Leaf Hospital, Kakashi's hospital room.
The invincible Kakashi had been hospitalized again!
The afterglow of sunset spilled in along the window frame, dyeing the frosted glass a warm, mellow orange.
Kakashi wore a blue-and-white hospital gown and half-reclined against a fluffy cushion, a book spread open across his knees—The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.
Kakashi had withdrawn back to the village with the Mist Village Army. The process had been fairly easy; he had been carried back as a wounded patient.
Though he was Konoha's youngest Jonin, he really was fragile. Youth was great—one touch and he was out cold.
Kakashi read Jiraiya's inspirational novel. The novel's protagonist was called "Naruto," and the main story was about Naruto resisting the wars of the Ninja World and the Curse of Hatred with his Resilient Will.
Kakashi closed the book, then stared at the off-white ceiling. The story was inspirational, but Kakashi felt nothing about it.
Now, whenever he closed his eyes, he would remember the day Obito was pinned beneath that Big Rock.
"Rin, take my left eye... along with the optic nerve, and Transplant it to Kakashi. Let it be... my gift to congratulate him on becoming a Jonin."
"Kakashi, I'll become your eye and help you see the future."
"Obito!"
Kakashi clenched his fist hard and punched the clay jar with flowers beside him. With a bang, the jar shattered, and Kakashi's palm started bleeding too.
But Kakashi did not care about the injury on his hand. He lowered his head, tears streaming down as he said, "Why? Why didn't I cherish you sooner, Obito?"
People only learned to cherish something after they had lost it!
After White Fang died, Kakashi had become the mission-above-all Cold-blooded Kakashi.
There was no trust in his eyes for his comrades, only