Obito wanted to rush out and call after this world's clueless Kakashi.
But the Kakashi who'd come with him from the Kannabi Bridge timeline restrained him with force.
Only after everyone walked far enough away did Kakashi release him.
"You idiot! Do you really think you can stay in this world forever?!"
"But—"
"No buts! You'll have to leave sooner or later, so there's no point meeting him!"
Obito bristled, but he couldn't deny it: if he and Rin appeared in front of that Kakashi, only to disappear again, the damage might be even worse.
"How about we follow that little Kakashi-sensei instead?" Naruto—Konoha's No.1 unpredictable ninja—immediately tossed out a bold idea.
Sasuke: "Idiot. Don't forget Fourth Hokage-sama told us to wait here."
"I agree with Naruto!" Obito shot back instantly, not caring about clan pride. "Minato-sensei and the others have been gone way too long. Something might've happened! If we find them, we might actually help!"
Young Kakashi: "If Minato-sensei really is in trouble, what exactly can you, the class dunce, do? Get in the way?"
"What was that?! Who would get in the way?!" Obito grabbed Kakashi's shirt, ready for a fight.
Rin and Sakura quickly intervened.
After a heated argument between two ninja teams from different eras, Naruto and Obito ultimately won. After all, Rin, Sakura, and even Sasuke were worried about this timeline's Kakashi.
That look of absolute despair was too painful to ignore.
They concealed themselves and watched this era's Kakashi from afar.
"Kakashi-sensei stopped at the bookstore!" Sakura whispered.
Could he really have started reading Icha Icha Paradise at that age?!
Since they were too far away, Obito and Sasuke instinctively activated their Sharingan.
What they saw made their expressions twist—
Kakashi picked up a book from the obscure section titled How a Ninja Should Die, quietly paid for it, and wore an expression like he'd just swallowed nattō mixed with bitter melon.
"That bastard Kakashi! What the hell is he doing?!" Obito panicked, cursing without realizing.
The young Kakashi behind him smacked the back of his head. "If you're going to insult someone behind their back, at least pay attention to your surroundings, idiot!"
Obito winced, rubbing his head but didn't argue.
Naruto tugged Sasuke's sleeve. "Don't hog all the watching! What's that little Kakashi-sensei doing now, dattebayo?!"
Sasuke: "Stay close. He might be thinking about ending his life."
"What?!!"
Obito: "He bought a book called How a Ninja Should Die."
Beside them, Kakashi's face darkened for a moment.
Rin and Sakura, startled, hurried after Sasuke and the others, continuing their pursuit of this era's Kakashi.
"Amaguriama?" Naruto wondered. "Would someone suicidal go buy sweets?"
Sakura paled. "Maybe he wants to eat something he likes for the last time?!"
"!!!!"
The group shivered in horror, one step away from shouting, Kakashi-sensei, don't do anything drastic!!!
But—
"Ma'am, I'm here to pick up the red bean cakes I reserved."
"Oh, good timing! They're already packed for you."
"Thank you, as always."
Young Kakashi paid, took the wrapped anko cakes, and continued walking down Konoha's streets like a ghost drifting along the backdrop.
"Follow him!"
The six continued sneaking behind him. Kakashi seemed so lost in his own world that he didn't notice them at all.
"It's the Yamanaka flower shop!" Sakura whispered.
They watched as he emerged moments later with several pink lilies in hand.
"Is he… going to—" Rin stopped herself.
Naruto asked, "Where's Sensei Kakashi going now?"
Rin shook her head, hiding her guess.
But Kakashi only had one destination left after buying flowers...
Konoha's—Memorial Stone.
It was nearly noon.
Naruto and the others were starving, but since this timeline's Kakashi stood silently before the stone, unmoving, they couldn't leave.
Each swallowed a military ration pill just to keep going.
"What's little Kakashi-sensei doing?! I'm telling you, this is weird, dattebayo!" Naruto muttered, watching from afar.
Probably mourning someone. Or several someones.
Obito and Sasuke's Sharingan easily captured Kakashi's desolate expression.
Sasuke remained composed, but Obito felt his whole body tighten at the sight.
He didn't even know what he was angry at—just that a fire roared inside him.
He wanted to shove Kakashi away, tell him that heroes shouldn't have to repent in front of a Memorial Stone.
But at the same time, he finally understood—
Why the Kakashi who became Naruto and Sasuke's teacher had exploded in anger when Obito accidentally chipped the name off the stone.
Because for this Kakashi…
Those names were everything.
"Oh my... isn't it a little rude to spy like this?"
Just as Obito thought that, Adult Kakashi's voice suddenly came from behind them. The shock nearly made Obito scream, and he would have—if the young Kakashi beside him hadn't slapped a hand over his mouth just in time.
"Is scaring this idiot fun for you?" young Kakashi glared at his future self.
