"I can do it, Lord Third."
"Cloud Ninja missions aren't exactly grueling."
Kakashi nodded. He showed no sign of reluctance.
Kakashi was still a diligent workhorse, not yet as lazy as he would become later.
He'd already handled plenty of tough missions during the Third Ninja War. After winning such a decisive victory, this mission would feel even easier.
"Then I'll leave this mission to you..."
"But I have one thing to remind you."
"If you run into something you can't handle, don't push yourself."
"Your life and your comrades' lives are the most important."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned serious as he warned him.
Kakashi had a protagonist's luck and was probably no less capable than Naruto and Sasuke. That was one reason Sarutobi Hiruzen had repeatedly entrusted him with important missions.
Still, he had to make an effort to win Kakashi over and draw closer to him.
At his words, Kakashi was moved beneath his mask.
He had already emerged from the shadow of his father's suicide and understood the Will of Fire: that comrades were what mattered most.
But hearing it from Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, made it all the more meaningful.
"The Konoha I lead from now on..."
"Won't have any more missions that can only be completed through sacrifice."
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew how much those words meant, and promised that the Konoha he led from then on would be entirely different.
"Yes, sir!"
Kakashi stood at attention and bowed. The lifeless look in his eyes had given way to a renewed brightness.
The Third Hokage of the past would usually have dodged questions like this instead of answering Kakashi directly.
Forcing subordinates to choose between completing a mission and making a sacrifice was itself a sign of incompetence.
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes now, even a