After exchanging pleasantries with the surrounding ninjas for a while, Kōki turned his attention back to Kakashi.
Kakashi, however, maintained his indifferent expression, his eyes vacant, lost in his own world, seemingly unmoved by the outside world.
Kōki was somewhat confused; what had triggered Kakashi's reaction?
" Kakashi- senpai, if Rin-senpai saw you like this, she would worry. She's still receiving treatment in the ward next door. Your listless appearance is not worthy of Rin-senpai's efforts."
It seemed that a word from Kōki's words touched Kakashi, and a glimmer of light finally appeared in his dull and lifeless eyes. He raised his head to look at Kōki beside him, his pale face and slightly chapped lips moved, and weak words came out of his mouth.
" Kōki, what did you say? Rin isn't dead?"
This question Kōki a little bewildered, and he said with a strange expression, "Of course not. Didn't I save Rin-senpai at the last moment? Doesn't Kakashi- senpai know that?"
The reason Kakashi kept staring blankly at his right hand after waking up was because he thought he had killed Rin with Chidori.
He had no recollection whatsoever of Kōki saving Rin.
The only thing he could remember was a flash of blue light and the memory of warm, viscous blood flowing over his hand.
That's why he thought he had broken his promise to Obito and was a loser who hadn't kept anything, which is why he remained immersed in his own world.
Only after hearing Kōki's words did he understand.
It turns out that Rin didn't die, but was saved by Kōki at the last moment.
" Kōki, are you telling the truth?"
Kakashi looked somewhat uneasy, fearing that Kōki's words were just a lie.
However, Kōki found this expression so amusing. It was the first time he had ever seen Kakashi with such an expression on his half-covered face. Kakashi usually had a dead fish look in his eyes, and it was impossible to see any other expression.
It seems that Obito's affair really dealt a significant blow to Kakashi.
Thinking this through, Kōki had no intention of teasing Kakashi and replied directly, "Everything I said is true, Kakashi- senpai. I have no reason to lie to you. If you don't believe me, you can come with me to the ward next door to see. Anyway, you don't have any serious injuries. Your previous unconsciousness was just due to both physical and mental fatigue. Now, after resting for a while, apart from being a little weak, you're fine."
Kōki's original intention was to reassure Kakashi that he didn't need to worry about Rin's condition and could focus on recuperating.
But to everyone's surprise, after hearing this, Kakashi immediately struggled to get out of bed, completely disregarding his weak body, wanting to see Rin with his own eyes before he could feel at ease.
Faced with this situation, Kōki was speechless; he never expected Kakashi to be so stubborn.
It seems he's really been infected by Obito's personality. I wonder if Obito would jump for joy if he knew he'd changed so much towards Kakashi.
Whether Obito jumps or not is Kōki needs to put aside; he needs to help Kakashi walk towards Rin's ward.
After slowly helping Kakashi walk for about two minutes, they arrived at the ward specially set up for Rin's critically ill patients.
Upon entering the ward, Kakashi saw Rin reclining on the pristine white bed, engrossed in a medical book, showing no signs of being a seriously injured patient.
If Kakashi hadn't known that he had personally pierced Rin's body with Chidori, he would have thought that Rin's injuries were just ordinary, not life-threatening ones.
"Lin, are you alright?"
Looking at Rin, whose face was rosy and who looked healthy, Kakashi was a little confused. How could someone who had been seriously injured by Chidori be like this?
Or is it that he recovered faster than someone with only minor injuries like himself, or has he been lying in bed for too long, even Lin, who was seriously injured, already recovered?
Kakashi's slightly surprised words startled Rin, who was engrossed in her book. Looking up and seeing Kakashi and Kōki beside him, she exclaimed with delight, " Kakashi, you're finally awake! I was just wondering when you'd be coming!"
Seeing Rin's radiant smile, Kakashi finally felt relieved. He was about to say something when he remembered how he had hurt Rin before, and he recalled the promise he had made to Obito.
For a moment, guilt overwhelmed him.
"I'm sorry, Lin, I..."
Before Kakashi could finish speaking, Rin smiled and shook her head.
