Now that he had been caught, Naruto simply walked over to Kakashi and sat down without a hint of embarrassment.
"Why are you here eavesdropping instead of spending time with Hinata?"
"I was curious. When I walked Hinata back just now, she said she'd noticed you two... ah, no, I came to check on you, Kakashi-sensei. Thanks for keeping watch all by yourself."
"...Do you think I believe that?"
"Ahem, Kakashi-sensei, Older Sister Mei's not just going to leave, is she?"
"Your Older Sister Mei has lofty ambitions. She thinks something is wrong with her village. As one of its ninja, isn't it perfectly natural for her to want to fix it?"
"Are we really not going to help her?"
"In what capacity would you go and 'help'? It sounds serious, but ultimately, the Mizukage killed one of her elders. It's a personal grudge, nothing more."
"...Kirigakure and Konoha are allies. For ninja like us, as long as that alliance stands, the Mizukage is an ally with the same standing as our Lord Hokage.
Whatever she wants to do is an internal matter for Kirigakure. But if we get involved... it becomes Konoha betraying Kirigakure. One wrong move, and we could do more than break the alliance. We could start another war."
Looking at the fire before him, then at Naruto, who had shown little reaction to the mention of war, Kakashi's thoughts seemed to drift.
"And war could destroy the things you cherish now."
Ash from the burning fuel scattered in the wind, and time swiftly passed.
Yet contrary to Kakashi's expectations, Mei Terumi did not leave the next day. Instead, she continued traveling with their group as though nothing had happened that night.
Except that she kept coming over every so often to ask whether he had changed