BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
Enjoy the new chapter!
____________
[—
"YOU GUYS…!!!"
Kakashi appeared, shouting angrily, making the trio feel as if they had been caught committing a crime.
"Aww!!" Naruto was shocked.
Kakashi stood in front of the stunned trio and said calmly, with an unexpected smile,
"Pass. Heh."
"Huh?" Sakura was confused.
"Uh?" Naruto was equally perplexed.
"…" Sasuke too.
"Pass? But why?"
Sakura asked, bewildered.
"You guys are the first," said Kakashi.
"Everyone else would just do whatever I told them. They were all just morons."
Kakashi looked at the two bentos in front of Naruto before adding,
"A ninja must see underneath the underneath.
Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are called trash…"
He paused for a moment, observing the faces of the trio, then continued:
"But you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades… ARE LOWER THAN TRASH."
—]
...
Standing at this scene, Sakumo felt a slight tremor starting in his heart, spreading through his entire body—a shiver he had never felt before in his life.
When was the last time he had truly cried?
"Huh…?"
His hand moved instinctively, wiping away the tears—tears that fell without asking, 'Am I really crying?'
He didn't even know why these tears were falling at this moment.
The tears fell on the depiction of Kakashi in the manga, yet they didn't soak the pages. They didn't settle there but quietly dropped to the floor.
'The last time I cried… was when my wife died…' he thought, a sense of sorrow washing over him. But soon, that sorrow was replaced by the precious, fleeting emotions of the present moment.
Sakumo disconnected from reality at this moment, feeling as if he were stepping into a completely different world.
He felt as though he had entered the manga itself, directly receiving Kakashi's words. It seemed as though Kakashi was speaking to him personally, instead of just addressing Team Seven.
Those who don't take care of their comrades… ARE LOWER THAN TRASH.
These words affected him deeply, reminding him of the moment he lost everything—when he broke the rules, letting the Third Kazekage live. He didn't kill him; he chose to yield to threats obediently so that his comrades could survive.
The mission, almost complete, he abandoned firmly—but he never chose to abandon the lives of his comrades.
He couldn't.
All the while, Sakumo had been asking himself:
'Did I make a mistake? Should I have followed the rules and sacrificed my comrades? Should I have killed the Third Kazekage when I had the chance?'
When he saw the cold stares of his comrades after saving their lives and choosing them over completing the mission, he felt as if he might have made the wrong choice.
These thoughts formed a torrent of negative and chaotic ideas, gnawing at his mind over the past months, especially after his reputation had been tarnished and he had lost everything.
Sakumo hadn't been well since that mission… until this very moment.
He looked directly at the man who strangely resembled him but hid his face behind a mask, one eye also covered by the Konoha headband.
"Those who abandon their comrades… are worse than trash," said the man standing before him.
"Do you really believe that?" Sakumo asked, confused.
"Yes, that's what you taught me," Kakashi replied with a smile.
The same smile he had shown to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in the manga.
A silence fell—broken only by the quiet of Sakumo's heart.
All the negative emotions in his heart faded, as if they had never existed.
"Thank you," Sakumo smiled.
At that moment, the imaginary world Sakumo thought he had 'entered' broke apart. The tears were still visible on his face, and young Kakashi held his hand anxiously.
A child's innocent concern for his father: "Dad… why are you crying?"
Young Kakashi felt his heart break seeing his father's tears at that moment.
But the bright smile that appeared on Sakumo's face erased all that worry, and Kakashi smiled unconsciously as well.
Sakumo placed his hand on Kakashi's head and jokingly said, "Something got in my eye."
…
"Ooooh~!!! Amazing! Incredible! A real ninja! This is what a real ninja is!"
Right next to them, crying sounds erupted as Maito Dai, the father, and Maito Gai, the son, hugged each other in a somewhat comical scene.
"Ooooh~ Kakashi-sensei knows what it means to be a true shinobi!"
