Before the Memorial Stone, Kakashi spoke at length.
"More than half a year ago—oh, though to me, it feels like only a few days ago—Konoha was attacked by a powerful enemy. I was injured and lost consciousness, and for some reason, I remained comatose for over half a year. Thankfully, Lady Tsunade intervened, and I was able to wake up..."
"The Shinobi World truly never knows peace. Even if the wars out in the open have temporarily come to an end, the struggles in the shadows have never ceased."
"Regarding that attack, I wanted to learn more of the details, but Teacher Minato said it was already over and forbade me from investigating further."
"I find it hard to disobey my teacher, but during the half year I was absent, I failed to contribute anything to the village as a ninja. That fills me with guilt."
"Teacher Minato has already approved my request to join the Hokage's Direct ANBU. The disciples of past Hokage usually join ANBU for training, and sooner or later they are transferred elsewhere. So I don't know how long I'll remain in ANBU. For now, I'll just do the job. If I keep drifting through life like this, I feel like I'll truly become useless."
"But don't worry, Rin. No matter where I am, I won't forget Obito's teachings. Between ninja rules and comrades, I will always put my comrades first."
"After all, ninjas who break the rules are called trash, but those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash."
As Kakashi's smiling words faded, a gust of wind swept past... In the silence, the Sharingan beneath the tiger-striped mask gleamed with a cold light, utterly unmoved.
Kakashi was as boring as ever... Forget it. Time to go back.
He withdrew the hand resting