But Kana shattered this illusion, repeating it once more in an unmistakable tone.
"Naraku is dead. He's dead."
The red-haired girl had already run out of tears. She stared at Kakashi's absent-minded face for a long time, then looked at the withered tree not far behind him.
On top of it, two sparrows were huddled together, preening each other's feathers.
Her voice was hollow and erratic.
"Kakashi, do you know?"
"On the way Naraku saved me, when we were both about to give up, he told me how good Konoha was, how prosperous, and how kind the people of Konoha were."
"At that time, I thought, what? How could there be such a good place?"
"Later, after hearing it more, I realized that he was talking about Konoha, but all he said was Kakashi, Kakashi... He didn't mention anyone else at all."
"Actually, Naraku doesn't care about anything. He only cares about you."
"Why, Kakashi?"
Tears slid down Kana's chapped eyes, mixed with a little red.
"Why... why did Naraku have to die?"
Why did he fall into that abyss alone, with so many regrets...?
Every word of the cuckoo's blood-like cry turned into a cold blade, carving Kakashi's heart piece by piece, until it was riddled with holes and bleeding profusely without stopping.
The world seemed to stand still at this moment, leaving only boundless darkness and cold enveloping him, gnawing at his soul.
Kakashi felt an unprecedented emptiness, as if a part of himself had also shattered and disappeared, turning into dust in the wind.
He didn't know how he got back home. When he came back to his senses, he was already standing in the living room.
His right hand was tightly holding a scarred forehead protector, and the broken edge cut through his palm, and blood was dripping onto the ground, forming a small pool of blood.
--Naraku is dead?
He vaguely recalled the news he had just heard, and looked around blankly. A ray of sunlight sneaked in through the crack in the window and hit the pure white long sword on the sword rack.
That was the chakra blade that his father had forged for Naraku.
Will it never be used again?
Kakashi suddenly ran there, without thinking, and carried both his and Naraku's swords on his back.
--I'm going to save him! I have to save him!
...Why?
--No why! Naraku is more important than the mission!
...Then why did you force him to choose the mission like others, instead of you?
Kakashi stopped.
The memory of that night reappeared, and he looked at the words and deeds of "himself" and whispered: "Yeah, why?"
--Clearly, I myself am also choosing the wrong path... Why use this method to force Naraku to choose the "correct" one...?--Why didn't I ever consider his feelings?
Ka--
An extremely subtle sound came from the depths of his mind, and then Kakashi heard the call with incomparable clarity.
[Kakashi!]
Turning his head to look in the direction of the sound, he saw a thin figure emitting a faint warm glow running from far to near, holding up a wet towel.
It was six-year-old Naraku.
[I think that one looks better.]
The figure sitting on the outer corridor looked a little older, pointing to the empty sky and smiling sideways at the empty spot beside him.
It was seven-year-old Naraku.
[Why is it always my turn?]
Another shadow with a forehead protector on his head poked his head out of the kitchen, holding a handful of fresh vegetables, looking at him with a puffed-up face, but the action of picking vegetables did not stop at all.
It was eight-year-old Naraku.
[Look, it will protect me.]
A young shadow about the same height as him came over, raising his right hand high to show him the amulet hanging on his hand, signaling him to take out the other one as well.
It was nine-year-old Naraku.
"I..."
Kakashi subconsciously touched his chest.
Then he remembered that the amulet had already been thrown away by himself.
The several shadows surrounding him gradually disappeared, leaving only the last one, wet all over, standing alone and helpless in the courtyard, with only endless confusion and emptiness in his eyes.
[Kakashi... I'm sorry... It's all my fault...]
"Naraku..."
Kakashi murmured softly, his head hurting more and more, but he still subconsciously retorted.
"No..."
Ka--
Another cracking sound.
The true self, who had been struggling in pain all along, finally broke through the shackles at this moment and shattered the technique that had sealed his heart.
Endless light burst out from the cracks in the Barrier, liberating his soul.
Kakashi shed tears.
"...It's not your fault."
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