"Kakashi."
Shibi Aburame found him by tracking the insects he had left on the boy.
He was calm and relaxed, showing no surprise at Yamato's sudden appearance.
Of course, it was also possible that because the Aburame Clan was accustomed to hiding their faces, no one knew what expression he wore.
Shibi merely asked in passing, "Is this also a Konoha shinobi?"
Kakashi replied, "Yes, I've confirmed it."
"That's good."
Shibi nodded slightly, asking nothing further.
Since Kakashi said there was no problem, he naturally chose to trust his comrade's judgment.
Immediately after, he conveyed the latest orders to Kakashi.
"The situation has changed. We've spoken with the Queen, and Anrokuzan will be treated as a rebel."
"You must complete your preparations before sunset. Can you do it?"
Before sunset...
Kakashi looked up at the sun, quickly estimated his progress mentally, and promised, "No problem."
"Alright, I'll signal you with my insects then."
With the orders delivered, Shibi turned his head to look at Yamato.
His tone seemed to carry a hint of warning.
"Don't reveal too much information. We will send you back as soon as possible."
"But..."
Yamato was about to explain when he noticed the implication of plurality in the other man's words.
He eagerly wanted to confirm.
"Who else? Is it a blond-haired..."
"Don't ask too many questions either."
Before he finished speaking, Shibi vanished, leaving only the dust stirred up at his feet drifting in the air.
Yamato choked on his words, stunned in place.
"As you can see, I still have a mission to complete."
"If you can't help, then hide well."
As Kakashi was about to leave, Yamato quickly followed, determined to act with him.
"I can help you. Two people can do it much faster than one."
Kakashi deliberated, and the trust in his fellow Konoha shinobi prevailed.
He instructed, "Follow me, don't stray too far."
Even in poor condition, Yamato was still a Jonin, after all.
He deftly completed all the requirements, placing each explosive tag at the most suitable structural point.
After they finished, there was still a short time before sunset.
The sunlight generously bathed the city of Roran, outlining the final glory of its architecture.
Kakashi stood at the top of a tall tower, silently gazing at this city destined for destruction.
Yamato stood to his left and slightly behind him, two body-lengths away.
His eyes wandered, sometimes confused, sometimes anxious.
It was as if a long and intense debate was taking place deep within him.
In fact, ever since they started acting together, he had been repeatedly agonizing over whether to confess to Kakashi.
He wanted to tell him that he had traveled back from the future.
But each time the words reached his lips, he remembered Shibi's warning and swallowed them back down.
Even though he wasn't deeply versed in Space-Time Ninjutsu, he understood the reminder.
He realized that changing history could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Actually, what he had just said to Kakashi already had a high chance of creating a different future.
His gradually calming mind told him not to reveal too much more.
Yet, this Kakashi, whose appearance almost perfectly matched his future self, made him feel like he had to do something.
Time didn't give him much chance to hesitate.
The sky quickly darkened.
Under Anrokuzan's control, countless puppets surged out of the entire city, searching everywhere for intruders.
The insects on Kakashi crawled into his palm.
A small swarm flew from a distance, forming several characters on his hand.
"Plan begin. Attract attention."
"Yamato, I'll start the demolition from the west. You go to the east."
"Try to engage and eliminate as many of the puppets as possible."
"Once that's handled, we'll rendezvous in the center of Roran."
"Alright."
Seeing the battle intensify, Yamato no longer bothered with his trivial worries and immediately flashed into action.
Explosions erupted one after another.
Roran's proud skyscrapers collapsed, crushing countless puppets along with them.
The once magnificent and prosperous desert oasis had now become a ruin.
When Kakashi arrived at the basement of the central high tower, Anrokuzan was controlling a giant fortress puppet.
He was fighting with Minato and the two others.
There was also a blond ninja he had never seen before, wearing a Konoha forehead protector.
He was shielding what appeared to be Queen Sara behind him, along with nearly a hundred civilians standing nearby.
After the blond ninja took the Queen and the civilians to escape to the surface, Minato came to Kakashi's side.
He instructed him to destroy the Dragon Veins' transmission device at all costs.
Kakashi promptly followed orders and dealt with the energy-transmitting pipes.
Not long after, Yamato also completed his mission and arrived.
The two descended together to the deepest part.
They arrived just in time to see Anrokuzan's dying struggle.
He chose to self-destruct, causing the blond ninja and Queen Sara to fall off the bridge.
Minato was about to fall as well while trying to save them.
Yamato was terrified.
Completely disregarding everything else, he immediately used Wood Style to save the three.
Taking advantage of the jutsu, he brought Kakashi with him to the Dragon Veins' core.
"Captain Yamato!" the blond ninja shouted excitedly.
Yamato wiped the cold sweat that had just broken out from fear.
"Luckily, we made it."
If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
If... if he hadn't saved him, who knew what the future world would turn into?
After completely sealing the Dragon Veins, Yamato and the blond ninja's bodies began to glow.
Minato explained that this was because the jutsu had failed, and they were returning to their original time.
So, they really are ninja from the future?
Kakashi recalled the words he was supposedly going to say in the future.
His head began to throb again, his entire body stiffening and breaking out in a cold sweat.
But he hid it well; others only took his furrowed brows as confusion.
So, did my future self really regret it?
Regret protecting Naraku in that way...
"No, no!"
Yamato's voice of protest interrupted his thoughts.
Kakashi subtly shifted his gaze and saw the former with an anxious expression, speaking rapidly to Minato.
Minato looked at Kakashi with a pained expression, then finally closed his eyes and shook his head.
Yamato was speechless, his head lowered in unwillingness.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, he quickly drew a kunai.
He grabbed Kakashi's hand and cut it.
Kakashi seemed to feel no pain, letting him cut his hand until it was covered in blood.
The moment the end of the kunai's trace connected with its starting point, forming a teardrop-shaped wound, a dazzling white light filled the entire underground space.
When the light disappeared, Yamato and his companion were also gone.
From that moment on, Kakashi noticed that his memory of Yamato was blurring.
The help and reminders slowly became faint.
The feeling of confusion continued until a certain moment on the way back to the village.
Kakashi suddenly looked up, as if waking from a dream, feeling a sense of loss.
Did I forget something?
He tapped his head, thinking for a long time.
But those memories were like strange dreams at night.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall a single detail after waking.
Just as he was about to give up, a sharp pain shot through his mind.
It was accompanied by words that had left an impression at some unknown time and place, echoing faintly yet clearly in his ears.
"If only I could have reconciled with him earlier."
"Kakashi, if there's anything you regret..."
"You must make amends early!"
His left hand felt as if it were burning.
Kakashi looked down at the wound on his hand, where tiny blood beads were oozing out.
They looked like drops of bloody tears, slowly burning...