After all, her appearance was completely incomparable to that of Nohara Rin.
"Mn."
One could only call it mediocre, perhaps even rough. It was the face of a completely ordinary person.
"Rin, this is Ms. Shibayoko."
Hatake Kakashi seemed to take a deep breath, his black mask twitching slightly.
Nohara Rin nodded gently, though the uneasiness in her heart began to spread. She had a faint premonition of what Kakashi was about to say.
"You are aware of the situation. She... is essentially my fiancée. I have to stay here for a while before I can return to the village."
No emotion could be discerned from Kakashi's eyes; one could only judge by the lack of light in them that his mood was poor.
"Rin, actually, I have always longed for a peaceful life, to be with my father and mother. Now, the village has given me an opportunity, and I want to seize it properly," Kakashi said to Nohara Rin.
His originally upright posture seemed to hunch slightly. Although he didn't truly care who he ended up with, doing this ultimately felt like bowing his head to life.
Kakashi was a genius. A true genius. And geniuses had their own pride.
However, he had been struck down time and time again.
His talent could not compare to his father's. The White Fang of Konoha, whose fame was more terrifying than even the Sannin, was naturally a greater genius, yet his end was suicide.
The S-rank forbidden jutsu he had desperately developed, the Chidori, was easily mastered by Shimizu. If not for the Sharingan gifted by Obito, Kakashi wouldn't even be able to use the jutsu he created himself.
What irony was this?
Even now, he still held hope for life and railed against the unfairness of fate. He trained hard every day, only reading Icha Icha paradise in his spare time to relieve boredom.
Everything was for the sake of surpassing his close friend, Shimizu Uchiha.
That man was a genius far beyond himself. It seemed the word "genius" was insufficient to describe him; "monster" was more appropriate. An all-around... monster.
No weaknesses could be seen in Shimizu, and Kakashi had always viewed him as the role model he needed to surpass.
"I... cannot protect you, and I have repeatedly broken my promises."
Kakashi's mouth was filled with a bitter taste. Nothing he wanted to do ever succeeded. During the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, he was a burden, leading to Obito's death. Later, he regarded protecting Rin as his life's pursuit. The result was watching helplessly as Rin was taken to Kirigakure.
If not for Rin's unique constitution, she would be a cold corpse by now.
Someone like him was a sinner, scum. It was better to burn out one last time, to make a contribution to the village, and also set Rin free. Because he knew that Rin held affection for him.
"From now on, let Shimizu protect you."
After Kakashi finished speaking, the arrogance and spirit in his body seemed to dissipate significantly in that moment.
Namikaze Minato watched the exchange between his subordinates, his heart feeling heavy. It seemed Kakashi's previous air of indifference was all a disguise. Was he witnessing the fall of a genius?
When Shimizu first revealed his talent, Minato thought another Kakashi was rising. However, in just a few years, the situation had completely reversed. The latecomer had surpassed the forerunner.
Minato felt it wasn't his place to comment on a love triangle between young people. But he believed time would dilute everything. Everyone would find where they belonged. Kakashi, too, would find happiness.
"Kakashi..."
Tears couldn't stop flowing from Nohara Rin's eyes, blurring her vision.
Let the demon who had been tormenting her protect her? Was Kakashi trying to push her into the abyss step by step?
Why did it have to be Shimizu?
Shimizu was an unmitigated demon.
Kakashi, you have never known Shimizu's true face. You've just been self-righteously running away.
"I am not an object, and I don't need anyone to protect me. The promise Obito left behind has nothing to do with us."
Nohara Rin fingers gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.
She had given everything for Kakashi, yet Kakashi's attitude was still so high and mighty, never truly caring about her feelings. He decided her fate on his own, decided what she should do.
Was her own personal will not important?
Kakashi, I hate you!
Nohara Rin screamed internally. At the same time, she felt as if something inside her heart had shattered.
Kakashi had only known this woman for a few days, and it had already reached this extent. Was this really a political marriage? Or did Kakashi himself simply want this kind of treatment?
"I wish you happiness, Kakashi."
Having said that, Nohara Rin turned her head away.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over her back, casting a long shadow. She looked so desolate and lonely, as if the whole world had abandoned her.
Kakashi just stood there, saying nothing more.
He certainly knew this was completely unfair to Rin. But he had no choice. Since Obito's death, events had begun to develop rapidly—developing to a point Kakashi could no longer understand.
Sometimes, Kakashi even felt that a pair of invisible black hands were manipulating everything...
"Shimizu, I'm entrusting Rin to you."
Kakashi looked solemnly at Shimizu. He trusted Shimizu's strength and character. Only Shimizu could protect Rin properly.
"Okay."
The corners of Shimizu Uchiha's mouth outlined a slight arc as he turned to leave.
The remaining Namikaze Minato waved goodbye to Kakashi, then turned to catch up with Shimizu and Nohara Rin.
