Chapter 249 : Audience: If we round them up, they are *! *
Reinforcements would still take some time to arrive, so Naraku found a good vantage point at the outpost and activated his Super-Large-Scale Sensing Ninjutsu to keep watch.
While replenishing his stamina with dried rations, he also opened a video streaming site, planning to watch the latest animated episode—which he'd been notified about by the system while traveling earlier but hadn't had time to view due to the urgent situation—to accompany his meal.
Since the last time he watched the 'Obito's Death' arc, a long time had passed in the Ninja World, and the animator had been quiet.
It wasn't until he had already made a name for himself as the 'Scarlet Hunter' on the Eastern Front that, late one night, the system popped up a message notifying him that several new animated episodes had been released.
He immediately watched them all that night, immensely grateful for his earlier insistence on taking a detour with Fugaku to the north to see Kakashi.
The content of those few episodes was mostly related to Kakashi, primarily depicting how he and Rin struggled to adapt to life after losing Obito.
The pressure of front-line combat was already immense, and coupled with their poor mental state from losing a comrade, viewers were constantly worried that the two of them might break down at any moment.
Some even pessimistically believed that Naraku, after being handed over to Orochimaru, was bound to suffer some misfortune and that his situation wouldn't be much better, meaning Kakashi would now lose two Uchiha friends in a row.
Especially Naraku; to Kakashi, Naraku was probably more important than his own life.
This sentiment became rampant for a time, with forums, comment sections, and bullet comments filled with lamentations.
Watching the netizens' tearful comments, Naraku felt a bit of anticipation for their reaction when they saw him appear before Kakashi.
-- Was it this update, perhaps?
He excitedly rubbed his hands and told the system to quickly pull up the last saved progress and continue playback.
— —
Hatake Kakashi and Rin, returning from an external mission, arrived back at the camp with terrible complexions and dark circles under their eyes, heading to the main tent to submit their mission results.
Along the way, almost every Ninja shown had a smile on their face, and the background was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
But Hatake Kakashi and Rin had no extra energy to inquire, going straight to Tsunade to report.
Tsunade, who had been promoted to "Tsunade the Skinflint" for her inhumane "child labor exploitation" in the previous episodes, finally acted like a human this time, telling them both to go back and rest well, with no missions assigned for now.
[Our tragic child labor duo is back (sad)]
[They're going to overwork themselves to death at such a young age! Skipping seventy years of detours! φ(＞ω＜*)]
[Huh? Everyone looks very happy? Is it my imagination?]
[It's just the illusion of beasts of burden hearing about a holiday before they collapse from overwork (￣▽￣)／]
[Alright, stop talking, this beast of burden is truly broken!]
[Aunt Tsunade, please be a person! ... Oh, what, they really get to rest? Sister Tsunade, we adore you!]
[That's great, Hatake Kakashi and Rin can finally get a good night's sleep... right?]
Lying on his single bed, Hatake Kakashi half-closed his eyes, staring blankly at the tent ceiling, then covered the upper half of his face with his arm, exhaling a tired sigh.
The animator focused the camera on various objects around him, even using frequent close-ups to show viewers how these things differed from before.
A spotless, pristine small bedside table, a simple, neat, slightly wrinkled pillow corner, soft and fluffy bedding that allowed most of his body to sink in... many details all indicated that before Hatake Kakashi returned, this place had been meticulously tidied by someone, leaving not a speck of dust.
Hatake Kakashi's inner thoughts confirmed this.
-- So warm... Is it an illusion? -- Something feels different... The utterly exhausted young man vaguely sensed something amiss — after all, he hadn't been back for days, how could this small bed be so dry and comfortable, even radiating a hint of warmth that seeped into his heart.
But he was too tired, so much so that he gradually lost consciousness in this inexplicable sense of security.
[Friends, something's not right! It seems someone cleaned up?]
[It's even tidier than when I clean it myself...]
[The quilt was clearly sunned, otherwise, it wouldn't be so fluffy, soft, and warm]
[This meticulous, considerate housewife-level... Could it be what I'm thinking, ah ah ah ah ah — (screaming.jpg)]
[Could it be —?!]
[Baby Naraku! It must be our Baby Naraku! ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ]
[Has a miracle happened? Did Naraku come to the front line to find Kakashi?]
The second before he fell into a deep sleep, he vaguely recalled an afternoon a few years ago.
The scene also became bright, hazy, and warm; a young Hatake Kakashi and Naraku sat in a small courtyard, leisurely basking in the sun.
The camera shifted, and the two children were sleeping cuddled together, the afternoon sun casting a golden glow on their plump little faces.
-- I really want to see Naraku... Accompanied by increasingly faint murmurs, the animation time returned to the present.
Hatake Kakashi had already fallen into a deep sleep, and the arm that had been resting on his forehead had, at some point, slipped to his side.