" Kakashi, it's okay. Have you forgotten that it was my own decision back then? It's not your fault at all. On the contrary, I'm the one who should apologize. Because of my stubbornness, you suffered so much. I think you must have been very sad when you hurt me with Chidori."
Rin's words were so gentle, like warm sunshine that soothed Kakashi's cold heart.
Kakashi could no longer maintain his composure; tears streamed down his face as if a dam had burst, flowing uncontrollably no matter how hard Kakashi tried to stop them.
Kakashi's crying caught Rin off guard, and she quickly explained, " Kakashi, it's really alright. I've already been saved by Kōki, and I'm healthier than you now."
Lin was both amused and exasperated. She truly hadn't expected Kakashi, who always presented himself as strong, to show such a vulnerable side in front of her. It made her reflect on how much they had really gone through lately.
Hearing Rin's words of comfort, Kakashi finally managed to control his emotions. After wiping away his tears, Kakashi looked at Kōki with slightly red eyes.
" Kōki, Rin now?"
After calming down, Kakashi remembered Rin's abnormal condition. He had personally injured Rin severely, and based on his understanding of Chidori, if someone was hit by Chidori like Rin, they definitely wouldn't recover so quickly.
In response to Kakashi's question, Kōki smiled and explained, "Rin-senpai's rapid recovery is related to that thing inside her. With proper medical treatment and the presence of the Tailed Beast, the combined effect gave Rin-senpai a recovery ability far exceeding that of ordinary ninjas. Therefore, in less than two days, Rin-senpai was almost fully recovered. So, Kakashi- senpai, you don't need to worry. On the contrary, you are the one who needs to rest."
Lin's injuries had actually been mostly healed by his Medical Ninjutsu that day; if it weren't for the lack of certain medications, Lin would have been fine long ago.
He then handed Rin over to the medical ninjas, who gave her some medicine to treat her serious injuries. Rin recovered from her serious injuries the next day, and if it weren't for the need to observe her condition more closely, she would have been able to Earth Flow.
It's even possible that today it won't be Kakashi visiting Rin, but rather Rin visiting Kakashi.
There was nothing that could be done; Rin's abnormal regenerative abilities only made Kōki marvel at the domineering nature of the Tailed Beast.
Just like when Naruto was a child and Sasuke for the first time at the Valley of the End, he was hit squarely in the chest by a Chidori attack, which pierced right through him.
But the next second, with the surge of Nine-Tails Chakra, the transparent hole instantly returned to its original state.
Even with Naruto 'Uzumaki Clan powerful regenerative abilities, the Nine-Tails ' contribution to his physical body couldn't be denied.
This time, although Rin wasn't as abnormal as Naruto, who could recover quickly after being pierced by Chidori, she still recovered quickly thanks to the support of the Three-Tails' passive ability, Kōki's Medical Ninjutsu, and the combined treatment of the medical team's medication.
" Kōki is right. I was quite scared when I first had this in my body, but now I'm actually grateful for it. Otherwise, I might have really met Obito in the Pure Land." Rin smiled and agreed after hearing Kōki's words.
Kakashi initially breathed a sigh of relief, but then remembered the Kirigakure's plot before he fainted, and asked nervously, " Kōki, have you taken any precautions against the Tailed Beast inside Rin? The Kirigakure plans to release the Tailed Beast inside Konoha in Konoha and cause widespread destruction. If we haven't taken timely precautions, the Kirigakure's plot could very well succeed."
"Don't worry, Kakashi- senpai. After bringing Rin-senpai back, I informed Lord Orochimaru and Minato- senpai about it. They have already joined forces to completely seal the Tailed Beast inside Rin-senpai. From now on, Rin-senpai will be the Jinchūriki the Three-Tails, and her strength will increase significantly. Perhaps in future missions, it will be Rin-senpai protecting Kakashi- senpai, rather than Kakashi- senpai protecting Rin-senpai."
The problem with Rin had already been resolved by Orochimaru and Minato the night after he reported the information to Orochimaru.
He was preparing for his mission with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Mist the next day and was unaware of this situation. He only learned about it after completing his mission and handing it over to Orochimaru.
After listening to Kōki's story, Kakashi's face finally lost its sorrowful expression, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"That's good, that's good."
Kakashi thought to himself, "I haven't let Obito down or broken the promise I made with Obito. That's great."
