Partner or Mission, Which is More Important

In the illusion, Hatake Sakumo knelt on both knees, his expression exceptionally grave as if he were repenting for something.

Soon after, the voices of the Konoha villagers began to echo within the scene.

"What's the point of kneeling there and repenting? It's because of Hatake Sakumo's wrong choice during the mission that this top-secret mission, which exceeded S-rank, ended in failure, and our Konoha suffered immeasurable losses."

"Exactly. What 'White Fang of Konoha,' what elite-kage level expert? He's nothing more than a piece of trash who couldn't even complete a mission."

"You sinner who failed to properly uphold the Will of Fire, you should just commit suicide to atone for your crimes!"

Seeing the scene of the villagers endlessly mocking and cursing his father—something he had never understood at the time—Kakashi's eyes dimmed significantly.

He remembered that back then, his father, Hatake Sakumo, had never taken the criticisms of these people to heart.

Because his father had always upheld a belief and had warned him since he was young: companions who spend their days together are absolutely more important than cold, heartless missions.

But on the day of the incident, when the very companions he had risked his life to save during that mission began to blame and curse him because of the failure, the once incredibly firm heart of his father, Sakumo, finally collapsed.

Kakashi watched in the illusion as the kneeling Hatake Sakumo slowly drew the short chakra blade that had made him famous for so long.

"Father, no!"

Kakashi screamed in the illusion, his eyes brimming with tears.

Yet, that short blade known as White Fang still swiftly sliced through Sakumo's abdomen, and in an instant, blood sprayed across the ground.

Just then, the illusion Kakashi was trapped in turned pitch black.

A pair of massive Three-Tomoe Sharingan suddenly appeared before his eyes, staring straight at him.

"Kakashi, how does it feel to witness your father's tragic death with your own eyes once again?"

Kakashi quickly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said firmly, "My father's suicide was the inevitable result of failing to complete the top-secret mission entrusted to him by the village."

"Although I am very sad, perhaps this was the best choice for him at the time."

The death of Hatake Sakumo had a profound impact on the young Kakashi.

Especially after long-term immersion in the Will of Fire taught by Hiruzen Sarutobi, he took the principle that the interests of Konoha always come above all else to heart.

Therefore, after becoming a ninja, whenever he faced a dilemma, he always chose to put the mission first.

"Heh heh, Kakashi, you truly are a cold-hearted person. Then, what do you think of the next scene?"

The imagery within the illusion shifted rapidly.

The Battle of Kannabi Bridge.

Kakashi and Obito broke into the Iwagakure hideout to rescue Rin, who had been captured.

The despicable Iwagakure ninjas immediately used Earth Style to try and collapse the cave.

While the three were escaping, Kakashi was struck by falling debris, and the moment Obito turned back to save him, he was pinned firmly under a massive boulder.

His right side was crushed instantly by the rock.

Seeing this, Kakashi's pupils contracted violently.

In an instant, a sharp, intense pain surged through his right side, nearly causing him to faint.

It seemed that the sensation of Obito's right side being crushed was something Kakashi could feel just as vividly within the illusion.

"Kakashi, I think that those who break the rules of the ninja world are called trash, but those who don't cherish their companions are even worse than trash!"

The weak Obito said firmly within the illusion.

"Obito, I..."

Kakashi choked up instantly, not knowing how to respond.

Obito then said coldly, "So why didn't you listen to my advice and save Rin first back then?"

"If you hadn't insisted on completing the mission and argued with me, we might have saved Rin long ago, and I wouldn't have been crushed under this boulder."

"All of this is your fault. Your selfishness killed me."

"It was you who killed me."

"It was you who killed me."

The resentful voice of Obito continued to echo endlessly in Kakashi's mind within the illusion.

"Ah!"

In reality, the endless guilt and regret Kakashi felt for Obito caused him to let out a painful scream.

Thud.

He fell to his knees, the intense and realistic pain in his right side making sweat pour down his face like rain.

At this moment, Lin Fan was not idle; he immediately moved to rescue Naruto and Sasuke.

"How did Kakashi-sensei end up like this? What just happened?"

Seeing Kakashi kneeling on the ground with a look of regret, Naruto asked, deeply confused.

"He must have been caught in a genjutsu. And Lin Fan, what is going on with your eyes?"

"Why is it that today, I am seeing the Kekkei Genkai ancestral to my Uchiha Clan on the two of you?"

Sasuke stared at Lin Fan, whose eyes had already turned a deep, blood-red, his gaze brimming with intense killing intent.

"I suppose I must have the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan, but right now, seizing the bells from Kakashi's waist is more important."

Lin Fan brushed the matter aside with a casual remark.

Sasuke felt that Lin Fan's words held a certain logic.

After all, he had heard his father, Fugaku, mention since he was a child that he had an aunt who had sacrificed herself heroically for Konoha during the Nine-Tails Rebellion.

He had also seen photos of that aunt, and she did indeed look remarkably similar to Lin Fan.

Without further ado, Lin Fan ignored Sasuke and Naruto, moving directly toward Kakashi to snatch the bells from his waist.

However, the moment his fingertips brushed the bells, a large hand clamped tightly around Lin Fan's wrist.

"Hoo, hoo... you brat, your genjutsu is truly formidable; you actually kept me trapped for so long."

Kakashi managed to finish his sentence, his blood-red eye snapping open once more.

He began to pant heavily, gasping for air.

The process to break free from that memory-based illusion was incredibly cumbersome.

He had expended a massive amount of chakra to successfully dispel it.

Now, he had less than one-tenth of his original chakra reserves remaining.

Had he known Lin Fan would be this troublesome, he never should have stayed up all night watching My Neighbor's Aunt.

Therefore, Kakashi immediately decided to use his remaining chakra to end the fight with Lin Fan swiftly.

Unexpectedly, Lin Fan chuckled, "Kakashi, didn't you just teach us that a ninja should never leave their back wide open for the enemy?"

Kakashi saw a puff of white smoke drift before his eyes.

Lin Fan vanished in an instant.

What is this?

Clone Technique!!!

Just as he was struck with alarm, he felt a sound beneath his feet, and an arm suddenly burst forth from the earth.

Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.

After emerging from the ground, Lin Fan prepared to grab Kakashi's ankles and drag him directly into the earth.

In this decisive moment, Kakashi could no longer worry about his dwindling chakra levels.

Instinctively, he pressed his hands together and began to weave signs rapidly.

Dragon, Snake, Ram.

Earth Style: Earth Wall.

Kakashi slammed his hands onto the ground, and a wall of earth adorned with four dog heads erupted from the spot where Lin Fan had emerged.

Boom.

Lin Fan, who had been thrust upward from the ground by the wall, vanished once more in a puff of white smoke.

Another clone?

Kakashi, already in a state of chakra exhaustion, was instantly struck with terror.

Even with the aid of his Sharingan, he found it difficult to distinguish the precision of Lin Fan's clones.

Naruto: Starting with Infinite Skill Points by Shenqi Xiao Sima