Kakashi's hollow eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
He slowly turned his head.
Half a step behind him, Shinichi stood quietly, holding up an ordinary dark umbrella to shield him from the torrential rain pouring down.
Shinichi was not looking at Kakashi. His gaze also fell upon that brand-new tombstone ahead, his expression calm and profound.
"You..."
Kakashi's lips moved slightly beneath his mask, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately he said nothing. He cast his gaze back toward his father's tombstone, as if that were the only anchor he had left in the world.
Shinichi did not speak. He offered no comfort and asked no questions, merely standing there in silence, holding open a temporary, wordless shelter for his former rival, a classmate who at this moment perhaps needed an umbrella more than anything.
The torrential rain violently washed over the cemetery, yet in this corner, there was only the heavy, dense sound of raindrops drumming against the umbrella, alongside the frozen silence between the two boys.
"For a ninja..."
A long time later, Kakashi's voice carried through the curtain of rain, hoarse and dry.
"...is completing the mission more important, or protecting comrades?"
Hearing this, Shinichi fell silent for a moment. His gaze remained on the cold tombstone as he slowly spoke:
"The First Hokage was born in the Warring States period, an era plagued by constant conflict. In that time, ninja clans slaughtered one another, and children were forced onto the battlefield. Life was as brief as the morning dew... The sacrifice of comrades was a normal occurrence, happening at every moment."
"Even someone as strong as Lord First, later revered as the God of Shinobi, experienced the agony of being unable to protect those important to him in that cruel era." Shinichi's voice was soft. "The historical records say that when he was young, Lord First lost many relatives. He personally experienced the powerlessness of watching his closest kin perish before his very eyes. Precisely because of this, he understood the hardship and preciousness of protecting others more profoundly than anyone."
"That is why Lord First gave everything he had to build a different world, to create a world where children would not have to rush into battle at such a young age, where comrades could entrust their backs to one another. The core of this vision was the legacy later known as the Will of Fire—cherishing the village, protecting one's comrades, and safeguarding the next generation so they could carry on."
"So you mean comrades are more important?" Kakashi turned his head, his sharp gaze piercing toward Shinichi.
Shinichi still did not directly answer this either-or question. He continued,
"The reason ninja can function as a profession and as a system, and the reason mission rules are strictly obeyed, is because they collectively uphold the order and credibility that allow the village to survive. Completing missions and protecting the client's interests means upholding Konoha's reputation and peace. That, too, is protecting the village, and protecting all the comrades who live within it."
"So, you think the mission is more important?" Kakashi's voice dropped low.
"No, Kakashi." Shinichi gently shook his head. For the first time, he shifted his gaze away from the tombstone, looking out at the rain-blurred cemetery around him, as if he were also gazing toward a more distant future.
"What I want to say is, I don't know."
"I have never experienced the desperate situation Lord Sakumo faced, nor have I ever borne the weight of such a heavy choice. Perhaps only when I am truly pushed to that brink, in that split second, will I know what my instincts would choose. Until then, any detached judgment from an outsider is simply rash."
"However," Shinichi's tone shifted, becoming calm yet resolute. "Before that day might arrive, there is one thing I will do with all my might."
He turned his head, looking Kakashi squarely in the eyes as he said,
"Work hard to become stronger! Strong enough to prevent myself from being forced into that kind of hopeless either-or dilemma as much as possible."
"Strong enough that, even in a desperate situation, I can still struggle to find a way to both complete the mission and protect all my comrades. Strong enough that perhaps someday in the future, I might possess sufficient power and wisdom to influence or even change certain rules, allowing myself, my cherished comrades, and our next generation to face fewer of such cruel dilemmas."
"That is what Lord First did. He may not have fundamentally changed the inherently cruel nature of the ninja profession, but he used all his strength to try, to build a framework capable of protecting what matters most to the greatest extent possible, and to push the world in a better direction."
"And Lord Second, Lord Third, and the countless unsung predecessors of Konoha who inherited his will are all doing their utmost in their respective roles to achieve this as well."
"I do not know whether Lord Sakumo's choice was right or wrong, because I was not in his position. But I do know that if we merely remain stuck in this debate over missions versus comrades, we will never be able to change anything. The only path forward is to become stronger than we are now—strong enough to have the right to rewrite the very premise of the question."
"And what if you face this dilemma before you possess enough strength?"
Kakashi's tone suddenly grew somewhat aggressive. Not waiting for Shinichi to answer, he rapidly added, as if seeking to cut off every avenue of retreat:
"Suppose you are the squad leader right now, and I along with a few others are your squad members. Our mission is to escort a piece of critically important classified intelligence back to Konoha. Right now, we are being hunted by the enemy and have fallen into a desperate situation."
"As the leader, if you choose to abandon the mission, it will bring immense losses to the village. If you choose to complete the mission, you must sacrifice one or even several members to stay behind as a rearguard—you might even have to personally kill teammates who are at risk of capture just to prevent any possibility of the intelligence leaking."
His gaze locked dead onto Shinichi, his tone brimming with urgency.
"Shinichi Higashino! Tell me, what would you do?!"
"I'll be the one to stay behind."
Shinichi's voice was not loud, but it was resolute and decisive.
"If such a day truly comes, covering for the squad and bearing the greatest risk should naturally fall to me, the leader." He looked into Kakashi's eyes, speaking clearly and emphasizing every word: "And you, Kakashi, from now on, you are the leader. I leave the intelligence in your hands to protect, and it will be up to you to lead everyone back."
In that instant, the air beneath the umbrella seemed to freeze.
A long while later, Kakashi suddenly snapped back to his senses and sneered, "You... you're still just dodging the question!"
Before his voice could even fade, as if unable to bear the space beneath this umbrella or the person before him for another second, he abruptly spun around and plunged headlong into the pouring rain. He ran off without looking back, quickly vanishing into the gray curtain of rain.
Shinichi did not give chase.
He remained standing in place. However, the subtle stirrings of a premonition that had been faintly lingering in his heart since before he arrived at the cemetery did not dissipate; instead, it grew increasingly clear and intense.
[Auspicious Omen (Green): Your fortune has begun to touch upon the profound. You will occasionally sense minor signs of good luck and the beginnings of favorable developments.]
Just as he had anticipated, after hosting a lively, open-banquet-style teacher appreciation feast that stood in stark contrast to the customs of this world, his [Swordsman Apprentice] title quickly upgraded to [Swordsman], granting him an opportunity to draw a green trait.
Auspicious Omen was the new trait he had drawn, one that seemed to involve the highly mysterious and enigmatic realm of fortune.
However, when he first acquired this trait, Shinichi had not noticed the slightest change—until just now...