As the sunset faded, a lone figure stood before the Konoha Memorial Stone, motionless as if rooted to the ground.
Under the setting sun, that figure's shadow stretched longer and longer. Even after the sun had fully set and the moon had risen, the figure still showed no intention of leaving.
Kakashi Hatake's gaze remained fixed on one name carved into the memorial:
Uchiha Obito.
The guilt in his heart refused to fade.
He had promised Obito that he would protect Rin Nohara.
Obito died saving him. Before dying, he entrusted Rin to Kakashi.
And yet Kakashi had failed to fulfill Obito's final wish.
As for Rin Nohara…
Even now, Kakashi still lacked the courage to visit her grave.
The reason was simple.
Rin died by his own hand.
"Obito… I'll come see you tomorrow… or maybe in a few days…"
Only when it was nearly dawn did Kakashi finally speak his farewell before preparing to leave.
It wasn't that he wanted to go.
He had to.
In just a few hours the sun would rise. During the day, another group of shinobi would be returning from the frontlines, and more would follow afterward.
The memorial would soon become crowded.
After watching so many comrades die one after another, Kakashi had begun to feel a desire to escape from the world itself. He didn't want to interact with anyone.
All he wanted was to find a quiet place and lick his wounds alone.
Kakashi's home was large.
The multi-courtyard residence felt extremely empty.
Although the Hatake Clan had declined, it had still left behind a considerable inheritance.
After returning home, Kakashi had no appetite. He simply changed his clothes, laid a futon on the floor, and prepared to sleep.
But not long after he lay down and closed his eyes—
Kakashi suddenly jolted upright.
He gasped for air.
Inside his left eye socket, the three-tomoe Sharingan emitted a crimson glow. His face was filled with terror.
Before his breathing had even stabilized, he hurried into the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and began frantically washing his hands.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
Ten minutes passed.
Kakashi was still washing.
His hands were perfectly clean.
But in Kakashi's eyes, they were covered in blood that could never be washed away.
The Sharingan that wouldn't close.
The hands that couldn't be cleaned.
These had become Kakashi's unending nightmare.
Whenever he closed his eyes, the image of Rin Nohara's blood-covered face at the moment of her death appeared in his mind.
Rin hadn't said anything.
She hadn't done anything.
She had only softly called his name.
Yet that alone was enough to make Kakashi's entire body tremble.
"Kakashi…"
A familiar voice suddenly echoed behind him.
Kakashi froze instantly.
No… impossible…
My eyes are open. Why can I still hear Rin's voice?!
His eyes filled with terror—mixed with a faint trace of disbelief… and hope.
"Kakashi…"
The voice sounded again.
This time, Kakashi could clearly tell—
It wasn't a hallucination.
The owner of the voice was standing right behind him.
Kakashi suddenly turned around.
There she was.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and a gruesome wound pierced through her chest.
Rin Nohara stood quietly behind him.
She looked exactly the same as when she died.
"Rin!"
Kakashi's pupils shrank violently. His legs went weak, and he had to lean against the sink, supporting himself with his elbow just to keep from collapsing.
Suddenly—
Click!
A bright flash burst across the room.
Kakashi instinctively squinted.
"Click! Click!"
"Hahaha! Hatake 'Fifty-Fifty,' I never thought I'd see an expression like that from you!"
Uchiha Ren appeared in front of him holding a camera, repeatedly pressing the shutter and capturing Kakashi's miserable expression from every possible angle.
The only pity was that Kakashi still wore his mask, covering most of his face.
Otherwise Ren could have recorded his full expression perfectly.
Still, Kakashi's trembling body and horrified eyes already said enough about his current state.
Ren was certain Uchiha Obito would gladly pay a handsome price for these photos.
"Ren… sensei… Genjutsu?!"
Seeing Ren caused Kakashi's brain to stall for a moment.
But once he snapped back to reality, anger and embarrassment immediately flooded his mind.
"Damn it! Uchiha Ren, you bastard!"
Kakashi completely lost his composure, shouting furiously:
"What are you trying to do?! How could you use Rin for something like this—"
Before he could finish—
A head suddenly popped out from behind Ren.
It was Rin Nohara.
"Kakashi, were you calling me?"
Although blood still stained the corner of Rin's mouth, her eyes were filled with curiosity…
…and excitement.
Originally, Rin had felt somewhat resistant to Ren's plan.
But after seeing Kakashi's extremely rare expression just now…
She suddenly found the whole thing pretty amusing.
"Damn it! I'm still trapped in the genjutsu?! Release!"
Kakashi's expression twisted as he rapidly formed hand seals to dispel the illusion.
But no matter how many times he tried—
The Rin behind Ren never disappeared.
She simply stood there, staring at him.
Cold sweat poured down Kakashi's forehead as he finally demanded:
"Uchiha Ren… what exactly did you do to me?!"
Ren never stopped clicking the camera shutter as he replied playfully:
"You really have no manners."
"I'm technically your senior. Is it appropriate to call my name directly without showing any respect?"
Rin chimed in from the side:
"Kakashi, you should call him Teacher Ren."
"Senior?" Kakashi gritted his teeth.
"What kind of senior treats their junior like this?! Using the dead for a prank—have you shown Rin any respect at all?!"
"Release this genjutsu right now!"
Kakashi didn't dare look directly at Rin.
Even if she were only an illusion, he couldn't bring himself to vent his anger at her.
So all of his fury was directed at Ren.
"Alright, since you insist…"
Ren slowly raised two fingers in a sword-finger hand sign and shouted dramatically:
"Release!"
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief.
But when he looked toward Rin again—
She was still standing there.
"Oh… should I disappear now?"
Rin finally realized something after meeting Kakashi's stunned gaze. She shuffled behind Ren and asked curiously:
"Kakashi… can you still see me?"
Kakashi: "..."
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