Which is more important? I want them all!

"Kakashi, it's not often we find a hot spring this empty. Are you really not going to take a soak?"

Kurenai Yuhi asked.

Kakashi shook his head.

Soaking in a bath?

That would delay his training!

His mind was entirely consumed by the Rasengan; until he mastered it, he wanted nothing else.

Although he could perform a rudimentary version now, he was still a long way from true mastery.

He had to keep working hard!

Kakashi maintained the sphere in his hand, but it quickly lost its stability and dissipated.

He had learned it.

But he hadn't fully mastered it.

Still, he had only been working on it for a few days, which was an incredibly fast learning pace.

Kyohiko was watching from the sidelines.

Seeing this, he walked over immediately.

"Let's go together. The baths are right next to each other, so if anyone attacks, we can look out for one another."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment and asked, "What about them?"

He was naturally referring to the two Mist Ninja.

Kyohiko said, "The teacher is watching them, so don't worry. Come on, let's go chat and relax. You might find it easier to master the technique if you clear your head."

As he spoke, he didn't give Kakashi a chance to choose, heading toward the building on his own.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed his lead.

They grabbed their clothes and removed their masks.

As the two soaked in the inn's hot spring, they felt the exhaustion of the day simply melt away.

However.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi couldn't help but think back to the events of the day.

Just as Kyohiko and the others had said, many missions weren't actually that critical, and a slight delay wouldn't be an issue. But if Kyohiko were to end up like his past self...

He couldn't be like Kyohiko.

Who was right and who was wrong?

He had no answer in his heart, and he felt deeply lost.

Leaning against the stone edge, Kakashi looked up at the starry sky and suddenly spoke.

"Kyohiko."

"Hm?"

Kyohiko was lying in the hot spring, his body quite relaxed, but his mind remained alert to the surroundings. His chakra permeated the steam, ensuring no one was lying in ambush nearby.

When Kakashi spoke, he immediately refocused his attention.

At this moment, Kakashi had sat upright. His face, now free of the mask, was quite refined, yet filled with confusion.

"I don't know how to put it."

"Just talk about whatever's on your mind."

"If you had to choose between a mission and a comrade, which would you pick?"

Kakashi seemed casual, but his upright posture and tense expression revealed that he was not as calm as he appeared.

This question was a continuation of the shadow cast by Hatake Sakumo's suicide.

Kyohiko had to treat it seriously.

He thought for a long time.

He didn't entirely agree with the philosophy Kakashi would adopt in the future.

A "splash" sounded from the wall next door.

Clearly, Kurenai Yuhi was curious about this too and had moved closer to listen in.

Kyohiko said, "I don't think there is a standard answer to this question. As the Second Hokage would say, there are no standard answers to many things in this world."

"How so?"

Kakashi was puzzled, and even more shocked.

Could this question really be linked to the Second Hokage?

According to his past way of thinking, there was only one answer—

The mission is more important!

He had always acted according to this principle in the past.

However.

Recently, various events had gradually given him a new perspective, one that clashed violently with his past understanding.

This was also the reason for his mental unrest.

Kyohiko replied.

"According to the Second Hokage, things are not simply black or white; one must make different choices based on different situations. For instance, in a mission like today's, should I really have abandoned my teammate?"

"..."

Yes.

Kakashi thought to himself.

From the standpoint of his philosophy, anyone who did not contribute to the mission and instead became a burden was undoubtedly trash.

Even if that person happened to be himself, he should be abandoned.

"At the very least, shouldn't one avoid wasting strength on protection?"

"Our squad has the ability to handle both, so why should we abandon anyone?"

"..."

Kakashi was stumped by the question.

He fell into deep thought, recalling some trivial conflicts that had occurred in the two years since his graduation.

That's right.

Why?

He had been stumped by a single question right from the start.

Kakashi was left speechless.

Kurenai Yuhi, sitting nearby, also found Kakashi's line of thinking strange.

Because in her eyes, Kyohiko's choice was a perfectly normal thing!

Shouldn't a ninja be like that?

