Fourth Raikage: "Sigh, this kid really has it rough."
Kurotsuchi: "Mm... while his hygiene issues disgust me... the guy's truly miserable."
Mei Terumī: "Indeed, it's a miracle he hasn't gone insane."
Mei Terumī: "Still, the old Hidden Mist wasn't much better."
Mei Terumī: "So most of the Mist shinobi you meet carry psychological scars."
Mei Terumī: "Honestly, Kakashi Hatake's trauma is no lighter than any Ninja who walked out of the Blood-Mist era."
Mei Terumī: "Yet he acts... so perfectly normal."
Might Guy: "Hahaha~"
Might Guy: "As expected of my eternal rival~!"
Rock Lee: "Teacher Guy~!"
Might Guy: "Hahaha, Lee~!"
Here we go again?
Mei Terumī: "So, Uchiha Obito, you'd better stay well hidden~"
Mei Terumī: "Once this screening ends, I—as the Fifth Mizukage—will mobilize every asset I can, and I swear I'll take you alive!!!"
Uzumaki Nagato: "Hmph!"
Uzumaki Nagato: "Get in line!"
Kakashi Hatake: "Get in line."
Uzumaki Kushina: "Nope, this really has to wait its turn~"
Minato Namikaze: "Line up!"
Uzumaki Naruto: "Line up!"
One stone stirs a thousand waves... [So much for the Will of Fire.]
[It's all a lie.]
[Merely a weapon the higher-ups use to tighten their grip.]
[Kakashi lowered his gaze.]
[He didn't know how to face his teacher's child anymore.]
[Besides... this kid was far more outstanding than he'd imagined.]
[Even more so than Minato-sensei back then.]
[Someone like me... what right do I have to be his Jōnin Instructor?]
[No... that's wrong...]
[In an instant Kakashi rejected the thought.]
['Naruto already knows about me.']
['He probably even knows about the Sharingan.']
['So he guessed I'd be assigned as his instructor... no doubt!']
['He must have something to tell me... but... can I really help?']
[Kakashi's heart was in turmoil; he couldn't calm down.]
['No!']
['I have to pull myself together... from what the kid just hinted, he wants me to go... to the Hokage Office...?!']
[Boom—]
[Kakashi's mind went blank.]
['Naruto... knows everything!']
['The Third Hokage's scheme against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!']
['Am I the key to breaking it?']
['Judging by Naruto's behavior and everything I've heard over the years, he'd never trust easily... much less drop life-threatening info right off the bat!']
['Damn it...']
[Kakashi clenched his fist.]
[For a moment his eyes reddened.]
[He knew Naruto trusted him only because the boy knew his story.]
[Yet... here he was...]
[Kakashi's long-dormant brain finally kicked into gear.]
[The intense shock drove him into a whirlwind of thoughts.]
[All the buried emotions detonated at once.]
[He stood frozen for a while before finally recovering.]
[Then he hurried after Team 7—the team that had never appeared after their time—]
[New Team 7.]
[Watching Naruto's back,]
[Kakashi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.]
[He's only a fresh Genin!]
[Though I became a Jonin at that age, wartime lowered every standard—my promotion wasn't worth much.]
Anko Mitarashi: "Hmph!"
Anko Mitarashi: "That scum Uchiha Obito couldn't even pass the Chunin Exams—Uchiha's one and only dead last!"
Kurenai Yuhi: "I recall he had to retake it under even lower standards, scraping by."
Kurenai Yuhi: "Poor Rin, she had her hands full; having a friend like that was exhausting."
Uchiha Obito: "..."
"Damn it, damn it!!"
Bang-bang-bang—
Inside the underground base beneath the Kannabi Bridge.
Uchiha Obito rampaged in utter breakdown.
If truth brings pain, lies only salt the wound.
Clearly knowing the truth, Obito recalled Rin's lies and cracked even harder.
'I'll always be watching you.'
Those final soft words, quiet yet shattering.
['I'm not his equal.']
[Kakashi gained a fresh appreciation for Naruto.]
[Huu—]
[Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Kakashi sped up to rejoin Team 7.]
['He must have seen through the trap long ago.']
['A trap personally engineered by the Third Hokage.']
['Naruto definitely figured it out.']
['Yet...']
['In the teeth of adversity, Naruto completely flipped the board!']
[Kakashi's heart pounded.]
[He seemed to see his once-mighty mentor—no, an even brighter yellow flash.]
[Possessing the former Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's decisiveness and the Fourth Hokage's calm.]
[He wouldn't repeat Kushina-nee's rash moves.]
[Nor the Fourth Hokage's fate—shackled by the Will of Fire, putting Village before all, sometimes hesitating.]
[He wouldn't lose control like Kushina-nee.]
[He wouldn't... like Minato-sensei...]
Uzumaki Kushina: "Kakashi, you're dead meat!"
Minato Namikaze: "You're done for!"
Kakashi Hatake: "It's not me!"
Kakashi Hatake: "That's the me inside the black frame world, not the me of this world!"
Elsewhere.
Yūgao Uzuki stared at Kakashi on the black-framed large screen.
'I knew this guy would fold even faster than I did.'
['So... he needs my help?']
['I can be of use... but... is Naruto targeting all of Konoha, or...']
[Kakashi hesitated.]
[But soon he drew another steady breath.]
[Instinctively touching the left eye hidden beneath his forehead protector.]
['If it were Obito, he wouldn't hesitate like this.']
['A useless me like this... might betray Naruto's trust...']
[The dead-fish-eyed 'Kakaxu' died; negative Kakashi rose from the ashes.]
["Hey hey hey!"]
["Kakashi-sensei, you're so slow—are you apologizing or not?!"]
["If you won't say sorry we'll detour to the Hokage Building and tell the Third Hokage ourselves!"]
[Seeing Naruto didn't stop her, Sakura knew she'd guessed right.]
[She could help Naruto.]
[Her heart was already blooming with joy.]
[And... Naruto-kun just patted my head~]
[So.]
[Sakura instantly became Naruto's mouthpiece, even adding extra drama of her own.]