The figures of the three vanished together into the mist.
The yellowish light of the setting sun penetrated the gaps in the trees, illuminating mottled pillars of light. Until the very end, Kakashi never saw Nohara Rin look back.
Sunagakure.
Beneath the Kazekage building, a dense crowd of ninja had gathered. They all looked up, gazing at the Lord Kazekage atop the war office.
"Iwagakure's conspiracy has been successfully stopped. Our village has taken another step toward victory. The triumph of this battle is entirely due to this warrior."
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, looked behind him.
A young woman walked out.
"Our Pakura of the Scorch Release, the hero of Sunagakure!"
The young woman walked to the railing at the top.
Roars of cheers erupted from the crowd below.
Rasa watched all this with satisfaction. The village's cohesion had risen.
"Sensei..."
Down below, a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Nohara Rin looked up at Pakura on the stage, her eyes filled with admiration.
Pakura looked down at the crowd. A sense of pride rose in her heart. This was the village that gave birth to her and raised her; here were the people who cared about her and loved her.
Pakura silently vowed that she would protect Sunagakure.
Some time later, Shimizu and the others returned to Konohagakure.
The attitude expressed by Kirigakure also spread throughout the village. The joy that the war was about to end sprinkled into everyone's hearts.
Hokage Building.
"To think Hiruko was such a person."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and put down his pipe.
When his three students were still young, they had already known Hiruko. Now that Hiruko had gone down a crooked path, it made Hiruzen feel somewhat sentimental.
His proudest student, Orochimaru, was already showing signs in this direction.
"Lord Hokage, how should we handle the experimental base Hiruko left in the village?" asked an Anbu wearing a mask.
After Namikaze Minato returned to convey the news to Hiruzen, Hiruzen had dispatched them to search every corner of the village. Not far from Hiruko's home, they discovered many corpses of summoning beasts and humans.
They seemed to have undergone some kind of experiment, their flesh and blood linked together. This disgusting scene nearly made even these professionals with high literacy vomit their last meal.
"Destroy it on the spot. Do not let anyone with ulterior motives make use of it, and do not publicize it everywhere to avoid causing panic among the masses."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Anbu retreated.
Hiruzen put down the hat he was wearing and looked at the Hokage Rock outside the window.
Regarding Kirigakure, a new batch of ninja had already been sent over to negotiate.
Hiruko must atone for his crimes. Many corpses were found in the experimental base, all having died from rejection reactions caused by merging with summoning beasts. This was already a capital offense.
After he died, the body had to be transported back to Konoha. A ninja's corpse concealed too many secrets. Hiruko had learned many Konoha jutsu; there was no guarantee that one couldn't reverse-engineer these jutsu from the chakra pathways' habitual routes.
As well as the forbidden jutsu Hiruko wanted to create.
This experimental data could not be left to Kirigakure; it had to be sent back to Konoha for cremation and destruction.
"Orochimaru... I hope you do not follow Danzō into the darkness."
If one day, Orochimaru also did such things, how should he handle it? Could he really dispose of Orochimaru for the sake of the village?
"Lord Hokage."
While Hiruzen was lost in thought, an Anbu appeared.
"What is it?" Hiruzen said faintly.
The Anbu before him was not the previous one. Although Anbu all wore masks, individual characteristics could be distinguished by body type and hairstyle.
"Sunagakure is asking for aid. They hope Konoha will help them fight against Iwagakure."
Hiruzen picked up his pipe and began to smoke.
Iwagakure had already signed a truce with Konoha, and Sunagakure was also Konoha's ally. If not handled well, it could affect the fragile relationship between the three parties.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Call Shimizu Uchiha here."
Sunagakure had to be helped, but not blatantly. If they didn't help, Sunagakure would hold a grudge, thinking Konoha was an insufficient ally. Privately trading some supplies would be about right.
If the Iwa side found out, they wouldn't say much over such a small matter; there would definitely be dissatisfaction, but it wouldn't be too serious. However, sending ninja to help Suna attack Iwa would be equivalent to breaking the treaty.
Twenty minutes later.
Shimizu arrived at the Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned him a mission: to escort supplies to Sunagakure.
"Lord Hokage, for this mission, I wish to go alone," Shimizu said.
He happened to want to pay a visit to Pakura; having this task now was perfect.
"Oh?" Hiruzen raised his eyes.
Kakashi was far away in Kirigakure, and the Minato squad only had two people left. According to convention, Shimizu should be integrated into a temporary squad or have a temporary squad transferred to him.
"My Shunshin is very fast. Having teammates would actually drag down my speed."
Hearing this reason, Hiruzen thought about it briefly. It made sense. Only Namikaze Minato's Shunshin was superior to Shimizu's.
"Alright, I approve. Go early and return early."
Shimizu accepted, took the mission scroll, and went to the corresponding location to collect the supplies needed for the escort.
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