"Hiss..."
"Hiss..."...
On the crude street, dim streetlights stood silently.
A few mosquitoes kept flying into the old light bulbs, producing faint sounds on the silent street beneath the night sky. Even when their bodies were scorched by the burning-hot lamps, they did not retreat.
At the same time, as Sakumo, standing beneath the dim light, spoke in a hoarse voice, a figure slowly rose from a dark corner.
The newcomer slowly walked to the boundary between shadow and lamplight, then stopped there quietly without speaking.
Sakumo stood beneath the dim light like an elderly man in his twilight years, yet his face bore a serene, peaceful expression.
The newcomer, meanwhile, stood in the dark corner, with a distinct line between light and shadow strictly separating the two of them.
"Kakashi, you came for Sasuke, didn't you?"
After the two had remained silent for a long while, Sakumo was the first to speak.
Hearing him, Kakashi stood within the shadows, his face covered by his mask and expressionless as he replied softly.
"Yeah... I already went to see him. The kid has returned home now."
At Kakashi's words, a smile appeared on Sakumo's aged face as he said softly.
"I'm glad to hear that you can care so much about your student now..."
Kakashi remained expressionless, his gaze seeming to drift elsewhere, his attention not truly here. He showed no reaction at all to Sakumo's words.
After another long silence, Kakashi spoke.
"Guiding Sasuke's training at this hour... it seems you've invested quite a bit of effort into him."
After hesitating slightly, he still asked.
"Why... why did you decide to take Sasuke as your disciple? Hadn't you already decided not to involve yourself in ninja matters anymore?"
Hearing Kakashi's question, Sakumo's eyes remained calm. Rather than answering directly, he