"Lin!"
A heart-wrenching cry echoed through the empty cave.
With a gasp, Kakashi jolted upright, chest heaving, drenched in cold sweat. His wide eyes searched his surroundings in confusion.
"Kakashi, are you okay?"
A soft, gentle voice reached his ears, immediately grounding him. He turned his head quickly and saw Lin sitting beside him, illuminated by the flickering campfire, her face filled with concern.
"Huh~"
Kakashi let out a deep breath, his tense shoulders slowly relaxing.
"I'm fine, Lin. Are you okay?"
"Mhm," she nodded. "I'm fine. But… I'm sorry, Kakashi."
She lowered her head, voice trembling.
"It's all my fault. I wasn't strong enough. You and Shisui had to come all the way just to save me. And… you got hurt so badly because of me…"
As she spoke, tears gathered in her eyes. Her shoulders trembled, and before long, clear drops streamed down her cheeks, her eyes reddened with guilt.
"Hey now… don't cry."
Kakashi immediately reached out to comfort her. More than anything else, he couldn't bear to see Lin cry.
"Didn't I say I'd protect you?"
"And about Shisui—he saved us both. We owe him one, big time."
Kakashi gave a small, teasing grin.
"How about we cook something together and treat him to a nice meal? Just the three of us."
"Yeah… just like last time."
At that, Kakashi arched an eyebrow and smirked playfully.
"Ah~"
Lin instantly understood the implication and blushed furiously. Memories of that time in the kitchen rushed back—awkward, flustered, almost—
Her guilt began to melt away, replaced by a different kind of fluster.
Just then, Shisui, who had been standing guard near the entrance of the cave, called out.
"Great! Senior Silver Fox, you're finally awake!"
Hearing his voice, Lin snapped out of her daze. She blinked in surprise, then turned curiously to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, why does Shisui call you 'Silver Fox'?"
"Oh, that?" Kakashi chuckled. "It's just a temporary code name we made up—to keep our identities hidden."
"Ah, I see. Then I want a code name too!"
She tilted her head playfully, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hmm, what should it be? How about you think of one for me, Silver Fox?"
She smiled sweetly, clearly more excited about what Kakashi might come up with than choosing one herself.
Kakashi's gaze softened at her expectant expression. He thought for a moment before saying:
"How about… Ahri?"
"Ahri…"
"Silver Fox and Ahri… Fox and Ahri…"
Lin repeated the words softly, then suddenly realized—
Wait. That sounds like… a couple's name?!
Her cheeks flared red again, even hotter than before.
Before she could say anything else, Kakashi stood up slowly. But the moment he tried to fully straighten his body, a wave of soreness and fatigue struck him hard. He staggered and almost collapsed.
"Be careful!"
Lin rushed forward and caught him just in time, concern flashing in her eyes. With her support, Kakashi managed to stabilize himself, though he leaned on her heavily.
Once he regained his balance, he slowly made his way to the cave entrance. He peered outside.
It was a dark, stormy night. Rain poured relentlessly from the sky, drumming against the trees and rocks. The howling wind carried a cold chill, rustling the leaves in rhythmic whispers. Every so often, a streak of lightning would tear through the sky—silver serpents dancing through the darkness—followed by the deafening roar of thunder echoing through the mountains.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
With the rain falling this heavily in such a remote mountain forest, all traces of their movement would be erased. It was the perfect hiding spot.
No wonder Shisui brought them here.
"How long was I out?" Kakashi asked, not turning away from the view.
"Three days and three nights, Senior Silver Fox," Shisui replied respectfully.
Only Shisui had witnessed the state Kakashi was in when he arrived—bloodied, broken, falling from the sky like a corpse.
The memory was still vivid: the distorted limbs, the swelling, the unnatural bruises all over his body—it was as if Kakashi's entire being was screaming in silent agony.
Shisui didn't know what kind of battle his senior had fought, but he knew that Kakashi had suffered all that pain just to give them a chance to live.
Especially when the opponent… was none other than the Fourth Mizukage.
Luckily, Kakashi's body had begun to heal rapidly soon after he collapsed. The injuries that had looked fatal disappeared one after another in a bizarre, miraculous way.
Shisui had seen this before—during the Chūnin Exams. Though surprised, he was also deeply relieved.
If Kakashi hadn't possessed such a monstrous self-healing ability, Shisui could've done nothing more than bandage his wounds with basic battlefield medical skills.
If the senior had died or been permanently disabled… Shisui would have carried that guilt forever.
"Three days and nights, huh…"
Kakashi muttered to himself, his eyes still scanning the forest beyond the cave.
I didn't think I'd be unconscious for that long. I wonder what state Yagura's in right now.
After all, he'd taken a direct hit from Kakashi's final attack—an overdrawn strike that burned through his life force. Yagura couldn't have walked away unscathed.
Kakashi felt confident in that.
Most shinobi were glass cannons—high attack, low defense. Apart from freaks like the Third Raikage, who could take a beating with his ridiculous body, or demigods like Senju Hashirama with absurd regenerative powers, most ninja could die from a single kunai if they weren't protected by chakra.
That's exactly why Kakashi never slackened on physical training.
He refused to be the kind of ninja who crumbled without jutsu.
But for now, Yagura could wait.
More immediate concerns were at hand. The rain was too intense to move out right now, so they had no choice but to stay hidden.
Turning around, Kakashi looked at Shisui seriously.
"Shun, I need to check the seal on Ahri—on Lin's body. Can you keep watch at the entrance and make sure no one comes in?"
Shisui blinked, then nodded quickly.
"Yes, Senior Silver Fox. I'll stand guard."
"Wait—seal?" Lin blinked in confusion. "What seal?"
Ever since Kakashi saved her, she hadn't had the time—or clarity—to understand what exactly had happened. All she remembered was a vague sensation… and a strange presence inside her. Like there was something massive in her body.
Like… a giant turtle.
"I suspect someone placed a seal near your heart," Kakashi said solemnly. "I need to check and confirm. Is that okay, Ahri?"
Lin hesitated.
Seal… on her heart?
The heart was… the chest, right?
If Kakashi checked it directly, wouldn't that mean…
Her cheeks turned pink again.
Still… it was Kakashi. And he sounded so serious.
If it was him, and if it was that important…
"…Okay. But… don't touch me."
She nodded slightly and spoke in a soft whisper, quickly adding a shy warning at the end.
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh.
Even now, she was worried about things like that.
This girl…
"Hi~"
---patreon (Obito_uchiha)