"One... one hundred times should be enough... probably..."
Obito stiffened his neck, but by the time he said "probably," his confidence was clearly gone.
The older Kakashi stood there drowning in guilt over the Obito of his own era. Young Kakashi, meanwhile, rolled his eyes so hard they nearly hit the sky.
With a sharp, clear voice, he snapped, "What do you mean 'probably'? Do you seriously not know whether you hit a hundred or not? It's a mission! Can't you take it seriously for once and stop messing up?"
Obito glared at the bruise on Young Kakashi's neck and refused to answer out of spite.
That bruise came from yesterday, when the masked man in that parallel world had grabbed him by the throat. He was wearing a different kind of mask now, a split-design model. Rin had spread ointment over the wound and wrapped it with white bandages.
Kakashi kept insisting it was just a minor injury, and although Rin had healed the damage to his throat with Medical Ninjutsu, faint blue finger marks still lingered on the surface. Normally they were hidden by the tight bodysuit and full-face mask he used to wear.
Obito was far too embarrassed to admit how much garlic, crucifix-shaped beans, and salt he'd stuffed into his pockets before sneaking off to the graveyard in the middle of the night to carve the Memorial Stone. Whenever a cold breeze brushed past him, he'd immediately stop engraving, press his hands together, and chant, "Amitabha Buddha."
'Amitabha Buddha! Amitabha Buddha!'
'You over there in this world, don't hate me for this! I'm doing it for Minato-sensei's family and that clumsy Kakashi!!'
'If you were me, you wouldn't blame me, right?'
'Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha.'
'Dad, Mom, wherever you are—please protect me! And my idol White Fang, this world's Minato-sensei and Kushina-san! Please protect me!!'
Whoosh—
A cold gust swept by, and Young Obito shivered from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. A whole night of chaos.
And then...
"What number was I on?!!! Was it twenty-seven or thirty-seven?!!!"
...
Obito's flashback came to an end.
Naruto—who was just as impulsive as Obito—Rin, his childhood friend who doted on him (probably), and Sasuke Uchiha, his clansman, all stared at him in complete disbelief.
Young Kakashi grabbed Obito by the collar and exploded, "How old are you?! Three?! You're afraid of the dark?! Why don't you just regress even further, Obito Uchiha?! You're an Uchiha, aren't you?!"
Sasuke: "..." Don't drag the rest of us into this. Thanks.
But with his throat still strained, Young Kakashi started coughing halfway through his yelling.
Obito, who was nearly two years older, didn't take offense. Kakashi had always been like this. Instead, he worried about him, telling him not to shout and calling Rin over to check on him.
The older Kakashi let out a long sigh, watching their interaction with eyes full of grief.
Just then, a knock sounded from the courtyard gate.
"Senpai! Kakashi-senpai, are you there?!" The voice was urgent.
Kakashi recognized it instantly—Tenzō.
He stepped around Obito and his younger self and went outside.
The moment he saw him, Tenzō blurted out, "Senpai! Something terrible happened! Prepare yourself!! Obito-senpai's name on the Memorial Stone has been slashed to pieces!!!"
Being called "Obito-senpai" for the first time made Obito, hiding inside the house, flush with embarrassment.
Kakashi said, "I already know."
Tenzō, dressed in full ANBU gear, watched Kakashi's expression carefully.
"Senpai, you... take care of yourself..."
"..."
What the hell is this?!
"Does the Third Hokage know about this?" Kakashi asked Tenzō.
Tenzō: "He already does. That's why he ordered me to inform senpai, and ask if senpai knows who did..."
Rumors were circulating that Kakashi had finally found love, even keeping a secret lover hidden away in the old mansion. So some speculated it was the work of Kakashi-senpai's current lover. But how could Tenzō even ask such a thing?!!!
Kakashi: "I know who did it. I'll explain everything to the Third Hokage-sama later."
Tenzo's face betrayed nothing, though inside he was exploding. AAAAAHHHH!!! Oh my god!!! Just like the rumors said!!!!!
Bursting with gossip, Tenzō hurried back to report.
After this ordeal, Kakashi had calmed down a bit. What else could he do? What other options did he have? Ask Obito Uchiha to swallow the Memorial Stone and replace it with a new one?
It was about time Obito backed down, crawling over to tell Kakashi he'd cover the cost of repairing the Memorial Stone.
Kakashi: "...." Is this fucking about money?!