"Those who break the rules are trash, and those who don't care for their comrades are worse than trash! Right! Absolutely right!"
Maito Dai felt a complex surge of emotions as he read this line.
What affected him even more deeply was seeing Sakumo's tears. He knew what had happened recently—the huge escalation that led to Sakumo's reputation being tarnished. Even though he didn't know the full background, he knew Sakumo's character and his kind heart and care for his comrades.
Sakumo was a model of a good, honest shinobi who loved the village and placed the welfare of others above his own. Seeing what his kind friend had suffered recently made him feel deep sorrow and anger toward the village.
This feeling became stronger when he saw his friend's tears from this scene, and even he could not hold back his own tears.
…
"Dad… from now on, I'll take care of my comrades, no matter how bad things get."
Kakashi formed a fist, giving this promise.
Young Kakashi realized that his father was not crying because something got in his eye, but because of the words of the adult Kakashi in the manga.
Despite his young age at that moment, he understood this.
"Is that right? Wonderful, Kakashi, you really are my son." Sakumo hugged Kakashi and sighed lightly.
He had never expected a day like this—to be taught by the adult version of his son, through the pages of a fictional book.
At that moment, he truly felt as if the Kakashi from the manga was speaking directly to him.
He felt as if he had really entered the world of the manga, and it was not just an illusion.
'Thank you…' was the sincere thanks directed to Rob.
The author of this book.
…
[20,000 AC from Hatake Sakumo]
[System Alert: Due to intense emotion from the reader deeply affected by your art, a record amount of coins has been generated.]
Rob, who was currently at the "Sunagakure" art store, was stunned seeing the large number of coins collected from Sakumo.
'Who would have expected that a single moment from the manga would generate this many coins for me…' Rob smiled, thinking quietly.
'Seems I know the reason for that…' said Rob.
…
Back at the "Konohagakure" art store, the manga chapter and Kakashi's words didn't just affect Sakumo and his son.
Alongside Maito Dai and his son, many other shinobi were imposed into a moment of reflection.
They felt as if Kakashi was speaking directly to their hearts.
This was the power of the manga that Hiruzen, Danzo, Hamura, and Koharu in Konoha, and Shazan, Chio, and Ebizo in Suna, feared.
A subtle, direct influence on people's thoughts… including the thoughts of the shinobi themselves.
'Tsk… as expected, he's passing soft ideas through the village characters.'
'One must consider the village's interests above individual interests. What do you mean by "those who don't care for their comrades are worse than trash"? What if your comrades are obstacles to the village's interests? Will you choose your comrades over the village? Damn you and your soft ideas!' thought Dazno.
"I think this saying should be reversed, and then the outcome for Team Seven would fail. I bet they need a strict teacher like me; this Kakashi is just a clown," said Danzo coldly.
"What do you mean by reversing this saying?" Hiruzen asked, with a complex expression.
"It's simple… Those who don't take care of their comrades are trash, but those who break the rules for their comrades are worse than trash… that's how the saying should be."
"Where did Rubirō-kun go? Hiruzen, you must convince him to change this chapter's content… the consequences will be severe," Danzo said with a poisonous glare.
"Stop joking, Danzo."
At that moment, Mito, who had been silent, spoke while observing the chapter's events deeply.
"I completely agree with Kakashi in the manga. Those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash… I think everyone in the village should follow these words."
Mito showed a supportive stance, as she greatly loved Kakashi's character.
____________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
____________
Chapter 57: Shinobi Rankings and Missions in Konoha!
Chapter 58: A Protection Mission to the Land of Waves!
Chapter 59: The World Map and the Appearance of Enemies!
Chapter 60: Sasuke Excels.
____________
BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 80.
There are 25 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Diamond tier ($20 subscription).
On Patreon and Ko-fi, too.
In the coming days, chapters will be made available for all tiers, reaching up to 50 advanced chapters… Enjoy!