Kakashi and Obito Open Up to Each Other

Obito Uchiha stared at Kakashi, stunned by how unfamiliar he seemed.

"Sacrificing a comrade for a mission is normal. That's what it means to be a Ninja."

"And if this mission fails, the war will drag on."

"That will only lead to more deaths."

Obito struggled to respond. "Everything you've said is just a possibility. Is that really enough reason—"

"To abandon a comrade who's risked her life alongside us?"

"Every time we've been hurt, Rin has saved our lives with Medical Ninjutsu."

"Without Rin, we'd probably both be dead by now."

Kakashi replied coldly, "That was just Rin's mission."

Hearing Kakashi speak so coldly, Obito could bear it no longer.

He raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and swung it hard into Kakashi's face.

Kakashi made no move to dodge. He took the punch full on.

He flew backward and slammed into the ground.

"I knew it!" Obito roared. "I hate you more than anyone!"

Kakashi answered calmly, "You can hate me. I'm still the captain."

"You have to follow my orders, no matter what."

"If the squad is to stay together, only one person can make the decisions."

"That's why every member is required to follow the captain's orders."

Kakashi slowly got to his feet. "Besides, Obito, you don't have what it takes. That's why I'm your captain."

Obito was still seething. "Then why aren't you going to save Rin?"

"Don't you have the power to save a comrade?"

Kakashi replied with the same composure. "Acting on emotion could cause an important mission to fail."

"You'd regret that for the rest of your life."

"That's why Ninja are required to cast aside their emotions."

"You understand that, don't you?"

Obito answered, his face twisted with pain. "Rin gave you that medical kit because she was worried you'd get hurt."

"She even sewed you a Protective Charm beside it."

Kakashi spoke evenly. "Medical kits and Ninja tools exist to improve a mission's chances of success."

"I told you that yesterday, didn't I?"

"Anything useless is just a burden."

Obito froze. "Useless?"

Kakashi said nothing.

After a moment, he added, "A Ninja only needs tools that help with the mission. Feelings are useless."

Obito glared at him. "Do you really mean all that?"

Kakashi stood before him in silence.

Obito raised his voice. "Tell me! Do you really believe that?"

Kakashi turned his head away in pain, memories of his father flashing through his mind.

When his thoughts returned to the present, he answered quietly, "Yes."

Obito was bitterly disappointed in him. "Fine. We never could get along anyway."

"I'm going to save Rin!"

As Obito started away, Kakashi called after him. "You don't understand anything, Obito. You don't know what happens to people who break the rules."

Obito stopped with his back to Kakashi. "I think White Fang was a true hero. Yes, in the Ninja world—"

"People who break the rules and defy orders are called scum."

"But!"

"People who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."

"If I'm scum either way, then I choose to break the rules."

Kakashi seemed to realize something.

His eyes widened as he stared at the boy before him.

Obito's voice rang out, firm and clear. "If saving my comrade means I can't be a Ninja—"

"Then I'll break the rules of the Ninja world myself."

With that, Kakashi and Obito went their separate ways.

Obito raced in the direction the enemy had gone to save Rin.

Minato Namikaze and a group of Konoha Ninja were holding off a large force of Cloud Ninja.

Minato worried about Kakashi and the others...

Kakashi leaped onto a branch, painfully recalling Rin's words.

"Kakashi, if you push yourself too hard, your wound will reopen."

He remembered what Obito had said, too.

"Every time we've been hurt, Rin has saved our lives with Medical Ninjutsu. Without Rin—"

"We'd probably both be dead."

"Right now, saving Rin should be our first priority."

Minato's words surfaced in Kakashi's mind as well.

"Rules and discipline are important, but they aren't everything. I told you that, didn't I, Kakashi?"

"Sometimes you have to adapt to the situation."

And finally...

Kakashi relived the painful moments of his father's death.

White Fang's image slowly became Obito's.

"I think White Fang was a true hero!"

"Yes, in the Ninja world—"

"People who break the rules and defy orders are called scum."

"But people who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!"

Kakashi's uncertainty gave way to resolve, and he sprang to his feet.

He raced after Obito. "Wait for me, Obito! Rin!"

Obito found the two Cloud Ninja who had taken Rin.

He slapped his cheeks, trying to overcome his fear.

"I'll be fine. I can do this."

The sound of his slaps alerted the brown-haired Ninja hidden among the rocks.

The Cloud Ninja looked toward his brown-haired companion. "I'll deal with whoever's out there."

"Keep using your genjutsu and get that information out of her."

The brown-haired Ninja nodded and continued using genjutsu to make Rin Nohara reveal what she knew.

The Cloud Ninja formed a one-handed seal. "Camouflage Concealment Technique!"

His body slowly turned transparent, then vanished.

Obito crouched on a branch, Kunai in hand, ready to charge into the enemy camp.

He kept trying to encourage himself. "All right. Here I go!"

The invisible Cloud Ninja appeared silently behind him.

"Where do you think you're going, kid?" he said coldly.

He drew a Kunai and thrust it at Obito before he could react.

At that critical moment, Kakashi arrived.

Kakashi drew the blade his father, White Fang, had once wielded.

He slashed hard at the Cloud Ninja.

Caught off guard, the Cloud Ninja took the blow across his chest.

Bleeding heavily, he landed opposite Kakashi and Obito.

He eyed Kakashi warily.

Obito stared in shock. "Ka... Kakashi?"

"How... why are you..."

Kakashi answered with a teasing edge, "I couldn't leave something like this for a crybaby like you to handle alone."

"Kakashi..." Obito murmured in disbelief.

The Cloud Ninja stared at Kakashi, stunned. "Silver-white hair, and that glowing Chakra Blade..."

"Don't tell me you're..."

"White Fang of Konoha?"

Kakashi answered firmly, "That was my father. This blade is what he left me."

Obito's eyes lit up as he looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi stood in front of him.

"Kakashi..."

"You..."