Unfortunately, Adult Kakashi ignored the two of them completely. He grabbed Naruto and Sasuke by the heads and questioned the whole group:
"Didn't Minato-sensei tell you to wait right here for us?"
He deliberately stressed the words "right here," smiling with a dangerous kind of "gentleness."
He and Minato had returned to the Forest of Death entrance to find Naruto and the others missing. Naturally, they assumed danger had appeared and the kids had hidden inside, so they spent over an hour searching the forest before confirming it empty—then combed all of Konoha.
They had checked the Memorial Stone earlier too, but their timing must not have overlapped with Naruto's group. Only around three in the afternoon did they finally locate them.
Minato, compared to Kakashi, seemed slightly less tense. Even so, he gave Naruto a symbolic flick to the forehead as punishment, reminding them to listen next time.
Naruto was still basking in the rare warmth of being scolded by someone who felt like family.
Meanwhile, the grief-stricken young Kakashi who had stood in silence at the Memorial Stone for hours finally spoke.
"Obito..."
The voice was barely audible—yet Obito heard it.
The sensation of being mourned while still alive.
The feeling of seeing a genius whose usual sharp tongue had been worn down into pure sorrow.
It was like someone had struck Obito with a Lightning Release, the numbness shooting from his toes all the way to the top of his head.
For some reason, both young Kakashi and the adult Kakashi beside him sensed an incoming social-disaster-level moment. They both moved at the same time and clapped their hands over Obito's ears.
But the Kakashi before the Memorial Stone only placed the red bean cake in front of it.
"I'll come visit again next time."
That was it?!
That was all?!
Adult Kakashi took a long breath—his heart had nearly stopped from fright.
Young Kakashi let out a bewildered "Hah?!" He clearly hadn't expected that his future self had stood here for hours... just for that.
At that moment, Minato Namikaze's expression suddenly hardened.
He quickly used Flying Thunder God and whisked everyone away to an even farther position.
Naruto and the others fell completely silent.
Their eyes were locked on this era's young Kakashi.
They watched him carry a bucket of water from the cemetery well and a clean cloth to another grave.
(Rin Nohara)
Obito's eyes widened from afar.
That was…
Rin's grave.
Seeing his own name on the Memorial Stone hadn't hit him nearly as hard as this.
Now, staring at Rin's tombstone—lightning struck his heart.
His Sharingan constricted sharply. He already knew she had died after he did, but only now—seeing her grave—did it become real.
In Naruto's world... Rin's smile would never appear again.
And because of that, the sharp-tongued genius had vanished, too.
For a fleeting moment, Obito felt almost relieved that the version of himself from those worlds was already dead.
Because he didn't know how he could face a world like this.
A world without Rin's gentleness and smile.
A world without Kakashi's arrogance and sharp tongue.
Only a boy whose edges had been worn down... and two cold stone monuments.
Just imagining it—
Even recalling that dream where Kakashi drove a Raikiri through Rin made Obito's mind foggy and his eyes throb in pain.
"Rin…"
The silver-haired boy at her grave gently cleaned the stone, placed the lilies he'd bought from Yamanaka Flowers into the offering vase, and finally spoke.
"Sorry it's been so long since I visited you and Obito."
"But I swear I didn't forget you."
"I've just had missions."
"Oh—right. I have good news."
"It's still classified, but you and Obito would definitely be happy about it..."
He paused. For the first time, his voice carried a faint hint of life.
But no one—not Naruto's group hiding in the shadows, nor the boy himself—noticed that...
Minato Namikaze and Adult Kakashi both looked stricken.
The silver-haired boy continued softly:
"Kushina-san is pregnant. Minato-sensei is about to be a father."
"The due date is October 10th. The child will be born soon."
"They'll grow up in peaceful times. If only we'd been born a bit later…"
"If you were still here..."
His voice was quiet and even, yet Naruto and Obito could hear the tears beneath it.
"If you and Obito were still alive, you'd both definitely want to teach Naruto. Oh—right, Naruto is the baby's name. Apparently he's named after the protagonist from Jiraiya-sama's book…"
"I haven't read Jiraiya-sama's books, but… maybe I'll try someday."
He paused.
"Sorry. I'm not good at talking. Even interesting things sound dull when I say them."
"That's enough for today. I'll come see you and Obito next time."
"Sorry. Goodbye."
His flat voice made everyone's heart tighten.
Hidden in the distance, Rin couldn't hold back her tears.
Obito didn't know whether it was because of Rin or because of this Kakashi—his chest ached, swelling with pressure, a strange sensation igniting his nerves.
His face tingled, and thinking he too was crying like Rin, he hurriedly pulled his goggles down over his eyes.
Then—
What happened next was something no one saw coming.
Just moments after the silver-haired boy left the graveyard—
The masked man they all knew appeared before Rin Nohara's gravestone.
He swept the pink lilies aside in a single motion.
"!!!!"