Hayashi smiled at Kakashi as though soothing a child.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei."
"The wind on the mountaintop told me-they don't want their fate dictated by anyone."
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes went blank for a moment.
Then he lowered his voice and gave two quiet chuckles.
"What even is that? Honestly."
"I never knew your uzumaki bloodline could do that."
"Of course it can." Hayashi lifted his chin. "The Uzumaki Clan is full of wonders."
-He had made it up on the spot, really, but it did sound good.
Kakashi didn't take the bait. He simply looked at the person in the wheelchair.
He still remembered those moments of clashing blades in the shallows, and the things Granny had told him.
Back then, that red hair had lain dull and lifeless across the pillow.
Things were different now.
Now this person sat before him, eyes shining, even spinning tales about the wind on the mountaintop to fool him.
As he watched, his gaze softened little by little.
His hand rose of its own accord and settled on that red hair.
It really was growing glossier by the day.
The long strands slipped between his fingers, tickling them.
"...It's nothing," he said softly. "I just think this is nice."
"All right, stop messing around, Kakashi-sensei."
Smiling, Hayashi pulled his hand off his head.
"As far as I understand it, there shouldn't be any problems."
"You should focus on training those three kids over the next few days, though. I'm afraid they'll get their asses handed to them when the time comes."
"Their asses handed to them?" Kakashi pictured it. "Surely not. Surely not."
"Surely yes." Hayashi nodded solemnly. "You have no idea how bad those three are right now."
"Naruto's Gale Palm is looking pretty decent now, you know."
"Pretty decent at launching