Faced with Uchiha Chi's barrage of questions.
Kakashi pressed his lips tightly together.
He had never actually considered so many questions.
What he had thought about most was whether his father's actions back then had been right or wrong.
His father had chosen to abandon the mission and save his comrades.
Yet after returning to the village, he had been blamed by the villagers. Even the comrades he had saved had turned around and questioned him.
Because of that, Kakashi believed his father had been wrong.
So, in the first two squads he had joined, he had been able to disregard his teammates' safety in order to complete the mission.
But as Uchiha Chi's string of questions came crashing down on him, Kakashi suddenly realized that his thoughts had been somewhat immature, both in breadth and depth.
Had Father... considered these questions too?
Then why, in the end, had he still been criticized by others?
Kakashi's mind was in chaos.
"Tell me, Kakashi. Can you bear those responsibilities?"
"..."
"Look me in the eyes and answer me!"
"..."
Kakashi took a deep breath, forcing himself to meet Uchiha Chi's gaze. He stubbornly squeezed out words from his stiff throat. "I can..."
But Uchiha Chi cut him off directly.
"You can't!"
Uchiha Chi sneered. "By then, you'll already be dead in the Pure Land, with grass over your grave taller than a person. How could you possibly bear any responsibility?"
Kakashi said nothing, merely staring coldly at Uchiha Chi.
A few seconds passed.
"Enough nonsense." Kakashi looked away and clenched his fists. "You don't understand anything."
Seeing the atmosphere between them grow increasingly icy, Yūhi Kurenai's palms began to sweat.
Yūhi Kurenai opened her mouth, wanting to say something to ease the tension. Otherwise, their squad would be finished on the