Companions

All four guests were Kakashi's classmates.

The relationships among the five of them were somewhat complicated, with Kakashi at the center.

On one side of Kakashi were Obito and Rin. The three of them formed a love triangle.

Although Obito couldn't stand Kakashi, he actually cared a lot about him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have started following Kakashi while he was fishing today and kept at it all the way to his house.

Obito liked Rin even more—so much that he was practically obsessed with her. He could barely get through three sentences without mentioning Nohara Rin.

Rin's feelings for Kakashi came from the admiration she'd felt for a genius since childhood. It was similar to the way Kurenai had first felt about Toru.

Those feelings had taken shape long ago. Even the appearance of Toru, a genius who surpassed Kakashi, wouldn't change them.

As for Rin's feelings for Obito, they were a hazy affection born from the companionship of childhood friends—a fondness for him as the gentle boy next door who looked after her.

(Obito, Kakashi, and Rin's feelings are complicated. This is only the author's personal interpretation.)

On Kakashi's other side were Toru and Kurenai, connected to the other two through Toru.

Toru and Kakashi were geniuses often mentioned in the same breath, and kindred spirits who understood and admired each other.

Kurenai, meanwhile, was Toru's biggest fan. After three years together, she and Toru were practically childhood friends, which had also brought her into Kakashi's orbit.

Watching the four of them, Kakashi's eyes went dead again. My family's already so poor I have to catch fish just to eat, and now four more people are coming over to mooch food.

Despite the complaint, a warm feeling stirred inside him.

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

The corners of Kakashi's mouth curled up beneath his mask, and his hands moved a little faster.

After preparing all three fish, Kakashi cooked some extra rice. Then he turned on the gas stove, picked up the frying pan, and started cooking the fish.

The faint blue flame heated the bottom of the pan until the oil began to shimmer. Kakashi placed the marinated fish in the pan, holding the handle in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other as he cooked with practiced ease.

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

It wasn't that Toru and the others hadn't planned to help. Kakashi had insisted that they try his cooking.

So the four of them could only watch Kakashi cook in the kitchen. He didn't need anyone to help him.

Toru and Kurenai weren't very familiar with Obito and Rin, since Kakashi was the only connection between them.

Sitting together in silence felt a little awkward.

Rin broke the ice by asking Kakashi, "Kakashi, do you live alone?"

It was clearly a poor choice of topic. She'd hit Kakashi right where it hurt.

But Rin hadn't meant to. She really didn't know much about Kakashi's situation. Although she admired him, she knew even less about him than Obito, who was sitting beside her.

Obito had secretly followed Kakashi all day and knew perfectly well that Kakashi lived alone, so he quickly changed the subject. "That thing you did while fishing just now—the swish-swish move. It was really cool."

Rin realized she'd put her foot in her mouth. Even if she didn't know the details of Kakashi's situation, she'd overheard enough from outside the window earlier.

After speaking, Obito sneaked a glance at Rin. Understanding what he meant, she picked up where he'd left off. "Yeah, that swish-swish move was amazing."

In truth, Rin hadn't seen Kakashi fishing clearly. She'd been afraid that if she got too close, Obito, who'd also been watching secretly, would spot her.

"Is that so?" Kakashi closed his eyes, his thoughts unreadable.

But the topic soon died out. Toru had come straight to Kakashi's house, and Kurenai had secretly followed Toru, so neither of them could join in.

Fortunately, they found another topic they could all talk about.

"Kakashi, what's life like as a full-fledged ninja compared to life at the Academy?" Toru asked.

It was something everyone was curious about. After all, aside from Kakashi, the rest of them were still studying at the Ninja Academy.

Obito and Rin looked at Kakashi with eager anticipation, apparently excited to hear about life as a ninja. Kurenai didn't seem particularly interested.

If Kakashi becomes a ninja, he won't get to sit with Toru every day anymore—unless they're assigned to the same team... That was what Kurenai was thinking.

Kakashi's answer shattered Obito and Rin's expectations a little. "It's boring. All you do is catch cats and dogs."

That was a huge letdown for Obito. He'd thought being a ninja meant soaring through the skies and doing great things every day.

"But after becoming a Chunin, I started getting more missions, and I've run into danger a few times."

At the mention of danger, Nohara Rin immediately began to worry about Kakashi. "Can you get hurt doing missions? You'll have to be careful."

Touched by Rin's concern, Kakashi reassured her. "It's not so bad. Usually, when enemies see that we're from Konoha, they give up."

"Unless they're from the shinobi villages of the Five Great Nations. Even then, the squad leader and my teammates usually drive off any threats during the mission."

"So actual fights are pretty rare. I've only fought enemies a few times so far."

Kakashi had far more experience as a ninja than anyone else there. After all, none of the others—not even the genius Uchiha Toru—had officially become ninjas, so they had practically no experience.

That made this topic Kakashi's territory, which also showed how clever Toru had been in choosing it.

After all, this was Kakashi's home, and the four people sitting there had all gathered because of him. Naturally, Kakashi needed to do most of the talking.

Toru really did need to hear about Kakashi's experience as a ninja, since he was only two years away from graduating.

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

The finest ingredients often needed only the simplest preparation. After a busy day, Chef Hatake Kakashi had finally finished cooking all three fish, and the rice was ready too.

Kakashi brought the three fish to the table. A rich aroma wafted through the room.

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

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

The fish's surface was golden from frying, topped with fragrant ginger and garlic seasoning. The Maillard reaction had browned and crisped the skin, making it irresistible to the eyes and nose.

Kakashi served rice to everyone. They closed their eyes, put their hands together, and said, "Let's eat."

Then they picked up their chopsticks and began tasting Kakashi's cooking.

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

To see if Rin was right, Obito hurriedly wolfed down a bite. Then his eyes lit up, and he looked up at Kakashi. "It really is good! You're amazing!"

"Is that so?" Kakashi remained calm, as if he'd expected their reaction.

After tasting it, Toru and Kurenai exchanged a glance. They agreed it was delicious too.

"Do you want to be a chef someday?" Obito asked innocently.

Kakashi gave him his trademark deadpan stare. "Huh? Of course not."

Obito caught on and laughed. "Hahaha, right."

Laughter filled the room.

The next day, Kakashi went about his usual routine, cleaning the huge house by himself. Before leaving, he called out, "I'm heading out," to the empty house.

Then Kakashi went to Konoha's cemetery. The village's hero, Hatake Sakumo, had been buried there with the other shinobi who had died in battle.

Kakashi placed a white flower at the grave.

"Dad, you broke the rules because of your comrades, didn't you?"

"I have comrades now, too."

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

"Even so, you'll always be my hero, Dad."

"Dad, I'll come visit again."