Hikaru's words made Kakashi freeze in place.
He had never once considered life from that angle.
Failure is the main theme of life?
Was it really okay to say something like that?
Yet no matter how much Kakashi tried to refute it, the moment he seriously thought about it, he realized something unsettling—
Success truly was fleeting.
Even if a single moment of success cast a glow bright enough to last a lifetime, how many failures were buried beneath that radiance? Only the person who lived it would ever know.
Take Kakashi himself, for example.
Everyone called him a genius. A prodigy who created a devastating Lightning Release technique—Raikiri—at such a young age.
But only Kakashi knew how many times he had failed during its development.
And even after its "completion," it was still flawed.
Missing one crucial element.
The Sharingan.
Raikiri was only truly perfected after Obito's death.
That realization alone was a crushing blow.
And as a squad leader, it was one of Kakashi's greatest failures.
"Failure… is the main theme of life?" Kakashi murmured softly, then fell silent.
"Yes," Hikaru sighed lightly, then smiled again—gentle, unforced.
"Failure is the main theme of life."
"But Kakashi, how a person faces failure… is what truly separates people."
Kakashi didn't answer.
But his gaze shifted slightly toward Hikaru.
He felt like he understood—and yet didn't.
Still, Hikaru pressed on. He knew this moment mattered. He couldn't afford to miss his mark.
"Failure is a test," Hikaru said calmly.
"Some people are crushed by it. They fall once and never stand again. Those people—we call failures."
"But others keep getting back up. No matter how many times they fail, they reflect, learn, and move forward again."
"These people are the ones we call successful."
"And more often than not, their eventual success shines so brightly that it completely hides every failure that came before it."
He paused, eyes lingering on Kakashi before continuing.
"Whether it's us or anyone else, we all move forward while wavering between success and failure."
"The difference lies in the choice we make."
"Kakashi—past failure does not mean future failure. But drowning in past failure, unable to move forward… that's what truly betrays the people who made your success possible."
"I don't think maturity is about chasing perfection, or avoiding failure."
"It's about facing your imperfections head-on."
"That's what life really is."
Something inside Kakashi stirred.
He understood Hikaru's meaning—and he knew he was being comforted.
But this kind of comfort was different.
No blame. No absolution. No judgment.
Just a reframing of life itself.
And strangely enough… that made it easier to accept.
Kakashi took a deep breath and looked at Hikaru. He opened his mouth to speak—but the words refused to come.
In the end, he simply lowered his head again and stared at the two gravestones.
But his eyes had changed.
The guilt, the self-loathing, the quiet death wish buried deep inside him… they were slowly loosening their grip.
In their place was confusion.
Reflection.
And thought.
Hikaru knew this was enough.
He put his mask back on and turned to leave.
But as he walked away, he spoke once more.
"There's a saying I really like."
'There is only one kind of true heroism in this world—
to see the truth of life clearly, and still choose to love it.'
"I'll give that to you too, Kakashi."
"What happened to Rin and Obito was tragic. But people can't live forever trapped in past failures."
"If you truly don't want to betray what they gave their lives for…
If you truly want to make up for your failures…"
"Then live on with their will."
"It's painful. It's hard."
"But when we eventually reach the Pure Land and meet them again, you'll be able to smile and say—
I didn't betray you."
"And one more thing…"
Hikaru's voice dropped so low it was almost swallowed by the night.
"The matter with those people… you can ask the Fourth Hokage."
With that, he disappeared completely into the darkness.
Moonlight bathed the cemetery.
Wind brushed through the trees.
Kakashi remained standing there alone.
He stared at the two gravestones, Hikaru's words echoing endlessly in his mind.
He never thought of himself as a hero.
Never once.
But maybe… even if he wasn't a hero, he still needed to love his life.
To live on for those who gave their lives for him.
To carry their will forward.
To one day stand before them in the Pure Land and say with pride—
I didn't let your sacrifice be in vain.
Slowly, clarity returned to Kakashi's eyes.
As he looked at the graves, he felt as though he saw them—
A boy in a blue-and-black jacket, goggles perched on his forehead, giving him a thumbs-up.
A girl with short brown hair and purple markings on her cheeks, smiling gently at him.
"Obito… Rin…"
Kakashi whispered their names.
His gaze grew firm. Clear.
"I won't betray your sacrifice. I will carry your will and live on—no matter how painful it is."
Their will meant protecting Konoha.
Protecting home.
Protecting the people they cherished.
Obito gave his life for that.
Rin gave her life for that.
And Kakashi—who still lived—would give everything he had for it.
"I won't let what I treasure be destroyed again."
"Do your best, idiot."
"Do your best, Kakashi."
In his heart, it felt like they whispered those words to him.
In his steady gaze, the two figures rose into the sky, smiling as they faded into the starlit night.
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto