Roka: Why Did You Leave Konoha Back Then?

On the damp dirt road, the two groups faced each other at a distance that wasn't far, but enough for a ninja to see every subtle expression.

What should have been a short distance felt like an entire five years to Kakashi.

From the morning five years ago when he learned that Kou had suddenly "disappeared," all the way to the dirt road in this Land of Water beneath his feet.

"Ah, oh cassine (How strange)~"

Obito tilted his head, deliberately widening the single eye in the only hole of his Spiral Mask, and shouted comically:

"We're in the Land of Water, yet we run into Konoha ninjas, and there's even a Mist Village ninja mixed in... What a strange combination!"

He turned to look at Kou beside him, his tone full of deep curiosity:

"Hey, Senior Kou! Are those guys from Konoha acquaintances of yours?"

Kou completely ignored the "drama queen" beside him, focusing his gaze on Kakashi and Guy in front of him, tilting his head slightly and putting on a surprised expression:

"Ah, it is indeed an acquaintance of mine from my time in Konoha. I never expected to run into him here."

Kakashi stared intently at Koko, who appeared relaxed, his heart filled with indescribable complex emotions.

Kou, who was in his early twenties, was even more upright than I remembered. Although his Black Cloak with Red Clouds was very loose, it could not hide his strong body, which had been honed by countless battles.

The features of that face were no longer as childish as I remembered, but had become more rugged and free-spirited.

Five years have passed, and the boy standing before me is no longer the one I remember.

But the moment his gaze met his, Kakashi still felt that he was looking into the same pair of eyes.

"Knock..."

Kakashi stood there, his hands clenched tightly without him even noticing.

He had too many questions in his mind:

Why did Kou suddenly appear on this dirt road in the Land of Water?

Was this a coincidence, or was it something he had planned all along?

Why did he leave without saying goodbye in the middle of the night five years ago?

Why, all these years, has he not contacted any of them...?

These questions had been weighing on my mind for far too long, to the point that they had become a deep-seated obsession.

But now, across the dirt road illuminated by shards of light, looking at that face that was both familiar and unfamiliar, he realized...

He couldn't utter a single word.

Ahead on the dirt road, the complex emotions in Kakashi's eyes were fully revealed.

He knew perfectly well what Kakashi was thinking at that moment.

Kou has a very clear understanding of the extent of harm that his sudden departure caused to those who trusted him.

"But... at that time, I really had no other way to go."

He sighed silently in his heart, then shifted his gaze to Kakashi's side, to the figure that had been trembling slightly since earlier.

He curved the corners of his mouth into a smile, giving Kai a smile he tried to make as natural as possible:

"Oh! Is that Kai? It's been so long..."

"Knock--Is it really you?! My dearest friend!!!"

Kai couldn't help but shout loudly, tears streaming down his cheeks like a stream.

His body reacted faster than his mind; he bent his knees slightly and lunged towards the direction of the knock.

"Aaaaaah--Let me embrace this dreamlike reunion with my youthful energy!!!"

Kai:ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!

Kakashi: ꒰꒪꒫꒪⌯꒱

KO:(ʘ̅ д ʘ̅)!!!

Obito: (*´◐∀◐`*) Moron

In the fraction of a second that Kai slightly bent his knees, Obito made his judgment.

His figure flickered and vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next moment, he scrambled to a spot not far away, clutching his head while watching with schadenfreude the expression on Kou's face, which looked as if he had eaten feces.

With wide eyes, he stared at the green figure in mid-air, arms outstretched, tears streaming down its face, hurtling towards him at a speed completely defying aerodynamics, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

He reflexively gave Obito behind him. The middle finger was raised extremely quickly, his body reacting instinctively before his mind could process it!

Body Flicker Technique!!

Just as Kou was about to make contact with Kai, his figure vanished from the spot.

"Thump!!"

Might Guy, Mamba out!

Kai's arms missed their target in mid-air, and his face landed first, crashing to the ground like Lao Da plane crash, kicking up a small circle of dust.

Almost at the same moment Kai landed face-first on the ground, Kouchi appeared beside Obito.

He gripped the tree trunk with one hand, and let out a long sigh of relief, still shaken.

"That was close, I almost got covered in snot."

Kabuto stood at the edge of the dirt road, calmly looking at Kai, who was sprawled on the ground.

His expression remained completely unchanged; he was clearly numb.

Kabuto calmly shifted his gaze from Kai to the young man standing beside the tree trunk, dressed in Black Cloak with Red Clouds.

He turned his head slightly and asked Kakashi beside him in a low voice:

"Mr. Kakashi, is that person Uchiha Kuro?"

Kakashi looked at Koko and nodded heavily.

"Ah, the speed of that Body Flicker Technique..."

