Inside the tent, Rin Uzumaki slowly told Gua how they had met Kakashi.
They had met in the Grass Capital, then traveled to the Land of Rain before heading west to the Land of Birds. After that, they heard that Konoha and Iwagakure had gone to war, so they turned back from the far west. While passing through the Land of Rain, they happened to uncover some information about the Akatsuki, and Kakashi told them to wait for him...
Rin Uzumaki talked for a long time. Nothing particularly major had happened; it sounded more like a leisurely travelogue of three companions.
Throughout her account, Rin Uzumaki kept praising Kakashi.
"Kakashi was a very gentle person."
"Kakashi was very good at hunting."
"Kakashi was so patient with people."
"Kakashi cared deeply about Konoha, too."
"Kakashi never hurt anyone unprovoked."
"..."
"Kakashi was a good person."
"Someone as good as Kakashi shouldn't have died like that."
The light faded from Rin Uzumaki's eyes. Beside her, little Karin pressed her lips together without saying a word.
Gua fell silent for a moment.
After Hatake Sakumo and Rin died, perhaps no one had wished so purely and simply for Kakashi to stay alive.
At last, someone had wanted so badly for him to live.
And yet he had...
Gua felt uneasy.
In a way, he felt he had gotten Kakashi killed.
If he hadn't appeared there, Kakashi would never have suddenly attacked.
If Kakashi hadn't attacked Sasori the assassin, the Akatsuki would probably have struggled to discover him. At worst, he could have slipped in alone, gathered some intelligence, and withdrawn.
But because Gua was there, Kakashi had attacked and exposed himself.
And afterward, Gua hadn't been able to protect him...
"I'm sorry."
Gua spoke softly to Rin Uzumaki across from him.
Still immersed