Kakashi's Confusion

At this moment, in Kakashi's home, the little silver-haired boy was tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

During the day, he hadn't told Sarutobi Hiruzen what Xuanye had shown him within the genjutsu.

But for Kakashi, whose heart was as cold as a fishmonger's after ten years of slaughter, to be so deeply shaken, it certainly wasn't anything simple.

He couldn't help but recall the scene he saw in the illusion that day: amidst the gossip and rumors of the villagers, his father, Hatake Sakumo, had committed ritual suicide, unable to bear the humiliation.

This event had left a profound psychological scar on young Kakashi, even influencing his future behavior for a time.

A ninja who fails to complete a mission is trash... this had even become one of the creeds of his life.

Before meeting Minato-sensei, Obito, and Rin, Kakashi had lived like a heartless tool for completing missions; whether the tasks came from Root or Anbu, he had performed them with excellence.

Of course, those who died by his hand were mostly ninjas who had defected from the village.

Yet, during the battle at Kannabi Bridge, after Rin was abducted, a single sentence from Obito had completely awakened him.

A ninja who fails to complete a mission is trash, but a ninja who does not cherish their comrades is even worse than trash.

He didn't know which of these two viewpoints was correct, because shortly thereafter, tragedy struck Obito, and Rin died by his own hand.

Logically speaking, a ninja using such psychological warfare could hardly be called despicable.

But during a spar between ninjas of the same village, using such tactics to rub salt into another's wounds was, to some extent, going too far.

Yet, Kakashi did not resent Xuanye.

Because at the very moment the genjutsu was about to be dispelled, Xuanye had conveyed a single sentence to him.

If you want to know the truth about your father's suicide, come find me.

Reason told Kakashi that Xuanye was merely playing mind games, and that everything in the genjutsu was fake.

Because Xuanye was about the same age as him; when his father committed suicide, the other boy might not have even graduated from the Ninja Academy, so how could he possibly know the truth behind his father's death?

The Uchiha clan was even less likely, as the higher-ups of Konoha had always been extremely wary of them, often excluding them from direct participation in major affairs.

But this thought was like a seed; once planted, it would take root and sprout, making it difficult to remove.

If Xuanye were merely posturing and trying to spout some groundless lies, that would be one thing.

What he feared was that Xuanye might actually know some unknown secrets.

Feeling a sense of restlessness, Kakashi got up, dressed, and began to wander through the streets of Konoha under the moonlight.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the Konoha Hero Cemetery, standing before the tombstone of his close friend, Uchiha Obito.

Uchiha Obito had ultimately been buried under a mountain of rock, even gifting his Sharingan to him.

Although they had returned later to search for Obito's body, hoping to bury him in the Martyr's Cemetery, they had found nothing.

Given the injuries Obito had sustained—with half his body crushed—it was impossible for him to have survived; on this point, Kakashi was absolutely certain.

Therefore, he had collected Obito's personal effects and buried his cenotaph alongside Rin's.

Caressing the cold stone tablet, the single eye Kakashi kept exposed once again filled with confusion.

He didn't know when it had started, but he had developed this habit.

Whenever he didn't know the answer to something, he would come to the grave of his former friend to pour his heart out.

"Obito... how good would it be if you were still here?"

"The war is over now, Minato-sensei has become the Hokage, and Kushina-nee-san's child will be born soon. If only you could have lived to see this day..."

"The relationship between the village and the Uchiha is becoming increasingly tense. If you were still here, you would surely be able to act as a mediator, wouldn't you?"

"Someone said he knows the truth about my father's suicide. He is of your clan. Tell me, should I go see him?"

Kakashi leaned against Obito's grave alone, speaking many things from the bottom of his heart.

Things that should be said, and things that shouldn't, were all laid bare.

Kakashi was never usually this talkative.

Finally, realizing he had nothing left to say, Kakashi remained silent for a while longer, placed flowers before Obito's grave, and turned to leave as he always did.

He had made up his mind; perhaps he could go see Xuanye and hear what he had to say.

Because of his best friend, he was different from the vast majority of people in Konoha and held no prejudice against the Uchiha.

The Uchiha were a clan of love, and because they lost that love, they awakened great power; they were not born evil.

But if Xuanye intended to toy with him using his father's affairs, then Kakashi would certainly make him pay the price.

It had originally been a simple visit to a friend's grave to vent, something that had happened before.

But after Kakashi left, a strange distortion suddenly appeared in the air.

A man wearing a black cloak with red clouds and a swirl-patterned mask appeared out of thin air.

He merely glanced at the flowers before "Obito's" grave, then looked away.

To him, Obito was already dead.

The moment he saw Kakashi kill Rin with his own eyes, he had already perished completely; what remained was merely a shell despairing of the world, yearning to create a reality where Rin existed.

Following behind Obito was a creature with a body half-black and half-white, looking incredibly bizarre.

Compared to Obito's silence, the voice of Black Zetsu, currently possessing Tobi, was brimming with uncontrollable excitement.

"Obito, I never expected that our trip to Konoha would lead us to such incredible news!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki is giving birth—this is massive news!"

"That will be the moment when the Nine-Tails seal is at its weakest. If we handle it properly, the entire village of Konoha could be wiped off the map in an instant!"

Obito let out a cold snort: "I don't need you to tell me how to do my job."

Regarding Black Zetsu, the manifestation of Uchiha Madara's will, Obito harbored intentions of using him, but felt even more wariness.

Black Zetsu met with a cold shoulder, but he merely shrugged, unbothered.

He possessed no human emotions, so naturally, he could not be provoked.

Gazing at the myriad lights of Konoha in the distance, a twisted expression formed on the face beneath Obito's mask.

"This world is nothing but an illusion."

"Why is it that while my Rin is no longer here, you all can still enjoy such a peaceful life!"

"I will create a world where Rin exists!"

Hokage Building.

It was already very late, and even Minato had finished his shift and returned home.

Yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been roused from his bed.

He had previously issued an order to the Anbu that if Shisui came to see him, he was to be notified regardless of the hour.

After throwing on his robes and arriving at the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the figure of Shisui.

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled with gratification.

A descendant of Kagami... if all the Uchiha were like Shisui, then Konoha would not have such a great hidden danger, would it?