["By the way, where's Kakashi-sensei?"]
[Sakura finally remembered a certain white-haired man.]
[Tenten also slapped her forehead. "I forgot to tell Teacher Guy."]
["But it's fine, as long as Kakashi-sensei knows."]
["The two of them... have been hanging out together all the time lately. Who knows what they're up to."]
[...]
[Meanwhile, on the other side.]
[Kakashi's house.]
[Unlike Naruto's place, Kakashi's home was very quiet and lonely.]
[Having trained all night, Kakashi was fast asleep, completely forgetting about today's gathering.]
[His snoring was so loud the ceiling seemed to be shedding dust.]
[The floor was covered with crumpled paper balls, scattered everywhere.]
[Hands that could never be washed clean, a Sharingan that could never be closed.]
[On the desk lay a group photo of Team Minato.]
["Obito... Rin..."]
[Kakashi murmured in his sleep, his brow suddenly furrowing.]
[He had been very tired lately.]
[To maintain his dignity as a Jonin Instructor, Kakashi had actually been working very hard.]
[As a result, even Might Guy had become somewhat listless.]
[By the time the sun was high in the sky, Kakashi's body was trembling uncontrollably.]
[His forehead and back were already soaked with cold sweat.]
[With his brows tightly knit, he kept making unintelligible sounds.]
["Ah~!!!"]
[Suddenly, Kakashi snapped his eyes open and sat up abruptly.]
[His clothes were drenched in cold sweat.]
["How could it be..."]
[Lingering terror and self-reproach remained in Kakashi's eyes.]
[He had been too exhausted lately; the 'Midnight Terror Rin' that he had said goodbye to for a long time had just come to haunt him again.]
[Kakashi lowered his head and looked at his hands.]
[It was as if he could still see the blood that he hadn't been able to wash off for all these years.]
["Rin..."]
[He glanced out the window; it was a bright and sunny day, yet the temperature inside the room seemed to have plummeted.]
[Kakashi turned his head to look at the Team Minato photo again.]
[After a long time, Kakashi lay back down.]
[His sleepiness was gone; he stared blankly at the ceiling with his eyes open, his thoughts drifting.]
[Some time passed.]
[Kakashi heard a slight movement outside the door.]
["Guy, let's take a break for today."]
[There was no response.]
[Kakashi didn't pay it any mind.]
[Click—]
[The door was pushed open, but Kakashi still didn't care.]
[Two figures stood outside the door.]
[One yellow and one red, they were Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina.]
[The two had just returned from the Land of Whirlpools.]
[The mission in the Land of Whirlpools was over.]
[The rest could be completed by Zabuza and Haku.]
[They had originally planned to bring their daughter-in-law back with them.]
[But Izumi was in no hurry to return; she still had to guard the Land of Waves, and there were many tasks to attend to.]
[This was a task Naruto had given her, so she naturally wouldn't be negligent.]
[Of course, how could Kushina be so easily persuaded?]
[In the end, Izumi used her trump card.]
[She said she was saving up for her dowry and baby formula money...]
[Hearing this, Kushina had no choice but to let it go.]
[She had also wanted to stay and help, but on second thought, there were also many things to be done in Konoha.]
[Besides, their family still had scores to settle with Konoha.]
[Moreover, Izumi would return eventually, just a bit later, so Kushina stopped insisting... mainly because she suddenly realized they weren't of age yet... rushing things wouldn't be good.]
[They had returned happily, but once in Konoha, Kushina suddenly remembered that there was a certain white-haired person who hadn't been 'taken care of' yet.]
[She immediately changed course and headed toward Kakashi's place.]
[Minato Namikaze naturally let Kushina have her way.]
[Kakashi Hatake: "..."]
[He had a bad feeling... like he was going to die.]
[The two looked at each other.]
[Kakashi?]
[Seems like it... right?]
[Doesn't matter, go for it.]
[Okay.]
[Swoosh—]
[A flash of golden light streaked past.]
[Kakashi was stunned for a moment.]
[An illusion?]
[Or... in a dream?]
[You dream at night what you think of by day.]
[But... why is it different from my memory?]
["Minato... sensei?"]
[Kakashi spoke tentatively.]
[The next second.]
[Minato Namikaze gave a warm smile.]
[That's it, only Minato-sensei can give people this kind of warm feeling.]
[However... why is it becoming a bit difficult to breathe?]
[And... is my sleeping posture that bad?]
[Kakashi remained motionless.]
[Letting the blanket cover his face.]
[Bang—]
["Ugh~!!!!"]
[Kakashi's eyes widened, his face full of shock.]
[He bounced off the bed instantly, curling up like a shrimp.]
[It hurts!]
[What's going on?!]
[Kakashi turned to look, but his head was still covered by the blanket, so he couldn't see anything clearly.]
[Fortunately, the blanket wasn't very thick, so he could see two blurry figures.]
[One golden, one red... color?]
[Bang—]
["Ugh!!!"]
[Kakashi felt as if his internal organs had been shifted.]
[Clutching his stomach, he collapsed directly onto the bed.]
[After a long while, he pulled off the blanket covering his head, gasping for air.]
[His body was soaked with sweat again.]
["How... how can this be?"]
[Kakashi struggled to lift his head.]
[Then, he froze completely.]
[Those two familiar faces came into view.]
[It felt somewhat surreal to him.]
["Minato-sensei... Sister Kushina..."]
[Kakashi murmured.]
[Minato-sensei was still like a Little Sun.]
[Sister Kushina was still youthful, beautiful, and full of vitality.]
[However, the fantasy soon vanished, and reality set in.]
[Kakashi's blurred vision became clear.]
[There was no longer that familiar, warm smile on Minato-sensei's face.]
[Sister Kushina was looking at him with a face full of disdain.]
["Long time no see, Kakashi."]
[Minato Namikaze spoke slowly, bringing Kakashi back to his senses and making him abandon his fantasies.]
["Are you... Minato-sensei?" Kakashi asked in disbelief.]
["Nonsense!" Kushina said with a look of disdain.]
["I'm not dreaming, am I?" Kakashi murmured.]
[The next second, a fist as big as a sandbag slammed into his face.]
[Kakashi: "..."]
[It wasn't a dream, nor was it an illusion... such a realistic feeling... and this kind of pain... it was definitely Sister Kushina.]
[The sealing Chakra on the fist... was all too familiar.]
[Kakashi clutched his face and leaned against the corner of the wall.]
[The place where he was hit was both painful and itchy.]
[This feeling was undoubtedly the Nine-Tailed's Chakra.]
[On one hand was the unique pain of sealing Chakra, and on the other was the itchy sensation of the Nine-Tailed's Chakra healing him.]
[Why?]
[Tens of thousands of questions flooded Kakashi's mind.]
["Don't be in a hurry, I'll tell you slowly."]
[Kushina rubbed her hands together.]
[Kakashi's whole body shook, and he subconsciously looked at Minato Namikaze.]
[However, the moment his gaze shifted.]
[Another fist as big as a sandbag appeared in his line of sight, growing larger and larger.]