Judging by the lighting in the scene, it was around three or four in the afternoon. Kakashi, exhausted from training, lay on the ground covered in dust, panting.
He waved to Might Guy and his father, who still had energy, indicating he was fine, and then watched the two continue to run laps around the training ground, shouting about youth and passion.
The two 'oddballs,' one big and one small, ran incredibly fast, kicking up thick clouds of dust.
A random thought popped into Kakashi's head.
He wondered when the simple Might Guy had become a fan of green jumpsuits, just like Senior Dai—perhaps after the Chunin Exams?
Perhaps because Might Duy was connected to Naraku, he couldn't help but fall into a flashback.
The scene flashed back to a few days earlier when Kakashi encountered Might Duy at the training ground. Might Duy's eyes always held guilt when he looked at Kakashi, and the tough man choked up after only a few words.
A gentle breeze rustled Kakashi's hair, pulling him back to reality.
Kakashi raised his hand to cover his eyes with the back of it, as if he disliked the overly bright sun.
A tall, blond young man walked over, his shadow falling across Kakashi's body and face.
He lowered his hand and looked up, and the gentle smile of Minato appeared in the scene, along with two complimentary tickets in his hand.
"How about we go for ramen, Kakashi?"
[Uncle Dai's psychological trauma from this life all stemmed from that day]
[The river water ebbs and flows, every wave is him; I see wild mountain flowers, the mountains are full of him; I have traveled Manri of rivers and mountains, Manri of rivers and mountains are all him...]
[The sun is too dazzling, not that I miss you]
[It's a good thing Kakashi still has so many people who care about him; things will definitely get better in the future]
Minato led Kakashi to a corner table in the ramen shop.
While waiting for their noodles, he asked Kakashi how he had been doing and told him not to hesitate if he needed help from him and Kushina.
Faced with this concern, Kakashi just shook his head and said he was fine, then heard Minato apologize on Kana's behalf.
"Kana must have said something inappropriate that day; please don't take it to heart."
Kakashi gripped the water glass tightly, and the small surface of the water rippled, disturbing the slightly sad reflection of his expression.
"It's nothing, Senior."
His eyes were dull, and he lowered his head, hiding his emotions in the shadows, his voice muffled: "It's all my fault. I said so many harsh things to Naraku... otherwise, he wouldn't have..."
His shoulders trembled slightly, and several cracks appeared on the cup in his hand, as if he was muttering with anger or hatred.
"One day...!"
[My heart aches for Kakashi; he inexplicably lost everything.]
[He must have blamed himself countless times.]
[I'm afraid that on the day Kakashi takes his revenge, he will end his own life to be with Naraku.]
[Oh no, I feel like he's capable of doing that.]
[No, he won't. Sakumo still needs him to take care of him, boo hoo hoo.]
Minato instinctively felt that something was wrong.
His previous suspicions about Kakashi's abnormal state resurfaced, prompting him to want to find out whether the other party had truly awakened or had shed that layer of 'demonic influence.'
"What exactly happened a while ago? You were in a very strange state then."
Perhaps it had been too long since he had confided in anyone, Kakashi hesitated for a while but still decided to reveal his bizarre experience to Minato.
If he couldn't even trust Senior Minato, then there was no one else in the entire Ninja World he could trust.
"I was controlled by a genjutsu."
The moment he heard these words, Minato felt a chill rush to his mind. The scene also zoomed and blurred in response to his reaction, accompanied by a terrifying, thunderous sound effect.
--Even Kushina's repeated checks failed to detect it. How powerful was the caster?
--Who did it? What was their purpose?
Next, the animator stopped filming their faces, focusing the camera on parts of their bodies that could show tension and unease, such as their hands, water glasses, and hair tips... In between these close-ups, many empty shots of a busy kitchen were interspersed.
A sharp kitchen knife sliced through vegetable stems and leaves, along with the rolling water droplets on the leaves;
Steaks sizzled as they touched the hot pan, releasing a bit of grease;
Noodles, once cooked, were neatly arranged in the hot broth, blending with the clear white soup amidst the steam... These seemingly meaningless flashbacks were interspersed very quickly, alternating with the scene of the two sitting face to face, making Minato and Kakashi's side even more silent and oppressive.
Minato looked down at his right hand, illuminated by a small patch of sunlight. After a long time, he finally felt a trace of warmth again, and his tense brows gradually relaxed.
He regained his composure, secretly wary of the mastermind lurking somewhere.
The opponent would not be limited to plotting against Kakashi; they definitely had other evil plans.
The ramen arrived, fragrant and steaming, greatly easing the stiff atmosphere.
"Anyway," Minato broke apart his disposable chopsticks and smiled slightly, "let's eat first."
[It has to be Minato; he's incredibly smart.]
[Holy crap! My hair is standing on end!]
[A chill down my spine in the middle of summer; it's a bit terrifying.]
[The tension is practically spilling out of the screen.]
[A completely unknown enemy, and one of a certain strength; who wouldn't be scared?]
In the next episode, the struggle between the Uchiha and Konoha's highest echelons officially began.
The animator spent the entire episode depicting this high-level meeting.
Uchiha Fugaku raised doubts about Naraku's cause of death at the meeting and provided relevant evidence, demanding that Shimura Rō be recalled for investigation.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura's coordinated act was not easy to deal with. With one move, asking Fugaku to submit the evidence, they put the Uchiha at a disadvantage.
At first, others thought the Uchiha, having lost a genius, wanted to seize the opportunity to cause trouble, but as they watched, they began to feel that things were not that simple.
The Hokage showed no inclination to uphold justice; instead, he seemed more intent on letting the matter stall midway.
The current head of the Nara Clan's eyes darted around, and he knew there was something fishy going on.
Elder Danzo's targeting of the Uchiha was not new; it was highly likely he was behind this.
The Nara Clan head subtly observed the expressions of everyone around him. Either they were indifferent, or they were gloating with mocking smiles. Sympathy and support for the Uchiha were scarce, making it clear that Fugaku would not get his wish this time.
He understood the principles of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' and 'when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hounds are cooked,' but he was powerless and could not change the foolishness and shortsightedness of the majority.
Before the knife struck their own heads, no one would believe they would be the next victim.
Even their Nara Clan had only temporarily secured safety by choosing the right side.
[The Ninja World's largest Ninja Clan, isolated and friendless in Konoha—can you believe it?]
[If you put yourself in the Uchiha's shoes, Konoha is truly terrifying. The attitude of these top officials towards them is surprisingly consistent: they all wish they could just choke them to death.]
[The only one with a good relationship, Sakumo, who had a chance to become Hokage, was assassinated. The future seems almost hopeless.]
[These top officials, including the Third Hokage, are untrustworthy for the Uchiha. Any evidence submitted will only be destroyed.]
[Without evidence, it's even more like crying out to heaven and earth with no one to answer.]
[If the Uchiha fall, there will be another! It will be your turn eventually!]
[The Nara can only choose silence to survive, but he also knows what the ultimate price of silence is.]
[It's like a frog in warm water knowing it will die, but if it tries to jump out, it will be crushed immediately.]
[I have a feeling this meeting... is a Konoha 'rule-bending' horror story. If you don't follow the rules, you're dead.]
[Indeed, Konoha now feels like a horror dungeon.]