Young Kakashi stared at his teenage self and that idiot Obito, nearly spitting blood.
"Alright, now that we know the problem..." He grabbed Obito by the collar and declared, "Might as well go all out and carve a few more lines."
Minato Namikaze hesitated before making his decision.
"Carving the Memorial Stone during the day will inevitably be discovered. Plus, none of us got proper rest last night. If our next mission still sends us back to a critical battlefield, we likely won't be able to change anything about that era's circumstances...."
Unlike the Adult Kakashi's refusal, the Young Kakashi approached missions with robotic, unquestioning obedience. Most crucially, in his own era, with that idiot Obito and Rin by his side, he couldn't truly empathize with the despair the adult Kakashi had endured.
So compared to a single name on a Stone Monument, solving problems and preventing the various regret-filled futures of parallel worlds was naturally more important.
Besides, they couldn't stay in this world forever. Their world was in the midst of the Third Shinobi World War, and the mission at Kannabi Bridge was crucial to Konoha's victory in this conflict. They had to succeed—failure was not an option!!
Adult Kakashi gave a brief nod and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
Minato Namikaze sighed wryly, "Kakashi's really pissed this time."
Obito felt strangely unsettled by this too. The thought that future Kakashi was so furious because of his future self made him feel incredibly awkward. Their relationship was like oil and water. When they parted at the Kannabi Bridge, he'd even punched him hard. That day, he hadn't even given him a Jōnin gift...
Sakura and Rin, being girls, looked somewhat concerned. Especially Rin—the future Kakashi truly seemed utterly despondent.
After the Adult Kakashi departed, the Young Kakashi methodically prepared to continue his training. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura shared the same intention. They decided on the spot to sneak into Konoha and find an empty, unoccupied training ground.
Minato Namikaze changed into ANBU attire and fastened his mask. He had worked through the night analyzing the battle between Fugaku Uchiha and the masked man. The matter of Danzō Shimura collaborating with the masked man to suppress the Uchiha clan also demanded investigation.
The group arrived at the entrance of Konoha Training Ground #3.
Two young Konoha ninja came running toward them, crying out. Before they could reach the boys, it seemed as if something tripped them. After falling, they were being dragged backward away from Naruto and the others?!
Minato Namikaze's expression turned cold.
The young Kakashi, Obito, and Rin swiftly drew their kunai. Having grown up during the Third Shinobi World War, their crisis awareness and vigilance far surpassed those of Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura, who had lived in the peaceful post-war era.
The two Konoha youths were screaming for help.
Naruto immediately leaped forward!
"What's going on?!"
Sasuke: "Look closely—their feet!"
After Sasuke pointed it out, Sakura and Naruto noticed each of the two Konoha youths had one ankle wrapped in glowing blue chakra threads. Further away, a figure—likely an ally of the Konoha teens—was completely bound by chakra threads.
And the one restraining them...
...was the oddly dressed, purple-painted-faced, black-clad youth from Training Ground Three?!
Beside him stood a girl with peculiar hair and an even stranger, enormous fan?!
Minato Namikaze studied their forehead protectors. "They're from Sunagakure."
Seeing fellow Konoha ninjas pinned and humiliated by outsiders, Obito Uchiha roared and sprang forward.
"Why the hell are Sunagakure ninja in our Konohagakure?!"
Young Kakashi and Rin immediately prepared for combat.
Naruto pointed at the pair and shouted, "Who the hell are you?! Why are you in our village?!"
Sasuke didn't move, but his expression turned cold.
Kankurō, annoyed by their hostility, snapped back.
"Hey, hey! You guys were the ones who picked a fight first!"
He and Temari had arrived early intending to practice in the training grounds. Even though they were there first, three Konoha ninjas arrogantly demanded they leave.
They had come to Konoha for the Chūnin Exams, not to be pushed around. Naturally, they had to show these Konoha kids a lesson.
Were Konoha ninjas really this weak?
Minato Namikaze kept a stern expression, but his attention wasn't on the two intruders.
Instead...
He sensed something—behind him at the ten-o'clock direction, roughly a hundred yards away, a chakra unlike any other.
It was the same as Naruto's...
The chakra of a jinchūriki.
...
Just as Team Minato and Team Kakashi were about to clash with the two Sunagakure ninjas, a frigid, oppressive chakra surged from behind Naruto and the others.
"Stop... Kankurō..."
"!!!!"
...