Kakashi spoke at length, pouring out all the frustration in his heart. Then he asked earnestly, "Qingye, I'd like to ask you something. If you'd been in the same situation I was in back then, how would you have handled it?"
Qingye nodded slowly but didn't answer right away.
"Before I answer, why don't we ask Guy what he would have done?"
Qingye turned to Might Guy and asked, "Guy, as Kakashi just said, what would you have done if you'd been in that situation?"
"That goes without saying! I'd never abandon my comrades!"
Might Guy clenched his fist without the slightest hesitation.
"But what about afterward?"
Kakashi quickly pressed him.
"There is no afterward!"
"After rescuing my comrade, I'd keep giving it my all to complete the mission!"
"If that caused the mission to fail, it would mean I hadn't trained hard enough. I'd have to work twice as hard from then on!"
"Kakashi, that's what I want to tell you, too. Don't worry so much about what other people think. If someone thinks you did something wrong, just work twice as hard and do better next time."
Might Guy advised him earnestly.
Kakashi opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. All he could do was shake his head with a bitter smile.
He wanted to stop caring, too.
But when so many people criticized him, it was hard not to start doubting himself... He wasn't a single-minded blockhead like Guy.
Qingye was full of admiration, too. "No idle gossip can tarnish Guy's youth and passion. Of course, most of us can't be like Guy."
"So what would you do, Qingye?" Kakashi pressed.
"Well, if it were me, I'd just take out the Iwagakure jonin who kidnapped Rin."
"...?"
Kakashi felt as if someone had doused him with cold water.
Right! He'd almost forgotten!
When he and Obito caught up with the Iwagakure jonin, they'd seen what was left of him. He'd been taken out in an instant!
If Kakashi had been that strong, he probably wouldn't be in this predicament now.
But he wasn't!
Kakashi irritably tugged at his hair.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense." Kakashi suddenly realized something. "My father was strong, too. Didn't he also face a situation where he had to choose between his teammates and the mission?"
He'd made his choice, then returned to the village and been criticized by its people.
Just like Kakashi was now!
"That's because the White Fang of Konoha wasn't strong enough!"
"If you're strong enough, you can protect your teammates and still complete the mission. You can even complete any mission all by yourself."
Kakashi was speechless.
Did that mean he had to surpass his father, and then go even further and surpass the Five Kage?
Was that even possible?
"And besides..." Qingye suddenly smiled. "As long as you're strong enough, even if you can't defeat every enemy you encounter during a mission, at least you can deal with the people who badmouth you."
"...Huh?" Kakashi's mouth fell open.
"And once you get stronger, there'll surely be people who support you, not just people who talk behind your back," Qingye added.
In the original timeline, the Battle of Kannabi Bridge had produced two heroes with the Sharingan.
But now, almost every rumor in the village about Kakashi and Obito was critical of them.
Qingye had no proof, but his gut told him Shimura Danzō was definitely behind it!
"Don't dwell on it too much."
Qingye gave another example. "Look at the First Shinobi World War. There were people who were supposed to act as bodyguards, but they ended up getting the Hokage killed. When they came back, they still had the nerve to act like nothing happened—some went on to become Hokage, and others became elders."
"!"
Kakashi was startled. He quickly glanced around, and only relaxed once he was sure no one else had heard.
Qingye really dared to say anything!
What would happen if the Anbu heard him?
"Instead of wasting time agonizing over this, Kakashi, you should hurry up and improve the Chidori."
"Come on, let's go. When you're feeling down, you should eat something. We're going to Yakiniku Q. My treat today!"
Graveyard of Mountains.
Enormous animal skeletons covered the ground, their bones stark white beneath a spreading coat of moss. Almost no one lived nearby. The place seemed to have been forgotten by the world.
"Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine..."
Obito's right arm suddenly gave out. He lost his balance and toppled onto the bed with a thud.
"Damn it! How long is it going to take me to recover?" Obito fumed.
"Obito, Lord Madara wants you to rest properly."
The White Zetsu beside him grinned. "Considering your condition when we rescued you, half your body had been completely crushed. You're lucky just to be alive."
"I know that!"
Obito snapped back.
But he couldn't wait any longer!
After waking up, he'd met an old man who called himself Uchiha Madara. The man said he'd happened upon Obito and saved him when he was badly injured, and that Obito should stay there and recover first.
He'd been stuck in this dim cave for ages. He didn't even know how much time had passed.
He wanted to go back so badly!
Rin must miss him, too. He couldn't wait to get back and see her!
"Hey, you white guy!"
"My name is White Zetsu."
"I know, I know. I'm asking where that Uchiha Madara went. I haven't seen him for several days, have I?"
Obito still couldn't wrap his head around it.
A man who existed only in history books was somehow still alive—and had even saved him!
If he could learn something from Uchiha Madara and become a lot stronger, he could return to Konoha, and then Rin... Just thinking about it made Obito's heart race.
As they spoke, Uchiha Madara slowly walked in from outside.
"I went out for a while. I also discovered something interesting."
Deep in the cave, part of a huge, grotesque Demonic Statue was faintly visible. After entering, Uchiha Madara had Tobi, the White Zetsu covering him, move aside. Then he inserted a white tube into his body.
Only then did Uchiha Madara relax. He sat down, panting.
"Where did you go? How much longer until I can return to Konoha?"
Obito asked impatiently.
"Return?"
Uchiha Madara suddenly sneered. "Obito, I'm afraid you can't go back anymore. There's no place for you in Konoha now."
As he spoke, a crimson glint flashed in his eye and fixed on Obito.
"Hey, you..."
Obito's body went rigid.
A flood of memories poured into his mind.
These images... were they of the village?
Were they talking about him?
Abandoned the mission? Useless? Not fit to be a ninja?
In an instant, Obito's mind was overwhelmed by accusations. His face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down him.
"How could they say that about me and Kakashi!"
Obito's body shuddered as he came back to himself. He gasped for breath, fists clenched in fury.
Uchiha Madara gave a soft laugh. "What? Were they wrong?"
"..."
Obito was filled with indignation, but he didn't know how to argue back.
"Or did you choose to abandon the mission and rescue your teammate without preparing yourself to face the criticism?"
"Or were you hoping your teacher would hurry back and support you, while helping you finish the mission at the same time?"
"If that had happened, you could have rescued the girl and completed the mission as well... Maybe people would even have called you a hero afterward."
"Unfortunately, Minato Namikaze was just a little too late."
"And you, Obito, will probably bear the blame forever—as a dead man."
Every word Uchiha Madara spoke cut to the bone, pushing Obito to the brink of collapse.
"No!"
"I'm still alive. I'll definitely return to Konoha!"
"I'm going to be Hokage someday, and Rin is waiting for me!"
The image of the lovely girl appeared in Obito's mind, and his resolve gradually strengthened. That's right. Rin will surely wait for me!
Before you continue