At first, after receiving Uchiha Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi truly benefited from the power that eye granted him.
With that Sharingan, Kakashi completed a technique he had only recently created—Chidori.
Relying on that technique, Kakashi firmly established himself among the ranks of jōnin, earning the right to compete with many veteran elite shinobi.
However, as time passed, Kakashi gradually began to notice the drawbacks brought by the Sharingan.
A large portion of the chakra within his body had to be constantly used to sustain the Sharingan—an eye he could not deactivate. Not only that, but his overall stamina had declined, and even his physical development had slowed.
This was also one of the reasons why, despite both being powerful dōjutsu clans, the Uchiha Clan never needed a seal like the Hyūga Clan's Caged Bird Seal to protect the Byakugan.
Ordinary people simply could not afford the immense chakra consumption required to maintain a Sharingan. Even prodigies who acquired one would rarely sacrifice their own talent just to keep an eye that offered them only limited improvement.
That was why the shinobi world produced someone like Ao, the "Byakugan Killer," but never a "Sharingan Killer."
Yet even after realizing the limitations the Sharingan placed on him, Kakashi had never once considered removing it.
The reason was simple: it was Uchiha Obito's dying gift to him.
Keeping the eye was Kakashi's way of remembering Obito.
But now that he had learned Obito was still alive—and that this Sharingan rightfully belonged to him—Kakashi no longer felt any attachment to it.
As for what would happen to his signature technique, Chidori, once he lost the Sharingan…
Kakashi had not yet figured that out.
Still, he believed firmly in his own talent. Losing one technique would never cause him to stagnate.
"However, I still have one question," Kakashi said. "Can you tell me who the mysterious powerful figure targeting Obito was?"
After resolving some of the burdens in his heart, Kakashi gradually calmed down and began to feel curious about the mastermind behind everything.
Hearing this, Rin Nohara also turned toward Uchiha Ren.
She had long been curious about that person. Yet every time she asked, Ren had always been evasive and never spoke about them.
Now that the person was dead, Rin believed Ren might finally be willing to explain.
Uchiha Ren fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"That person was… Uchiha Madara."
"!!!"
Kakashi and Rin both trembled in shock, their eyes widening.
Even though decades had passed, the name Uchiha Madara still inspired a deep, instinctive awe.
The title "Asura of the Shinobi World" alone was enough to silence a crying child.
For Kakashi and Rin—who had grown up hearing stories about the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju—the strength of Hashirama was legendary in their minds.
And anyone who could stand on equal footing with Hashirama had to be equally terrifying.
But soon, Kakashi shook his head.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Kakashi said in disbelief. "Didn't Uchiha Madara die at the hands of the First Hokage long ago? How could he still be alive?"
"Nothing is impossible," Uchiha Ren replied calmly. "Did you forget the technique I used to save Rin?"
Kakashi froze.
He immediately recalled the forbidden technique Ren had mentioned earlier—Izanagi.
If that were the case, then it was indeed possible for Madara to have survived until now.
Even so, Kakashi still found it hard to believe.
"So it was Uchiha Madara…" Rin murmured softly. "No wonder you were so cautious, Ren-sensei."
In Rin's mind, perhaps only someone like Madara could truly force Ren to be so wary.
Ren explained further:
"Uchiha Madara was indeed terrifying. And during his battle with the First Hokage, he awakened an entirely new power."
"Even I wasn't confident I could defeat him before. Telling you the truth back then would only have caused unnecessary worry."
"Besides, Madara controlled an extremely secretive and comprehensive intelligence network. Because of that, I didn't tell anyone about this—not even Minato."
After arriving in this world, Ren's strength had not grown overnight.
A few years ago, he truly did not have the power to defeat Madara.
Even though Madara had already been old and frail at that time.
"Anyway," Ren continued, "no matter how Madara managed to survive after fighting the First Hokage, he is now truly dead. This matter can finally be considered settled."
Seeing that Kakashi was still troubled, Ren tried to reassure him.
Kakashi sighed and shook his head, realizing he had become overly fixated.
Indeed, the matter was already over. There was no longer any meaning in dwelling on Madara.
Kakashi then asked,
"Do you want this eye back now?"
"Not yet," Ren replied, shaking his head. "Before that, I'd like to know what plans you have for your future once you lose this eye."
"Although Madara is dead, a new storm has already begun. If you remain stagnant, both Minato and I will be very troubled."
"A new storm?" Kakashi frowned. "Ren-sensei, you appeared so suddenly. How could I possibly formulate a complete plan for my future in such a short time?"
Ren smiled.
"I can give you two ideas."
"First, your Chidori still has room for further development. You don't necessarily have to treat it purely as a high-speed thrusting technique."
"Second…"
"It's about time you picked up your family's swordsmanship again."
Kakashi's expression immediately changed.
His face became extremely unpleasant.
The first suggestion Ren offered was not a problem.
But the second one struck directly at another deep knot in Kakashi's heart.
The deaths of Obito and Rin were Kakashi's greatest emotional scars.
But the suicide of his father, Sakumo Hatake, was the very first wound—and the deepest one buried within him.
It was the turning point that reshaped Kakashi's mentality, personality, beliefs, and even his entire life.
Kakashi had always been haunted by his father's death. Ever since the White Fang's short sword broke, he had almost completely stopped using the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship.
Part of the reason was that the completion of Chidori had given him sufficient offensive power.
But the more important reason was the psychological knot in his heart, which caused him to instinctively reject the swordsmanship passed down by his clan.
A straightforward technique like Chidori could never truly compare to the flexible, versatile, and deadly Hatake sword style.
After all, Kakashi originally created Chidori in order to forge a blade that could cut through anything—another "White Fang."
And the Hatake clan's swordsmanship was precisely the key to unleashing that blade's greatest power.
If not for the emotional burdens weighing on his heart, how could Kakashi have abandoned the greater path for the lesser one—discarding the original purpose that had driven him in the first place?
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