On October 20th, Konoha Year 48,
fallen leaves clung to the ground amidst the patter of rain.
In a hospital room filled with the smell of disinfectant, a pair of dark eyes silently gazed through the window at the patch of withered yellow mixed with mud on the ground outside.
Kakashi Hatake.
He was dead.
Died on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
A Tailed Beast Bomb struck Konoha's sanctuary.
The original owner of this body had tried to block the Tailed Beast Bomb with an Earth Release: Earth Wall to protect the villagers.
Clearly,
he had failed.
The future Sixth Hokage had died long ago.
Standing here now was merely a wanderer from who-knows-where.
Was this world some kind of parallel universe timeline…?
A wanderer…
No, Kakashi subconsciously reached out and gently touched the gauze over his left eye.
The Kamui Mangekyou Sharingan.
The Mangekyou Sharingan at the pinnacle of the ninja world.
Pierced by a steel bar that had somehow appeared in the wall.
The damage was beyond repair, even with ninja medical technology.
"Kakashi-kun, someone's here to see you."
A nurse's gentle voice called from outside the half-open door.
"Ah, come in."
Kakashi responded calmly.
But before he could finish speaking, a green whirlwind burst into the room.
"Kakashi!"
A cry like a wild beast rang out. Before Kakashi could react, the person embraced the white-haired boy tightly, weeping bitterly.
[Might Guy's emotional fluctuation +1]
[Chakra +1%]
[Current Chakra 101%]
"Waaah!"
"Kakashi, I'm so glad you're alright!"
Looking at the boy with the watermelon-head hair who was hugging him, Kakashi forced a smile.
"Guy, I'm fine."
"If you keep holding on like that, something bad might happen."
Faced with Might Guy's enthusiasm, a hint of helplessness appeared in Kakashi's exposed black eyes.
Perhaps he would have a headache dealing with this 'lifelong rival' from now on.
"Waaaaah!"
"Kakashi, I'll wait for you to recover so we can have our 157th duel!"
Upon hearing this, Might Guy immediately stopped crying and released Kakashi, carefully patting Kakashi's shoulder as if he were handling a precious, fragile object. Only after confirming that his dearest friend was alright did he continue to weep.
Kakashi's brows furrowed slightly in helplessness at this sight.
"Guy, don't be like this."
"Kakashi, he..."
A clear voice came from behind Might Guy.
Besides Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi also came to visit their fellow genius.
After all, they were also in the sanctuary when the Tailed Beast Bullet struck. If Kakashi hadn't fought desperately and changed the trajectory of the Tailed Beast Bullet, they would have perished that night as well.
But…
Kurenai Yuhi's words trailed off mid-sentence.
A pair of warm, crimson eyes, slightly dazed, stared at the white-haired boy sitting on the bed before her.
[Kurenai Yuhi's Emotional Fluctuation +1]
[Chakra +1%]
[Current Chakra 102%]
"…Kurenai."
Seeing the somewhat dazed girl, Kakashi softly reminded her.
"!
" "…"
"Guy, don't do this. What if you worsen Kakashi's injuries…"
Blinking, as time passed, a blush crept onto the girl's face.
The black-haired girl, somewhat embarrassed and flustered, averted her gaze, scolding the bewildered Might Guy.
Her words, initially flustered, grew increasingly angry, then softer and softer.
Finally, they were barely audible.
"That's not what I meant!"
The girl realized her blunder and quickly waved her hand at Might Guy, saying,
"It's just that Kurenai was worried about her comrades and got anxious."
"Guy, don't take it to heart."
Seeing Kurenai's embarrassment, Kakashi looked kindly at Might Guy, who was completely oblivious.
Kakashi understood Kurenai's blunder.
After all, that face was just...
too handsome.
For women, it was practically a violation of the rules.
It could be said that he was no less handsome than Uchiha Sasuke in the future.
[Kurenai's emotional fluctuation +1]
[Chakra +1%]
[Current Chakra 103%]
"Um, Kakashi."
"You, you take care of yourself first."
"I have something to do, I'll come see you again in a couple of days..."
Kurenai's face was slightly flushed, and ignoring the slight strangeness on Sarutobi Asuma's face beside her, she left the ward as if fleeing.
"Um, Kakashi."
"I'll be going now too. I'll accompany you for your rehabilitation training after you're discharged."
The mature-looking black-haired boy looked at Kakashi, who sat calmly on the hospital bed, his words tinged with bitterness.
Asuma had originally wanted to talk to Kakashi about many things, but Kurenai's behavior made him swallow all those words.
"Oh right, Kakashi needs to rest now!"
"Kakashi!"
"I'm waiting for our 157th duel!"
Might Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs up and flashed his signature white teeth, causing Kakashi to instinctively give a deadpan look.
Seeing the once lively hospital room fall silent again, the white-haired boy's brows furrowed slightly. Emotional... fluctuation?
Ever since Might Guy and the others entered the room, three prompts had appeared in his mind.
Kakashi suppressed his astonishment without showing any emotion.
Only now did he carefully ponder them.
But no matter how much Kakashi studied them, the prompts that had appeared earlier never sounded again.
Or rather, what must he do for others to trigger that so-called prompt again?
And increase his chakra by 1%?
Kakashi tried to sense his own chakra.
But the increase was too small; it took Kakashi a while to confirm that his chakra had indeed increased.
After all, there's almost no difference between a hundred grains of rice and a hundred and three grains.
Even three more grains wouldn't fill you up.
"Kakashi?"
"Did Asuma and the others leave?"
Just then, a clear voice rang out.
A girl with short black hair and a pretty face, wearing a white coat, walked in carrying what looked like a file.
"Is... Shizune?"
Kakashi asked uncertainly, relying on his memories.
"Ah, Kakashi remembers me."
"That's wonderful."
Shizune approached Kakashi with the file, speaking with a gentle smile.
Two years ago, after the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, took over, she left Konoha with Tsunade. Upon hearing that the Nine-Tails had broken its seal, Tsunade hurriedly brought her back to Konoha.
"Kakashi, you lost your Sharingan in this chaos..."
Shizune hesitated for a moment, then handed Kakashi the file.
"If we don't transplant it back, it will greatly affect your daily life and strength..."
"Of course, it won't be as useful as the Sharingan..."
End of this chapter...