"Rin Nohara."
Sakura spoke the name aloud, and Kakashi froze instantly. That was a memory he never wanted to face again—no matter how much he had promised Obito to protect Rin with his life, in the end, it was his own hands that killed her.
He reached up to touch his left eye—suddenly seeing that familiar figure who had shoved him away in a flash of memory. Back then, Rin had begged him to protect her with this very eye, yet in the end, he hadn't managed to do anything for her.
"Kakashi-san, you shouldn't blame yourself like that. It wasn't you who killed Rin!"
Of course, Sakura already knew the truth. Deceived by Black Zetsu, Madara Uchiha had placed a cursed seal over Rin's heart. Furthermore, the Mist Village had been manipulated into sealing the Three-Tails inside Rin's body. Finally, orchestrated entirely by Madara, Rin had no choice but to throw herself onto Kakashi's Chidori—to remove the curse on her heart and stop the Mist's plan of unleashing the Three-Tails on Konoha. And at the same time, Obito witnessed everything firsthand.
The person he loved most was killed by his closest friend. The pain from that moment immediately triggered Obito's double tomoe Sharingan to evolve into Mangekyō. At the same time, Kakashi's Sharingan—which had not yet fully synchronized with his body—was also affected by Obito and awakened the Mangekyō as well. However, because Kakashi couldn't control it, he never realized this until now.
"No. I personally used Chidori to kill Rin." Leaning against a tree trunk, Kakashi stared blankly at the sky as tears slid down the corners of his eyes. "I promised I would protect my comrades, but in the end, I failed to protect Obito, even less so Rin—and our teacher too!"
"I just told you—Rin didn't die by your hand. She willingly threw herself onto your Chidori to protect Konoha!" Kakashi stood frozen after hearing Sakura's words.
"Exactly… what happened?!"
"At that time, the Three-Tails had been sealed inside Rin's body. Mist planned to have you bring her back to Konoha, where they'd release the beast within her. In that case, the rampaging Three-Tails would destroy Konoha. To stop their plan, Rin had no choice but to sacrifice herself!"
Sakura explained only the surface-level story without revealing further details. "So, Kakashi-san, don't keep blaming yourself. You always wanted to protect her, and that alone is more than enough!"
"Did she really throw herself onto my Chidori?"
Looking at his right hand, Kakashi silently let the tears fall. Long ago, that scene had become his living nightmare. Even shortly after Rin's death, he had been unable to use Chidori for quite some time. Every time he looked at his own right hand, he couldn't help but relive the image of Rin dying before his eyes. Now, knowing she wasn't truly killed by him, Kakashi suddenly felt like crying out loud.
As Kakashi wiped his tears, he remained unaware that deep within his left eye, three jet-black tomoe were spinning furiously, eventually transforming into a pattern resembling three scythes connected head to tail.
A strong emotional surge had finally awakened the power of the Mangekyō.
Sakura noticed the change in Kakashi's eyes and understood. Back then, accidentally killing Rin had always been a deep wound for Kakashi. Now that he knew the truth, a heavy stone had finally lifted from his heart. Under the intense emotional shock of mixed sorrow and joy, his hidden Mangekyō Sharingan finally awakened.
Shisui and Itachi also sensed this eye power and were instantly taken aback. Thinking about recent events, a trace of worry appeared on their faces.
"Thank you, Sakura."
After crying for a while, Kakashi calmed himself, feeling the immense power within his left eye. A smile unconsciously appeared on his face. Thank you, Obito. From now on, I'll use this gift to protect Konoha—just like you would. And for Rin too—I promise I'll use this power well.
"If you really want to thank me, Kakashi-jiisan, how about finding yourself a girlfriend already!" Sakura said with a look of disgust. "How old are you anyway, still reading those perverted little books all day? Might Guy has even adopted Rock Lee as his foster son, and Itachi-niisan is already together with Izumi-neesan. Yet here you are, still single. Don't you feel ashamed?"
"Uh... I just remembered I have an urgent mission! I need to go now. I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you tomorrow for the Ninja Academy registration!"
Kakashi chuckled awkwardly before immediately vanishing using the Shifting Body Technique. Nothing was scarier than being pushed into marriage like this.
"Tch, that lonely guy sure runs fast. Not so fast though! I must keep reminding him more often. The Hatake family line absolutely cannot end with Kakashi-jiisan!"
Sakura stroked her chin, deep in thought. She definitely didn't want Kakashi ending up like in the original story—growing old alongside an elderly wheelchair-bound Guy reminiscing about life. The right path was clear—he needed a wife and a cute lil' mini Kakashi already.
"Ah... I just remembered there's an Anbu mission. I should head out first too!" Shisui, another forever-alone, seeing things heading south, fled the scene without a trace.
Witnessing that, Sakura couldn't help but feel heartache. Why won't those two forever-alones get how well-meaning she was? Look at how cooperative Itachi was—he found a girlfriend, avoiding the fate of dying alone like in the original timeline. Come to think of it, in the original version Itachi never had a girlfriend. Given his personality, he certainly wouldn't imitate Jiraiya. Could it be that Itachi never even dated anyone before he died?!
"There's an Anbu mission. I'll leave Uchiha Sasuke in your hands now!"
Feeling goosebumps from Sakura's stare, Itachi immediately grabbed Izumi Uchiha and ran off without hesitation, leaving behind a speechless Sakura. Come on, couldn't he at least make up a better lie? If you're assigned an Anbu mission, what reason do you have to drag your girlfriend along?!
Chapter 51: Konoha Ninja Academy Season [Lower][Third Update]
Outside the gates of the Ninja Academy stood many parents with their children waiting patiently—it was the first day of school for Konoha's Ninja Academy, and for most common civilian families, simply gaining admission was already considered an honor.
"Why aren't Sakura and Naruto here yet?!" Ino and a few others had gathered together forming a small group, while their parents also huddled nearby chatting about recent happenings in Konoha.
"Not sure. But we still have some time before registration officially begins. They won't be late!"
Shikamaru let out a yawn. Days like this are perfect for lying in the yard and catching up on some good sleep. Man, going to the Ninja Academy was such a drag.
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