[Ah ah ah ah ah ah young KakaNara is so cute!]
[KakaNara is real!!! (loudly.jpg)]
[He said he wanted to see him! This is love!]
[Sister Kanai would directly perform aTake off from the spot (take off on the spot) upon seeing this scene! Woohoo!]
[Sweet and sour KakaNara candy! I'll eat it first! Cheers!]
[The bright past and the dark present, the contrast is truly tear-jerking, boo hoo hoo (T_T)]
[Did Naraku get cured at Orochimaru's place or not (T▽T)? I'm really worried to death...]
[It's definitely Naraku! Old Thief has hinted to this extent; if it's not Naraku, I'll wash my hair upside down and drink chili water!]
[So Naraku is really better?!]
[I can't even imagine how happy Hatake Kakashi would be to open his eyes and see Naraku]
Swaths of bullet comments scrolled across the screen, a cacophony of opinions, until a silhouette walked into the tent and approached the small bed, and the bullet comments suddenly paused.
He gently removed Hatake Kakashi's forehead protector, easing the latter's physical and mental fatigue.
Hatake Kakashi, in his sleep, showed no signs of alertness or resistance; he even instinctively rubbed his forehead against the person's palm.
The camera never showed his full face, but the familiar voice in those few whispered words instantly sent the audience into a frenzy.
By the time the silhouette gently helped Hatake Kakashi take off his shoes, covered him with a new blanket, and quietly left, the bullet comments had piled up so thickly that it was almost impossible to see Hatake Kakashi's noticeably improved complexion in the close-up.
[It's him! I know it's him just by his shadow! My Baby Naraku!!!]
[Who else would be this good to Hatake Kakashi besides Naraku?]
[Naraku Naraku Naraku Naraku ah ah ah ah ah!!!]
[It's Naraku! Anyone who doesn't recognize that voice should be expelled from the Hokage fandom, okay!!!]
[Oh my god, what kind of beautiful dream is this?! I'm so excited my hands are shaking...!!]
[Help! Who understands the value of that little rub! It made my face blush!]
[It's too ambiguous! I'm so excited I immediately got out of bed, put on my sled, and plowed two acres of land, and I still haven't calmed down!]
[Roughly speaking, they did it!]
[This feels like a wife visiting her husband on the front line]
[Wife! Naraku is Hatake Kakashi's wife!]
[Milk Coffee doesn't agree! Why can't Naraku be a gentle husband!]
[Woohoo! The sweet reunion after a brief separation!]
— —
Recalling the sensation of silver-white hair slipping through his fingers, Naraku couldn't help but curl his fingers, then lowered his head to touch his itching earlobe.
-- It's all those bullet comments always saying such embarrassing things... He pursed his lips, silently complaining in his heart, completely forgetting that he used to join in the fun and enjoy such comments.
— —
The scene shifted to the next morning.
Hatake Kakashi groggily climbed out of bed, suddenly remembering the anomaly he had noticed when falling asleep the previous evening.
A certain conjecture that made his heart race and his breathing quicken surged into his mind, deeply embedding itself in his burning lungs, tightly coiling around his heart, slowly constricting his flesh.
He didn't even have time to put on his shoes, running barefoot to search for the shadow in his heart, only to awaken amidst the empty, cool breeze and morning dew.
He had thought it was all an illusion, but just as Hatake Kakashi felt a sense of loss, a call that had long been etched into his bones came from behind him.
"Kakashi?"
Along with this question, the same string and drum ensemble used during that sunset played.
As Hatake Kakashi turned around, his white hair flew, and the drumbeats merged with his heartbeat.
The figure he had traced a thousand times in his memories with longing now stood there, real and tangible, bathed in the nascent morning light.
In the close-up, Hatake Kakashi's dark eyes flickered, gradually filling with tiny specks of water, like a deep autumn pond sprinkled with countless morning stars.
-- Naraku...?
Hatake Kakashi's faint voice trembled, revealing the fragmented pain of aged snow breaking pine branches.
"Kakashi." Naraku's gentle voice was as soft as dew, reaching his earlobe even before the morning sun, "Good morning."
[A tacit understanding, love needs no words!]
[Kakashi, you're too in love, getting all sulky when you can't find Naraku! ヾ(o･ω･)ﾉ]
[Eye contact is a spiritual kiss without lust! Roughly speaking, it's...!]
[Alright, alright! You big yellow girls in front, restrain yourselves!]
[Sunset and sunrise, corresponding to the separation and reunion of KakaNara T^T]
[Sister Kanai cried excitedly]
[Boo hoo hoo... Milk Coffee sis also shed tears of relief T_T"]
[I ask, in the entire Hokage, all three seasons, who eats as well as our KakaNara boo hoo hoo hoo]
[This moment is like the echo of the hero saving the beauty by the river back then]
[Why are you taking screenshots? Just stand there!]
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