The Truth × Taking a Master

"No matter how you train, you must learn to balance work and rest; going too far is as bad as not going far enough."

"Going too far is as bad as not going far enough, huh?"

Kakashi suddenly thought of the face of Nara Dan, and felt a warm current pass through his heart.

After his father died, it had been a long time since he had been cared for so deeply and concretely. Before this, whether it was his supervising Jonin or the Third, their concern for him was more out of official duty, worrying that he would be unable to inherit the so-called Will of Fire.

True concern for him as a person, however, was rare.

Do not underestimate the sensitivity of a child; when it comes to emotions, children are often more capable of perceiving sincerity than adults.

Especially a genius child like Kakashi.

The nurse smiled gently as well. For a cute, injured child, it is easy for a woman to feel a surge of maternal love.

"That's right, but you don't need to worry too much. Rest well, and remember not to engage in overly intense training; your body will recover slowly."

"Understood."

Kakashi nodded upon hearing this, remained silent for a moment, and then blurted out two more words.

"Thank you."

This was a word he had never said before. Furthermore, he would not have listened to such advice in the past, nor would he have felt the sensation of being cared for so clearly—it felt so good.

It was evident that after his exchange of thoughts with Nara Dan, his heart had been comforted to a certain degree, and he was no longer as closed off as he once was.

"Hahaha."

Seeing Kakashi's conflicted expression, which was quite adorable, the nurse covered her mouth and laughed, unable to resist patting Kakashi's soft, white hair.

Under normal circumstances, Kakashi would naturally have dodged. Even now that his defenses were down, no tsundere child would willingly let someone pat their head.

But Kakashi did not pay attention to the nurse; instead, he looked behind her with a surprised expression.

The nurse also reacted and quickly looked behind her.

"Ah! Third!"

The nurse quickly stood up and bowed.

The Third waved his hand and smiled.

"You may leave first; I would like to chat with Kakashi for a while."

"Yes."

Not daring to delay, the nurse quickly walked out of the room, her face flushed and embarrassed, feeling that her previous actions had been somewhat impolite.

The Third naturally did not mind the nurse's behavior; on the contrary, seeing this scene made him feel somewhat gratified.

It seems that fellow Dan has something special about him.

Kakashi looks much better.

Just as mentioned earlier, if his defenses had not been lowered, something like letting a woman pat his head would have been absolutely impossible for Kakashi.

"How are you getting along with your new supervising Jonin?"

The Third asked kindly. He had received news from the hospital yesterday that Kakashi had been admitted. He had originally thought it was due to an injury, but later learned that it was Nara Dan who had sent Kakashi to treat his hidden wounds.

"How is Nara Dan? Is he a very powerful ninja?"

Kakashi nodded and said in a low voice, "Like my father, he is a man of unfathomable depth."

The Third keenly noticed the mention of "father" in Kakashi's words, because ever since the White Fang committed suicide, Kakashi had not referred to him as father, often using "he" as a substitute.

The Third agreed, as his own understanding of Nara Dan was equally profound.

"That's right. Compared to the White Fang, Dan is his equal."

"More importantly, what makes Dan powerful is not just his strength, but his character."

"This man seems to never experience the emotion of confusion; he only ever moves forward with courage and vigor."

"I hope you can learn a lot from him, Kakashi."

The Third spoke earnestly, wanting to encourage Kakashi further, completely unaware that Kakashi's mindset was currently veering off the path he desired.

"I will."

Kakashi said seriously. Although his tone remained cold, there was a new, profound light in his eyes, as if his soul had come alive.

"I will learn well from Teacher Nara."

"Third. How do you view the death of my father?"

Suddenly, Kakashi shifted the topic and asked abruptly.

The Third was stunned for a moment, never expecting Kakashi to ask such a question, but as a qualified politician, his reaction was extremely swift.

"I deeply regret the death of the White Fang; he was an exceptionally outstanding ninja."

"Even my three disciples could not compare to him."

On one hand, the Third felt a sense of relief, relieved that Kakashi dared to face the issue of his father directly, but he was also somewhat worried, not knowing how to explain it, or rather, not knowing how to distance himself from the situation.

He needed to come up with an explanation that Kakashi could accept, while simultaneously swaying him.

"The death of the White Fang was also my fault; I did not realize the severity of the problem."

"I also never imagined that the White Fang would go so far as to atone for his sins with his own life."

"Is that so."

Kakashi fell silent once again.

If it were the old him, he might have believed or misunderstood these words, but now, he seemed capable of sensing something beyond the words themselves.

What the Third was saying undoubtedly established that the White Fang was guilty, that he should not have ignored the mission for the sake of his comrades, but that his crime did not warrant death.

In short, the death of the White Fang had nothing to do with the Third, nothing to do with Konoha, and was merely an accident.

It was just a slick political explanation; intuitively, this was not the answer Kakashi wanted.

Kakashi also understood that this was not the real truth.

"Then, thank you, Lord Third."

Sensing the subtle change in Kakashi's mood, the Third instinctively felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, so he could only laugh it off.

"Then you should rest well and not overexert yourself."

With that, the Third exited the hospital room.

After watching the Third leave, Kakashi looked out the window at the bustling prosperity of Konoha, where the aroma of the villagers' meals drifted slowly through the air.

Kakashi let out a long sigh, his eyes flashing with a resolute light; although he still did not know the truth about his father's affairs.

He had regained a principle from Nara Dan.

'You must endure, you must grow stronger.'

'One day, I will make you all answer me with the truth.'

Meanwhile, Nara Dan had finally waited for the person he wanted to see.

Or rather, he had long anticipated that the person he was waiting for would come.

This was a certain intuition formed when the body was developed to a certain degree, used to foresee danger or the direction of certain events.

It was just like the saying: the cicada senses the autumn before it even arrives.

"You want to take me as your master?"

Nara Dan looked at Hyuga Nana, who was kneeling before him, with an expressionless face, revealing neither joy nor anger at her request.

A formal apprenticeship was naturally different from the relationship between a Genin and a Jonin instructor.

The relationship between a Genin and a Jonin instructor was more instructional, largely defined by the missions assigned by the Hokage, and they often could not even choose one another.

But a formal apprenticeship was not merely instructional; it was like the Third and the Sannin, or Minato and Jiraiya, involving a comprehensive inheritance of ninjutsu, philosophy, and political standing.

It could be said that, in many cases, the master-disciple relationship in the Ninja World was far more reliable than that of a father and son.

Still the same, please recommend, please keep reading.

Don't let the chapters pile up, don't, don't!!