Companions

These four guests were all classmates of Kakashi.

However, the relationships among the five were somewhat subtle, with the center of this web being Kakashi.

On one side of Kakashi were Obito and Rin, forming a love triangle among the three.

Although Obito disliked Kakashi, he was actually quite concerned about him; otherwise, he wouldn't have followed Kakashi from the moment he started fishing all the way back to his house.

As for Rin, Obito's affection had reached the point of obsession, and he rarely went three sentences without mentioning her name.

Rin's feelings for Kakashi stemmed from a childhood admiration for a genius, somewhat similar to Kurenai's initial feelings for Toru.

This psychology had formed long ago, and it would not change even with the appearance of Toru, a genius who surpassed Kakashi.

As for Rin's feelings toward Obito, they leaned more toward a hazy affection born from the companionship of childhood friends, the kind of fondness one has for the gentle, caring boy next door.

(The emotional dynamics between Kakashi, Obito, and Rin are complex; this text merely interprets them according to the author's own thoughts.)

On the other side of Kakashi were Toru and Kurenai, the three of them connected through Toru.

Toru and Kakashi were geniuses mentioned in the same breath, kindred spirits who cherished each other's talents.

Kurenai was Toru's little fan; after three years of spending time together, she and Toru could be considered childhood sweethearts, which in turn brought Kurenai into connection with Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at the four of them and rolled his dead-fish eyes again, thinking to himself, I was already so poor I had to catch my own fish to eat, and now four freeloaders have shown up.

Yet, despite his internal grumbling, a warmth stirred in his heart.

At least this house doesn't feel so cold and empty anymore.

The corners of his mouth beneath his mask lifted involuntarily, and his movements grew a bit lighter.

Kakashi finished processing the three fish, cooked some extra rice, then turned on the gas stove, picked up a frying pan, and began to fry the fish.

The bottom of the pan grew scorching hot from the faint blue flame of the gas stove, and the oil inside soon began to steam. Kakashi placed the marinated fish into the pan, holding the handle with one hand and chopsticks with the other, his movements highly practiced.

The hot oil in the pan sizzled, while Toru and the others sat waiting on the tatami mats by the table.

It wasn't that they didn't want to help, but Kakashi had insisted on letting them taste his cooking.

Thus, the four of them could only watch as Kakashi cooked in the kitchen; after all, he didn't need anyone to assist him.

Toru and Kurenai were not very close to Obito and Rin, as Kakashi stood between them.

Sitting together in silence felt somewhat awkward.

Rin broke the silence, finding a topic to ask Kakashi: "Kakashi, do you live alone?"

Clearly, this was not a clever topic; it struck right at Kakashi's sore spot.

Of course, this was not intentional on Rin's part. She simply didn't know much about Kakashi's situation. Although she admired him, her understanding of him was not even as deep as Obito's.

Obito, having secretly followed Kakashi all day, knew very well that he lived completely alone, so he quickly changed the subject: "Hey, that fishing technique you used earlier—the whoosh—that was really interesting."

Rin also realized her faux pas, as even if she didn't know the specifics, she had overheard enough from outside the window earlier.

After Obito spoke, he glanced secretly at Rin, who caught his meaning and followed his lead: "Yeah, the whoosh! That was amazing."

In truth, Rin hadn't seen Kakashi's fishing style clearly at all, as she was afraid of getting too close and being discovered by Obito, who was also peeking.

"Is that so?" Kakashi closed his eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

But the topic ended there, as Toru had come directly to the front door and Kurenai had followed him, so they couldn't join in on that particular conversation.

Fortunately, the group found a common topic.

"Kakashi, is life as an official ninja any different from life at the academy?" Toru asked.

This was a subject everyone cared about, as everyone except Kakashi was still studying at the ninja academy.

Obito and Rin looked at Kakashi with longing, seemingly eager to hear about the life of a ninja, though Kurenai didn't seem particularly interested.

If I become a ninja, I won't be able to sit with Toru every day, unless we're in the same squad... Kurenai thought to herself.

Kakashi's answer shattered Obito and Rin's fantasies: "It's boring. Every time, it's either catching a cat or a dog."

This greatly disappointed Obito, who had thought that being a ninja meant doing big, world-shaking things every day.

"However, after becoming a Chunin, the missions have increased, and I've encountered danger a few times."

As soon as Rin heard the word "danger," she began to worry for Kakashi, saying, "Do you encounter danger as a ninja? It sounds like you have to be careful on missions."

Hearing Rin's concern warmed Kakashi's heart, and he reassured her, "It's not too bad. Usually, enemies back off once they see we're from Konoha."

"Unless it's an enemy from the other five great ninja villages, and even then, the team leader and companions on the mission will push back the danger."

"So, real combat situations are rare. I've only fought enemies a few times so far."

Kakashi's experience as a ninja far exceeded everyone else present, as the others—including the genius Uchiha Toru—had not yet officially become ninjas, meaning their experience was essentially zero.

Thus, once this topic was raised, it became Kakashi's home field, which reflected the brilliance of Toru's choice of topic.

Because this was Kakashi's home, and the four people sitting there were gathered because of him, it was only natural for Kakashi to do most of the talking.

Moreover, Toru truly needed this ninja experience from Kakashi, as he was only two years away from graduation.

And so, the four of them chatted about this and that while waiting for Kakashi to finish dinner.

High-quality ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods. After a busy day, Master Hatake Kakashi finally finished the three fish, and the rice in the pot was ready as well.

Kakashi brought the three fish to the table, and a rich, savory aroma wafted through the air.

Rin looked at the food in front of her and asked, "What is this?"

"Pan-fried river fish, Kakashi style," he answered the obvious question.

The surface of the fish was fried to a golden brown, drizzled with a fragrant ginger and garlic sauce. The Maillard reaction had caused the skin to shrink and crisp, emitting a charming appeal to both the eyes and the nose.

Kakashi served rice to everyone. They closed their eyes, pressed their palms together, and said the words, "I'm digging in."

They then picked up their chopsticks to taste Kakashi's handiwork.

Rin was the first to pick up a piece of white, tender fish and put it in her mouth. After tasting it carefully, she praised, "Kakashi, this is delicious! It tastes just like the food at the restaurant."

To verify Rin's claim, Obito quickly took a gulping bite, then lifted his head with eyes shining: "It really is delicious! You're amazing!"

"Is that so?" Kakashi was quite calm, as if he had already anticipated their reactions.

Toru and Kurenai tasted it and looked at each other; they also agreed it was delicious.

"Do you want to be a chef in the future?" Obito asked naively.

Kakashi revealed his signature dead-fish eyes and said, "Eh, how is that possible?"

Obito realized what he said and laughed, "Hahaha, that's true."

Happy laughter erupted in the room.

The next day, Kakashi tidied up the large house alone as usual, left, and said to the empty rooms, "I'm heading out."

Kakashi arrived at the Konoha cemetery, where the hero of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, was buried alongside other fallen ninjas.

Kakashi placed a white flower before the grave.

"Dad, you broke the rules because of your companions, right?"

"I have companions now, too."

"But I won't be like you, Dad. I will find a way to save my companions without breaking the rules."

"Even so, you are still the hero in my heart, Dad."

"Dad, I'll come to see you again next time."