"After all these years, you still haven't improved much. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed!"
Uzumaki Kuming sighed as his gaze moved between Kakashi and Obito Uchiha. There was no doubt that he had completely changed their lives, but even he didn't know whether the changes had been for better or worse.
At least in terms of their current strength, they were far behind where they had been in the original world. Under normal circumstances, Kakashi and Obito would have experienced Rin Nohara's death during the Third Shinobi World War, awakening their Mangekyō Sharingan. Even at barely more than ten years old, the power of their Mangekyō would have let them fight on par with the Kage.
But now, Kakashi still had both eyes, and Obito hadn't lost Rin. It seemed their potential hadn't been fully realized. Judging by their Chakra, Kuming couldn't sense even the slightest pressure from either of them. He couldn't detect a hint of a strong fighter in them.
"Fourth Hokage, you really are the Fourth Hokage!"
Rin Nohara seemed to have confirmed Kuming's identity and cried out in delight. She didn't care at all about what he had just said. To Rin, strength wasn't important.
"What about you three? Have you stopped training all these years? Have you started coasting under Konoha's protection?" Kuming ignored Rin and addressed Kakashi and Obito.
"No, of course not!"
"We're getting stronger every moment. We're completely different from the people we used to be!"
Kakashi seemed to understand what Kuming meant and replied firmly, his muscles tensing. Their long-lost Hokage seemed to have high expectations of them, but apparently didn't recognize their strength. Kakashi, whose pride ran deep, couldn't accept that.
"Kakashi's right. I'm not the person I used to be, either. I've gotten a lot stronger!"