Visiting Hatake Kakashi

"Hey, Yufeng, wake up. School's over!"

Uchiha Obito's urging rang in his ears.

Uchiha Yufeng rubbed his eyes.

"Yufeng, are you okay? Are you sick? Haven't you recovered yet?"

Hearing the soft voice, Uchiha Yufeng turned his gaze to Nohara Rin.

Two streaks of purple face paint were drawn across her pretty face.

She wore a pure white shirt beneath a brown vest, with an exquisite blue bow design on the front.

Her brown hair draped smoothly over her shoulders, the slightly curled ends adding a touch of playfulness.

"Rin, you've gotten prettier again!"

Hearing Uchiha Yufeng's teasing attempt to change the subject, a blush spread across Nohara Rin's delicate face.

"Hey, hey, hey! Uchiha Yufeng, don't bully Rin!"

As her childhood friend, Uchiha Obito immediately panicked. He jumped in front of Uchiha Yufeng, blocking his view of Nohara Rin.

"What, Obito? You think Rin isn't pretty?"

Uchiha Yufeng smiled as he looked at the wary Uchiha Obito.

"Rin... How could she not be pretty? Yufeng, you bastard, you're trying to trick me again!"

Uchiha Obito had been about to say something, but suddenly remembered how Uchiha Yufeng had set him up with the same routine before. He glared angrily at him.

"Alright, alright, Obito. Yufeng was only joking! Aren't we going to see Kakashi today? Let's go!"

Sensing Uchiha Obito's change in mood, Nohara Rin walked over helplessly and spoke to him gently.

Hearing Rin's voice, Obito calmed down for a moment and scratched his head.

"I'll listen to Rin!"

"Yufeng, what gift should we bring when we visit Kakashi today?"

After soothing Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin turned back to Uchiha Yufeng.

"Or... what does Kakashi like?"

As for gifts, Uchiha Yufeng truly had no idea what to give. But he did know what Kakashi liked.

Wasn't it the Icha Icha Paradise series?

But at this point in time, Jiraiya probably hadn't started writing it yet!

"Let's get saury. It tastes good, so we'll buy a few and bring them over."

"Hey, hey, hey, Yufeng, why buy fish? The two of us can just go catch some in the river!"

Uchiha Yufeng glanced at Uchiha Obito.

"By the time you catch any fish, Kakashi will have already left the village on a mission."

"Obito, shall we listen to Yufeng?"

After thinking for a moment, Nohara Rin turned to Uchiha Obito and spoke softly.

"If Rin says so, then I have no problem with it."

Uchiha Yufeng swept a disdainful glance over Uchiha Obito.

Could this kid be a simp?

"Hey, what kind of look is that!"

Uchiha Obito awkwardly turned his head away, only to catch Uchiha Yufeng's gaze. His face immediately flushed red.

Uchiha Yufeng ignored Uchiha Obito and headed outside.

"Obito, let's go too!"

Nohara Rin urged Uchiha Obito and followed after him.

"Hmph!"

Uchiha Obito looked at Uchiha Yufeng's retreating back and snorted unhappily before following along with Rin.

After buying six saury at the market, the three headed to Kakashi's home.

"Kakashi? Are you home? It's Obito!"

As soon as they arrived, Uchiha Obito called out twice, his eyes full of concern.

On the way there, Nohara Rin told Yufeng why they had come to Kakashi's house.

A few days ago, Uchiha Obito had happened to see Hatake Kakashi and wanted to greet him.

But Kakashi had seemed like a completely different person, cold and distant.

Uchiha Obito told Nohara Rin about it, and the two began worrying about Kakashi.

After asking around, they learned that ever since Hatake Sakumo's death, Kakashi had begun acting alone.

Hardly any of the ninjas who went on missions with Kakashi returned alive. He put missions above all else and cared nothing for his comrades.

Many ninjas from the village criticized him for this.

The two were worried, so they decided to visit Kakashi.

That was how today's situation came about.

After hearing the whole story, Uchiha Yufeng understood.

Hatake Kakashi's father, Hatake Sakumo, had once possessed a reputation even greater than that of the current Sannin. He had been renowned throughout the Ninja World.

Such a figure had abandoned a mission for his teammates, only to return to the village and be blamed. Under pressure from all sides, he had taken his own life.