Kakashi took a deep breath, turned his gaze away from Koko, and said with a firm tone:

"Without a doubt... he is Uchiha Kuro!"

Kai lifted his head from the ground, covered in dirt and grime, and a bright smile spread across his mud-smeared face.

He raised a thumbs-up in the direction of the knock, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

"How could you so cleanly and decisively dodge the embrace of my youth, an embrace filled with five years of longing! You truly are my lifelong friend!!!"

"You, you really are as energetic as ever, Kai."

He looked ahead and fell face-first into the mud, but still smiled and praised his bowl cut hairstyle, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

He bent down, pulled the Inazuma planted in the ground from the soil, carefully brushed the dirt off the sword, and then sheathed it.

After completing the action, he stood up straight again, smiled at Kai, and asked:

"How's Uncle Dai doing lately? I remember before I left Konoha, he told me he'd been working hard to prepare for the Chunin Ninja Exams."

Five years have passed. He should be Chunin by now... no, he should be Jonin by now, right?

Upon hearing Kou's question, Kai immediately sprang to his feet.

After he regained his footing, he gave Chao Kou two thumbs-up, and his smile widened even further.

"Ah! Dad's doing great now! Three years ago, he finally passed the Chunin Ninja Exams and is now a Taijutsu Teacher at the Ninja Academy, igniting the spirit of Konoha's new generation with his inextinguishable youthful passion every day!!"

"Huh? Teacher? Uncle Dai?!"

Kou Man shouted in surprise, his calm expression instantly crumbling.

An image uncontrollably flashed through his mind of the Konoha 12, dressed in green bodysuits, running laps in a line on the streets of Konoha, chanting the slogan "Youth".

Kou couldn't help but shiver, silently lighting a candle in his heart for the next generation of Konoha.

"Ah! Dad said that a kid he really likes recently enrolled at school!"

I've met that kid too, and I think he has the potential to become the fourth official member of our Konoha Boys!

If you meet that child, you'll definitely like him too! His name is...

Kai became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing with his hands in the air to show the child's approximate height and appearance.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he froze, then began shaking his head frantically.

No, no!! This isn't the time to talk about these things!!

My youthful spirit won't allow me to be distracted at this most important moment!

Kaiqiang suppressed the overwhelming joy and excitement of reuniting with his best friend.

He then raised his head and stared directly at Kou's face with his strikingly bright eyes:

"Knock! Come back with us!"

Me, Dad, Kakashi, and everyone in the village who has always thought about you...

We all miss you so much! We...

"No need to say anything, Kai."

A deep, restrained voice slowly cut off Kai's words.

Kai suddenly turned his head and looked at Kakashi beside him.

Kakashi didn't look at him; the eye that was visible outside the Forehead Protector was quietly and motionlessly fixed on the front.

Kai opened his mouth reluctantly, his voice carrying a rare hint of urgency and resentment:

"But Kakashi, we finally managed to see Kotori after so much trouble! We..."

"Kai."

Kakashi interrupted him again.

This time, he looked in Kai's direction with a complicated expression and gently shook his head.

The movement was extremely light, yet it was like a bucket of cold water poured onto Kaina's still burning chest.

Kakashi shifted his gaze back to Koko, his voice steady and restrained, but beneath that calmness lay an undercurrent that only those who truly knew him could perceive:

"Didn't we already know the answer from Lord Jiraiya?"

Kai froze, and he subconsciously looked up at Kou not far away.

At this moment, Kou Zheng stood quietly beside the tree trunk, his right hand still resting on the hilt of Inazuma's sword.

Obito, who was behind him, stopped pretending to be crazy and simply stood quietly beside Koko.

Kou's expression was very calm, so calm that Kai could read the unspoken answer in the faint curve of his lips.

Kai opened his mouth, but the sound got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

This man, who seemed to be forever passionate, lowered his head heavily at this moment.

Kou listened quietly to Kakashi's words, taking in both his and Kai's expressions.

After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly and calmly:

"Really? So Jiraiya- Teacher has already returned to Konoha."

He paused for a moment, then smiled at Kakashi and Guy.

The smile was faint, yet it sent a shiver down Kakashi and Guy's spines.

"Well... we probably have nothing more to say now."

Hearing Koko's deliberately distant words, Kakashi felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart, but he neither lowered his head nor looked away.

"No."

Kakashi looked into Koko's eyes and said earnestly:

"There's a question I'd like you to answer for me personally."

Even now... this question is no longer meaningful.

There was no response to the knock, nor did he shake his head.

He simply stared back at Kakashi quietly, his dark eyes revealing no emotion.

Kakashi looked into Koko's eyes, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions within him, and asked softly, his voice trembling:

"Why... did you leave Konoha back then?"