Chapter 151: Fighting for Ideals (3k)

“As a Ninja, shouldn’t missions be the priority? Aren’t missions the most important thing?” Walking out of the Hokage Building, Kakashi recalled Nagatomo Toda’s expression in the office, feeling a bit confused.

He said that Nagatomo Toda was a qualified Ninja for completing the mission, but Nagatomo Toda was not happy; his gaze held a hint of anger.

If they hadn’t been in the Hokage Office, Kakashi felt Nagatomo Toda might have said something.

But Kakashi didn’t understand why Nagatomo Toda was angry with him; his teammates died, but he didn’t kill them—the enemy did. He merely expressed his own opinion.

“Could it be that the lives and deaths of disciples are more important than mission completion?” Kakashi wondered.

If Nagatomo Toda truly thought that way, then Kakashi felt it was good that Nagatomo Toda wasn’t a guiding teacher. Nagatomo Toda, with such thoughts, was not a qualified Ninja at all.

“A qualified Ninja should complete missions at all costs, even if it leads to the death of teammates…” That night, back home, Kakashi murmured as he gazed at the pitch-black house.

Once, Kakashi also had a father he was proud of.

His father was Sakumo Hatake, a very strong Ninja who had achieved great military feats during the Second Shinobi World War, killing many Ninjas from hostile Ninja Villages and earning the honorable title of Konoha White Fang.

Kakashi admired his powerful and reliable father and always strived to train with his father as his goal. He graduated from the Ninja Academy at five and was promoted to Chunin at six, all following in his father’s footsteps.

But an incident when he was seven changed Sakumo Hatake’s image in Kakashi’s mind.

During a major mission, Sakumo Hatake saved his teammates, which led to the mission’s failure, causing Konoha immense losses. The Village was filled with curses, and even the teammate he saved came out to accuse Sakumo Hatake of doing wrong.

Soon, one day when Kakashi returned home from training, he saw a corpse lying in a pool of blood in his house. The White Fang Short Blade, which had killed countless Ninjas, ultimately ended its owner’s life.

From then on, Sakumo Hatake was no longer the strongest and most qualified Ninja in Kakashi’s heart.

As a Ninja, Sakumo Hatake was unqualified; he acted emotionally for his teammates, causing Konoha huge losses. As a father, abandoning a child of only seven, he was equally unqualified.

He was no longer proud of his father, nor was he proud of anyone else.

Kakashi opened the door and first cleaned the entire house. After more than a month away, a lot of dust had accumulated.

With the convenient Ninjutsu of Shadow Clone, even one person could quickly clean the entire house. Kakashi quickly finished the cleaning, and the house returned to its usual cleanliness.

“Should I train next?” Kakashi thought, feeling idle after cleaning. Dinner had already been taken care of on the way home, so he didn’t need to cook.

Ultimately, Kakashi did nothing, lying in the yard, watching the moon.

“Kakashi, are you home?”

Just then, a familiar female voice called out from outside.

“Maybe he went on a mission again after coming back. Rin, let’s just go play, the two of us.” Immediately after, an excited male voice came from nearby.

Kakashi slowly walked out, his face calm, and said, “Is there something?”

“Damn it, he didn’t go on a mission, did he?” Obito muttered softly, feeling it was a great pity.

“If nothing unexpected happens, I won’t have to go on missions for a long time,” Kakashi said.

He also guessed that there might be no teams left for him to join, and he would have to wait for new graduates.

“After all, this mission took so long, so it’s okay to rest a bit more,” Rin Nohara said with a gentle smile.

She didn’t know that Kakashi’s “long time” could extend to four or five months.

“That’s not the reason,” Kakashi shook his head and said.

“Then what is the reason, Kakashi? You can’t be lazy.” Obito really hoped Kakashi would do more missions.

“There are no teams for now. My teammates died, and the captain temporarily doesn’t plan to continue as a guiding teacher,” Kakashi said plainly, without hiding anything.

“Teammates died, oh, this…” Hearing Kakashi say these words so lightly, Obito was greatly shocked.

Having seen them a month ago, Obito hadn’t even forgotten the appearance of Kakashi’s two teammates, yet two living people had died just like that. Obito instantly felt the cruelty of being a Ninja.

“I’m sorry.” Obito apologized to Kakashi; he felt Kakashi must be very upset right now.

Hearing Kakashi’s words, Rin Nohara also froze, then quickly spoke up to comfort Kakashi.

“Did you misunderstand something? I’m not too sad. Although my teammates passed away, their sacrifice wasn’t in vain; the mission didn’t fail,” Kakashi said.

“Kakashi, what do you mean? Is the sacrifice of teammates worth it for a mission?” Obito couldn’t help but ask.

He wasn’t familiar with Kakashi’s teammates, but Obito knew Kakashi’s teammates were definitely not bad people.

That day, Kakashi’s teammates could have just informed Kakashi and left, but they didn’t; they specifically reminded Kakashi that this mission was difficult and required more preparation.

