"Oh."
Kakashi looked utterly unbothered by Sasuke's provocative words.
"You could certainly do that, but unfortunately, every person I cherished is already gone..."
When Kakashi spoke of this, he showed neither hatred nor anger. Instead, his eyes curved into a smile.
He said with a faint smile:
"They were all killed long ago."
Sasuke's gaze changed, losing its earlier mockery. He had never imagined Kakashi had such a past.
Kakashi paid no heed to the change in Sasuke's emotions and continued calmly:
"Times are changing. I'm a little older than you, and the era I lived through was far worse than this one."
"War! Endless war! Every day was spent killing, and every day, lives were lost.
"I've experienced the pain of loss countless times. I'm not just standing here spouting empty words, as you claimed!"
Sasuke's expression dimmed. He believed Kakashi was telling the truth.
"Hahaha..."
Kakashi laughed again, but there was not a trace of joy in it.
"In any case, neither of us has been particularly lucky. There's no denying that."
Kakashi paused again. He had not come here to lecture Sasuke or recount his own tragic past.
He simply hoped his student would stop following the path of revenge. There was no future down that road!
"But we're not the most unfortunate people either. Both you and I have found comrades who matter to us, haven't we?"
Kakashi's last words were filled with warmth and laughter.
He had lived through a dark past, which made him treasure the peace and happiness of the present all the more.
"Comrades who matter to me..."
At the mention of his comrades, two figures appeared unbidden in Sasuke's mind.
Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno!
Whether he wanted to admit it or not, that former dead last and that annoying girl