, I'd beat you senseless every time I saw you from then on."

"Of course, the village's losses still need to be compensated for."

"Do you really think that?"

"Of course!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Ronglin sensed that something was wrong. The voice sounded somewhat like Kakashi's, but Kakashi's voice still had the childish softness of a child who had not yet gone through puberty. This voice, however, sounded somewhat weathered and hoarse. It was clearly not Kakashi's.

Ronglin was instantly startled and sprang up from the ground.