As the body Orochimaru had used to control the Reanimation Jutsu fell in defeat, Hashirama Senju and the others were finally released from the shackles of his manipulation.
"That fellow is dead. How do you plan to handle things from here?"
Hashirama released the sealing jutsu binding Tobirama Senju and Sakumo Hatake before walking toward Kakashi.
Having been reanimated a day early and witnessing the entirety of the Chunin Exams, they were well aware that Orochimaru wasn't the only one pulling strings; the Kazekage and Raikage were also participants in this scheme.
If it were only Orochimaru, the matter would be trivial. However, the involvement of the Kazekage and Raikage meant dealing with Sunagakure and Kumogakure. One wrong move could signal the start of a world war.
Kakashi didn't immediately respond to Hashirama. Instead, he turned around and first released the seals on Kushina Uzumaki and Rin Nohara.
"Kakashi..."
Watching the black markings that had suppressed her flow back into Kakashi's palm, Rin instinctively started to speak. But halfway through, she noticed a detail: Kakashi's eyes had faded from Sage Mode, returning to a natural black.
In her previous state of panic over his safety, she hadn't noticed this change.
"Your eye..."
Rin stared blankly at the man before her. For some reason, that dark eye—the one that had replaced Obito's Sharingan—gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity. She reflexively reached out, wanting to touch it.
No, it wasn't just familiarity. It was an affinity.
It felt... as if it were her own eye.
Her hand stopped mid-air as she caught sight of the unsightly cracks on her skin. She was merely a Reanimated corpse.
Seeing this, Kakashi proactively leaned down and took the girl's wrist, gently guiding her hand to touch the corner of his eye.
"Because of certain events, I lost that Sharingan. As for this eye..."
"It's the eye Rin once listed on her organ donor registration."
Kakashi's words made Rin's heart tremble. She gazed into the eye, a flash of pain crossing her face. Though Kakashi spoke calmly, she could guess just how dangerous the situation must have been for him to lose the Sharingan.
"So, it was my eye that helped Kakashi..." Rin murmured.
She didn't look happy about having helped the person she loved. Instead, she was simply worried for his safety.
"It's always like this. Kakashi, you should think about yourself more. You aren't alone anymore."
As Rin spoke, she looked toward the woman standing a short distance away, watching them with her arms crossed.
What a beautiful person.
Even as a fellow woman—and someone who could, in a sense, be considered a romantic rival—Rin had to admit Hikari was stunning. Without a trace of jealousy, Rin felt a genuine sense of happiness for Kakashi.
Kakashi was no longer alone. He had become a respected Hokage, he had a devoted and beautiful wife, and he even had a child of his own.
A person like her, who should have died long ago, shouldn't try to cling to him. She should offer him her silent blessings.
"Daughter... daughter-in-law?"
Nearby, Sakumo Hatake leaned toward Hikari, cautiously sizing up his daughter-in-law.
"Yes, Father?"
Hikari kept her eyes fixed on the interaction between Kakashi and Rin, unsure of how to handle the situation. When she had first committed to a relationship with Kakashi, she had internally vowed to protect him on Rin's behalf, maintaining an understanding attitude toward their past.
But deep down, she had thought: It's not like Rin can just jump out of her grave, right?
Well, now she really had jumped out of her grave.
Hikari didn't know how to react, so she could only stand by and stare.
"Fa... Father?"
Sakumo blinked, then immediately beamed as it clicked. That's right—he was Hikari's father-in-law!
"Aren't you jealous? Watching that boy get all tangled up with his ex?" Sakumo looked around and whispered.
To the current Sakumo, the Kazekage and Raikage were secondary concerns; he had already seen enough to gauge the majority of the Hidden Leaf's current strength. Setting aside whether the village had other hidden powerhouses, just look at the ones who had fought today: Might Guy, who had held off the Raikage alone; Shizune, who had traded blows with the Kazekage; and Hayama Shirakumo, who had fought Orochimaru single-handedly.
Every one of them was a top-tier expert.
And if that weren't enough, Kakashi hadn't shown even a hint of panic from start to finish. It was clear he had known about Orochimaru and the two Kage all along.
Furthermore, from the moment the Kazekage and Raikage made their move until now, Sakumo's keen intuition told him that Kakashi hadn't even used his full strength. Whether facing the combined might of himself and the Second Hokage or fighting Orochimaru, Kakashi had handled everything as if he were taking a stroll in the park.
Add to that this woman, Hikari, who clearly possessed incredible skill... what could other villages possibly do to touch the Leaf?
In Sakumo's eyes, war wasn't the issue. Family matters were the priority right now.
Hikari had been telling herself not to be upset, but as soon as Sakumo spoke, her cheeks puffed out in a pout. Seeing her expression, Sakumo realized he had said the wrong thing.
Seems she's the opposite type from Asuna... Sakumo thought, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his temple.
"Let's leave it at that, Kakashi. Seeing that you're doing so well makes me feel at ease."
"You have more important things to handle now."
Rin pulled her hand back from Kakashi's and gave the man's shoulder a light, playful pat, feigning a casual air. No matter how much she told herself she was dead and shouldn't interfere with reality... the regrets in her heart wouldn't simply vanish.
Kakashi looked at the girl—who appeared no older than Naruto—and reached out to pat her head.
He didn't view Rin as a romantic interest. Whether in his past life or this one, he was significantly older than her. At this moment, Kakashi was simply comforting her as a senior would a junior. Moreover, Kakashi had his own family, his wife, and his children. He had no intention of adding a complicated new dynamic to his life.
A headpat.
It was a gesture a senior used for a junior. While peers might use it during playful banter, the current atmosphere clearly didn't fit the latter.
Feeling the familiar yet strange warmth atop her head, Rin's heart wavered. Then, a look of peaceful resignation appeared on her face. Her body began to emit a faint, shimmering white light.
"Kakashi..."
"I will be watching over you from the Pure Land."
"Let's meet again in seventy years."
"Try not to come down too early, okay?"
Rin tilted her head up, smiling at the tall, twenty-seven-year-old man. A single, crystalline tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
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