Rest × Hospital

But politics went against human nature. If I wanted to take you down, it would be for my own interests—and nothing but my own interests. I could come up with the same excuse over and over without ever repeating myself.

To a ninja, the Will of Fire was an end. To a politician, it was a tool.

Nara Dan figured that even Kakashi, with his intelligence, couldn't have failed to see that. So why hadn't he looked into it or called it out?

The sunk costs were too great: his father, teammates, lover, master, and mistress had all given their lives for the Will of Fire. The price was too high. He had already gone too far to turn back.

But what Nara Dan was doing now was trying to help Kakashi break free of that ideological paradox. He wasn't asking him to weigh right and wrong. Instead, he would simply use strength—or the lack of it—to override those considerations.

He would use a third, stronger idea to break the deadlock between the two.

He might even shatter the emotional image of White Fang in Kakashi's heart and replace it with his own.

That was undoubtedly a simpler and more heavy-handed approach. It might be a good thing for Kakashi, though not necessarily for the Third.

But Nara Dan sneered inwardly.

What did that have to do with him? He would not only repay White Fang for the many pointers he'd given him in life, but also gain a promising future subordinate.

Besides, he was looking forward to seeing just how strong Kakashi could become without being shackled by the Sharingan or the Will of Fire.

After a long while, Kakashi stopped trembling. He raised his head. His mask was gone, revealing a handsome, youthful face.

"Please teach me, Teacher Nara!"

Nara Dan smiled. This was exactly what he'd hoped to achieve.

At that thought, Nara Dan opened his Cheat System.

Hatake Kakashi

Talent Entries:

(Purple) Ninja Talent:

You possess a rare talent for being a ninja, born to the life. Whether it's Taijutsu, ninjutsu, or Genjutsu, everything comes easily to you, and you can even draw inferences from what you learn.

(Purple) Child of Destiny:

You are favored by the world or some other presence, and your fate is destined to be extraordinary. You will usually face many hardships, but always manage to turn danger into safety.

"Hmm?"

Nara Dan wasn't surprised by the first entry. A genius who became a Chunin at six and a Jonin at nine was bound to have exceptional talent.

The only other person whose Talent Entry he'd seen like this was the Third.

The other entry, though, was a little surprising. But after a moment's thought, Nara Dan understood. Given Kakashi's life—the pattern of losing his father, friends, and master—calling him a Child of Destiny wasn't an exaggeration. And Kakashi would go on to make a name for himself; not just anyone could become the Sixth Hokage.

"In that case..."

"Could Uzumaki Naruto have a gold-level Child of Destiny entry?"

As he wondered about this, Nara Dan patted Kakashi on the shoulder and reassured him.

"I'm your instructor. Of course I'll guide you in your training."

Taking the opportunity, he sent a stream of Chakra into Kakashi's body.

Nara Dan frowned. With his knowledge of the human body, he could easily detect that something was wrong with Kakashi.

Good grief. This little six-year-old was riddled with internal injuries. The wear and tear on his body rivaled that of an adult ninja. His muscles and bones weren't the only things damaged; even his internal organs had suffered.

It was undoubtedly the result of Kakashi overtraining.

It looks like the reason Kakashi would later be stuck at the threshold of Kage wasn't just the burden of the Sharingan.

Couldn't the exhaustion of his body's potential from overtraining as a child have played a part, too?

Nara Dan quietly considered the matter.

"But before you train, there's something more important you need to do."

"Something more important?"

Kakashi looked confused. Hadn't he just said that getting stronger was the most important thing?

The puzzled expression on his delicate little face made him look rather cute. For once, he seemed like a child his age.

"Training is training. How can you train if you don't know how to rest?"

"The most important thing for you right now is to rest."

"Rest...?"

Before Kakashi could think it over, drowsiness swept over him. His body felt impossibly heavy, and his eyelids weighed as much as barbells.

He wasn't just physically exhausted; he was emotionally exhausted, too.

Thump! Kakashi's small body fell to the ground.

Nara Dan gently drew back his outstretched hand, withdrawing the Chakra that had been circulating through Kakashi's body at the same time.

He had used Chakra to stimulate specific pressure points in Kakashi's body, allowing him to get some proper rest.

After having his heart broken and then pieced back together, the child needed a rest more than anything.

Nara Dan beckoned a servant over.

"Take him to Konoha Hospital and make sure he gets proper treatment."

Medical care in the Ninja World was highly advanced. Otherwise, how could ninjas who pushed their bodies to the limit in exchange for strength live past sixty?

In Kakashi's condition, the Third surely wouldn't begrudge him the cost of treatment.

Besides, the Third might even be counting on Kakashi to become the next inheritor of the Will of Fire.

Little did he know that Kakashi had already been molded in Nara Dan's image.

The next day, at Konoha Hospital,

A shaft of morning sunlight fell across the hospital bed. Kakashi's handsome little face twitched a few times before he slowly opened his eyes.

"Where... am I?"

Kakashi murmured. He was lying in a pure white bed, and a dew-covered flower on the bedside table was just beginning to bloom.

In a daze, he remembered that the night before, he'd been at Teacher Nara's home. Then he'd passed out and remembered nothing.

Had he slept for a long time?

Kakashi recalled what Teacher Nara had said the night before.

Training is training. How can you train if you don't know how to rest?

It was true. He felt much more relaxed now—not physically, but emotionally.

The old injuries and exhaustion in his body couldn't be healed in a single day.

Kakashi just felt that the burdens weighing on his heart had disappeared, leaving him at ease.

Before, all he'd done was train. White Fang had only ever taught him how to train, and to him, his father and training had been his entire life.

Then his father was gone. Kakashi thought his father had been wrong, and wanted to make up for his father's mistake.

And so he'd kept training, kept chasing after others, never stopping.

"This is Konoha Hospital."

A woman's voice rang out. It was a nurse at Konoha Hospital. She seemed to have been there for a long time, but Kakashi had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed her.

Usually, with Kakashi's nerves so tightly wound, even a bug or a bird's call would make him tense up.

"How are you feeling?"

The nurse spoke gently.

"How long have I been asleep?"

Kakashi answered a different question. His awkward nature hadn't changed overnight.

"Twelve hours."

The nurse didn't seem to mind his attitude. She came over to examine him.

"The doctor said that prolonged physical and psychological strain caused your body to activate its self-preservation mechanism and begin recovering."