Outside the yakiniku restaurant, Konoha had already settled into night.
The streets were quiet, most civilians asleep, with only the occasional shinobi moving across rooftops under cover of darkness. In the shadows, black silhouettes leapt from tile to tile, the village at night belonging to them alone.
"Kakashi."
At the call, Hatake Kakashi stopped. He turned slowly, his expression as empty as still water, as if asking what business remained.
Uchiha Yoru looked at him and sighed inwardly. That hollow look hadn't changed. But when he caught sight of Might Guy's barely concealed anticipation, a selfish thought stirred.
"We don't know when we'll all meet again," Yoru said lightly. "How about the training grounds?"
Kakashi's life could be summed up in quiet tragedies. A stone he could never move. Hands he could never wash clean. An eye that would never close. A book he pretended to care about more than the world.
Father gone at seven. Teammates lost one by one. Obito crushed beneath rubble. Rin dying by his own hand. His teacher lost on the night of the Nine-Tails. A prodigy shaped into a weapon long before he learned how to live.
"Oi! A duel between geniuses?" Guy shouted, instantly fired up. He slapped Kakashi on the shoulder with enthusiasm. "Kakashi, this is youth! Before your showdown with Yoru, let's have our own match. First one to Training Ground Forty-Three wins!"
As he spoke, Guy exaggeratedly winked at Yoru.
Yoru shrugged, amused. He understood Guy's intentions. He didn't believe it would truly save Kakashi, but it was an opening.
The others, who had been preparing to leave, suddenly grew interested.
"Kakashi," Asuma said with a faintly mocking smile, "show us what a real jōnin looks like."
The emphasis on real wasn't subtle.
Kurenai noticed Anko's eager expression and narrowed her eyes slightly. Maybe Yoru wasn't as hollow a promotion as people claimed. After all, Orochimaru didn't waste effort on mediocrity.
Kakashi could see where this was going. He opened his mouth to refuse.
Too late.
Guy hooked an arm around his neck and laughed. "Three seconds! Training Ground Forty-Three. Go!"
"Hey, a Sharingan duel," Anko added cheerfully. "Yoru, don't embarrass your teacher!"
She raised her hands theatrically. "I'll referee. First round, Guy versus Kakashi. Ready?"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Go!"
Guy exploded forward in a green blur, charging down the street with unrestrained enthusiasm. Kakashi followed a heartbeat later, moving more out of habit than intent, his expression unchanged.
Training Ground Forty-Three lay quiet under the moonlight.
The grass rippled as wind followed the arrival of the first figure. Kakashi appeared, landing silently. Moments later, the others arrived in scattered flashes.
"Yo! Kakashi!" Guy laughed, breathless but triumphant. "As expected of my eternal rival!"
He had lost the race, but it didn't matter. He pointed a thumbs-up at Kakashi, smiling as if sheer optimism could pull his friend back from the edge.
Kakashi didn't respond. His gaze remained flat, distant, untouched by victory or defeat.
"That's dangerous," Yoru thought. A shinobi who didn't care whether he lived or died was already halfway gone.
Asuma lit a cigarette as he arrived. Ebisu, slightly out of breath, spoke without thinking.
"Do you think Yoru's Chidori is stronger… or Kakashi's?"
The words hung in the air.
Ebisu stiffened, realizing his mistake, and adjusted his glasses to hide his expression. Asuma said nothing, smoke curling lazily as his lips curved faintly.
"Alright!" Guy clapped his hands. "Next round. Kakashi versus Yoru!"
He turned to Yoru and gave him an exaggerated look. Help him, it seemed to say.
Guy wasn't subtle, but his concern was genuine. Back at the academy, aside from Kakashi, Yoru had been the only one who never looked down on him.
Under the moonlight, everyone's attention fixed on the center of the field.
"Yoru," Anko shouted, excited, "don't shame Orochimaru-sensei!"
Kurenai watched carefully, her eyes sharp. Asuma's casual posture hid his focus, while Kotetsu, Izumo, and Ebisu all grew tense. This wasn't just a spar. It was Uchiha versus Hatake. Bloodline against legend.
Only Guy flashed Yoru a discreet hand signal.
Go all out.
The night held its breath.