Kakashi, Root

Land of Water.

Zetsu brought the message from Konan requesting a meeting.

"That little girl is still very uneasy about you."

In the dim room, Zetsu said in a hoarse voice, "She wants to know why you didn't go to reclaim the Uchiha clan."

Obito's face darkened beneath his mask.

Did I not go?

That brat didn't even let me finish a sentence before attacking. If I hadn't been cautious, I would have really fallen into his hands!

Afterward, he had secretly checked on the Uchiha compound, but with Fugaku guarding it, Obito dared not make a move without knowing the specifics of his Mangekyō.

If it happened to be a lethal visual genjutsu, he would be in deep trouble.

Plus, he had been busy dealing with matters in the Land of Water, so the Uchiha affair was temporarily shelved.

Regardless, now that they were gathered in the Land of Whirlpools, they were easier to monitor than when they were in Konoha.

Speaking to Zetsu, who knew his true identity, Obito was less guarded: "Now is not the time to act. We must first determine the nature of Fugaku's Mangekyō ability."

Click...

He removed his mask, revealing a face half-covered in twisted scars, and gritted his teeth: "The problem now is Jiraiya. Why on earth did that bastard have to come to the Land of Water!"

He had been doing just fine in Kirigakure, implementing the Bloody Mist Village policy and the extermination of Kekkei Genkai clans, when suddenly Jiraiya popped up and actually joined the Resistance Army of the bloodline families!

Is he insane? Is it reasonable to just meddle in another country's affairs so casually!

But then he remembered how Jiraiya had managed to stay in the Land of Rain for years during the war...

"Jiraiya..."

Zetsu pondered for a moment: "Can't you use the name of the Fourth Mizukage to drive him out?"

Obito shook his head, his voice deep: "My ocular power suffered quite a loss during the battle with the Fourth... and that detestable brat. It hasn't recovered yet."

"I can only barely control Karatachi Yagura right now. If a fight breaks out, he might break through my control."

"However, I have already put pressure on the Feudal Lord and Konoha. If Jiraiya doesn't leave, I will declare war on Konoha directly!"

After a moment of silence, Zetsu spoke: "If it really comes to it, killing Yagura and withdrawing from the Land of Water wouldn't be a big deal. Nagato's development of the Rinnegan isn't sufficient yet, and the plan isn't ready to be initiated anyway."

"No!"

Obito's crimson eyes shone with bone-deep hatred.

"After what they did... I must make Kirigakure pay the price!"

"Fine... just be careful not to get injured again. I told you back then not to go looking for the Yellow Flash..."

"Enough. Tell Konan I have my own plans. They just need to worry about themselves."

Obito sneered: "They are nothing but puppets under my control. Do they really think they can order me around!"

Zetsu's body slowly sank into the ground, his final words echoing: "Very well... after all, you are 'Madara' now."

--

--

Konoha.

Before the Memorial Stone.

Kakashi removed the withered stems and replaced them with fresh flowers.

Only this time, he had to pay his respects not just to his dear friends, but also to his teacher.

He had always been haunted by the deaths of Rin and Obito, and the Fourth Hokage, in an attempt to comfort him, had assigned him as Kushina's bodyguard.

But...

The Fourth and Kushina had also died on that night.

This made him feel more and more like someone who shouldn't exist, someone whose survival only brought misfortune to others.

How... exactly is a ninja supposed to die?

Why wasn't it me who died back then...

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He turned to see a one-armed old man with half his face wrapped in bandages.

Seeing the old man walking straight toward him, Kakashi frowned slightly: "Lord Danzo... you shouldn't be appearing here right now."

He had attended the Jonin meeting and was very clear about the disciplinary actions taken against Danzo.

Why would Danzō, who was supposed to be confined to his estate, appear here?

Of course, it's because that fellow Hiruzen is busy dealing with the chaos and fending off Cloud Hidden ninjas constantly probing for intelligence, so this old man slipped out.

Just because he ordered me confined, I have to obey? Are there few times I haven't listened to him?

Shimura Danzō sneered, "That is not important. I have come to invite you to join Root."

Kakashi picked up the bucket used for watering the gravestones and brushed past him, "Sorry, the Hokage has granted me leave. I intend to rest for a while."

After Kakashi had walked some distance away, Shimura Danzō spoke unhurriedly, "Do you not wish to know the truth behind the deaths of Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and even the Fourth Hokage?"

Kakashi stopped in his tracks.

To this, it was impossible for him to remain indifferent.

"The truth... what do you mean by that?"

Shimura Danzō narrowed his single eye and spoke slowly, "As Uchiha Obito's closest friend, do you know how he was different from other Uchiha?"

After a moment of silence, Kakashi said, "He was... more passionate, more of an idiot... and cherished his comrades more."

"No, it is that he became the Fourth's disciple!"

Shimura Danzō continued, "The current situation makes it clear: the Uchiha clan harbors wolfish ambitions and has long been prepared to defect as a whole."

"The position of Hokage has always been passed down between master and student. Namikaze Minato carved out a great reputation on the battlefield and was very likely to become the Fourth."

"With an Uchiha so close to the Hokage's faction, how do you think they would handle that?"

Shimura Danzō deliberately left his words hanging, leaving room for Kakashi's imagination.

"But..."

Kakashi thought of a point to refute Shimura Danzō and shouted angrily, "It was clearly you who forced the Uchiha clan to break away from the village! Clan Head Fugaku had a very good relationship with my teacher, and he even went against tradition to allow me to keep Obito's eye!"

"That was merely their means of deceiving the Fourth."

Danzō sneered, "Did Hiruzen not tell you? That night... it was the Sharingan that controlled the Nine-Tails!"

!!

Although Kakashi was already a Jōnin, he had been forced to go to the shelter with his peers during the night of the Nine-Tails, so he was unaware of this fact.

"No one understands the Uchiha better than this old man. They are a clan with incredibly twisted and insane hearts. Because of their uniquely evil bloodline, they will sooner or later cause great harm to those around them."

"Uchiha Madara was like that in the past. The First Hokage trusted him so much and invited him to join Konoha, but what did he do?"

"He betrayed Konoha, and the current Uchiha clan is the same."

"They are a group of monsters that cannot be tamed. I forced them? No, I am merely inheriting the will of the Second Hokage to guard against the Uchiha!"

Kakashi lowered his head, and it was a long time before he spoke, "That's not true... Obito wasn't like that..."

"And yet he died, didn't he?"

Danzō clearly saw the darkness rising within Kakashi and added fuel to the fire, "The Sharingan has a suppressive effect on Tailed Beasts. Does this Nine-Tails incident not remind you of something?"

"In the past, they tried to use the Three-Tails to do this to Konoha!"

"Now they are gathered in the Land of Whirlpools, which is the place closest to the Land of Water..."

Rin...

Kakashi's body trembled as he looked down at his own hands, as if they were stained with Rin's blood once again.

"Kakashi, the root cause of all your suffering is that clan!"

"They will surely find you and reclaim the eye your best friend left you."

"Join Root, and this old man will stand with you to oppose them."