Kakashi patted Yoruha's shoulder.
"Alright, it's settled then. Focus on learning sealing techniques. Once you master them, I won't have to worry about Naruto losing control anymore."
"Didn't you say the seal inside Naruto's body has started to weaken?"
"You don't want him to go on a rampage and destroy Konoha, do you? Or for the Nine-Tails to break free and hurt him?"
Yoruha gave a wry smile.
"You're really laying it on thick."
"But I don't have a reason to refuse either. I'll talk again once I've actually mastered sealing arts. After all, even you couldn't learn them properly—so I can't say I'm confident I'll manage."
"Even with just two tails, Naruto was that difficult to handle. Who knows how terrifying he'll become once more tails appear?"
If the Nine-Tails had heard that, it would have died of anger.
Yoruha had subdued a rampaging Naruto with a single jutsu—so who was the truly powerful one here?
If the Nine-Tails had known what Yoruha said, it would have remembered the words the First Hokage once told it.
The combined technique Yoruha unleashed created a water dragon three hundred meters long—several times larger than Hashirama's Wood Dragon.
Keep in mind, the wooden giant was only a few dozen meters tall, and the Great Buddha a few hundred. It was only with the Thousand Hands that it reached over a thousand meters.
But Yoruha's water dragon alone was three hundred meters tall—and that was just part of a combination technique, imbued with a deadly lightning element.
In terms of power, Yoruha's Water Dragon Bullet infused with lightning release was hardly any weaker than the Wood Dragon Technique.
Yet Yoruha claimed that Naruto's rampaging form was so strong that he might not be able to suppress it at all.
In reality, after suppressing Naruto's two-tailed form, Yoruha had spent less than one-tenth of his chakra—and that was after already using a lot during the earlier battle against Kurosuchi Raiga.
What's worse, Yoruha even said his jutsu could only suppress Naruto with two tails, and that he wouldn't be able to handle three.
If the Nine-Tails heard that, it would've cursed him to death—because the power of Yoruha's jutsu was far beyond what was necessary.
Even a three-tailed Naruto wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Kakashi didn't know exactly how strong three-tailed Naruto would be, but judging by the power Naruto had shown with two tails, he agreed that once three appeared, it would be nearly impossible to control him.
Even with two tails, Kakashi could already feel the Nine-Tails' terrifying chakra.
At that moment, he knew he couldn't resist it—its pressure was even more horrifying than Orochimaru's killing intent back then.
And Orochimaru had once frozen Kakashi in place with just a glance—even while wounded, Kakashi hadn't dared to attack him.
He had never forgotten that experience.
Yet the evil chakra radiating from Naruto's two-tailed form felt even more terrifying.
Kakashi's instincts weren't wrong—back then, Haku had been completely paralyzed by the rampaging Naruto. He could've escaped instantly, but under the crushing bloodlust of the Nine-Tails, his body simply couldn't move.
And that was when Naruto had only one tail.
All the more reason Kakashi hoped Yoruha would truly learn sealing techniques—because the Nine-Tails' power exceeded anything he could imagine.
The memory of the Nine-Tails' attack on the village was still vivid in his mind.
Even someone as strong as Minato Namikaze had to trade his life to seal the beast away.
If Kushina Uzumaki hadn't been injured that day, no matter how strong the Nine-Tails was, it would never have broken her seal.
The sealing arts of the Uzumaki clan were that overwhelming, that absolute.
Even their Adamantine Sealing Chains alone were something the Nine-Tails couldn't break free from.
The two talked for a long time—
until midnight, when they finally went to rest.
When Yoruha returned to the room, Sakura was wiping Naruto's and Sasuke's faces. Both were badly injured.
Looking at Sasuke, Yoruha said,
"Kakashi-sensei, no matter how much Sasuke acts like he looks down on Naruto, when it really comes down to it—when lives are on the line—he'll still risk his own to protect him."
"If his clan hadn't gone through what it did, I think he would've grown into an outstanding ninja."
Kakashi nodded.
"When I first tested the three of them, Sasuke was the first to share his food with Naruto—even though doing so could've gotten him disqualified."
That was one of the reasons Kakashi cared so deeply about Sasuke.
Besides the matter of Obito and the Sharingan, Kakashi understood exactly what kind of person Sasuke was.
He always hoped Sasuke could let go of his hatred—that he wouldn't walk such an extreme path.
But he also knew that such a deep grudge could never be easily set aside.
They were all staying in the same room that night.
Yoruha lay on his mat, staring up at the ceiling.
"If he could let go of the hatred in his heart, he'd definitely be able to live happily."
"It's a pity that's impossible. Kakashi-sensei, I don't think what you're trying to do will ever work."
Kakashi didn't deny it.
He only said, "I can only do my best."
Even knowing that the chance of Sasuke letting go of his hatred was slim to none, Kakashi still wanted to try.
As for helping Sasuke kill Itachi and avenge his clan—Kakashi knew he couldn't do that.
This was Uchiha Itachi they were talking about.
Even before awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kakashi had already struggled against him.
And Kakashi had always thought there was something suspicious about the Uchiha massacre and Itachi's defection.
He was sure the Third Hokage and Danzō had been involved.
But it wasn't something he could investigate.
In truth, Kakashi had once admired Uchiha Itachi.
After all, Itachi was one of the few members of the Uchiha clan who wasn't arrogant.
Before the Nine-Tails' attack, the Uchiha held high status in Konoha. Controlling the Police Force gave them immense power, and as a result, most Uchiha were proud and aloof.
Tobirama had originally assigned them to the Police Force to limit their influence—and also to integrate them into Konoha—but the authority only inflated their pride further. And since they had earned countless military merits during the wars, their arrogance only grew.
So humble Uchiha like Obito, Itachi, and Shisui were rare exceptions.
Back in the day, Obito had a personality quite similar to Naruto's—kindhearted and optimistic.
Kushina had even once said she hoped her child would grow up to be like Obito.
Before his accident, Obito and Kushina were very close—closer even than Kakashi was to her.
Of course, that was before everything went wrong.
She never would have imagined that the boy she once treated like a younger brother would one day stand before her again and say,
"The Uzumaki clan really does have remarkable vitality—still not dead, huh?"
Kakashi had always wanted to change Sasuke.
But the more he tried, the more he realized—it was impossible.