“Compared to mission failure, the sacrifice of teammates is easier to accept,” Kakashi replied calmly.

“You guy, I really can’t bring myself to like you at all!” Obito’s blood pressure immediately rose after hearing Kakashi’s reply, and he couldn’t help but throw a punch at Kakashi.

“Because you’re not a Ninja yet. The Ninja World has always prioritized missions,” Kakashi said, catching Obito’s fist.

“Ninjas who act emotionally are unqualified Ninjas.”

“Let’s fight. I’m going to knock some sense into you, you guy.” Obito couldn’t hold back anymore.

Kakashi threw Obito away, then said, “You’re the one who isn’t clear-headed. A student who hasn’t even graduated is lecturing me, a Chunin?”

Obito, growing increasingly angry, directly activated his Breathing Technique, enhancing his physical abilities, wanting to teach Kakashi a lesson.

But at this moment, Kakashi also had no intention of holding back. He directly went all out to suppress Obito.

Various Earth Release and Lightning Release Ninjutsu, combined with merciless Taijutsu, made it difficult for Obito, even using Total Concentration Breathing, to parry.

“Damn it!” When Kakashi knocked him to the ground again, Obito couldn’t help but let out an unwilling cry. He was unwilling to admit that he was inferior to someone like Kakashi.

“If you still hold onto such naive thoughts, then give up on becoming a Ninja,” Kakashi said mercilessly.

“Do you feel it? The gap between you and a formal Ninja.”

Although he constantly belittled Obito, Kakashi was somewhat surprised because in just over a month, Obito had made significant progress. Both his Fire Release and Taijutsu had clearly improved, and he could withstand Kakashi’s full-power attacks for so long.

“I especially don’t want to be defeated by someone like you,” Obito clenched his fists tightly, his unwillingness reaching its peak, and anger burned fiercely in his heart.

“What exactly do you consider your comrades to be?!” After an angry shout, Obito’s breathing became more concentrated than ever before. He felt an endless stream of power gushing from his body.

“Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!”

Instantly, Obito’s body vanished from its spot and appeared beside Kakashi, unleashing a powerful punch towards Kakashi’s face.

Obito’s sudden surge in speed caught Kakashi off guard, and he was directly knocked to the ground.

“Can he get even stronger?” Kakashi was somewhat confused. He had never encountered such a thing—an opponent suddenly getting stronger after shouting something during a fight.

Fortunately, Kakashi was rich in combat experience. Let alone this kind of sparring, he had been at a disadvantage in life-or-death battles. He quickly stabilized the situation, preventing himself from falling further behind.

At this point, the battle was already very intense, with flashes of fire and lightning constantly appearing in the open space, and the aftershocks of their attacks creating small pits around them.

“You two, stop fighting! You’ll get injured and won’t be able to play later.” Rin Nohara said, worried that something might happen, as the two’s confrontational aura was nothing like a normal spar.

Rin Nohara’s words gradually calmed Obito down, who was in a fit of rage. He wasn’t strong enough to defeat Kakashi yet.

After Obito stopped, Kakashi also stopped. His desire to fight was not high to begin with.

“Honestly, if you have different opinions, you can discuss them properly. Why did you suddenly start fighting?” Rin Nohara sighed, brushing dust off their clothes and tidying them up, saying helplessly.

“It’s because what he said was so infuriating,” Obito still held a grudge about Kakashi’s earlier words.

“Getting angry only shows that you are still very immature,” Kakashi said calmly.

“You bastard, do you want to continue?” Obito’s blood pressure, which had just dropped, began to rise again.

“If you want to be taught a lesson, that’s fine too,” Kakashi said, indicating he didn’t care; he would win anyway.

“You two, if you keep this up, I’m going to get angry,” Rin Nohara said, with her hands on her hips.

Recalling the scene of Rin Nohara punching a large tree in half, Obito closed his mouth.

Obito stopped talking, and Kakashi also had no intention of proactively instigating trouble, so he quieted down. His mood today was not peaceful.

However, with this opening interlude, Obito and Kakashi were destined to have difficulty getting along peacefully today.

If Kakashi bought a grilled fish, Obito would say that the fish must have been dead for a while and was unhealthy.

If Obito bought Tempura, Kakashi would say that the oil might have been used countless times and was very unhygienic.

In short, if the other person entered the shop with their right foot, it was wrong; even their breathing was wrong; their very existence was problematic.

Rin Nohara could only mediate and had no other good solution.

“It’s almost the end of the term; another semester is about to pass. Time really flies,” Rin Nohara tried hard to find topics that wouldn’t make the two argue.

“In one more semester, we’ll graduate, right? If some people keep those childish thoughts, I truly worry for the Village,” Kakashi attacked first.

“Whoever becomes your next teammate will truly be unlucky,” Obito retorted, unwilling to show weakness.

Rin Nohara: …I drank alcohol at my uncle’s house today, so I’m a little late.