"If you ask me, he shouldn't have gone to save that Uchiha in the first place... He was already going to... because of a failed mission... and he even implicated White Fang..."
"Exactly, it's all that Uchiha's fault... It was all to save him..."
Each sentence was like a demonic sound piercing his ears, striking Kakashi's mind, stealthily invading his meridians, disrupting his Chakra, and shaking his consciousness.
What suicide... What Uchiha...?
Just as his reason was about to completely dissipate, Kakashi suddenly woke up. There was no one around him, and in front of him, only the freshly made dango was still steaming.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. In a daze, he felt as if he had forgotten something, but he couldn't recall anything. Subconsciously, he turned and ran towards the Hospital... Deep underground.
Black Zetsu dug out the Sharingan from the eye socket of the White Zetsu it had possessed and stored it in its body, still feeling a bit puzzled.
It had successfully put Kakashi Hatake under a Genjutsu just now, but perhaps the opponent's resistance was too high, or there was some seal within him. In any case, the Genjutsu quickly slipped out of its control.
Although the Jutsu was still on Kakashi, even Black Zetsu itself didn't know what the final effect would be.
I have to go and see... Intensive care unit.
Naraku was sitting by the bed, talking to the unconscious Sakumo, when hurried footsteps sounded at the door, followed by Kakashi bursting in.
He was gasping for air, his eyes lifeless as he looked at his unconscious father, a film of tears welling up in his eyes, his entire body trembling with grief.
He opened his mouth several times, trying to speak, but the words caught in his throat, only letting out a few helpless, panicked syllables.
"Fa... Father..."
That was the hero he had been proud of since he could remember, Konoha's sharpest White Fang, a mountain enemies could never surmount... His brightest sun lay there, barely clinging to life with the help of various machines... The sounds of those machines were like heavy hammers striking his heart, each blow making him feel utterly heartbroken, as if his heart were being cut by a knife.
Intense pain assaulted Kakashi's nerves, leaving him bewildered. His soul curled up in the deepest part, only controlled instinct taking over his body.
To prevent Black Zetsu from harming Sakumo, Naraku had kept his Perception Ninjutsu active as a precaution since waking up. At this moment, he could faintly sense an abnormality in Kakashi's Chakra flow.
This anomaly was very subtle and faint. If he hadn't enhanced his Perception Ninjutsu, he might not have noticed it.
"Kakashi!"
Naraku stood up and grabbed Kakashi, intending to help him dispel the Genjutsu's influence.
Unexpectedly, Kakashi shook off his hand, stepped back a few paces, and tearfully questioned him.
"Naraku... Why is it like this...?"
"I..."
Feeling that Kakashi's tone wasn't good, Naraku was about to explain when he sensed an extremely faint, hard-to-perceive unfamiliar Chakra entering the intensive care unit.
But there were only him and Kakashi in here.
Applying Genjutsu to Kakashi to influence his consciousness, and now being able to conceal his presence and silently come right under his nose... A realization dawned on Naraku.
It's probably you again, that damned Black Zetsu!
However, this time his Perception Ninjutsu could detect a tiny bit of Black Zetsu's aura, so it wasn't a wasted upgrade after all.
Naraku looked at Kakashi, whose expression of sorrow and indignation carried a hint of conflict, as if his most superficial emotions were not his own.
Alright, alright, so you want Kakashi to break ties with me, huh?
That's right, what could be a greater blow than his close friend (referring to naraku) believing I caused his father's death?
Naraku gave up the idea of dispelling the Genjutsu in front of Black Zetsu.
If he didn't let this guy have his way, the next time he might try to assassinate Kakashi.
He slowly lowered his head, pressing his lips together in silence.
"I'm asking you why... Father he...!"
Kakashi spoke a question against his will, but seeing Naraku's face even paler than when he had left, his heart ached.
How could he ask such a thing?
Am I... blaming Naraku?
But this isn't... It's not Naraku's fault!
Then he heard his own voice, but it sounded alien, like another person.
[Whose fault should it be?]
Kakashi looked at his father again, his eyes filled with confusion and bitterness.
His father had told him to cherish his comrades' lives before he left the Village, but when he returned, his father had committed suicide because of this matter.
So, was his father wrong?
Did he admit that the idea of comrades being more important than missions was wrong?
The voice in his mind gently enveloped him, repeating again.
[Yes, he proved it with his life.]
"No, it's not like that—"
Kakashi shook his head, retreating step by step, his mind collapsing from the impact of the unacceptable "truth," and he turned and ran out.
"Kakashi!"
Naraku forced himself to chase after Kakashi, terrified that something might happen to him...
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