The ban lifted

He suddenly thought of his former Anbu teammate, Uchiha Itachi.

That boy, younger than he was, had always earned his teammates' praise after joining the Anbu. But what Kakashi saw on his face was a burden of thought and pain wholly unsuited to his age.

As Anbu Captain, Kakashi had once been asked a question by Itachi.

That day, Itachi leaned against a tree trunk without his Mask on. Looking at Kakashi, who was also resting, he asked, "Senior, your Sharingan was entrusted to you by a friend. Does that mean you must honor your friend's wishes?"

Kakashi understood whom Itachi meant—

Shisui Uchiha.

Were his eyes in Itachi's hands?

With years of Anbu experience behind him, Kakashi grasped it almost instantly. But before he could ask any further questions, Itachi had already refused to say more.

The sight of Itachi's retreating back then had seemed like an accusation against himself for having accomplished nothing. Although Kakashi had since left the Anbu, as an elite Jonin, he naturally knew of the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village leadership.

As members of the Uchiha Clan, Itachi and Shisui had, in truth, faced the same problem.

The choice between their clan and their village.

Had he found an answer? What decision had he made?

After remaining where he was for a moment, Kakashi abruptly got up and went into the bathroom. He washed his face with cold water, forced himself to rally a little, then turned and left his home.

Without changing out of his black Ninja clothes, he walked alone into the night, not toward the Hokage Building.

Kakashi encountered no one along the way—or rather, consciously or otherwise, he avoided everyone as he made his way to Konoha's Heroes' Cemetery.

Looking at the enormous stone monument at its center, he lowered his head.

This was Konoha's Memorial Stone, which recorded the names of Ninjas who had died as heroes. Engraved upon it were the names of those who had perished in the Fourth Shinobi World War or sacrificed themselves to protect the village.

Kakashi's gaze settled on those few names he had read more times than he could count.

Obito Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki...

As he looked at those names, he suddenly remembered someone whose name was not among them.

His father, Hatake Sakumo—that once lonely yet great figure—had also faced an agonizing choice during a mission—

Between carrying his mission through to the end for the village as a Ninja and abandoning it to save his comrades, he had chosen his comrades.

But what had become of him was something Kakashi still could not forget.

"Your father broke the rules of a Ninja. He abandoned his mission to save his comrades. He doesn't deserve to be called a Ninja!"

"Konoha's White Fang, yet he cast aside Konoha's glory!"

"He... perhaps he couldn't bear the pressure himself. He probably killed himself out of guilt."

The voices of those people echoed in his memories. Still a child then, Kakashi had stared in disbelief at the body of his father, who had taken his own life at home.

That ironclad reality seemed to tell him that, for a Ninja forced to choose between village and comrades, the village was the only answer.

But in the next image, a boy with goggles and a Sharingan angrily seized his collar. His spirit burned so fiercely, his gaze was so resolute.

Seeing the wavering expression on Kakashi Hatake's face, the boy roared, as though he were shouting at the Kakashi of the present.

"Kakashi, remember this. In the Shinobi World, anyone who breaks the rules of a Ninja is trash..." The boy's expression was resolute, his words thunderous. "In the Shinobi World, anyone who breaks the rules of a Ninja is trash, but anyone who doesn't cherish his comrades is worse than trash!"

At some point, a light drizzle had begun to fall. Kakashi let the rain soak his white hair and reached up to touch his forehead protector. Beneath it, the Sharingan seemed to pulse, as though trying to tell him something.

His expression gradually softened.

Ninja, village, comrades, his beloved teacher... Everything that had once plunged Kakashi Hatake into despair and self-reproach echoed through his mind. Suddenly, he understood.

"Father, Obito, you were right. I won't regret this choice."

Kakashi made his decision, and the mark on his neck quietly vanished, as though it had never existed.

He did not notice it at all. He continued declaring his resolve to the Memorial Stone. "This time, I'll protect Naruto, and I'll protect the village too. I'll take on that responsibility if the Nine-Tails truly threatens the village's safety. Minato-sensei, this time... let it be my turn."

Something shifted in his eyes. At that moment, the destiny of Kakashi Hatake—the genius Ninja who held Konoha's records for the fastest promotions to both Chunin and Jonin—was about to change dramatically.

Meanwhile, in the Konoha Hokage Office, the Third Hokage looked at the silent Danzo and the two Konoha advisers. Their expressions stood in stark contrast to his.

The Third Hokage radiated confidence, as though everything was firmly under his control, while the other three wore expressions so dark they looked ready to drip.

Naturally, just as the Third Hokage had anticipated, they had immediately received word that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had been attacked and escaped unscathed. More importantly, each of them had recognized the attacker's identity from the reports. They all understood it without saying so, yet none could bring it up.

Their informants had all given them the same unequivocal answer.

Kakashi Hatake had used his Quan strength.

That outcome left Utatane Koharu and the others speechless. Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's smug expression, they could not help recalling—

The last time that Sarutobi fellow had worn such an irritating look seemed to have been when Minato Namikaze's selection as the Fourth Hokage was confirmed.

"Then, regarding lifting the restrictions confining the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, to the village and keeping him under constant surveillance..." Seeing his old friends' silence, the Third Hokage gave them no further opportunity to stall. "And the proposal to permit him to practice the village's ninjutsu. You have no objections, I take it?"

Upon hearing this, Konoha adviser Mitokado Homura seemed about to argue further, but he saw that Danzo remained seated in silence, clearly giving his tacit approval.

After all, in the world of Ninja, strength was what truly gave one a voice!

A genius who, at six years old, could escape unscathed from a former Anbu Captain's all-out assassination attempt without using any of the tailed beast's power within him—such talent and ability, coupled with his status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was more than enough to leave them all speechless.

After all, the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki, had remained unable to properly control the Nine-Tails' power even as an adult, and had frequently gone berserk.

With the Nine-Tails chakra and Naruto's own chakra interfering with each other, he had still managed such a performance? They could not help wondering just how extraordinary the Fourth Hokage's Sealing Jutsu had been.

Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails, who was watching Naruto struggle through his lessons after falling asleep, suddenly sensed the seal dissipating. He froze for a moment, then gave a faint chuckle—

"Faster than I expected. Well done."