From Kakashi's perspective, he probably believed his father had been wrong. Missions should come first, and comrades second.

Getting the current Kakashi to open his heart and change his way of thinking would probably be difficult.

"This won't be easy."

Hearing Uchiha Yufeng's sigh, Nohara Rin frowned as well.

"Yufeng, what should we do?"

Uchiha Yufeng turned and looked at Rin.

"How can someone so easily let go of their father's death? It's best to leave it to time. Maybe he'll meet some teammates who genuinely care about him in the future. Then perhaps he'll change."

Hearing those ambiguous words, Uchiha Obito snorted disdainfully.

He thought Uchiha Yufeng was merely putting on an air of mystery.

Nohara Rin, on the other hand, looked deeply worried. Clearly, she had understood something.

"Then will our visit today have any effect?"

Nohara Rin nervously looked toward Kakashi's house in the distance.

"It will, but only a tiny one. Still, it's good to make our presence known. Maybe the two of you will be the ones to change Kakashi's mind someday!"

Uchiha Yufeng said no more and glanced at Obito.

Uchiha Obito was baffled by Uchiha Yufeng's look.

You're talking about Kakashi, so why are you looking at me?

Nohara Rin also looked at Uchiha Obito, seeming to realize something.

The worry on her face vanished, replaced by a faint smile.

"Obito, take out the fish we prepared. We have to see Kakashi today."

"Rin, I'm ready!"

Uchiha Obito grinned and directly lifted the tied fish with a hook.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Kakashi!"

Thinking of the gloomy Kakashi he had seen a few days ago, Uchiha Obito took a deep breath and stepped forward to knock on the door.

After only a few knocks, a cold voice came from inside.

"Stop bothering me!"

"Kakashi, open the door! It's Obito!"

Hearing Kakashi's voice, Uchiha Obito did not stop. He continued knocking.

Only after Uchiha Obito's hand had gone a little numb from knocking did Kakashi finally open the door for the three of them.

Kakashi's dead-fish eyes stared fixedly at Uchiha Obito.

Nohara Rin hurriedly stepped in front of Obito, blocking Kakashi's gaze.

"Kakashi, long time no see!"

Her soft voice eased the tension between the two considerably.

Then an arm draped over Kakashi's shoulder.

"Kakashi, this is saury. While it's fresh, where's your kitchen? We're having dinner here tonight."

"Yufeng, isn't this a... gift for Kakashi? Why are we eating it too...?"

The first to react was the single-minded Obito. Before he could finish, Nohara Rin covered his mouth.

"Obito!"

Her soft voice gave him a quiet reminder by his ear.

Hatake Kakashi shifted his gaze to Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito, seeing the caution and concern in their eyes.

Warmth rose in his heart, though his face remained frighteningly cold.

"Ding, Uchiha Sasuke Fragment +1."

"Come in. I still have plenty of fish in the kitchen. I don't need these, so after dinner, you can take them home."

Hatake Kakashi shook off Uchiha Yufeng's hand from his shoulder and walked toward the kitchen on his own.

Nohara Rin watched Kakashi's back and breathed a sigh of relief.

Being able to see Kakashi was clearly a good start.

The three found a place to sit.

"Kakashi, do you live by yourself?"

Seeing the clean and tidy house with no one else around, Nohara Rin could not help asking in surprise.

Kakashi came out of the kitchen carrying three bottles of drinks and placed them on the table.

He did not answer Nohara Rin's question.

Instead, he looked at the three of them.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Huh?"

Obito scratched his head, deep in thought.

Uchiha Yufeng took a sip of his drink and spoke first.

"I want Braised Fish!"

"Braised Fish?"

Nohara Rin froze. It seemed to be the first time she had heard of that dish.

"Fine!"

Kakashi glanced at Uchiha Yufeng and agreed. After the other two casually named two simple dishes, he headed for the kitchen.

Before long, the rich fragrance of sizzling oil drifted out from the kitchen.

"Wow, that smells amazing!"

Uchiha Obito sniffed the air and exclaimed.

Nohara Rin was no different, her throat moving unconsciously.

Clearly, the scent had attracted her as well.

Nohara Rin suddenly remembered the Braised Fish Uchiha Yufeng had mentioned earlier and could not help turning her head to look at him.