The instant the kunai vanished, an eerie silence fell over the battlefield.
It was as if even the air itself had frozen.
All eyes turned toward the 101 Iwagakure ninja who had been charging just moments ago…
And then—
Everyone's breath caught.
In the entire field of vision, only a single figure remained standing.
Around him lay one hundred fallen comrades, their bodies scattered across the ground. Every single one bore the same fatal wound—a clean strike through the heart.
Killed instantly.
A collective gulp rippled through the Konoha ranks.
"…That's… unbelievable," one of them murmured in awe.
"Too fast… I still couldn't see it clearly," the middle-aged shinobi said with a regretful shake of his head.
Shimizu, however, had barely managed to catch a fragment of it thanks to his anticipation. Even so, what he saw left him puzzled. "That technique… was it another application of the Flying Thunder God?"
"It was," Minato replied, a hint of fatigue slipping into his voice. "But it consumes an enormous amount of chakra—especially combined with the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."
"To create tangible shadow clones of these specially marked kunai… the chakra cost is several times higher than usual."
"Even I can't sustain that kind of expenditure for long."
So that meant…
If Shimizu were to combine his Lightning Release chakra-infused kunai with the same technique, the cost would be just as severe.
Still…
His mind raced with possibilities.
Just imagining it—hundreds of lightning-charged blades raining down upon an enemy formation—
It would be like artillery unleashed upon the battlefield.
Definitely worth developing further once he returned to Konoha.
"There are Iwa ninja approaching from the southwest!" Shisui suddenly warned.
"Recover as many kunai as you can—move at once!" Shimizu ordered without hesitation.
—
"I'm asking you, Kakashi… are you really not going to save Rin?"
Obito's voice trembled with suppressed anger.
Kakashi's expression remained cold, his gaze steady as he replied, "Our mission is to destroy Kannabi Bridge. And that mission isn't complete yet."
"Mission, mission, mission… to hell with your mission!" Obito finally exploded, his voice echoing with raw fury. "Have you forgotten how many times Rin has saved us?!"
He was right.
Without Rin, both he and Obito would have died long ago.
But a shinobi… how could he abandon the rules?
His father had died because of that very choice.
Because of that, Kakashi could not waver.
"This is a mission," he said firmly. "I'm the jōnin. I'm the captain. My orders stand."
"…Yeah. You're the jōnin. You're the captain." Obito took a step back, his expression resolute. "Then I'm sorry. From this moment on, I quit Team Minato."
"We're no longer comrades."
"And that means I don't have to follow your orders anymore."
Kakashi didn't look surprised.
After all, Rin wasn't just a teammate to Obito—
She was someone he truly loved.
Obito turned to leave, but before he did, he spoke one last time, his voice unwavering:
"Compared to those who break the rules and fail their mission… the ones who abandon their comrades are the worst kind of trash."
In his mind, he recalled a certain senior—someone who had once chosen to sacrifice himself for the sake of his companions.
That was the kind of shinobi Obito admired most.
The kind he wanted to become.
He had to hold onto that belief.
And besides—
He wasn't the same dead-last he used to be.
Saving Rin alone… he could do it.
After all, he was Uchiha Obito.
"And in my eyes… the White Fang of Konoha is the true hero!"
Kakashi's voice remained cold. "A hero… who chose to die?"
"You—" Obito froze, stunned.
He had expected hesitation. Maybe guilt. Maybe even that Kakashi would be moved enough to follow him.
Instead, all he received was scorn.
"A meaningless title like 'hero'… only a kid like you would care about it."
Kakashi's mind drifted back to a conversation he once had with Shimizu:
"Shimizu-senpai, you're already so strong. Why do you still train so desperately?"
In Kakashi's understanding, whenever Shimizu wasn't out on a mission, he would inevitably be found at Training Ground 43—day after day, year after year. Twenty years had passed without interruption.
Shimizu simply smiled. "Because I'm afraid of dying."
Kakashi thought he was joking. "Come on, senpai. People out there call you the Shunshin—if anything, others should be the ones afraid of you."
"'Shunshin'… that's just an empty title." Shimizu waved a hand dismissively. "When a person dies, they can't take anything with them."
…That was true.
Even someone as powerful as his father—what did leaving behind the name "Konoha's White Fang" amount to?
Once you're dead, everything is gone.
Noticing the dimness in Kakashi's eyes, Shimizu immediately understood. "Thinking about the White Fang?"
"…Yes." Though surprised by the bluntness, Kakashi nodded honestly.
Shimizu knew there were deeper truths behind the White Fang's death—truths that couldn't be shared with Kakashi. So he explained it in his own way.
"In that mission… no matter what choice the White Fang made, it would have been the right one."
Kakashi frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Completing the mission was necessary, and saving comrades was necessary too. Sometimes, the choice you make is nothing more than a coincidence of the moment."
"If you were to relive it, you might choose differently. Emotion and reason… both exist for a reason. There's no absolute right or wrong."
Kakashi instinctively wanted to argue. "But—"
"The mistake wasn't the choice. It was the person."
"White Fang wasn't strong enough, so he was forced to choose between the mission and his comrades."
Shimizu let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm not strong enough either. That's why I once lost everything…"
Kakashi was stunned.
Shimizu-senpai thought his father was weak… and even considered himself weak?
They were among Konoha's most elite jōnin.
"Weakness is a sin," Shimizu continued. "Kakashi, if you don't want to live with regrets, then become stronger."
"Only true strength can erase this kind of regret… this kind of pain."
Back then, Shimizu had said those words to push Kakashi forward—to keep him from stagnating.
"Surpass the White Fang of the past… and catch up to me now."
Because the Kakashi of the original timeline had wasted too much time, allowing a prodigy—chūnin at six, jōnin at twelve—to be dulled into mediocrity.
His talent was undeniable.
He deserved to stand on a higher stage.
"So… that's the real reason you train so hard, senpai?"
"More or less."
Shimizu-senpai had lost everything… and still stood back up.
Then I… Hatake Kakashi… can do the same.
My father's death… I accept it.
And from now on, I'll push myself—give everything I have—so that this kind of tragedy never happens again.
—
The memory ended abruptly.
Kakashi slowly turned away, two silent trails of tears slipping down his face.
"Obito… something like this… hurts me too."
"It was because we failed to protect Rin that she was taken."
"But even if we go to save her now… the result might be the same."
"It's because we're… too weak."
For a moment, Obito felt as if the friend he had known for years had become a stranger.
He turned and began walking away, forcing back his tears. "Kakashi… you'll regret this."
"If this bridge isn't destroyed because of us, and Konoha loses the war, even more people will die."
"But if Rin dies…" Obito's voice trembled, yet remained resolute, "then this bridge, this war—even Konoha itself—won't mean anything to me anymore."
"…Heh." Kakashi wiped his tears quietly. "Good luck… my former teammate."
They had chosen completely different paths.
And from that moment on, they would only drift farther and farther apart.