Originally, when he pierced Lin's body with the Chidori, he had already prepared himself to seek liberation in the days to come.
He felt unworthy of being a Konoha Ninja, having caused the death of his comrades and then personally killing them; he couldn't even forgive himself for it.
Fortunately, things didn't get to the worst. Although Obito was gone, Rin was still there, and he still had a chance to make up for his past mistakes.
" Kakashi- senpai, you and Rin-senpai can continue your chat. I'll be leaving now." Seeing that Kakashi's expression had relaxed, Kōki didn't intend to disturb the two close comrades' conversation. After saying goodbye to Kakashi and Rin, he turned and walked out of the ward. Before leaving, he left a message, "Rin-senpai, you now have the Three-Tails within you. I hope you can get along well with it; it might be of great help to you in the future."
Kakashi and Rin tried to stop Kōki from leaving. They owed their survival to Kōki's help, and they hadn't even properly thanked Kōki yet. How could they let Kōki leave like this?
But one of them had just recovered from a serious injury, and the other was physically weak. How could they stop the healthy and agile Kōki? In the end, they could only watch Kōki leave.
After leaving Rin's hospital room, Kōki headed towards his residence.
The ninjas along the way either bowed or cast respectful glances at Kōki.
This demonstrates Kōki's prestige within the camp. And it makes sense; Kōki is either fighting valiantly on the battlefield or treating the seriously wounded in the medical camp. If someone like him isn't respected by the Konoha Ninja, then what kind of person is?
However, because so many people admired Kōki, Kōki felt quite embarrassed, so he quickened his pace back.
Unexpectedly, three ninjas blocked Kōki's path. Upon Kōki inspection, Uchiha realized that the three were members of the Uchiha Clan, and he recognized them as the ones he had reprimanded in Kakashi's hospital room earlier.
This made Kōki narrow his eyes slightly. He was somewhat confused; what was this Uchiha man in front of him trying to do?
Could it be that something he said in Kakashi's hospital room earlier angered the Uchiha ninja, making him want to cause trouble?
It wasn't that he looked down on the three Uchiha; even if thirty more Uchiha came, they wouldn't be enough for him. Besides, he had even killed the Uchiha Clan's Madara Uchiha, so why would he be afraid of those incompetent Uchiha descendants? He didn't think the Uchiha ninjas would be that stupid.
If they weren't there to cause trouble, why would they block his way back?
Although he didn't understand the Uchiha ninjas' intentions, Kōki didn't show any suspicion. He simply asked in a detached tone, "What is it, Uchiha ninjas?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he spoke, the three Uchiha ninjas bowed deeply and apologized to Kōki, saying, "We're sorry, Lord Kōki. Our behavior in the hospital room was extremely rude; we showed no consideration for our comrades from the same village. We're so sorry!"
This apologetic attitude almost startled Kōki. He had assumed the Uchiha were there to cause trouble, never expecting them to apologize. This was completely out of character for the arrogant and haughty Uchiha ninjas.
However, since the Uchiha ninja had come to apologize, he couldn't be cold to them.
"I don't care about that. The person you should really apologize to is Kakashi Hatake. He's the one you need to apologize to."
In Kōki's view, Kakashi was the real victim, and he was just an acquaintance who stood up for Kakashi.
Kōki had initially thought his words would displease the Uchiha ninjas, given their previous arrogant attitude. However, to his surprise, the three Uchiha Uchiha showed no displeasure whatsoever. Instead, they nodded in agreement, saying, " Lord Kōki, we'll go apologize to Kakashi later."
After saying that, the Uchiha ninja continued, " Lord Kōki, our clan leader has some matters to discuss with you. Please come over."
Now Kōki understood. So the Uchiha had a request for him; no wonder they were being so polite.
He initially wanted to refuse, because he had nothing to talk about with the Uchiha Clan, but seeing how much face the Uchiha Clan was giving him, he couldn't refuse and nodded in agreement.
After seeing Kōki nod in agreement, the Uchiha ninja's face lit up with joy, and he said again, "Then we won't bother you any longer. Let's go apologize to Kakashi Hatake now."
After bowing slightly to Kōki, the three Uchiha ninjas headed towards Kakashi's location.