After a long silence, Kakashi asked, "Then when should the mission take priority?"

"If we are carrying out a mission to save more people, and we were all prepared to sacrifice ourselves before setting out, then in a desperate situation where we can only choose one, I would choose to prioritize the mission."

Kyohiko leaned against a rock.

Missions have varying degrees of importance.

As for the White Fang, while he was indeed overly impulsive, as for the subsequent evolution of public opinion...

Kyohiko also didn't believe there wasn't something fishy going on behind the scenes.

Kakashi's gaze dimmed.

"So, it really should be mission first?"

"???"

Kyohiko tilted his head, looking completely bewildered.

Did I just waste my breath?

He fell silent.

Kakashi had listened for a long time, but nothing had been as effective as that last sentence.

Are you Yuan Shao too?

I give up!

Yet, Kyohiko couldn't comment on the "suicide of the White Fang."

Because the official stance from the higher-ups was that the White Fang died in the line of duty, not by suicide. While jonin naturally had the ability to learn the truth, Kyohiko was not supposed to know.

He could only remain silent.

"Kakashi, you can't get stuck in a dead end!"

Kurenai Yuhi's voice came from nearby.

Kakashi recovered, and after a moment of daze, he remembered what Kyohiko had said earlier—

This matter is not absolute; one cannot go to extremes.

He was silent for a long time before saying, "I'd like to tell a story, would you be willing to listen?"

"Of course."

Kyohiko sat up a bit straighter.

Kakashi said, "Once upon a time, there was a samurai..."

He wove the story of Hatake Sakumo into a tale of an ancient samurai and recounted it.

Afterward, he asked cautiously, "Do you think that samurai did the right thing?"

"He may not have been correct, but regarding this matter, there is one thing I find strange."

Kyohiko's tone was solemn.

Kakashi was taken aback and asked, "What is it?"

"That samurai's companion—if he truly didn't fear death, why did he end up returning to the village alive? If he was truly prepared to die, why didn't he commit suicide upon learning his companion had turned back for him, forcing the samurai to give up on the rescue? Perhaps there would have been enough time to return then?"

Kyohiko asked, feigning confusion.

Kakashi was instantly stunned.

This...

He had never considered that at all!

Kakashi sat there blankly, his mind momentarily reeling; in the past, he had only pondered whether his father was right or wrong, never once considering the situation of the person who had been saved.

That's right!

If that man was so righteous, why didn't he commit suicide back then to force his father to turn back?

"Especially since that person should have known exactly what kind of man the samurai was, right? Otherwise, how could they have become partners?"

"..."

Kakashi blinked, momentarily rendered speechless.

After a while, Kyohiko stood up and dried himself off.

"I don't understand the deeper issues, but I think that samurai was remarkable."

"Why?"

"I've been reading some books lately, and to borrow a shallow interpretation: the problem he faced was, at its core, whether a samurai is a tool or a human being?"

As Kyohiko spoke, his tone was filled with uncertainty, "I have no answer."

"A tool or a human?"

Kakashi muttered to himself.

So that was where the problem lay!

He felt as if he had just woken from a dream, only to fall into a new state of confusion—

Which one was more important?

"Kyohiko, that question is so profound; I never would have thought of it from that angle."

Kurenai Yuhi's voice drifted over from the next partition.

Kyohiko shook his head.

"I just read a lot of books, and they contain similar questions."

"Then what did he do?"

"He established the ninja village and the Ninja Academy, mandating that children must graduate at twelve before participating in missions, which both ensures mission efficiency and protects the lives of the children."

Kyohiko replied.

Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi suddenly understood—

It was the Second Hokage!

"There is also the fact that Lady Tsunade, in her early years, pushed against all opposition to implement the system of accompanying Medical Ninja to reduce casualties."

"Medical Ninja..."

Kakashi's gaze gradually cleared.

Although Kyohiko didn't say it explicitly, he vaguely understood the other's intent.

Both missions and comrades are important!

Ninjas are not tools, and their lives should be valued as well.

After all, Kyohiko's own parents had also died in the war.