Kakashi pushed the door open.
The scene inside completely stunned him.
All five of his "friends" were there.
But…
They were holding playing cards.
A few cards were scattered by their feet.
And each of their faces had several strips of paper stuck to them.
Uchiha Kamito was the first to throw down his cards and wave Kakashi over.
Sure enough, the effect was immediate.
"Damn it!"
Hyūga Hiyasu's veins bulged in anger.
He hadn't even activated the Byakugan—he was just that pissed.
Ahem… that's enough rambling.
"Kakashi, what are you here for?"
"I came to find Kamito. But… what are you guys doing?"
Kakashi looked puzzled. What even were these things? He'd never seen them before.
"Oh, this? Well, you see…"
Helpful citizen Senju Hideki saw Kakashi's confusion and immediately stepped up to explain.
Senju Hideki: Come on, if I don't step in, how do I get screen time?
"So here's the deal—this comes from three powerful nations from thousands of years ago in ninja history. They did this and that, and then this and that… so, Kakashi, do you get it now?"
"I kind of get it. So you're playing a game?"
"Sigh, Kakashi, that's such a shallow way to look at it. We're reliving history—imagining ourselves fighting alongside heroes on the battlefield. This is a bond that transcends worlds and spans thousands of years, you know?"
"…That sounds pretty amazing."
"Alright, just play a round—uh, I mean, experience it—and you'll understand."
Senju Hideki quickly pulled Kakashi down into a seat and urged everyone to start.
"Kakashi's first time here. No problem making him the lord, right?"
"Agreed." ×4
Come on, they were playing the six-player version—one lord, one loyalist, one traitor, and three rebels.
Early game focus fire, late game loyalty splits—absolute misery.
And so, Lord Kakashi began—
"Wait. Kill… isn't that limited to once per turn?"
"That's for normal use. This is a weapon, it lets you use unlimited Kills. Kakashi, you need to learn to read."
Lord Kakashi lost his first game.
Sigh. Speedrun game. Total speedrun.
Second round—
Kakashi got struck to death by lightning. His luck was awful. Heavenly punishment.
Third round—
Kakashi: judgment for lightning passed.
Kakashi was struck dead again.
Man-made disaster.
…
Round N—
Kakashi's face was already covered in paper strips.
Flames of vengeance burned in his eyes as he stared at Senju Hideki beside him.
It's you. Every round, you start by killing me. Every single time. This round, you must be a rebel too.
"Die, rebel! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"
After six consecutive Kills—
"Lord Kakashi has killed the loyalist Senju Hideki. Discard all cards in hand, weapon zone, armor zone, and mount zone."
Lord Kakashi lost for the Nth time.
Sakumo Hatake: Even though I can't stand watching you guys bully Kakashi, shouldn't I be the main character of this chapter? If you don't come soon, I'm about to exit the story.
Kakashi crouched in a corner, helplessly drawing circles on the ground, muttering to himself:
"Why… why… why…"
"Why is everyone always a rebel against me… but this one time, it's a loyalist?"
"I never should've come here."
"Wait… why did I even come here?"
A flash of white light appeared.
Kakashi immediately ran over to the five who were still playing.
Seriously—do you guys have no conscience? I'm already like this, and you're still playing?
"My father is in danger!"
"Oh, wait, what? Your dad's in danger?"
"Your dad is in danger at this point in time."
Kakashi was full of question marks. Since when did "danger" depend on timing?
He quickly explained everything he had seen at home.
The five exchanged glances—excluding Aburame Shiken.
The sunglasses guy doesn't qualify.
Uchiha Kamito: So it's already reached this point…
Hyūga Hiyasu: Sakumo-sama must be saved.
Senju Hideki: How do we save him?
Inuzuka Ryoha: Should we bring Shiken in?
The four of them all turned to look at Aburame Shiken.
They sent a silent signal.
Ding-dong.
The other party has rejected your invitation.
???
???
???
???
Scene shift—
Sakumo Hatake knelt in his home, his heart filled with resentment.
"Why… why… why are you treating me like this?"
"What did I do wrong?"
"Why would the village do this to me?"
The night sky was pitch black.
Exhausted in both body and mind, Sakumo Hatake stared at the White Fang short blade in front of him, gently stroking it.
"My old friend… in the end, you're the only one left with me, huh?"
"Fine… then you'll be the one to send me off on my final journey."
"Ah—"
"Sakumo-san! Sakumo-san!"
Aburame Shiken came running in, calling out as he rushed forward.