Kakashi's Heart Knot

The shadows have left.

Their first task was to destroy the soul of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and condemn him to the Animal Path.

As for whether the task would go smoothly, Naruto wasn't worried. Although those Kage had seemed silent and cautious during the conversation, their strength was undeniable.

First Hokage, Second Hokage, Second Tsuchikage, Second Mizukage, Third Raikage, Uchiha Izuna.

He silently counted these names in his mind, and the "high-level combat force guards" of the Pure Land were thus resolved.

As for whether Uchiha Madara would disobey or harbor rebellious intentions—such questions were not even worth considering for Naruto; it was merely a matter of a single thought.

"Alright, Naruto..." A gentle voice came from beside him, interrupting Naruto's thoughts.

He turned his head, Uchiha Satsuki was standing beside him, his eyes, now pure black, shining brightly as he looked at him, a familiar, heart-pounding expectation hidden deep within them.

"Now that the matter is resolved..." Her voice was very low, so low that only the two of them could hear it.

"Shall we go back... and continue?"

"...!!!" Naruto's body trembled violently.

"Cough cough--!"

Naruto coughed twice, trying to cover up his lapse in composure.

"Satsuki, Satsuki..."

His gaze drifted elsewhere without him noticing, then quickly returned to Satsuki's expectant face.

"Wait a minute..."

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound steady. "There's still one guy whose problem needs to be solved."

Satsuki blinked.

Naruto continued, speaking much faster than usual. "Of course, I'm not doing this for him—I'm doing it for Kakashi-sensei!"

"Kakashi-sensei is still in the dark... We need to arrange a meeting between them to help Kakashi-sensei resolve his inner conflict..."

That's right, that's exactly it.

It's definitely not because we need to slow down.

He told himself that.

A body at the Six Paths level truly wouldn't be exhausted by "that kind of thing." Chakra wouldn't run out, stamina wouldn't be depleted, and even dark circles wouldn't appear under the eyes.

but--

Images from the past few days flashed uncontrollably through Naruto's mind: the amusement park, the movie theater, the bridal shop, the maid café, and then... and then...

I can't think about it anymore!

He shook his head vigorously.

Satsuki kept demanding... and he... couldn't help himself... The key was, he couldn't refuse either, but if he continued to indulge in that kind of thing—he would really fall into depravity.

"Oh," came Satsuki's voice, obedient and without any disappointment.

She nodded gently, her bright eyes curving into a faint smile. "Alright then."

Her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly to the sky outside the hall, which was beginning to turn red—the "sun" that Naruto this Pure Land, now slowly setting in the west, dyeing the entire grassland a warm orange-red.

"Anyway..." Her voice was as soft as a feather, "... it'll be evening soon."

"...!!!"

Naruto's body froze again.

He gazed at Satsuki's calm, obedient profile, at the faint curve of her lips, and at her dark eyes that, though turned to the window, still held a burning intensity in his gaze.

At night, the Konoha Village is dotted with scattered lights in its streets and alleys.

In the center of the village, the noren (traditional curtain) of a small tavern swayed gently in the night breeze. Through the half-open sliding door, one could see the warm yellow light inside and hear the hushed conversations of a few scattered customers.

Sitting by the window, Hatake Kakashi put down his chopsticks and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Oh... I'm full."

He raised his hand and lazily waved to the person next to him. "Thank you for the treat, Yamato. I'll leave the bill to you."

Sitting next to him was a young man with brown, short hair. He wore Forehead Protector headband with the distinctive mask style of the Konoha Anbu.

He is Konoha, the only Ninja in Yamato who can currently use the Wood Release technique.

Upon hearing this, Yamato's tone was clearly reluctant. "Why? In this situation, shouldn't it be the senior who settles the bill?"

"A man I acknowledge—" Kakashi leaned back in his chair, speaking in a lazy yet strangely earnest tone, "Has no distinction between senior and junior."

"However, among the younger generation, you are the only man I truly acknowledge."

"...!!!" Yamato's eyes widened instantly.

Then—"Boss! The bill!"

A moment later.

Thank you for your patronage!

The owner's booming voice came from the counter.

Kakashi remained seated, watching the retreating figure of his junior who had readily gone to pay after being praised a couple of times. A satisfied smile appeared in the one eye that was visible.

"What an easy junior to please," he thought to himself.

I saved money on another meal.

He stretched, stood up from his seat, and prepared to leave the tavern, go home, make himself a cup of tea, and then slowly drift off to sleep while reading.

What a perfect night.

With that thought in mind, he stepped toward the door.

Then.

"Yo, Kakashi-sensei." A familiar voice rang in his ear without warning. "So you're here."

Kakashi paused slightly, turned his head, and saw two figures standing side by side under the night light outside the noren curtain.

The one in front, with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a familiar, sunny smile—was none other than his worry-free disciple, Uzumaki Naruto.

The one behind him, with black hair and black eyes, and a face as cold as frost, stood quietly beside Naruto —it was another disciple who wasn't so easy to deal with, Uchiha Satsuki.

"Oh? Naruto?"

Kakashi's tone held a hint of surprise, but it was quickly replaced by his usual nonchalance. "Congratulations on your marriage, but it's strange—shouldn't you be on your honeymoon at this time?"

"What do you want?"

"Kakashi- senpai."

A voice came from behind Kakashi.

Yamato had already paid the bill and followed. His gaze fell on the two figures opposite him, especially lingering on the blond youth for a moment, before turning to Kakashi.

"You're with... oh?" His eyes widened slightly. "Could this be...?"

"Yes, that's right." Kakashi nodded. "Yamato, this is my disciple—and also the Fifth Generation's personal disciple, Uzumaki Naruto."

He paused, a hint of teasing in his voice. "He's a better Ninja than you, you know."

"...!"

Yamato's gaze fell on the blond youth again.

At the same moment, Naruto looked at him, at that face, that brown buzz cut, that Forehead Protector with a face shield, and those gentle yet capable eyes.

"Yamato... Captain?"

Naruto instinctively called out that name.

"Yamato?" However, upon hearing this name, Yamato's eyes showed a hint of doubt. "Who is that?"

"Ah, sorry." Naruto snapped out of his daze, scratched the back of his head, and gave an embarrassed smile.

"I've mistaken you for someone else. Are you Kakashi-sensei's junior?"

(The next chapter is about Kakashi, Rin, and Obito meeting... What else is there to write about in the Pure Land? Readers, please feel free to give me your suggestions.)